Goldendoodle Coat Types – Texture And Colors

As most first time Goldendoodle owners, you might wonder what are the Goldendoodle coat types. What your Goldendoodle is going to look like as an adult can be a big part of your decision process when getting a puppy.

In this article, we are going to look at Goldendoodle coat types, color variations and what factors affect your Goldendoodle’s appearance.

Goldendoodle Coat Types – Texture

Your main concern when getting a puppy should always be their health. However, it’s understandable to also care about what they are going to look like as a grown up dog.

Usually, Goldendoodle coat types can be predicted as long as you get your puppy from a reputable breeder.

The breeder would be able to show you the parents of the puppy which is a pretty good indicator of what type is your Goldendoodle coat.

Normally, Goldendoodles would have a coat that is 2 to 3 inches long. Furthermore, the Goldendoodle’s fur is longer on their tail, body, ears, and legs. However, the fur on their head and muzzle is shorter.

The Goldendoodle coat types include the following textures:

• Shaggy/Wavy
• Curly
• Straight

Shaggy/Wavy

If you are after a Goldendoodle with a wavy coat, you should expect the following characteristics:

• Length is 4-7 inches/10-18cm, untrimmed
• Low shedding and hypoallergenic
• Less dense than a curly coat
• Fur is shorter around the face

The upkeep of wavy Goldendoodle coat includes brushing minimum once per week.

Curly

As mentioned above the curly Goldendoodle coat types are made of dense and thick curls.

Usually, the Goldendoodle inherits a curly coat if one of the parents is a purebred Poodle.

The following are Goldendoodle curly coat characteristics:

• If left untrimmed, the curls would stop growing in the same shape. Furthermore, as the curls are so dense they only form and stay that shape if the coat is kept short.
• As the hair is usually shorter around the face, when brushed you can create the appearance of an afro hairstyle
• Normally, curly coat is low or no shed and hypoallergenic
• Goldendoodle coat types such as the curly one are very similar to a Poodle coat. Therefore, you should expect little to no smell.

Straight

The straight Goldendoodle coat type is also known as loose. As mentioned above, the curly coat is similar to a Poodle’s, whereas the straight Goldendoodle coat has more similarities to a Golden Retriever’s.

The following are straight coat characteristics:

• Low maintenance and upkeep
• Unlike the previous two types, the straight coat is most likely to shed
• Not hypoallergenic

The only maintenance this coat requires is brushing from time to time in order to avoid knots.

What Factors Affect Goldendoodle Coat Texture

With Goldendoodle coat types, there are factors that affect the texture of the coat. When breeding, there are three contributing genes to a Goldendoodle coat types

• Coat Curl
• Coat Length
• Furnishings

Coat Curl (The Curl Gene – KRT71)

The texture of your Goldendoodle coat can be wavy, curly or straight. This depends on what type of gene curl your Goldendoodle inherits from the parent.

For instance, if both parents have wavy coats they can still carry the curl gene. As a result, the puppies can still have a curly coat.

If you are set on a certain type of Goldendoodle coat, it’s recommended to discuss with the breeder the possible outcomes.

Coat Length (The Long Hair Gene – FGF5)

Both Poodles and Golden Retrievers carry the long hair genes.

As the coat length is a recessive gene, it means you need both copies in order to produce a long doodle coat. Therefore, all Goldendoodles have longer coats.

Improper Coat Gene (The Furnishings IR IC Test – RSPO2)

The improper gene is the one that affects your Goldendoodle’s coat the most. Furnishings refers to the length of your Goldendoodle’s hair around the face.

If you are after the scruffy Goldendoodle look with moustache and eyebrows, the furnishings would be a dominant trait. Therefore, you only need a copy from 1 parent to achieve the scruffy look.

However, to be sure that this is the case, DNA testing of the parents would be required.

What Coat Is My Goldendoodle Going To Have – The Tell Signs From A Puppy Age

Many people don’t do research into what their puppy would look like as an adult. After all they are so cute when they are small that we don’t care about anything else!

However, as some time passes, you might start wondering which Goldendoodle coat type are they going to have as an adult dog.

Fortunately, there are some signs to help you have a better understanding what your puppy’s adult coat would look like. However, this is not a guarantee.

Look out for the following early characteristics in your puppy’s appearance:

• Curly coat – Normally, when there is a moustache appearance in your puppy, means a curly coat
• Wavy coat – If your puppy has a beard like shaggy appearance around the muzzle
• Straight coat – If your puppy has a short and neat snout means a straight coat

Goldendoodle Coat Types – Colors

Another Goldendoodle characteristic you might be interested in is – Goldendoodle colors. Fortunately, Goldendoodle come in many different colors. Some of these colors include the following:

• Cream
• Apricot
• Red
• Chocolate
• Black

However, Golden seems to be the most common color.

What Factors Affect Goldendoodle Coat Color

What color is your Goldendoodle going to have depends on the same gene. However, the shade of the color is determined by the intensity of the inherited gene.

The color of your Goldendoodle coat depends on the parents. The Poodle tends to be black, chocolate, silver and grey. Whereas, the Golden Retriever contributes to the lighter shades of your Goldendoodle’s coat coloring.

For instance, if the Poodle parent is black, the puppies would also be black. The same goes for white Poodles – the result is cream puppies.

However, there are exceptions and the litter can be a mix of cream and black puppies. It all depends on the parents’ coat coloring.

In addition to the mentioned Goldendoodle colors, your Goldendoodle can be shades of the main colors including the following:

• Parti – To be considered a parti colored, the Goldendoodle must be minimum of 50% white with patches of a solid color
• Merle – Varied coat pattern. However, if both parents carry the gene, it can lead to blindness and deafness. Read more about Goldendoodle health problems here Goldendoodle Health Problems – How To Spot Them
• Phantom – The coat consists of a specific pattern of patches above each eye, on the side of the snout, chest, under the tail and inside of the legs
• Brindle – This variation appears as stripes of solid color

Upkeep Of Your Goldendoodle’s Coat

Although, there are variety of Goldendoodle coat types, it’s important that you know what level of grooming each coat requires.

All Goldendoodle coats would require a certain degree of upkeep. Otherwise it can result in ear wax or infections.

All three coat types – curly, wavy and straight, are low maintenance. However, the curly coat requires more frequent brushing. Also, they tend to shed less or not at all.

The following are important points to remember when it comes to Goldendoodle coat upkeep and grooming:

• The smoother the coat, the higher chance of shedding
• Although, the Goldendoodle being little to no shed, they still require regular grooming and clipping
• If you decide to keep the coat short, it should be clipped every 6 to 8 weeks and brushed once every few weeks
• However, if you want to keep the coat natural length – you should only brush it once every 1 to 2 weeks and no clipping
• You should only wash your Goldendoodle when is really needed. The reason for that is – their coat and skin can become dry from losing natural oil and moisture. This can result in developing skin infections

Final Thoughts

Goldendoodles’ friendly and playful personality makes them great pets and especially – great family dogs.

However, when getting a new puppy, you might be interested in finding out about the different Goldendoodle coat types textures and colors.

Goldendoodle coat types include the following textures:

• Wavy
• Curly
• Straight

Goldendoodle coat colors include the following:

• Cream
• Apricot
• Red
• Chocolate
• Black

Both Goldendoodle’s coat texture and coloring depend on the genetics of the parents.

Related Questions

Do Goldendoodles Change Color?

Yes, Goldendoodle’s coat goes lighter as they age. This is especially true for Goldendoodles with lighter and medium coats.

However, if your Goldendoodle’s coat is black, it’s unlikely it would go lighter. Not until your Goldendoodle gets old enough for the white hairs to start showing.

Do Goldendoodles Shed?

Goldendoodles either don’t shed at all or only a little and are known for their hypoallergenic coats. Therefore, they are perfect for adults and kids with allergies or asthma.

However, they would still have dander, saliva, and urine and that is what people are usually allergic to. Therefore, there is no guarantee a Goldendoodle won’t cause an allergic reaction.

If the Goldendoodle is more related to the Poodle parent, it means less shedding.

For instance, a Goldendoodle that is F1B generation has 25% golden retriever and 75% poodle. This makes them less likely to shed.

On the other hand, the F1 generation Goldendoodle is 50% Golden Retriever and 50% Poodle. This makes them more likely to shed. However, in some cases the F1 generation would not carry the shedding gene traits from the Golden Retriever.

Overall, if your Goldendoodle would shed depends on the parents genes. It’s recommended to discuss this with the breeder you’re getting the puppy from.

Can A Goldendoodle Be Black?

It’s known that the Goldendoodle comes in variations of gold and cream colors. However, can a Goldendoodle be black?

The answer to that question is – yes. The black color comes mainly from the Poodle side. However, sometimes their coat might appear black whilst they are young but once grown, the coat turns grey.