Dark Colored Goldendoodles by Lake Ridge

Why does the Black or dark colored doodle not get the recognition or attention they so deserve ? This page is dedicated to some of the wonderful dark colored doodles we have produced and have received photos of.

Dark colored Goldendoodles are produced by using a sire or dam who is Black, Silver or Brown. The doodles on this page was the result of their mother being a Golden Retriever and their father being either black or brown. We have worked extremely hard at producing a parti colored Goldendoodle. Creating parti colors in a Goldendoodle is very difficult because of the strong Golden Retriever genes.

Because even the Silver or Silver Phantom Goldendoodle is born jet black, it is extremely difficult for a breeder to know whether their dark colored doodle will stay black or turn into a silver phantom or turn silver. We experienced this problem with Molly (to the right) because both she and Murphy were jet black as young puppies. Unless the breeder keeps their Goldendoodle puppies until they are beyond 12 weeks of age, the silver does not always present itself early and this makes determining the color of a dark doodle difficult at times. Regardless of coloration in our Goldendoodles, they are all beautiful in their own right.

Black or dark colored Goldendoodles look prettier than most photos present. Our Goldendoodles are rarely one single color. There are times when a Goldendoodle is black all the way through...but we have seen many of our black Goldendoodles having silver or gold highlights within their black strands of hair. Regardless of coloration, our Goldendoodles are consistent in being extremely low shedding, low dander and very fluffy...shaggy dogs! Some of our customers maintain their doodles' coat by trimming or some just leave their doodle shaggy. Either way, our Goldendoodles...regardless of coloration...are some of the best created in the United States. All have extensive OFA champion lineage out of Bel Tor, Wycliffe, Dassin and Eaton lines. Goldendoodles make terrific pets regardless of their age.

When viewing a doodle photo, it is difficult in determining coat type based on a photo. The reason for this is because a Goldendoodles' coat will go through various phases as they grow. Goldendoodles do not have a tight curl like that of a purebred Poodle. Doodles that have more Poodle in their genetic structure usually have more curls in their coat. If your doodle is not brushed, their coat can appear to be curly, but once the coat is fluffed and brushed...your Goldendoodle may appear to be a huge ball of cotton-candy!

We can usually determine their coat type at an early age but not always. We generally see many of our doodles that have more Poodle in their genetic structure have alot more "ripples" in their coat within four hours of their birth. A doodle with more of a curly coat may also be void of the usual facial beard since their face can be curly from the top of their head right down to their nose.

Goldendoodles come in all colors and markings! There isn't a single color or marking that is considered "rare". Because the Poodle itself has a huge array of colors and markings, anything is possible! As I said earlier, creating parti-colored Goldendoodles is a real difficult task...but we DID accomplish creating phantom doodles and our first "TRI-COLOR" goldendoodle occurred in 1995. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO. We had hoped to create Chocolate parti colored Goldendoodles in 2004. Our chocolate Goldendoodles that we created did have some white on their chin or chest...but it was not in patches like we had hoped for. All in all, however, they were beautiful dogs. We do have chocolates on occasion!

We have created the Goldendoodle since 1999. Since then, we have seen a huge variety of colors! Our number one color is cream or apricot....but we have seen silver phantom (Like Molly to the right); we've had tri-colors and parti-colors but our parti-colored doodles were small doodles. We've had black doodles as well as black doodles with gold and silver strands. It has been our experience since 1999, that the most popular color for a Goldendoodle is cream or apricot. For some reason, darker colors do not sell that well and I'm just not sure why. Doodles of all colors are gorgeous! Our black Standard Poodle Blackie sires some of the most beautiful Goldendoodles I've ever seen, but it doesn't do me any good to create a litter that can't find homes just because they are black in color. We no longer intentionally create black doodles unless we have at least six customers on a waiting list specifically wanting a black Goldendoodle. This way, all will have homes to go to when they are ready.

When our Silver Phantom Goldendoodles are approx. 4 months old, their lighter, phantom-colored face is more apparent. Their coat takes on a blue hue at approx. 12 weeks of age......with lighter strands of hair peeking through. The puppy up above right is ROXY, up above left. Roxy was born jet black. Because unfortunately black colored Goldendoodles are very difficult to find homes for (we have yet to determine the mystery to this!)...she remained with us until she was approx. 8 mos. of age. Her family bought her when her colors had already taken form to let us know she was a true silver phantom. Silver frosted or silver phantom Goldendoodles are some of the most beautiful colors to ever look at in person. Photographs do not do this color justice!

Another rich and beautiful color we were able to see in our Goldendoodles was a Chocolate phantom! Chocolate Phantom is also an uncommon color that we can not breed for...but is quite beautiful when it occurs. I don't like to use the word "rare"...but yes....phantom colors are a rarity. With a Chocolate Phantom, the face is always lighter than the body coat and at times, legs are lighter in color as well. Every chocolate doodle, whether phantom or not, will have green eyes that eventually changes to amber. All of our Goldendoodles are shaggy and wavy as an adult. The majority of our Goldendoodles are shaggy and wavy as an adult. In 2007 we had our first Goldendoodle born to us that had an identical appearance as that of a purebred Golden Retriever...but the terrific part about her?? She shed just as little as our doodles that was shaggy and wavy! Very, very little!

It always boggles my brain to see doodle breeders post in their advertisements or on their sites that their Goldendoodle is a "non-shedding, hypo-allergenic" dog. It is always disappointing to us to find doodle breeders posting silly information like this on their websites. Another silly bit of information is that some breeders will actually make the claim that their multi-generation doodle (basically a backbred doodle) will NEVER shed or that because they have more poodle, the shedding is far less than an F1 (first generation) doodle (Golden Retriever as one parent and Poodle being the other) or that they now become "hypo-allergenic" because they have more poodle. The fact is, there is no breed on this planet that is hypo-allergenic. All dogs shed. Every dog has dander of some sort. The fact is, an F1 Goldendoodle will shed just as little or as much as a multi-generation doodle. The fact is, an F1 Goldendoodle will have just as little dander or as much dander as a multi-generation doodle. While a Multi-generation doodle is just as cute as an F1 Goldendoodle...a Multi-generation doodles' risk or propensity for having genetic flaws are greater than an F1 doodle that has been created the proper way, regardless of how much testing a breeder has done.

CLICK HERE to see our Goldendoodles created in 2005 that did NOT weigh more than 18 pounds by the age of 9 months. We created a second very small litter in 2006 (all stayed under 15 pounds as an adult) but because really small doodles don't work out that well for those with young children, we are not that interested in creating more really small doodles. It has been our experience here in 2007 that families with young children should stick with the 50/50 mix (Poodle/Golden Retriever) or Goldendoodle (with twice the Poodle genetically) mixed with Golden Retriever. Either mix allows the offspring to have more Golden Retriever traits which seems to be more successful where children are concerned.

What a doodle breeder is saying when they say they have "F1B" or "F2B" doodles is that they kept a doodle created the correct way (ie...an F1 mix) and later back bred it to a related Poodle....the mother, father, brother or sister. If a doodle breeder says they have "F2B" doodles....they kept an "F1B" puppy (a backbred puppy out of a first generation hybrid litter) and later back bred it YET AGAIN to another related Poodle. From a genetic standpoint, this is insane and absolutely does NOTHING to better the hybrid or coat for that matter. All it is doing is adding more Poodle and if that's the case, why not just breed Poodles or buy a Poodle? That literally means they have nearly bred OUT the Golden Retriever or Lab and so what the heck is the point? Any doodle that has more Poodle, has less of the other parent in their lineage. If a doodle breeder goes on to have "F2B"....3, 4, etc. doodles.......why don't they just create a purebred Poodle litter and be done with it? It does not make any sense to keep back-breeding and back-breeding on and on and on. It is no mystery that back-breeding and in-breeding is the entire reason many purebred dogs have so many genetic ailments and issues to this day. The more in-breeding and back-breeding a breeder does with their dogs...the more of a genetic "bottle neck" they create. There is no scientific evidence, to date, that can prove that a Goldendoodle or Labradoodle with MORE Poodle in its genetic make-up thus becomes a hypo-allergenic, non shedding dog. The opinions posted inside of every breeder's website are solely their own and that includes my own site....but I will tell you that I personally called several canine genetic Laboratories in 2006 inquiring whether or not some Goldendoodle hairs could be tested to see if they were "non-shedding" hairs or "hypo-allergenic" hairs and I was told matter of factly that no such test was available at that time. I was also told there were no known canine genetic laboratories that COULD conduct such tests, as of yet. So I know for a fact that when a breeder claims their Poodle or any other dog for that matter...purebred or hybrid....NEVER SHEDS OR IS A HYPO-ALLERGENIC DOG....They are merely making a statement they can not back-up with any scientific, genetic, laboratory testing or evidence to support their claim.

I will personally tell you that since 1999, I've watched our Goldendoodles go through many coat changes and phases and not SEE where the hair had gone....but DID notice the changes. I am sure the hairs went some where...but the hair comes out so little that its difficult to see. I myself also suffer from Chronic Pulmonary Obstructive disorder and I do very well with my Poodle hybrids and much better with them than my purebred dogs.