Goldendoodle Colours: Red, Apricot, Parti and Genetics
A Goldendoodle's colour is set mostly by the Poodle parent, because every Golden Retriever passes on the same yellow-only version of the MC1R gene. Here's how cream, apricot and red, black and chocolate, parti, phantom and merle Goldendoodles happen, and what to expect from each pairing.
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Every Golden Retriever carries two copies of the yellow-only version of the MC1R gene, so every Golden passes one on. That makes the Poodle parent the deciding factor in a Goldendoodle's colour. If the Poodle also passes on a yellow-only copy, the puppy is cream, apricot or red. If the Poodle passes on a working copy, the puppy can make dark pigment and may be black, chocolate, phantom or sable. The exact shade, white patches such as parti, and merle come from other genes.
The yellow switch: why the Poodle decides
A 2000 study of the MC1R gene found that Golden Retrievers carry the recessive e variant, which stops the coat from making black or brown pigment, so Goldens make only yellow-red pigment. A dog needs two e copies for that, so every Golden is a shade of gold and passes on one e to every puppy. The Poodle's copy then decides whether the puppy can make dark pigment:
| What the Poodle parent passes on | What the puppy can be |
|---|---|
| A yellow-only copy (e) | Cream, apricot or red, with no black or brown in the coat |
| A working copy (E) | Able to make dark pigment: black, chocolate, phantom, sable or other dark-based coats |
Cream, apricot, red and white Poodles usually have two yellow-only copies; when they do, all their puppies with a Golden are cream to red, or white. A black, brown or phantom Poodle, or a parti whose coloured patches are black or brown, has at least one working copy. Whether it also carries a hidden yellow-only copy only shows in its puppies, or in a DNA test.
Cream, apricot and red: the shade genes
Cream, apricot and red are one colour genetically, red-yellow pigment, in different strengths. A 2020 study linked darker pigment to extra copies of a stretch of DNA near the KITLG gene, in Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, in Poodles and in other breeds. So the parents' shades are a rough guide to the puppies', though littermates can still vary.
Very pale cream or white is red-yellow pigment diluted almost to white. A 2019 study of white dogs that included Poodles traced this kind of white to the yellow-only variant plus a variant of the MFSD12 gene. Red and apricot puppies can also lighten as they grow, especially in lines with Poodle "fading" genetics.
Black, chocolate and other dark coats
When a puppy can make dark pigment, other genes decide what it looks like:
- Solid black: one dominant black variant at the K locus makes the coat solid. A Golden's own K genes are hidden under its yellow coat, so either parent can pass dominant black on.
- Chocolate: two brown copies of the TYRP1 gene turn dark pigment brown. A Golden can carry brown without showing it. A 2002 study found that in yellow and red dogs, nose colour matched these brown variants: a Golden with a brown nose has two brown copies, while a black-nosed Golden may or may not carry one.
- Phantom: tan markings on the face, chest and legs come from the tan-points version of the agouti gene, which a dog usually needs from both parents, as a 2011 study showed. A Golden can pass on tan points without showing them, and the pattern only appears if the puppy can make dark pigment and doesn't inherit dominant black.
- Sable: dark-tipped hairs over a lighter base come from the sable version of the same gene, identified across breeds in a 2005 study.
Parti and other white markings
Parti Goldendoodles have large white patches. White markings come from white-spotting genes, mainly MITF, which a 2007 study identified as the major white-spotting gene. The Golden Retriever is a solid-coloured breed, so first-generation Goldendoodles tend to be solid, sometimes with small white marks on the chest or feet. A parti puppy usually needs a parti copy from each parent, so parti puppies come mostly from F1B and multigeneration litters where both parents carry it, such as litters from parti doodles or Poodles.
Merle Goldendoodles
Merle is a marbled pattern caused by an insertion in the PMEL gene. It isn't one of the standard colours of either parent breed: the CKC describes the Golden as shades of gold and accepts any solid colour in the Poodle. So a merle Goldendoodle usually has merle from another breed somewhere in its family tree. Merle carries real risks when two merle dogs are bred together, and some carriers look solid. Our guide to merle dogs explains double merle and cryptic merle.
What colour will my Goldendoodle puppy be?
| Parents | Puppy colours to expect |
|---|---|
| Golden and a cream, apricot, red or white Poodle | Cream to red, in different shades |
| Golden and a black Poodle | Black or other dark coats; cream to red too if the Poodle carries yellow-only; chocolate only if both parents carry brown |
| Golden and a chocolate Poodle | Chocolate if the Golden passes on brown, black-based otherwise; cream to red too if the Poodle carries yellow-only |
| Dark-coated F1 Goldendoodle (E/e) and a cream to red Poodle | About half cream to red, and about half able to make dark pigment |
| Two dark-coated F1 Goldendoodles (both E/e) | About one in four cream to red, and the rest able to make dark pigment |
| Cream-to-red F1 Goldendoodle (e/e) and a cream to red Poodle | Cream to red |
Our guide to the Goldendoodle covers the rest of the cross, from coat type to size, and our guide to doodle generations explains F1, F1B and multigen.
What a DNA report shows about colour
The PuppyGenes coat colour section predicts possible colour and pattern, colour lightening, white markings and merle where the sample supports interpretation, with its confidence shown. Some results come back tentative or undetermined, and part of a colour estimate can come from the appearance you reported. The PuppyGenes report doesn't include genetic disease or health screening, and its colour results aren't health predictions. You can see how colour results look in our example reports, and our coat colour hub explains each gene.
Frequently asked questions
- What colour will my Goldendoodle be?
- It depends mostly on the Poodle parent. Every Golden passes on a yellow-only copy of MC1R, so if the Poodle does too, the puppy is cream to red. If the Poodle passes on a working copy, the puppy can be black, chocolate, phantom, sable or another dark-based colour. White patches, as in parti, can appear on any of them.
- Can a Goldendoodle be black?
- Yes. A puppy that gets a working MC1R copy from the Poodle parent can make black pigment, and one dominant-black copy from either parent makes the coat solid black, or solid chocolate if the puppy also has two brown copies.
- What makes a red Goldendoodle?
- Red is the darkest shade of red-yellow pigment. It needs yellow-only copies from both parents, and darker reds have been linked to extra copies of a stretch of DNA near the KITLG gene.
- What is a parti Goldendoodle?
- A Goldendoodle with large white patches, from white-spotting genes. A parti puppy usually needs a parti copy from each parent, as in some F1B and multigeneration litters from parti doodles or Poodles.
- Do Goldendoodles change colour?
- They can. Red and apricot puppies can lighten as they grow, especially in lines with Poodle "fading" genetics, so the adult coat may look different from the puppy coat.
- Where does merle come from in Goldendoodles?
- Merle isn't a standard colour in either the Golden Retriever or the Poodle, so a merle Goldendoodle usually has merle from another breed in its family tree.
From general to personal
See how this applies to your dog specifically.
Our at-home Complete Dog DNA Test adds your dog's own results to these tips across six report sections: breed ancestry, coat colour, physical appearance, temperament and size predictions, genetic diversity and oral microbiome. The report does not include genetic disease or health screening.