What's going on with my goldendoodles coat and color?

[Kelly]

I am a first time goldendoodle owner and I'm curious if this is normal?
My little guy Brody is 5 months old and I love him like crazy! He was a dark apricot color with some white patches when I first got him. Then all of a sudden his coat was growing out white (I understand that some doodles coats can fade over time but I didn't think it would happen So soon). But now his hair seems to be growing out dark apricot again with dark roots. Has anyone else seen this before?
I also Attached a picture below of him and one of his brothers (from the same litter) and Brody's hair is much much thinner than his brothers. Is it common for dogs from the same litter to have very different coat types?

 

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I can answer your last question. With mixed breed litters, it is very common for puppies in the same litter to have entirely different coats. 

[Adina P]

Yup.  It's like kids in a multi-kid family...same parents, not all have the same hair ;-)

[Erin]

My dog is almost 4 months old and his coat is starting to look the same way. I thought his coat was thinning.,,sometimes it looks like parts in the hair. The hair by the roots is a bit of a different texture, too!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

The coats often change in color, texture, and curl. It's one of the cool and unpredictable doodle qualities. Ned is apricot. He hs faded over the years. The coat near the skin is darker. Clancy used to
be cream with apricot undertones. Now he looks more light apricot.

[Jennifer Tramell]

That's pretty impressive :-)  Yes there can be a wide range of coats in one litter of puppies.  Due to the genetics involved, a litter can have a couple retriever coats, a couple poodle coats, and everything in between for the majority.  Regarding the color, however, I have not seem such a drastic change in an apricot. If I had to guess, I would say that your pup has some different color genetics, perhaps a brindle or sable mask?  White markings indicate a part-poodle in the background so maybe this has something to do with it.  I know a little about some color genetics but the mask, dilution, brindle, merle is way over my head :-)

My mom and I both have dogs who started chocolate and faded.  Each season, their coats change from dark to silver to dark to silver, etc.  Here is a collage I made of my girl, Tessa.  If you look closely in the snow picture, you can see her darker hair at the skin showing through.  Your guy reminds me of what we see with our girls - only in the apricot spectrum.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Doodles are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.  haha.  My apricot doodle did fade some over the first year or two, but still apricot. His brother that I know of that shipped in the same crate by plane to us was very light in the beginning and got whiter as time went on. Same litter.  He is still very white 7 years later. (His mom and I have been friends all this time).

Bella is pure white, and stayed the exact same for the past 6 years. Who knows?