Thoughtful Breeding. Calm Foundations. Lifelong Connection.
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Red & Caramel Australian Cobberdogs
Lovelocks is known for our warm-toned Australian Cobberdogs, from pale creams and soft golds through rich caramel, copper and deep red.
These colours are a much-loved part of our program, but temperament, health, structure and connection will always come before colour.
Photo: Nina Yasvoin
Warm Colour. Beautiful Variation.
Understanding Red & Caramel Colours
In Australian Cobberdogs, the difference between red/gold and caramel is determined by pigment, not simply by the shade of the coat.
Red and gold Cobberdogs have black pigment — a black nose, dark eye rims and generally darker eyes. A lighter coat may be described as gold, while a richer, deeper coat is described as red.
Caramel Cobberdogs have brown, liver or rose-toned pigment instead of black, seen most clearly in the nose, eye rims and skin, and they are commonly accompanied by lighter hazel, amber or green-toned eyes.
Their coat itself can range from almost white through cream, gold and caramel to deep copper.
Red Cobberdogs
Red Cobberdogs have black pigment — a black nose, dark eye rims and dark eyes.
Their coat can range from soft gold through to rich copper and deep red.
Caramel Cobberdogs
Caramel Cobberdogs have brown or liver pigment instead of black and have lighter eye colour.
Their coat can range from almost white through gold and caramel to deep copper.
Did You Know?
A dog’s genes help determine what we see — including coat colour, skin/nose pigment and eye colour. In red and caramel Cobberdogs, the E locus controls the red/yellow coat family, while the B locus controls whether the dog’s dark pigment is black or brown/liver.
That means a dog with B/- e/e has black pigment and is genetically red/gold, while a dog with b/b e/e has brown/liver pigment and is genetically caramel. We can see that difference in the nose, eye rims, skin pigment and often the eye colour.
What e/e does not tell us is whether the coat will be almost white, gold, copper or deep red. That depth of colour is influenced by additional intensity genes and modifiers.
B/- e/e = black pigment → gold/red
b/b e/e = brown/liver pigment → caramel
Shades of Caramel
Within the caramel pigment family, coat colour can vary enormously — from almost white and pale cream through gold, apricot and caramel to rich copper.
At Lovelocks, we use the terms cool caramel, mid caramel and warm caramel to describe where a dog sits within that coat-colour spectrum. Windy represents the pale, cooler end, Citrine sits through the middle of the range, while Saffy represents the richest, warmest end.
These differences are influenced by phaeomelanin intensity genes and other modifiers, which is why dogs with the same basic caramel genetics can look dramatically different.
Cool Caramel
Mid Caramel
Warm Caramel
When Colour Deepens: The Rufus Effect
Breeders use the term rufus to describe dogs whose red/yellow coat pigment becomes richer or deeper as they mature, rather than simply fading with age.
We have seen this in some of our own lines, where puppies have gone home and developed noticeably deeper colour and intensity as they mature. Scientifically, this depth of colour is linked to phaeomelanin intensity, which is influenced by multiple genes and modifiers rather than one single “rufus gene.”
Because current genetic testing cannot yet predict every aspect of adult colour intensity, breeders still rely heavily on phenotype, pedigree and how colour develops through generations.
Colour Changes With Age
Coat colour is not static. Many red and caramel Australian Cobberdogs are at their richest when young and will lighten to some degree as their adult coat develops.
The amount of change varies between individual dogs and bloodlines. Some retain rich colour for longer, some gradually soften or fade, while others may deepen in colour during particular stages of development.
For this reason, we never guarantee that a puppy will retain the exact coat shade seen at eight weeks.