Turbomelvis

When I rescued Jackson, I was advised that the reds and chocolates tend to be a bit more aloof/hyperactive than the black/white lines. Is there any basis to this or maybe just a personal observation on their part?

ArreauStandardPoodle

I have lived with blacks, whites, blues, silvers and reds and do not feel colour has made a bit of difference. These dogs were all similar because of our expectations of them. My Mom, as a breeder of silvers, used to get comments about silvers being the nastiest and most inclined to bite. Well someone should of told her boy Thinker that, who welcomed every dog, in tact or altered, and loved having babies and toddlers climbing all over him.

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Turbomelvis

Thanks.. Im more inclined to think that sub-par breeding may have more inclination to it than color genes. Thoughts?

Jessie's Mom

i'm the proud mom of a brown girl and she is not aloof or hyper. poodles are very in-tuned to their owners and their surroundings. standards are usually more calm than other sized poodles. i can't imagine how color could effect a personality. i would have to agree that it has more to do with breeding - not just color based. it also has to do with the way the puppy was socialized by the breeder. so whether a spoo is hyper, aloof, fearful, protective, aggressive, etc depends on their experiences in their first 12 weeks of life as well as their heritage. again, not color.

ArreauStandardPoodle

I would think that plays a role. But, I think a pup's beginning is massive in how they end up. Is the litter raised in a home, part of the family? Are they handled and cuddled constantly? Or are they in a kennel building where they see humans a couple of times a day when they are fed and watered? Learning to trust people and knowing what it feels like to be loved right from the start, is in my opinion, the most important way to have sound, stable pups who will go on to accomplish things and put the Poodle intelligence to be best use when these pups become adults.

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CT Girl

I don't see why color would be tied to personality either. Swizzle is silver and even as a puppy very rarely mouthed us. When he teeth were bothering him and he wanted to bite he would always bite something near us. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Thinker from all accounts he set the gold standard for outstanding personality. I think the best indicator of personality of a dog is their close relatives and of course socialization.

Q313

I can't speak to poodles but many people in doberman world swear there are personality differences between reds/blacks. I've yet to decide.

Don't know if anyone saw it but there was a study done in Russia w/foxes, selecting for extremes in temperament either for most vicious and least aggressive, and separated for a breeding program study. It was found over time that the more tamed strains of fox, chosen for low levels of aggression, over decades began to develop different color patterns (parti) and starting to show signs of flopped ears.

It was a fascinating documentary, even landing a spot in Nat Geo magazine within the last year.

Anyway my point being I don't entirely discount color/personality traits.
For instance I've yet to meet a pet b&w tuxedo cat that wasn't just a doll, and while i would have to live w/more dobermans than I have, 2 to date, one was black, our girl now red, the differences in personality do so far seem to fall in line w/the red/black stereotype. Our girl being a hilarious goof, overly friendly w/strangers; my boy was a much more serious classic personality.



Just sayin...

eta: also the fox pups taken from aggressive mothers to be placed with docile fox still grew up to be aggressive.

CT Girl

Did not the aggresive foxes have the same changes in color as the docile foxes in that study?

Countryboy

One of the shows that featured that study was As I recall the tamer lot of foxes also showed changes in tail length. Look abt the ten minute mark of this clip.

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CT Girl

The sound is not working on my computer. I actually saw the show; I just can't remember if the aggressive foxes showed the same changes in coloration that the tamer foxes did.