My 5 Month Old Cream Labradoodle Is Changing Colors!!!

[Joanie]

Hi Everyone :)  Ok, I want some people's opinion on this.  My 5 months old Australian Labradoodle is changing colors!  She was born cream and recently on her back her hair started turning really dark.  I thought it was dirt... it's like a gigantic circle on her back.  So I had her sitting with me the other day and I was brushing her and got to really look at these this dark spot... in this one spot her cream coloring is mixed with JET BLACK HAIRS giving her more of a greyish apperance in this one spot.  On top of that, the hair is completely different from the rest of her coat.  It is not as silky and is a much tighter curl.  So what do you think?  Have you ever heard of this?  Her mother was a chocolate color and her father was jet black.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Do you have a picture?   That would help.  What part of her back?  Is it low and near the tail?  Look up KEMP on this site and there are discussions about the location and type of hair Kemp describing its characteristics. 

[Joanie]

It's on her upper back right below the neck. I will try to get a picture tomorrow.

[Michael Gurley]

Kemp is white, though, isn't it?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No, it can be any color and is often darker than the rest of the coat.

[Michael Gurley]

I did not know that! I guess I can't just rely on one googled website though, huh? ;)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Most of our doodles change color as they mature, but it is usually lightening up.  Chocolate doodles seem to have the most dramatic changes.

As Joanne suggested, it might be kemp. The kemp hairs are coarser.

It could be temporary - Ned is apricot and his red ears and tail faded to apricot.  At one point the kemp on his back was a darker color and he looked like he was getting darker but now it has faded back out and he is the same apricot color all over.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

My goldendoodles Sasha was a very light cream color when I got her, her hair of course was a slight curl and very fluffy as she matured, she started getting the markings of a golden retriever but the hair of a poodle :)   Her hair turned into a very tight poodle curl and she has very dark golden/redish hairs mixed in with the dark cream color.  Sasha is way more poodle than golden except for the markings.  Her back is a bit darker and her thighs, back of her neck and bottom of her ears are dark golden.  She went thru her major coat change about a year old.  I love the way she turned out :)

[Dawn]

Lucy (4 months) is golden colored but I noticed her hair is getting lighter, especially towards her rear.  I love the color she is now.  She definitely looks more like a poodle than other doodles.  Her hair continues to remain short on her snout and her legs on very long.  It feels like her hair is curly underneath her puppy hair.    Sometimes I am surprised people recognize her as a golden doodle because to me she doesn't look like one.  At any rate, she is cute and we love her :)

 

Dawn

[Joanie]

Here's a picture of the dark spot... it didn't photograph too well but you can definitely see the difference between her regular coat and this spot

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Looks and sounds like kemp to me, too.

[Joanie]

Thanks

[Christine & Shelby]

I have and ALD too and both her parents carry a gene that causes the coat to change color.  Shelby was red as a pup.... and now is mostly apricot - although her head is still pretty red.   Her coloring started changing on her back first and a 2nd type of fur - more thick and coarse started coming in.  My breeder told me the coat can continue to change color for close to 2 years.   Your pup is still young, so who knows what the final look will be.