# Coat textures - White and/or cream vs Black



## pizzapizazz (Apr 13, 2016)

I'm not exactly sure where to ask this, and can't seem to find much information. Maybe I am not searching the correct things, but am hoping to gt some insight. We will be getting a mini early next year. A white will be bred to a blue so there will be a chance for white, cream, black and blue coats. My breeder said that whites are harder to maintain. She only has one white and I couldn't tell much of a difference, so I'm coming to you! What is the difference in white vs black, other than white is harder to keep looking nice and clean? I have a Wheaten and while his hair is more wavy than curly, he has a very cottony coat that matts up if you look at it wrong when it's long, so I tend to keep him short. I am hoping that by the time we have a poodle I will be doing my own clippings of my dogs. I am used to line combing quite frequently, but would really like to get a poodle coat that doesn't matt every 2 seconds - is that even possible?? 

When I put down a deposit, my breeder would like to know which color I would really prefer and I don't know what to tell her! Any advice would be welcome!


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

Blacks tend to have the best coats. They tend to have that harsh 'afro' type hair. Now this doesn't really mean they will be easier to upkeep. Sometimes the super curly harsh coats (which scissor like a dream, which is what makes it a great coat to work with) can get very matted quickly, but sometimes seemingly similar coats in 2 dogs will matt at completely different rates.
My mini poo is white, and he has terrible hair in terms of scissoring. It's not so bad on the body, but his legs and top knot (when in a scissored top knot) is just awful and floppy. It's too straight. However it doesn't matt hardly at all. I could not brush him for 3-6 weeks and he'll hardly have a tangle and I keep him in quite a long styled trim. However, some of the straighter haired dogs can matt at the drop of a hat.
So as a groomer I have found that it's really just luck of the draw. I sometimes look at a coat and think it's the time that won't matt and it gets matted, and sometimes I think a coat looks easily matted and it never does. Some coats are more obvious, but with poodles I don't find that it's easy to tell.
Personally I would go strictly by what the temperament test tells the breeder and explain your living situation and ask them to choose a dog that would work out best for you, regardless of color.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

My experience (admittedly limited) is that blacks out of black parents have the best coats. My Javelin is from black parents and has a great coat (although I shaved it all off last weekend). My girl Lily is out of a white mom and a black sire and her coat is much finer than his. I have generally found the lighter colored poodles I know to have coats more like Lily's.

I agree with mysticrealm that the personality of the dog matters way more than its color. If it has a good coat but rotten temperament and doesn't at least easily tolerate grooming then you have a bigger problem than you do with a dog that is a dream in temperament and therefore easy to groom.


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## sidewinder (Feb 3, 2016)

Yes, I agree with Mystic and Lily, pick a pup on personality, not color. Besides, what if you tell her you want a black, and there aren't any in the litter? There are alot of color possibilities in that breeding! Color is not the most important thing. It's really hard to predict ease of coat care from color alone! Your breeder should be a better guide, if she knows her bloodlines.

I have found that every coat has a certain length that if you let it get longer than that, it will mat. Unless you want to spend an hour brushing every day, keep the hair below that length and you will be good, no matter what color or quality of coat. Or keep the long parts to a minimum (bracelets, topknot and ears for instance), and brush them daily.


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## pizzapizazz (Apr 13, 2016)

Thanks everyone for your input. We went to meet the breeder a few weekends ago (it was a 13ish hour trip) and I had said that personality matters most to me. I have not yet put down a deposit (it's a lot of money!! I need to make sure I have all bills/finances straight first), although I did tell her I would really like a female. She actually picks the puppies to the families so I will not be picking out my own. Generally she likes to know what sex/color you prefer and tries to match up from there, however if a personality doesn't match what you want, or if there are none of the sex/color you want, you have options to look at available puppies (if there are any) or wait until a next litter. She seemed to really understand what I'm looking for in a temperament, but I still want to give her a "my dream dog" idea in terms of sex/color, you know? The problem is that I just don't know! I am quite ahead of myself right now as we won't be bringing a puppy home until late Jan/early Feb next year, but I do not have a lot of exposure to poodles and the different coats. It's quite interesting that it seems to be luck of the draw! The mom of my future puppy is white (but her mom and grandmom are blacks) and the sire is blue. I always thought I wanted a white based on looks alone but after meeting her blacks, I fell in love! It is also interesting what is considered a "good" coat in poodles. I tend to like soft ones as opposed to ones with harsh coats, but am not sure if that is a poorly bred poodle or not. All the coats at the breeders house seemed quite harsh, and all of the females have been championed before breeding. Anyways, I really do appreciate your input, everyone!!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I have a white and a black and I'd say that my white Poodle's coat is more dense than the black one's. It knotted up a lot when he was in a show coat as a pup. Finally, he grew up and it got better. I keep it short but even his top knot is denser than my little black dog's and so is his poofy tail. It's hard to say though. They both seem to have nice coats on their bodies, plenty of thick hair that curls easily. I would recommend you go for personality too, over color or coat texture. You can always keep it shortish if you're not showing. That takes the curse out of brushing.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

It is way better to plan ahead than to get caught short at the last minute. Keep checking in at PF whenever you have questions while you are getting ready or if you just need a dose of vicarious poodle love.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

If there were a choice between similarly great personalities, I would have to go with a darker Poodle. No tear stains, visible urine stains, potentially a better coat.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Mfmst said:


> If there were a choice between similarly great personalities, I would have to go with a darker Poodle. No tear stains, visible urine stains, potentially a better coat.


Yes all else being equal I would go with a dark color.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

I agree with lily cd and mfmst. I have a black standard, Jazz, and a silver and white parti-color, Blue. Blue has a thicker coat, soft and prone to matting. Jazz's coat is rather sparse, wirier, just doesn't seem to mat. I love the way Blue looks, but I had no idea how hard it is to keep a white dog clean. At my age, I doubt I'll ever have another dog, but if I do, it Won't. Be. White.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Well I have one of each. There are plusses and minuses to each. I love the white because he's very flashy and showy...bright, zingy and turns heads when we're out and about. He glows in the dark pretty much. He is not that hard to keep clean, although we don't play in mud. By the time he starts looking a little dingy, it's time for a bath anyhow and I give both Poodles a bath. If they look all right because they're black, but it's too long between baths, well...I just wouldn't go for that. It's nice to rinse out their hair and make their skin clean and healthy. That said, there are the tear stains. However, in Matisse's case, he seemed to out grow them and they finally went away. There are times though, where they come back, then go away again. I'm thinking irritants...pollen, something that makes them tear up more.

The black is nice too...striking. But they just don't seem to show up as much. My little Maurice is black with some faint silver phantom markings. He is impossible to photograph. You can never see his face. Of course, I don't have any skills in photography and don't have a terrific camera I guess. But he's hard to photograph. And I don't like that one bit. He's hard to find at night when he's out in the yard. He disappears on my dark couch. One has to be very careful with this little dog. He just doesn't show up. I guess his size has something to do with it. lol. 

Anyhow, they're both nice colors. I'd still go for personality. I'm lucky. I got the best of both worlds. Opposite colors and two distinctly different, but _awesome_, darling temperaments. So, the variety is fun.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

PBG, there's no question size and situation will influence any future color choices for me. A 54 pound white dog with bracelets that plays in a muddy creek and digs in the dirt is considerably harder to keep clean than a 5 pound, mostly indoor white dog. :biggrin1: (I do agree with you that photographing a black dog is an exercise in futility for most people. PoodleRick is an exception, of course.)


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

I have a white with a beautiful dense coat that is easy to scissor. That said, she is a dirty little dog and even though she goes to the groom shop every 2 weeks, she most of the time looks like an orphan. I think part of the problem is she sleeps under the covers which is very hard on a coat. She also loves to squeeze under our couch, which is only about 3 inches off the floor. She plays ball....a lot!. And LOVES to torment the cat, who torments her back and visa-versa. Misha also has tear stains. So if I had to do it again and could get the exact same dog in a different color, I would choose darker!


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## pizzapizazz (Apr 13, 2016)

That's definitely something to consider.. Our yard is basically a mud pit. My Wheaten is a blonde/wheat color, but he gets dirty SO FAST because he is still young and we play outside a lot. I imagine that by adding another dog into the mix, they would both get gross quickly. With Murphy, I can bathe and brush him out one day and the next day he looks like he could have just been picked up in an alley, LOL, so I usually keep him short for summer. With a poodle I am hopeful to be able to keep it in a cute Miami cut. I will not be showing her, I have no interest in that. I think I am really leaning toward the dark coat, but personality will definitely trump all.


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