Does Cockapoo Color Fade? (Read This First!)

Cockapoo is a miniature poodle that is a breed resulting from the parent breeds of a Spaniel and Poodle. These designer dogs are a family favorite, with their teddies like looks and friendly, sociable temperament.

Even so, every cockapoo owner gets worried about the fading colors of their cockapoo coat. Is it something to be worried about after all?

Does cockapoo colour fade?

Most cockapoos’ color will fade by the age of 2. The fading might start from as early as 6 months and can be mainly due to genetics containing fading genes. The solid colors fade to more diluted shades. This can also occur due to sun exposure, old age, and rarely owing to medication.

Do cockapoos change color?

The change in color can be referred to as fading, which is more appropriate. That is because whether the coat color of your cockapoo is black, red, or brown, the color will change to a more faded shade or diluted shade.

If the cockapoo has diluted genes, its black might change to blue or silver or even brown.

Do cockapoo puppies’ coats change Colour?

When cockapoo puppies are just a few months old, it is unlikely that the color of their coat will change or fade. However, as they grow older, reaching 6 months or older, you may start to notice the first signs of a color change.

By the time they are 2 years old, your cockapoo would have completely faded to more diluted colors.

Will my cockapoo fade?

Due to faded genes heredity from parents, Cockapoo pups can face changed or faded coat colors.

Do red cockapoos fade?

Like most darker, solid-colored cockapoos, red cockapoos are also solid red, and over the months of growing up, especially when they are close to one year, the color fades or at least starts to fade.

Red cockapoos will usually fade their color to become more diluted colors of red, rose beige, biscuit, sienna, or grayish with touches of the old red.

Do Brown cockapoos stay Brown?

Due to their fading genes heredity from their parents, solid color like brown is most possibly not going to stay on a cockapoo coat.

By the age of two, the brown cockapoo will completely fade its color to a light brown shade which could be either silvery beige or shades of cafe au lait.

Can a black cockapoo change color?

Black cockapoos almost always change color to silvery and mostly gray tones. Some cockapoos that are born black with brown shades in their coat can sometimes change to blue by 2 years of age.

Do Merle cockapoos fade?

Merle cockapoos are rare and the breeding is considered to be unnatural. Merle ones which have blue, brown, black, or red hues are also prone to fading colors just like other solid-colored cockapoos.

At what age do cockapoos Change Color?

The age at which a cockapoo will start to change color would mainly depend on the reason for its change. For instance, if their coat is fading due to the fading genes they have inherited, the first signs of change occur when they are as young as 6 months.

For some, it will be 9 months. However, when a cockapoo is 2 years old, the initial coat color pretty much changes or fades completely with patches of the first color left here and there around the body. If the change is due to aging, it will occur when they grow old.

If the sun causes the color change, your cockapoo will lose color anytime they get too much sun exposure, regardless of age.

Why is my cockapoo changing Color?

There are a few reasons that have been scientifically proven to be the reason why cockapoos change color. However, when your cockapoo changes or fades in color, identifying the reason may be difficult.

Here are the possibilities:

Fading or diluted genes:

The reason why most cockapoos change their initial coat color is because of genes that are passed down from their parent canines.

If the cockapoo has fading genes, it is also certain that the color of the coat will become diluted to lighter shades. If the cockapoo has diluted genes, its solid color will still change, but only to darker tones.

Sun exposure:

If your cockapoo spends long hours in the scorching daylight, several days in a week, you would suddenly notice a fading coat color.

With the sun, the coat hair is likely to get bleached and turn into lighter colors. If the color change occurs solely due to sun bleaching, they would most likely get the color back.

Porphyrin Staining:

This is a condition that is responsible for changing the coat color in lighter shades of cockapoos. Porphyrin staining occurs due to problems of yeast infection leading to Malassezia.

Likewise, due to an imbalance of porphyrin which is an iron-containing molecule, your cockapoo might show color changes mainly to reddish-brown hues.

Old Age:

In the same way, humans develop gray hair as they grow older, cockapoos will change coat color as they mature. Pigment production by the cells of the body requires strength and work.

As a cockapoo grows older, it also gets weaker. The otherwise weaker body is unable to produce enough pigmentation to hold on to the color of the coat. Hence the color fades to a whitish or silverish shade.

Diet and Medication:

Rarely, the change in coat color can be related to either an imbalanced diet or a medication that your dog might be taking due to other health conditions.

However, that is not a matter of concern as the effects are usually not long-lasting. A visit to the vet might help you understand the reaction better.

How do you know if your cockapoo will fade?

Although for a cockapoo, you may have to assume beforehand that the color of their puppy coat will eventually fade due to their genetics, rarely does some cockapoo retain their colors.

You can never say for sure if their coat colors will fade, but the following might give you a bit more assurance:

Ask the breeder:

One of the best ways to know if your cockapoo’s color will fade is to get knowledge from the breeder themselves.

The breeder will be able to shed some light on how you can expect the coat color to change or fade, based on other cockapoos of the same age that have been taken.

If they know of another cockapoo of the same breed that has grown recently, it would be possible to predict the fading with certainty.

Wait till they grow:

If you don’t have much information from the breeder, you probably cannot know if the cockapoo will fade color after all.

In that case, you may have to wait and notice patches of color fade throughout his coat. Usually, if a cockapoo will fade or change color, especially for genetic reasons, the first faded strands of fur can be noticed within 6 to 9 months.

Find out parent coat colors:

This would possibly take back to the breeder again. The most reliable way to know if your cockapoo will fade is by knowing what the color of the parent dogs was.

If you get to know that the parent cockapoos were much lighter in shade than the current pup you have, you’d know that your pooch is on the verge of losing its dark lock hues.

Do cockapoos get darker or lighter with age?

Just like humans’ hair becomes gray when we grow old, cockapoos that change color due to age and have a darker coat will change to light gloom especially shades of gray. They can also turn to brownish hues as well, or faded whites.

When cockapoos age, their body’s ability to produce more pigment is slowly diminished. This is why when the hair on the coat starts to lose darker colors and become light or faded.

Do brindle cockapoos fade if they have the dilute gene?

Brindle cockapoos are ones with 3 colored coats and can be quite rare. Although dilute genes are usually recessive compared to fading genes, some brindle cockapoos may accede to it.

In that case, a black dog dilutes to blue, grey, or even charcoal. Usually solid colored brindle cockapoos will change or dilute colors to other darker shades, instead of becoming faded if they have diluted genes.

What color coats do cockapoos have?

Cockapoos can have the following colors:

Red and apricot
Brown
Silver beige
Blue
Black
Cream, blonde
champagne
Merle
Tricolor

What is the rarest cockapoo Color?

Merle cockapoo, where the dog has a base of brown shade with hues of white or cream is one of the rarest colors to be found in the breed. The merle mix can also be blue or red and will eventually seem to fade as well in most cockapoos.

Other than that, silver is also a rare color but often so solid-colored cockapoos can fade into silvery hues.

So, you had yourself a solid black cockapoo and after a year or two, you notice how its color has faded. Now it looks like a different pooch from what you had before.

Well, as long as your pet is healthy, we’re sure your love for your cockapoo wouldn’t fade away like its color.