If you’re wondering what colors Cavapoos come in, you’ve come to the right place. As both Cavapoo parent breeds come in a variety of colors, you can expect to see a wide variety of Cavapoo colors and coat patterns. So in this article, I’ll explore the wonderful range of Cavapoo coat colors and different coat patterns.
What Colors Do Cavapoos Come In?
Cavapoos come in a range of colors including solid colors of black, white, brown, ruby or red, apricot, tan and cream. Bicolors include Blenheim (tan and white), black and white, black and tan, brown and white, ruby and white and apricot and white. Cavapoos also come in tricolor and coat patterns of parti, phantom, sable, and rarely a merle or brindle.
Let’s find out more about Cavapoo colors along with their coat patterns. I’ve included an extensive range of photo examples to show you Cavapoo coloring. And I’ll cover how Cavapoo genetics influence the coat colors and patterns they come in.
Related: Are Cavapoos Hypoallergenic? | Cavapoo Puppy Checklist | Do Cavapoo Puppies Start With Straight Hair?
How Cavapoo Genetics Determines Coat Colors
Cavapoos are a lovely mixed breed doodle dog that is a result of crossing a Poodle with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
By looking at the Cavapoos parent breeds, we can better understand how their genetics influences coat coloring. So let’s first take a closer look at the Cavapoo parent breeds: the Poodle and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Coat Colors
The adorable Cavalier King Charles Spaniel comes in four different coat colors. They are Blenheim, Tricolor, Ruby and Black and Tan.
Blenheim coloring is the most popular and is a combination of a white coat with chestnut markings. The chestnut presents on the head, around the eyes as well as on parts of the body. This coloring is also well known for a white stripe called a blaze, running between the eyes from the nose to the top of the head.
Tricolor also features a white background with plenty of black coloring and tan markings. Black and tan features around the ears, eyes and cheeks. A white blaze is also characteristic of this coloring, from the top of the head to the nose.
The Black and Tan Cavalier has a black background with tan features around the eyes, muzzle, chest and paws.
Ruby Cavaliers are red all over.
Poodle Coat Colors
Because Poodles feature many colors along with coat patterns, Cavapoos also inherit a wide combination of coat colors. Poodle colors include white, black, brown or chocolate, cream, red, apricot, cafe au lait, gray, beige silver, silver, and blue.
Poodle coat patterns can be solid, phantom, parti, brindle, and sable.
So with this in mind, let’s find out the colors you can expect to find in a Cavapoo.
Solid Color Cavapoo
Cavapoos come in a range of solid colors and they are as follows:
Black Cavapoo
Solid black Cavapoos are somewhat rare because it is a recessive gene that creates this color. Often black Cavapoos will have some white markings such as a spot on their chest.
Chocolate Cavapoo (AKA Brown Cavapoo)
Chocolate Cavapoos, also known as brown Cavapoos, can range from a deep brown to a lighter one. Chocolate Cavapoos are on the rare side because, like the black Cavapoo, brown is a recessive gene so not always commonly seen in Cavapoos.
Ruby Cavapoo or Red Cavapoo
Ruby or Red Cavapoos are a popular color. The red color can start out a deep red and either stay that shade or fade to a lighter color if the Cavapoo has inherited the fading gene.
Apricot Cavapoo or Tan Cavapoo
Apricot and Tan are similar. Apricot is more orange-hued while Tan leans more towards a lighter brown or golden color.
Cream Cavapoo
Cream Cavapoos are a soft beige color, lighter than apricot and tan.
White Cavapoo
White Cavapoos are lighter again than cream with a white coat. Usually, there are small patches of another color somewhere on the coat because solid white is rare for a Cavapoo.
Bicolor Cavapoo Colors
Bicolor Cavapoo colors feature a main color, often with white markings. The white markings are usually present on the chest and paws and sometimes other places such as the legs and the blaze – between the eyes.
Cavapoos with bicolor coats are a common occurrence for this mixed breed.
Bicolor Cavapoos include the following color combinations:
- Blenheim – Or Tan and White
- Black and White
- Brown and White
- Ruby or Red and White
- Apricot and White
- Cream and white
Tricolor Cavapoo
Tricolor is typically made up of mainly black and white with tan markings. It follows the tricolor coat pattern seen in the parent breed the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
Tricolor Cavapoos often have the blaze which is the white markings around the face and between the eyes.
Parti Cavapoo
A Parti coat pattern is defined as a coat with at least 50% white coloring with patches of another color. In Cavapoos the patches or spots of the secondary color are often black, brown or tan.
Phantom Cavapoo
The Phantom Cavapoo coloring is made of two different colors in a distinct pattern. Often, the base coat color is a solid dark shade, such as black or brown, with a lighter secondary color, such as tan, cream or white. The secondary color is seen on the eyebrows, cheeks, muzzle, chest and legs.
The effect is a two-tone coloring that looks distinctive and striking.
See Phantom Cavapoo images here.
Sable Cavapoo
The Sable coloring is a lighter coat with black hair tips. This creates a shaded or gradient effect on the coat.
A sable Cavapoo puppy can lose their sable coloring due to the fade gene which is often inherited in this coat type. However, patches of sable can remain for life, especially around the head and tail areas.
You can see images of Sable Cavapoos here.
Brindle Cavapoo
Brindle coloring rarely occurs in Cavapoos however, they do appear now and again. This coat pattern is sometimes referred to as a ‘tiger’ coat as it has a lighter golden tan base coat with subtle black lines running across it giving it a tiger appearance.
You can see examples of Brindle Cavapoos here.
Merle Cavapoo
Although the Merle coat does occur from time to time, it is rare. The Merle Cavapoo has mottled patches of color in different shades. Merles can be ‘blue’ in shades of gray. Or ‘red’ in shades of brown or tan.
See examples of Merle Cavapoos here.
The Merle coat comes from the Poodle parent, though it is not a recognized coat for the Poodle and hence does not occur too often.
There are some health concerns associated with a double Merle coat. If two Merles are bred together they can produce offspring with a double Merle coat. The double Merle coat doesn’t look any different from a regular Merle coat but is associated with deafness, blindness, and skin problems.
Although a first-generation Cavapoo could have a Merle coat, it would not inherit a double Merle coat as one parent is the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who does not carry the Merle gene. So a first-generation Cavapoo with a Merle coat will be just as healthy as any other Cavapoo.
It’s always a good idea to speak to your breeder about your pup’s genetic make-up to make sure your Cavapoo is healthy.
Do Cavapoo Coat Colors Fade?
Cavapoo coats can fade as they mature. This is especially true if they have inherited the ‘fading’ gene from their Poodle parent.
If your Cavapoo has the fading gene, you can expect to see changes in its coat from around 6-12 months of age. And their true coat color by 12-24 months of age.
For example, a ruby Cavapoo may lighten up and become a lighter shade of red or even an apricot color. A tan Cavapoo puppy might fade to a cream color. They may retain some darker shading around the ears and muzzle. And a black Cavapoo might fad to gray or have some gray hairs mixed through their coat.
My black Cavapoo, Coco, has lightened up to a gray around her legs, chest and eyebrows creating a very cute bicolor effect. The rest of her body is black with the occasional gray hair we now refer to as her ‘wise hairs’!
Lighter-colored Cavapoo coats do tend to stain around their eyes and muzzle which can require extra coat care in the form of cleaning.
While there are no guarantees with Cavapoo colors due to their mixed breed genetics, a good breeder will have the experience of past litters to help guide you.
But more important than the color of your Cavapoo, is selecting a puppy who is healthy with a great temperament.
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