Coat type & Colors Guide

There is a lot of old information still circling about coats and colors, so hopefully this may help clarify some of the confusion of Old vs New. As we are participating in the foundation of a new breed, the Theodore, with the oversight of MDBA, there are some coat types that you will not find amongst our pups as we do breed toward the standard they have determined will be required to achieve the Theodore 'Teddy' appearance.

Coat Types:

Unfurnished / Straight

Formally referred to as 'Straightcoat'. This is not a trait we see at Tropicbear, we always select our pairings to eliminate this potential outcome. They do not develop the traditional teddybear fluffy face and the lack of furnishings impacts their low shedding potential.

Shaggy

This coat is a very easy to brush, fine, super soft coat. It is best for this coat, that the pup be double furnished to aid in the low shedding qualities we aim for. Breeders often refer to this as the 'Forever Fleece' coat, as when the pup is fully grown, their coat resembles what a fleece coated dog has as a pup.

Fleece

Fleece is the classic First Generation Cavoodle Teddy coat that people think of when they talk about Cavoodles. The lush wavy coat that has an amazingly luxurious texture is rather easy to manage when regularly professionally groomed. The coat will often gain more curl as the dog matures.

Curly / Wool

This delightfully curly coat has a tendency to form adorable spirally ringlets. Because of the the tight curl some would consider this to be higher maintenance and they do well to be brushed regularly between their professional grooms. This pup will look the most 'poodle' of the cavoodles because of the curl type.

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Colors Guide:

Solid Colors

Solid is when the entire coat is one color, with no distinctive markings of white or otherwise present. This color can fade over time as the pup grows into adulthood, creating what has become affectionately referred to as Ombre, given that the fading effect tends to blend from the color they were born, to lighter tones, in gentle gradients not clear definitive lines. 

​Red

The E Locus is what determines this color, looking like [ e/e ] in the DNA report with either [ B/B or B/b] in the B locus. The E locus is also where most of the colors that Cavoodles and Theodores have will come from. This includs colors such as Ruby, Ginger, Apricot (as Above), Wheaten, Champaign, and Cream. The E locus dominates over B, which is how a Liver pointed Red can be both Red and Chocolate at the same time. 

Chocolate

Chocolate is one of the hardest colors to achieve. Being a non-dominant color, it is dependent on both B locus and E locus traits to be in a very specific combination in order to present it's luxurious tones. Chocolate in the DNA report looks like [ b/b ] with [ E/e ] a liverpointed red's DNA report will look like [ b/b ] and [ e/e ]

Black

Black will come through when the E locus and B locus do not align to bring forward red or chocolate. A Black often will carry both Red and/or Chocolate potential, while being neither of the two. Commonly it will show in the DNA report as [ E/E or E/e] with [ B/b or B/B ]
Black will have the glossiest shein, catching the light in a way no other color does.

Color & White - The Pied Trait

Parti coloring occurs when the Pied Locus comes into play, to layer white over the solid color. Traditionally, Black has been referred to as Parti, while Reds and Chocolates have been referred to as Blenheim. It is our understanding that as we merge into Theodore terminology, Parti is the way this color variation will be referred to, regardless of the base color.

Harlequin Parti

Black and White, the harlequin parti is the classic high contrast combination.

Blenheim

Ranging from the subtle Cream & White combo, to the rich Chocolate & White combination.

Tri-Color

Similar to a harlequin parti, but with the addition of a pop of red color usually at the eyebrows, chest and ears. This is what happens when Phantom Trait pairs with the Pied Trait.

Abstract

Abstract colors have a very small amount of white, as opposed to parti who are 50% or more white. Generally showing as socks, chests, and face patterns of white over the solid color.

Phantom

Phantom colors are a solid base color of black or brown (Phantom's cannot be red), with tan markings on their eyebrows, cheeks, chest, front legs, haunches and bum. These tan markings are called 'tan points'. Ghost Phantoms are tan points that are partially blocked, so they have fainter tan points which are not as distinct.
Some phantom puppies will be abstract- which means they have small white splashes on their face/chest/paws. These puppies are called 'tri' by some people, but the white is typically very minimal, and so we do not refer to them as such.

Phantom

Can be either Black or Chocolate / Brown. Adorable for their defined eyebrows which often give them a 'resting grumpy face'

Ghost Phantom

A more subtle version of Phantom, this color is not often apparent at birth, and only starts to show itself at around week 4 when the color starts to peek past the black.

Abstract Phantom

The amount of white can vary, as with the Abstract solid, this example the abstract is kept predominantly to the chin and chest.

Merle

Merle coloring changes the base color turning the solid color into a random speckled look that is variations of the base color. Merles can be a solid color, phantom or parti. Black based merles are called 'blue', while brown merle's are referred to as 'chocolate' in keeping with the brown color across the board. Merle does not present in Red (Ruby, Ginger, Apricot, Wheaten, Champagne) but a Red dog can be merle, so if a breeder is looking to buy from a merle litter careful consideration must be made before investing in a red from a merle line.
There can be some concern surrounding the merle trait, mostly around breeding Merle to Merle, and the potential resulting double Merle pups as there are considerable health concerns should that occur. But as with a dog carrying one copy of CM or DM, having 1 copy of Merle gives a variable color effect to their coat, but it is not actually detrimental to the health of the pup.

Blue Merle

Chocolate Merle

Tri-Color Merle