[Poodle Papa]

I’m a new member, so please forgive me if I’m posting this question in the wrong place.

We adopted our first poodle puppy two weeks ago — at 10 weeks — from a reputable breeder in our area. He only breeds black and blue poodles. The sire was blue; the dam was black. The puppy is gorgeous, healthy and has the best temperament. He’s really a wonderful fit with our family. The question: The puppy was sold to us as blue. He is definitely less inky than other black puppies we’ve seen. And his coat has a brownish tint sometimes in the sunshine. But he doesn’t have any white hairs in his paws (which I’ve read about), and his muzzle is very dark. On his AKC papers and at the first vet visit, the breeder listed him as black. I don’t want to challenge her; she’s never been dishonest with us. And if he’s black, instead of blue, it wouldn’t matter. We already love him! But is there any way of knowing for sure whether we have a blue or black puppy? Many thanks!

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Congratulations on your new puppy!

Is his face shaved clean? Do you have a photo you can share?

 

[Poodle Papa]

Thanks, Peggy!

Here's a picture of the little mister. Not sure if his face is clean-enough shaven to be helpful?

 

[twyla]

It will take 2 to 3 years for him to clear or change to blue. Outdoor or direct sunlight will reveal his color easier than indoor lighting

 

[PeggyTheParti]

View attachment 464340 Thanks, Peggy!

Here's a picture of the little mister. Not sure if his face is clean-enough shaven to be helpful?

Oh he's absolutely gorgeous!! What's his name?

I'm quite new to purebred poodles, but Peggy's black bits looked just like this when we brought her home at around 9 weeks—very much black, but with rusty tones in bright sunshine.

A few months later, white hairs began springing up around her eyes, and I've had some folks since then tell me she'll likely clear to blue and white rather than black and white.

Here she is at 8.5 months:

If I were you, just out of curiosity, I'd ask the breeder what distinguishes her blue puppies from her black puppies. And then I'd just sit back and enjoy the colour adventure! It's so neat.

Maybe some folks here with blue poodles could share some of their puppy pics with you.

 

[Skylar]

What a cutie. I have a silver poodle.

As you know blue and silver are born black and the breeder doesn’t know if they will be silver or blue until they shave their face. The face of a blue should be a little lighter than the faces of the black puppy siblings. Do you have any photos of your puppy with a shaved face next to it’s siblings with shaved faces? In photos I’ve seen, it easier to see that the black puppies face’s are slightly darker than the blue.

 

[Vee]

my girl has just turned one and I'm only just sure she's blue. She come from a blue mother and black father her KC says she's black but her breeders said they think she's black but could be blue.

She always had white hairs between her pads but otherwise was always looked black and not looked brown in the sun.
A few months ago however white hairs appeared over her back half and are beginning to spread and
I took a pic of her last week and noticed she now looks brown in the sun

Indoors however she looks black

Excuse the poor pics I just got the most recent ones.
I think she's blue and clearing slowly.

 

[Raindrops]

My pup is definitely black. No blue in his lines. But his fur will take on a reddish hue from sun exposure. As soon as he gets a trim he looks inky black again. I think your pup is blue because there are a lot of pale hairs showing up on the face already. Misha's getting a few pale hairs on his body but they only started showing up recently, so maybe when he turned 9 months or so. Definitely wouldn't have been there when he was young like yours.

 

[Poodle Papa]

Thanks, Raindrops and Vee! Very helpful