Sable, Phantom, or both?

[Sydney]

Hi! I am new to being a Golden Doodle owner. We just got our little guy, Luke, this past weekend and he is doing great! He is a 50/50 mix with his dad being a Sable Standard Poodle. At first I thought he was just sable, but after looking at pictures, it appears he might have the markings of a Phantom doodle. Any insight would be great! I am attaching some pictures of when he was first born and some that I have taken during this week that we have had him. He is currently a little over 8 weeks old. Also, he doesn't appear to have much fur on his face. Should I expect that to grow in a little later?

[Leslie J]

What a cutie! I'm not familiar with the intricacies of sable and phantom coloring, but I am guessing Luke has one of those coats that will change dramatically over the next couple of years. An ever changing mystery… I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Here is a chart I found: http://arpeggiopoodles.tripod.com/poodlecoatcolorsoverviewofallcolo...

[DonMarie and Picco]

Adorable!  It'll be fun to see how the coloring changes.

[Lynda Kamrath]

He is a darling pup, but I don't think a phantom.  The markings on his eyebrows when he was a puppy made it look like he could be a phantom, but it is not enough color variation.  That makes sense if he is 50/50.  When a phantom poodle is bred back to a goldendoodle then you have 75% poodle, or an F1b.  I had a phantom F1b goldendoodle and currently have a sheepadoodle whose father was also a phantom poodle.  They have very definite black and white markings.  Take a look at my photos to meet my phantom dogs.