Cockapoo coats come in a wide variety of colors. Common solid colors are black, chocolate, buff (or white), red, and apricot. They also come in the color phantom (black or chocolate with tan points) and sable (a mostly lighter colored coat with black-or chocolate-colored tips on the ears and tail). Any of the above colors may have abstract white markings, like white on their chest or paws. The term “tri-color” describes a Cockapoo that is phantom colored with abstract white markings.
Parti-colored Cockapoos have multiple colors in their coat, one of which must be white. In a parti-colored dog, no single color is particularly dominant in the coat, and the different colors may be anywhere on their bodies. Their coats may be described as bi-colored parti (two colors in their coat) or tri-colored parti (three colors in their coat).
All the above coat colors may be altered by the merle, roan, or brindle (rare) gene which changes the pattern and presentation of any the colors. Sometimes a dog’s color is called blue or gray; these dogs usually have a black or phantom coat that has been altered by the merle gene to appear a grayish color. Some Cockapoos inherit the “fading gene”. If a puppy is born with this gene, its coat color will lighten over time.