# How to tell a puppy based on color?



## knepp1bj

Hey everyone, new to the forum and there are just to many threads to look through for my answer.

A year ago last week i put down my 12 year old golden. he was the best dog, he was a good range of gold on his back and blondish on his sides. my girlfriend got to know the last few years of his life and now she wants one, but a little darker. 

HERES MY QUESTION! i have read that you can tell the color of a golden on his or her ears. for example they might be blonde but with really dark ears mean it will be a dark golden.

I have found some litters with 1 dark and 1 light parrent and i am trying to find her a puppy that will be end up being a bit darker.


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## tippykayak

I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. This forum can be a good place to share stories and celebrate the life of a Golden.

As far as your color question, the color of the parents has a strong influence on the color of the puppies, but sometimes you get a pretty big range of colors in a litter. The color of the tips of the ears is the best indicator of the color the dog will darken into.

I should say, though, that color is about the last thing you should consider when picking a pup. The quality of the parents (including health certifications), the breeder's practices, and the temperament of the pup himself should all take precedence.


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## kblinkgirlie182

Very sorry to hear about your dog. My dog was very light when we picked him up and we were told that he would darken to the color of his ears and he has. His color has changed dramatically in the 3 months that we have had him.


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## knepp1bj

so your puppy had dark ears and was light and has been getting darker int he last few months?!


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## knepp1bj

dont worry tippykayak my mom works for a vet, she has been going through breaders with me...she wouldnt let me just get any dog haha.....we have been looking for the right one for a while, its going to be a graduation gift for my girlfriend, we have a 2 year old black lab....hes great, i have always had both labs and goldens, love em both, girl fell in love with goldens after only ever having german sheps....so golden it is!!!!!


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## Jackson'sMom

Color is superficial. Please pay close attention to the health clearances of the parents. That's so much more important than the dog's color. Wonderful goldens come in all shades, from very light to all shades of red. I've had several red goldens, and currently have a blonde. They've all been beautiful, but several have suffered from some of the common health problems in this breed: hip dysplasia, arthritis and cancer. All of my pups were rescues, so I have no info about their parents.


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## knepp1bj

it was more or less a question about how to tell color, not that i am only picking a dog based on color, i am sorry if there was confusion. I just was asking a question.


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## Lucky's mom

I belive the darker Golden puppies tend to be more "beige" in fur and of course dark ears.

Lucky is on the light end of medium gold. His fur was very light at about 8 weeks and the color of his ears at 8 weeks is the color of his over-all coat now.


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## kblinkgirlie182

knepp1bj said:


> so your puppy had dark ears and was light and has been getting darker int he last few months?!


Definitely.


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## heartofgold

You can tell what color the dogs coat will be by the color of their ears when they are young. My dog had medium gold colored ears and a light body as a pup. She is now almost 2 years old and is a medium gold color and has a creamy colored tummy and tail. I believe that they don't have their permanent coat color until they are around two years old and they always get darker as they age never lighter. Although their faces will lighten or even whiten when they become seniors. 

Can't wait to see your new puppy!


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## Noey

It's the tip fringe of the ear, trim around the ear that will be the darker color in the dog. My Noah was a very light baby, he has highlights of white and darker golden...which he had on his ears, for the rest.

These pics are all Noah, so you can see how the color changed,


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom

We have littermate sisters. Penny is my redhead while Maggie is a lighter gold. Here are some comparison pictures so you can see the difference.

Probably about 4 months old.



And as adults"


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## PJD001

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> We have littermate sisters. Penny is my redhead while Maggie is a lighter gold. Here are some comparison pictures so you can see the difference.
> 
> Probably about 4 months old.
> 
> 
> 
> And as adults"


 Oh My what beautiful dogs!


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## paula bedard

I always love seeing Penny and Maggie! They have the sweetest expressions in every pic I've seen of them. More, more!


My Sam, in my avatar, was a medium red pup with similarly shaded med. red ears. He had wonderful highlights though, much prettier than Ike's, and they ranged from cream to red all throughout his coat. He got compliments all the time on how he 'glowed' in the sunshine. I think you'll be happy with a darker pup.


My Ike was a very light puppy with peach colored ears. He's darkened up to the shading you see in the pics in my signature below, taken 3 weeks ago. He is only 2 though, and I expect him to continue to darken a bit as he ages.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom

Thanks guys. It's pretty easy to fall head over heels with any shade of golden (even that black and white golden wanna-be is pretty heart stealing).... here's the whole crew.
And, Paula, baby Ike is PRECIOUS!!!!


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## chopsuey

anyone got that picture of the golden retriever rainbow handy?


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom

chopsuey said:


> anyone got that picture of the golden retriever rainbow handy?


 


http://www.grcc.net/GRCCIllustratedBreedStandard.pdf


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## fostermom

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> Thanks guys. It's pretty easy to fall head over heels with any shade of golden (even that black and white golden wanna-be is pretty heart stealing).... here's the whole crew.
> And, Paula, baby Ike is PRECIOUS!!!!


 
What a gorgeous pack!


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## chopsuey

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> http://www.grcc.net/GRCCIllustratedBreedStandard.pdf



Love that photo. I told my mom i wanted a darker golden next time she asked me how dark.... i showed her this pic and pointed to the far right


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## Swampcollie

The ears and sides of muzzle are pretty good indicators of about where the dogs color will eventually reach.


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## Heidi36oh

I have two very red boy's and a Blondie, I knew Chloe was gonna be a lighter golden, her ears where pretty light.

Now Jack was a true red head soonest I saw him.


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## Van Dominic

My 4month old puppy has a light body coat but his ears and back are dark golden.


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## Van Dominic

Here are his other photos...

So should I expect the color of his ears and back will be his adult color?


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## mylissyk

Van Dominic said:


> Here are his other photos...
> 
> So should I expect the color of his ears and back will be his adult color?


Typically, yes.


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## Van Dominic

Thanks for the reply


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## Argos&Reay48

Our golden is a mix (dad is a lab) and this is her when she was just born. 


And this is her now at 13 months. 


Her mom was really really dark red/golden. We're not sure when her dad looked like. I'm assuming he's black because this is her littermate brother. 


Not sure how colors work or translate from parents and as the puppies grow but that's our perspective.


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## Jingers mom

Riley as a puppy









Riley at 1 year









Riley at two (the lighter dog) and his sister Jinger. Riley's coloring when he is in sun or a well lit room it the same color as his 1 yr pic.

Hope this helps you


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## TiffanyGolden

Funny how I found this while researching what color my Golden will be.

I'm guessing he will be more on he darker side...?

Possibly?

His coat is a dark beige while his ears are pretty dark. The only light color he has on him is his white spot on the forehead.


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## CAROLINA MOM

Your pup is so adorable.......


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## ArchersMom

His coat is so curly! It's adorable. I don't think he'll be too dark. Judging by the ears I think he'd be medium-light gold.


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## TiffanyGolden

CAROLINA MOM said:


> Your pup is so adorable.......


He is a cutie.


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## TiffanyGolden

ArchersMom said:


> His coat is so curly! It's adorable. I don't think he'll be too dark. Judging by the ears I think he'd be medium-light gold.


You think so? His ears are fairly dark, and so is his mouth. To be honest, I'm actually hoping he is a dark gold. :


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## carolinehansen

Here is a picture of Hank now at 5 months old and Hank when I got him back in August. You can tell he became the color of his ears. He used to be fairly light and he suddenly became a dark golden. They're definitely your indicator


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## Debs66

Hi

My eldest dog Einstein is now 8 years old. Here she is as a puppy, look at the colour of her ears:










Here she is as an adult:










The colour in the first photo isn't quite true but the bulk of her topcoat is now exactly the same colour as her ears. The pup in my sig, Newton, will be a tiny bit lighter than Einstein.


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## TiffanyGolden

carolinehansen said:


> Here is a picture of Hank now at 5 months old and Hank when I got him back in August. You can tell he became the color of his ears. He used to be fairly light and he suddenly became a dark golden. They're definitely your indicator


Hank as a puppy looks identical to Duke right now. Wow! 
He will most likely be a dark golden then.

I can't wait to watch him grow!

Hank is such a handsome boy.


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## carolinehansen

TiffanyGolden said:


> Hank as a puppy looks identical to Duke right now. Wow!
> He will most likely be a dark golden then.
> 
> I can't wait to watch him grow!
> 
> Hank is such a handsome boy.


Thank you so much Tiffany! I definitely think Duke will be dark. I am in love with his little white spot on his forehead, makes me think of Harry Potter lol!
Do you guys think that spot will stay? One of Hank's paws has white fur and I have always wondered if it will be there forever or eventually go away. They're cute nonetheless


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## TiffanyGolden

carolinehansen said:


> Thank you so much Tiffany! I definitely think Duke will be dark. I am in love with his little white spot on his forehead, makes me think of Harry Potter lol!
> Do you guys think that spot will stay? One of Hank's paws has white fur and I have always wondered if it will be there forever or eventually go away. They're cute nonetheless


I don't think their white spots will, or at least I hope they don't! 

I'm not quite sure now if Duke will look reddish like Hank. Hank is more of a Red Golden than a Dark Gold. 
I say this because Duke has very dark ears, a dirty beige body, but no red tints. I kind of snooped and looked at your lovely album of Hank. :

That's how I saw he was more red. I don't see very many Red Goldens, but they are beautiful!


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## Helo421

First two pictures are Helo at 6 weeks and 7 months... Last two pictures are Joey at 2 months and 4 years.


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## Herschel

*Herschel*

I'm trying to figure out which colour Herschel will be when he grows up. Here is a pic.


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## TiffanyGolden

Hey Modulo,

Herschel will be a lighter Golden. A great indicator is the ears. Here is an example: Duke's ears are fairly dark meaning he will most likely be a dark golden. 

1st picture is him at 9 weeks old.
2nd picture him at 23 weeks old.

Duke 6 months old on Sunday, and his full coat is still coming in. He has those patchy spots but you can see how dark his fur is compared to his puppy fur.


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## Herschel

Thanks for the info. The picture I sent wasn't the best image I can get of his ears, since there are external factors such as sunlight. His ears actually look a lot darker. I will attach a pic later.


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## TiffanyGolden

Modulo said:


> Thanks for the info. The picture I sent wasn't the best image I can get of his ears, since there are external factors such as sunlight. His ears actually look a lot darker. I will attach a pic later.


Yeah the first picture of Duke is his ears outside, so you can imagine how dark they are!


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## JMME

I know the ear thing gives a starting point, but I was surprised with how Ripley turned out! As you can see in the first picture, he was a VERY light puppy with more of a light beige coloring on his ears. By 12 months, he definitely was quite a bit darker in places. By 3 he had a darker red tint to his fur. The red is really noticeable in the sunlight. I just never would have guessed that he would end up the color he is now . He is also almost white on his chest/face, so when you look at him straight on he looks a lot lighter. It will be fun to see how your pups turn out! I'm curious about Jasper as well.


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## Herschel

*A better photo*

This may be a better photo of Herschel's ears.


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## Ian Brown

I was wondering if I could get any insight on how dark you all think my puppy will get. This is him and in this photo he is a little under 6 weeks. He's lighter on his underside but seems to be pretty dark, but his ears don't seem to be that different in color. Just wondering what you guys think!


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## CAROLINA MOM

Ian Brown, if you added a picture, it didn't upload. If you need help posting pictures, let me know. 

Generally a pup's coloring will be close to the color of it's ears. What color were the parents?


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## Boondocks

This is Boone at 8 weeks old (shown with my brother's English Cream Golden Retriever in the background.) I expect him to get pretty red although probably not full on mahogany.


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## cwag

What a handsome boy. You might want to start a new thread and introduce him to the forum. You could go to the puppy forum and start one there if you want. He is a beautiful color.


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## CAROLINA MOM

Boone is good looking boy, Congratulations. 

Pups usually end up being close to the color of their ears.


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## TennillA

What a handsome boy congratulations! My Gromit was a similar color as a puppy.


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## Finleyatticus

Noey said:


> It's the tip fringe of the ear, trim around the ear that will be the darker color in the dog. My Noah was a very light baby, he has highlights of white and darker golden...which he had on his ears, for the rest.
> 
> These pics are all Noah, so you can see how the color changed,


He looks exactly like out new puppy! What a beautiful dog. Is he an English cream?


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