Coat & Color Genetics Explained

You may have heard the terms "Furnishings" or "Fully Furnished" in reference to certain Doodles. This very special genetic trait is what gives Doodles that wonderful low-non shedding, fluffy/bearded, and oh so soft and huggable coat! The Furnishings gene is one of the many testable traits that we as breeders are able to determine for each parent in our breeding program. 

This gene is provided most commonly by the Poodle but also by our Sheepdog and Tibetan Terrier. These breeds are almost always genetically "FF" meaning they have 2 copies of Furnishings. Breeds that are blended with Poodles including Australian Shepherds, Bernese Mountain Dogs, and Golden Retrievers are the opposite and genetically "Improper coated" or "ICIC". This coat type has no fluffy beard and sheds quite a lot! Furnishings are a Dominant trait and therefore only the single copy is needed to produce fluffy coats. 

Puppies in first generation Doodle litters aka "F1" are FIC. They've inherited 1 copy of each trait from each parent and are furnished but tend to be mild-low shedding. Due to the importance of coat quality, the only F1 litters we raise are the Tibetan Doodles. These are a special variety that we consider truly "Hypoallergenic". This is due to both parents, the Tibetan Terrier (FF) & the Miniature Poodle (FF) being hypoallergenic rather than mixing a hypoallergenic dog with a shedding dog. They are the only F1 variety we raise because their wavy coats, markings, color, & temperaments are perfect at the first generation and need no improvement.

When working on multigenerational lines we consider so many things, but Furnishings is a big one. When mixing 2 parents that each carry IC, puppies can inherit 2 copies of the IC gene and there be "undoodled". We don't breed litters resulting in ICIC puppies. Remember.... regardless of what % Poodle they are, being ICIC means a smooth face and shedding coat! Cute Doodle + cute Doodle does NOT always equal puppies with the ideal coat type! Be wary of uneducated and inexperienced "hobby breeders" or "oops litters". There is a lot of science behind a successful program!

A Doodle that is FIC will most commonly be visually Furnished and low shedding. A successful multigenerational litter can produce Doodles that are FF like a Poodle (with any variety of straight wavy or curly coat!) who are nonshedding. These 2 types of Doodles (FF & FIC) are nearly impossible to distinguish by appearances, even when they're full grown. Being FF does mean a puppy is more allergy friendly than a FIC. Howver, most common dog allergies are solved with just the single copy or furnishings.

For any questions or clarification on the Furnishings Gene, call or text Kelly (760) 815-4423

Pictured: 2 Goldendoodle brothers, FF & Nonshedding (left) vs ICIC & Shedding (right)

Lets talk texture! There is a big misconception that there is a direct correlation between the texture of a Doodles coat and their level of shedding or allergy friendly qualities. This is FALSE. The Curl Gene may not be relevant to shedding, but it certainly impacts a Doodle's appearance and is important to consider when choosing a puppy.

Purebred Poodles are always curly coated. This is represented as "+/+" meaning Curl + Curl. A straight coated shedding breed like Bernese Mountain Dogs, Australian Shepherds, & Golden Retrievers are represented as "-/-" meaning No Curl + No Curl". Most puppies at Sunny Ridge are wavy coated "+/-" but can be +/+, +/-, or -/- depending on generation and what traits their parents contribute.

This gene is carried forward into each new doodle generation and is a big factor that we consider when pairing our moms & dads. The resulting texture & appearance of puppy's coat is an important visual detail for many families. It also has an impact on coat maintenance and the ways a coat can be styled.

As we develop our program generation to generation, we keep back our best +/- & -/- FF puppies and are working towards consistently nonshedding coats in either the straight or wavy textures. These are more difficult to achieve when Doodles begin with a poodle so selective multigen breeding is the only way to accomplish a -/- FF puppy.

For any questions or clarification on the Curl Gene, call or text Kelly (760) 815-4423

Pictured: Bernedoodles, Multigen wavy (red Tuxedo), F1 wavy (Tricolor), & F1b curly (merle)

Doodles come in an incredible range of colors! There are so many genetic traits responsible for that gorgeous puppy you have your eye on. It's nice to understand the "what why & how" to better appreciate the beauty and rarity of these special pups.

Like many programs, we price our puppies largely based on appearances. Why you ask? Because they're ALL "healthy, high-quality, & good-minded puppies" but the vast majority of our clients are "looks oriented" and that's OK! We have cute affordable puppies as well as extra fancy ones! Adding a quality purposefully bred and remarkable puppy to your family is an investment, and we should all be allowed to get what makes us happy.

Below I've written a basic overview of the color traits that matter the most in our Doodle program (the tip of the DNA iceberg!) There are so many intermingling traits in color genetics, plus the aforementioned furnishings and curl genes, that make being a breeder so fun and challenging. I'd like to share this with anyone curious to learn a little more about what we do behind the scenes when creating these wonderful dogs.

TRICOLOR/PHANTOM: The 3 colors that make up a Tricolor dog are a black or chocolate base (body color), white markings (face, feet, chest, and/or body) and the signature "tan points" (on legs, cheeks, eyebrows, chest, and under the ears and tail).  If a dog has only body color and points with little or no white, its referred to as Phantom. 

Part of the Agouti locus, Tricolor/Phantom is represented as "atat" and requires the lack of Dominant Black represented as "kyky" in order to be expressed visually on a dog's coat. This is the foundation color in our Bernedoodle & Aussie-Mountain Doodle programs. Nearly every adult and puppy of these 2 Doodle varieties here at Sunny Ridge is genetically kyky atat/ Tricolor. Bernese Mountain Dogs and Australian Shepherds are nearly 100% Tricolor but its a less common color in Poodles so its not "easy" to get consistently tricolor puppies. We also occasionally get Tricolor Tibetan Doodles as well which are even more rare due to Tibetan Terriers rarely carrying "at".

When point color is referred to as "tan", it means a medium to light shade, while "rust" or "red" means a darker rich shade like copper or mahogany. There is a special modifying gene that determines the Intensity of pigment! This is represented on a 1-10 "Intensity Scale". Our goal is for our puppies to remain in the 5-10 range, and ultimately be exclusively ranging from 8-10 on the scale for the richest possible point color that stays vivid.

MERLE: A trait that dilutes the pigment in a dog's coat skin and eyes represented as the capital M in "Mm". Merle is dominant meaning only a single copy is needed which is why you'll only see 1 merle parent of each litter. Never 2 merles bred together as this causes serious health issues in any puppy who inherits 2 copies of merle called double merle "MM".

The most popular and widely recognized Merle in Doodles is Blue Merle. This is a black based dog with the Merle gene, creating a grey and black dappled appearance. Every merle pattern is unique like a fingerprint!

Merle is a dilution gene rather than a color trait and any dog, regardless of color genetics, can inherit it. Merle dogs can be solid, bicolor, phantom or tricolor. At Sunny Ridge, the vast majority of Merle puppies are Tricolor and black based, but we get the occasional special Chocolate Merle Tricolor or Blue Merle & White bicolor, or even a Sable Merle. 

Eye color is also affected by the Merle gene. Whether a merle puppy's eyes will be blue or not is always TBD when eyes open and color clarifies around 3-6 weeks old. A merle puppy's eyes might be brown, "marbled" meaning both colors, 1 of each color, or both blue. Any way the eye color looks, it's considered medically normal. There are no health concerns with blue or partial blue eyes or the merle gene when a single copy is involved. We think it's beautiful and absolutely love our blue-eyed merle babies!

BLUE EYES (BET): In addition to merle, some puppies are genetically blue-eyed by way of the "Blue-Eyed Tri" gene known as BET. It primarily comes from the Australian Shepherd but can also be found in Bernese Mountain Dogs. This is separate from merle and results in primarily full blue eyes (not marbled) and can create just 1 or both blue eyes. BET is most noticeable in non-merle dogs, giving them a striking and unique appearance. Both merle and the BET gene create a lack of pigment in the eye making them appear a bright crystal blue. Thankfully this gene is testable, and we've made it a point to incorporate more BET parents in our program. 

TUXEDO & PARTI: More color info coming soon!

CREAM/APRICOT/RED: More color info coming soon!