How many times will his color change?

[Apricot and Red Doodles]

Ferguson is 5 months old. I have been his mom for a month. He is a beautiful light apricot and gold color. But, the new growth is coming in much darker and redder.The breeder said he was red when he was born but lightened up within a couple of weeks. His mother and grandmother are both Red Poodles. Dad is a Red/Rust Goldendoodle and grandfather is a Golden Retriever. I love his color now, but Red would be really pretty also. 

I guess it doesn't really matter. I'll love him no matter what color. I'm just curious as to how many times his color will change and when will I know it is done changing?

[Patti Livanos]

It's a hard thing to predict.  A lot of doodles lighten and then stay light.  Mine is an apricot color, and he was more champagne when he arrived, darkened shortly thereafter.  He was apricot for about 2 years, but then lightened a lot.  And I thought, oh, no!  It's happening to him too and I loved his color!  And now, about 6 months after he lightened, he is darkening again!   He is about 2 years, 8 months.  And he has many different colored hairs in his coat--whites, creams, browns, blacks, golds and reds--that all seem to blend together to make his color.  Natural highlights & lowlights, lol.  He looks different shades of apricot or gold in different lights.  

[Bob Johnston]

take lots of pictures. I don't think ive heard of a dog getting darker specially red as they get older. I am interested to see how the coat ends up.

[Bob Johnston]

that would be cute. you could get the loin cut just to take some pictures.

[Olive Labradoodle]

Hello doodles!  When we took Olive home she was a warm beautiful honey blonde.  As she was growing out her puppy hair she had this amazing ombre color.   Now she's a rich rusty-cinnamon red.  Most doodles do tend to get lighter - Olive got darker!  We get so many compliments on her hair.  Women have even stopped me to take a photo to take to their hairdresser. 

[Christy&Riley]

Riley was really red at 9 weeks but has lightened now at 9 months. Her mom was a blonde, brown and red goldendoodle and her dad was a red poodle. I agree it's like she has natural highlights and lowlights that I pay for in my hair. :-) She even has random gray strands like her human mom. LOL Her leg was shaved because of an injury and the vet warned us that if she licked it a lot the hair growing back would be darker...and it was. Seems so odd that would affect hair color.

[Christy&Riley]

Current color.