# Poodle colors?



## Jkline65 (Feb 23, 2011)

Just out of curiosity what is the most prominent poodle color and what is the least prominent? 
Like are there more blacks than whites or vice versa (only on a poodle site could I even get away with that sentence :act-up: )
Are reds the least seen.
And I'm talking real colors not a bad brown being called some fancy name.
I have a blue and I don't ever see any in real life. When you watch the dog show on TV they are only white and black for some reason....I'm just wondering aloud, no real reason.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

I would think blacks are likely the most plentiful, then whites, and would think browns are likely the rarest. There are quite a few red breeders, some great, some terrible, some in between. But you do not see many brown breeders, and very few quality brown breeders.


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## zyrcona (Jan 9, 2011)

Purely unscientific order based on my own observations:

Black
White
Cream
Apricot
Brown
Silver
Blue
Café
Red
Silver beige
Parti
Phantom
Sable
Brindle


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Personally I can think of multiple brown breeders, including several highly reputable breeders highly involved in the breed. I can think of very few red breeders I can say this about. Brown is an old color, unlike red, so I'd by far say red is rarer.

Well-known high reputable breeders of brown include:

Peckerwood (also breeds white and black)
Bar-None (also breeds black)
Cadbury (the former Cadbury. I know nothing of breeder who is currently operating under this name.)

Safari does not breed for brown, but has had several brown pups this year and has stud carrying brown.

These are just the reputable well known breeders. I know of several other smaller breeders (Beauvoir included) who breed high quality browns.


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

Its really hard to tell and areas are different. I see a lot of mini's and toys and rarely standards unless they are doodled up. 

I would say black and white are the most common.

I see brown and apricot more common and then silver

All others including red are rare, as a matter of fact I've never seen a red in person.


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## SarainPA (Nov 18, 2011)

I bred true blues back in the 80's.They were not a faded black and clear much like a silver. You could see their blue in their faces by 8 to10 weeks. If I can find any old pics and scan them I will  When I first started showing her, many people came over to examine her to see "what color" she actually was! LOL!

I just got a silver pup bred by Florence Graham/Graphic Poodles. She also has a very strong brown line; all health tested for many generations. 

You do mostly see the blacks or whites getting the most group placements in shows. I admit I haven't been involved much in the past 15 years with the breed competition, but it seems to still hold true. I would love to hear about reds, browns, silver, blues, etc. that are placing.

I have seen some lovely Poodles on here of different colors!


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

When I was doing some reserch while trying to find a poodle. A respected breeder told me, that white was the hardest to beat in the ring, followed by black. Therefore you see mostly white and black in the ring. There are more black puppies, and black is the easiest to sell. There is no such thing as a "bad black" a dog is either black or it is not. Brown and reds are the most rare. I was also told ,by a groomer, that black and blues had the best temperment... I don't know if any of this is true, but this is what heard. I have a blue, but she is so dark that most people think she is black. I don't see many standards where I live and the few I have seen have been white or cream, the only other colors I have seen at all was one silver and one black.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

ChocolateMillie said:


> Personally I can think of multiple brown breeders, including several highly reputable breeders highly involved in the breed. I can think of very few red breeders I can say this about. Brown is an old color, unlike red, so I'd by far say red is rarer.
> 
> Well-known high reputable breeders of brown include:
> 
> ...


I wanted to be sure you knew my post was in no way meant to diss anyone or inflame you. I am friends with a brown breeder, and trying to find good stud dogs for her to consider is a nightmare here. They nearly all go back to the same two breeders. So to diversify a brown bloodline in this part of the world is quite a challenge.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Arreau since good brown studs are difficult to find in your area could breeders try frozen semen or is that very expensive?


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

ArreauStandardPoodle said:


> I wanted to be sure you knew my post was in no way meant to diss anyone or inflame you. I am friends with a brown breeder, and trying to find good stud dogs for her to consider is a nightmare here. They nearly all go back to the same two breeders. So to diversify a brown bloodline in this part of the world is quite a challenge.


I would agree that it is hard to find a good brown stud dog with diverse bloodlines! I also know a few people who are struggling with that!


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I wouldn't consider the brown dilutes to be 'bad' browns myself.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I agree fluffyspoos. I don't think you have to be a dark brown to be a good brown. A lot of the lighter browns are very attrractive and good conformation is more important than color.


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## Keithsomething (Oct 31, 2009)

Christine Nethery of Boxwood has browns (I'm not sure if she breeds them heavily...I've only ever seen her whites, creams, and blacks in the ring) and a brown stud (again...I'm pretty sure XD)
Has your friend contacted her Cherie?

I see more bad blacks in my area in standards, minis are usually always cream or apricot, and toys...well I've never seen a toy fully grown in my area they tend to not last =\


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Keith - why do toys not last in your area?


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## Keithsomething (Oct 31, 2009)

SarainPA, you live in the BEST place to see an apricot or red win a group!!  I can name a ton of awesome breeders in PA that have done some great things in the breed ring with their dogs (Farleys D, LCM, Retniw, and those are just standards!! There are some awesome red and apricot toy/mini breeders in the area as well :]] )
I think one of the biggest issues for reds is the fact that there aren't many out there showing...I won't talk about faults because my eye isn't honed enough to give an actual critique of the dogs being shown (I know what I like and what I don't like...but an actual critique wouldn't sound to professional xD) but the fact that I can count the amount of reds in the ring in the WHOLE country on one hand is sad to me =\


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## Keithsomething (Oct 31, 2009)

CT Girl said:


> Keith - why do toys not last in your area?


Because most of the people buying them are buying them from pet shops where they purchase sick animals =\ or they have no idea how to care for a toy and they let it be "a dog" with their large breed dogs (I'm from a VERY Rural community...) and they smoosh them =\\
The longest I've seen someone have a toy was about a year (now I won't pretend to think ALL toys in my area meet this fate, but all of the ones I've known have met it)


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I was highly considering getting a toy for awhile, and talked to a couple breeders, but when I looked deeper in it was really just a wolf in sheeps clothing situation. My next dog will be a toy breed, but it will not be a toy poodle.


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## BigRedDog (Mar 2, 2011)

*Colors*

I believe White is the number one, followed by Black. I have a *Red* which most people have never seen and are shocked at. I would say it's the least well known of the:bounce::bounce: accepted colors.


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## Keithsomething (Oct 31, 2009)

Fluffyspoos said:


> I was highly considering getting a toy for awhile, and talked to a couple breeders, but when I looked deeper in it was really just a wolf in sheeps clothing situation. My next dog will be a toy breed, but it will not be a toy poodle.


My next poodle will be a toy...the fragility of them concerns me...but they're soooooo amazing XD (have you looked into Havanese? a cute sturdy toy breed :])


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I have noticed that people don't seem to know how to treat a toy poodle and I have had to keep a number of "'friendly" dogs from stomping Swizzle. My breeder asked me a lot of questions to make sure I was aware. After he quizzed me he tried to sell me a 6 month old tiny toy. He was looking for a safe home and someone who could handle a small dog and was not enamored with the idea of a teacup. For me it has been an adjustment from a 63 pound Aussie. Swizzle is very sturdy for his size and I am thrilled with his personality and intellegence. He is all dog despite his small size. It makes me sad to think of people who just want a designer dog and don't realize it is a living being and not a fashion accessory.

Fluffyspoos I don't understand your comment about a wolf in sheep's clothing. How does this relate to toys? Perhaps I am overcautious but I would not get a toy either with two standards (I would be concerned with accidental stomping or rough play).


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## Keithsomething (Oct 31, 2009)

CT Girl, I think thats what Fluffy meant...that they're feisty little dogs that may not comprehend how...fragile they are, and add in some rowdy big dogs it could be a recipe for disaster. 
I do however think it could work, and I'm going to be giving it a try (I'm on a wait list ) I think with CONSTANT monitoring and never leaving the dogs unattended nothing serious will happen...though nothing is a guarantee


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Fluffyspoos said:


> I was highly considering getting a toy for awhile, and talked to a couple breeders, but when I looked deeper in it was really just a wolf in sheeps clothing situation. My next dog will be a toy breed, but it will not be a toy poodle.


Papillons are big dogs in little dog's bodies. Very sweet and even keeled.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

CT Girl said:


> Arreau since good brown studs are difficult to find in your area could breeders try frozen semen or is that very expensive?


It is extremely expensive, but something that must be considered because they are few and far between here. Same with reds. We are looking at shipping semen from Europe in the next year or so. You pay about $3,500 to breed with frozen by the time you pay for the collection, shipping, stud fee and surgical implantation of the semen, but a necessary evil if you want to expand your bloodlines.


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

I have two blues, but I haven't seen any other blues in my city. I have seen several blacks and a white though. The other day I was in the dog park, and a pit bull owner said to me, "your standard poodles are much smaller than the other standards I see here"; immediately my heart skipped a beat and I said, other standards come here??? I must try other times because I'd love to talk to other standard poodle owners in person  Oh, but back to this thread, browns and reds are so lovely, one day I'd love to own one too! Maybe because they are rare, they're just so stunning.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

Papillons are great little dogs - very smart. Did anyone catch the dog show on Thanksgiving? The toy poodle was a disappointment. The Affenpinscher won the toy group. I never met an Affenpinscher - I have just seen the one that was Dorothy's dog in the Wizard of Oz but the winner had that spark - he really owned the ring.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

CT Girl said:


> Papillons are great little dogs - very smart. Did anyone catch the dog show on Thanksgiving? The toy poodle was a disappointment. The Affenpinscher won the toy group. I never met an Affenpinscher - I have just seen the one that was Dorothy's dog in the Wizard of Oz but the winner had that spark - he really owned the ring.


The movie "Wizard of OZ"? I think that was a Cairn Terrier.


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## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

I was struggling among papillons, toy poodles, havaneses and cotons for my next dog. Paps are out because they shed  I am including Brussel Griffons to the list now.

Back to OP's question: I think white and black spoo/mini/toy dominate my area. As for brown, I have seen a few of spoos and one mini and zero toy. The same applies to silver and silver-beige. Nickel is the only silver mini around and people are always curious about his color. Around 10 people asked me about his breeder at the Poodle Parade and none of them was surprised that he's from out-of-state.

I have never seen a phantom in person.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

ArreauStandardPoodle said:


> The movie "Wizard of OZ"? I think that was a Cairn Terrier.


You are right. Was there an affinpincher in the monkey scene?


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

ArreauStandardPoodle said:


> Papillons are big dogs in little dog's bodies. Very sweet and even keeled.


Yes, I do believe a papillon is the final decision, I have a breeder I'm already considering. I've looked at a LOT of toy breeds, and I don't want anything bearded, and what I mean about not liking the toy poodle breeders I've talked to is that some, especially the one I liked locally, have been really shady, and I've found out information about them that they hadn't admitted when questioned about it.

Schnazuerpoodle can relate lol


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

_Unbelievably, I don't believe we have seen another standard poodle in our area. We do see toys every now and then; usually black, red or apricot. I have never seen a mini here.

I have heard of other standards being owned in towns nearby, but we have not seen them. The ones we have heard about are either black or white. I am sure none of the rarer colors exist in our area. We live in Vermont on the border of Massachusetts and spend most of our shopping time in the Northern Berkshires of MA. I guess the poodle breed isn't all that popular here. We see more labs than anything else._


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## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

Fluffyspoos said:


> Yes, I do believe a papillon is the final decision, I have a breeder I'm already considering. I've looked at a LOT of toy breeds, and I don't want anything bearded, and what I mean about not liking the toy poodle breeders I've talked to is that some, especially the one I liked locally, have been really shady, and I've found out information about them that they hadn't admitted when questioned about it.
> 
> Schnazuerpoodle can relate lol


LOL~ If you are willing to go out-of-state, I have found a toy breeder here in CA that I am working with. Her girl is now #1 Toy Poodle and they just got invited to Westminster. She CERF's and Optigen all her dogs. She does agility with her toys too. Too bad that she doesn't OFA them but I am sure she cares about her dogs a lot and she has a wonderful contract. There are so far 2 toy breeders that I have talked to do OFA on their dogs - one is in CA but she only has black and white. The other one is in NJ which is a little too far away.

But I think the pap's breeder you like is someone I would like to work with, if I could get over with the shedding factor.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

spoospirit said:


> _Unbelievably, I don't believe we have seen another standard poodle in our area. We do see toys every now and then; usually black, red or apricot. I have never seen a mini here.
> 
> I have heard of other standards being owned in towns nearby, but we have not seen them. The ones we have heard about are either black or white. I am sure none of the rarer colors exist in our area. We live in Vermont on the border of Massachusetts and spend most of our shopping time in the Northern Berkshires of MA. I guess the poodle breed isn't all that popular here. We see more labs than anything else._


We lived in Hicksville, seven miles from the closest town. Total rural, farming area. We have seen a red and an apricot in the town to the north of us, both from different breeders. And we have seen three blacks in the town to the south of us, all from different breeders. All Standards, all decent looking dogs. The one black is from Torbec and is gorgeous.


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## Tymaca (Oct 13, 2011)

ArreauStandardPoodle said:


> I would think blacks are likely the most plentiful, then whites, and would think browns are likely the rarest. There are quite a few red breeders, some great, some terrible, some in between. But you do not see many brown breeders, and very few quality brown breeders.


I am now realizing just how fortunate I am to have my brown SPOO! I had no idea all the issues that go along with obtaining a quality brown. And to think, I got her off of Craigslist for $50!!! Lucky me!


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## Tymaca (Oct 13, 2011)

spoospirit said:


> _Unbelievably, I don't believe we have seen another standard poodle in our area. We do see toys every now and then; usually black, red or apricot. I have never seen a mini here.
> 
> _


Same here! I see a bunch of MPOOs, there are 4 of them just down the street from me, but no SPOOs! I actually saw a beautiful white SPOO in a parking lot (in a car) when walking back to my car. She was gorgeous. I even waited 15 minutes, so that I could ask the owner where she was groomed, but they didn't come out of the store. I wasn't going to wait any longer. Even my groomer said she doesn't get any SPOOs. I need some friends for my Zoe!


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## Jacknic (Sep 14, 2010)

I am just adding a photo of my silver beige parti girl since it sounds like she is so "rare" lol. Personally I HATE that term, and "parti, sable, phantom", are patterns not colors.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Tymaca said:


> I am now realizing just how fortunate I am to have my brown SPOO! I had no idea all the issues that go along with obtaining a quality brown. And to think, I got her off of Craigslist for $50!!! Lucky me!


I'd say you got lucky! If she stays healthy I'd say you hit the proverbial jackpot!


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## Jacknic (Sep 14, 2010)

She has been very healthy, she will be five years old in Jan, she has almost all her health testing done. She also has a weight pull title, an agility title and a CGC, oh and is a UKC Grand Champion.

Orthopedic Foundation for Animals


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## Jacknic (Sep 14, 2010)

ArreauStandardPoodle said:


> I'd say you got lucky! If she stays healthy I'd say you hit the proverbial jackpot!


LOL sorry I thought you were talking about MY girl! I guess I should read the whole post!


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

LOL! My goodness NO!


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

Jacknic said:


> and "parti, sable, phantom", are patterns not colors.
> View attachment 21784


Love the shades in yr Parti girl.  We've got a guy in our group that looks similar to her. Mojo, on the right. Lighter dark patches than yr girl tho.










Up here, in CKC, Parti is a Breed . . . as opposed to 'Standard'. Solid Colour Partis and Multi Coloured Partis are in separate Conformation trials. A 'Phantom' is a Parti with a particular pattern . . Black and White, or Chocolate and White. Phantoms get shown with the MC Partis.


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## Jacknic (Sep 14, 2010)

[QUOTE Up here, in CKC, Parti is a Breed . . . as opposed to 'Standard'. Solid Colour Partis and Multi Coloured Partis are in separate Conformation trials. A 'Phantom' is a Parti with a particular pattern . . Black and White, or Chocolate and White. Phantoms get shown with the MC Partis.[/QUOTE]

Hate to correct you but don't you mean UKC (United Kennel Club)? Multi color is not considered a breed, just shown seperate from the solids, if they were a seperate breed you could not registeter puppies out of a multi/solid breeding.


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

Jacknic said:


> Hate to correct you but don't you mean UKC (United Kennel Club)?


Nope. CKC . . Canadian Kennel Club. May be the same rules tho.


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## Jacknic (Sep 14, 2010)

Countryboy said:


> Nope. CKC . . Canadian Kennel Club. May be the same rules tho.


As of yet, parti, phantom, and sable is considered a disqulafication for CKC in conformation competition. This may change in the future but I don't believe they will be shown in seperate classes and they will have to be in correct trims.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Jacknic said:


> As of yet, parti, phantom, and sable is considered a disqulafication for CKC in conformation competition. This may change in the future but I don't believe they will be shown in seperate classes and they will have to be in correct trims.


This is exactly what I have been hearing.


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

I have a Solid Parti with a CAN CH. Would he not be a CKC recognized CH, then?


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