New puppy advice/coat predictions?!

[Caroline and Sammy]

Hi everyone! I recently joined DK and I'm loving reading the posts as well as seeing photos of your doodles! I will be a first-time doodle owner in less than 3 weeks. Sammy is 5 weeks old today! I CAN'T WAIT to bring him home. I've been waiting for him since before he was conceived and it's excruciating!

The breeder just sent me this photo and I was wondering if anyone could help me with coat predictions? I'm thinking he'll be loose wavy, but wanted to get others' opinions. Do you think he will have the classic facial furnishings? For reference, Sammy is an F1 standard goldendoodle. Here's a video of him at 5 weeks as well (as the breeder said - he's much darker in person as you can clearly see in the pic below!)

Also - I was wondering how the color of his coat might change as he gets older. If you have a doodle that was Sammy's color as a puppy, how did his/her coat change?

 

Last but not least, If you have any advice for a first-time doodle/puppy owner, please comment below! This can be recommendations on products, training tips, etc.

Thanks in advance for your help! 

[Diane, Baker & Oskar]

Sammy is adorable!  I sure understand why you’re excited!  I’m no expert, but I see the facial furnishings & would predict a wavy coat.  Our Oskar was several shades lighter, but red like Sammy, & lightened to cream with reddish ears, beard & back. I’m pretty sure when the doodles are as dark as Sammie shows in his picture, they stay red.  Maybe some of the DK people with more experience will chime in :)  I love his boxy face :) have fun with him!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I agree on the wavy coat!

Here is a pic of baby Riley at 5 weeks and then a few pictures I took yesterday at 11 months.  She has a wavy/loose curl coat.

[Caroline and Sammy]

Riley is absolutely beautiful! I LOVE her coat! 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Hopefully your pup doesn't have the double coat though lol.  Her undercoat is craaaaaazy thick and high maintenance.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Also about the colour - I'm also predicting he will stay red if the poodle parent didn't fade much.

[Caroline and Sammy]

Thank you!! I appreciate the input :) 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

He definitely has furnishings. I'd guess his coat will be wavy rather than curly, but that's very hard to know at this age. 
His color will almost certainly fade. You can't keep a deep red coat as an adult unless both parents are deep red and/or there is black behind them. (color genetics are complicated.) Obviously, since one of his parents is a Golden Retriever, that parent cannot be carrying for red or black. I'd say he will eventually end up a nice rich apricot. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Interesting, so I guess the deep red doodles are all f1bs or labradoodle?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, it depends on the types of doodles. Irishdoodles, obviously, could stay red, lol. But according to what I know about Poodle genetics, it would be very difficult to find a deep red F1 goldendoodle older than maybe 3 or 4 years old. I don't see very many of them, even here on DK. 

[Caroline and Sammy]

Thanks! That makes sense. I assumed he's fade in color as I've seen that with most doodles!!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Luna started cream and ended up more apricot but I think that was because she basically had a golden retriever's flat coat.  Most doodles seem to fade like poodles. It will be interesting to see if Riley fades at all in her black areas or just gets more white hairs ;)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't think Riley's color is going to change at all.