[Cdnjennga]

While I like the look of all colours of poodles, my preference has generally been for the darker as they don't show the dirt as much or tear staining. Plus our PWDs have always been black or parti coloured. However, in my hunt for my future friend I have come across some pretty awesome breeders of whites and creams and I don't want to rule out a great puppy just because of what may be my misconceptions with regards to colour.

So I have a question for all you light coloured poodle owners. How do you find the coat maintenance? And what about tear staining, have you had issues with that? Let me have it straight, how is it to have a light coloured dog?!

 

[partial2poodles]

I only have one white...or I should say cream, female. She shimmers white in the sun but her ears are definitely cream. She has zero eye stains, no paw stains but occasionally has a weird lick spot on an armpit area. It turns reddish if she licks it too much. She is outdoors alot with the run of a big yard. Yes her lower legs get dirty but not stained. Her hair is really thick, profuse, dense and kinda coarse. I love the fact that when she gets bathed she whitens so nice. I never use whitening shampoo. She eats raw, cooked and her kibble is lamb, chicken with brown rice, eggs, fish.....no corn wheat or soy and no treats except freeze dried real meat. Diet is the key to keeping whites eyes from staining.

 

[Harley_chik]

With the exception of teething and allergy issues, I think tear staining is usually genetic. (It can be caused by deformed, blocked or nonexistent tearducts.) It's something to look into when you consider a breeder. (Cuz you know the list wasn't long enough already, lol.)

 

[neVar]

i hve to say for the two months bernie lived with us i was surprised how clean his coat stayed. Though at 2 months i itched to start scissoring his body s he started to look cream more then white

 

[Olie]

With the exception of teething and allergy issues, I think tear staining is usually genetic. (It can be caused by deformed, blocked or nonexistent tearducts.) It's something to look into when you consider a breeder. (Cuz you know the list wasn't long enough already, lol.)

Yes I agree - Olie has tear gunk, I call it and we have had him on high quality foods and NO grain - we have not gone raw but when we went to Taste of Wild although it wa fine, Olie teared more so we are taking th dogs back to Blue - and he plays a great deal in the yard and parks and he does not get that dirty. We always brush them shortly after anyway (or blow them off) we keep a light duty blower on th back porch.

 

[flyingduster]

Except for actual MUD, Paris stays fairly clean. She only gets bathed every month or so. She DOES get an 'off-white' colour to her, but only actually noticable when she's compared to something truely white (she's a pale cream anyway, so her 'white' is never going to be a true white) You can see how 'dirty' she got after 5 weeks without a bath here: http://www.poodleforum.com/showthread.php?t=5438 and while she's obviously not CLEAN, she's also obviously not a dirty yucky colour either IMO.

Tearing would be a problem in any colour as it shouldn't be happening at all and IMO I don't care if you don't notice the staining as much on a black, it still would need to be addressed because it shouldn't be happening! At least it gets addressed quicker on a white poodle because it shows up much faster...

But yes, if they get an allergy or something, they'll get a red mark where they lick and chew. Paris has one lil spot on her back leg at the moment, and the bit above one eye that she's been scratching at. But again, if she was black I probably wouldn't have even noticed her doing it to fix it!! lol

 

[ArreauStandardPoodle]

Thinker is the lightest silver I have ever seen (you like the silvers don't you??) and he stays looking quite decent from one haircut to the next. He does not seem to get any dirtier looking than a darker Poo and he gets no tear stains. He is a dog who worries a wound, so if he licks and licks and licks a spot, that spot will come in dark and have to clear like when he was a baby. His coat is a totally different texture to Holly's, so he is a bit harder to clip because a lot of the blades do not like him, and he has a tendency to mat more at his elbows and on his back legs where he lays on them more than her too. But scissoring him is a dream. He is like a Brillo pad with no flyaways, and he is just a snap to scissor. I do not have to fuss over his coat as much as the reds.

 

[taxtell]

I just got back from the park and had to carry Flip from my car to the tub.
He needed FOUR shampooings to get clean!

It was nasty...but it doesn't matter what color he was at that point, I suppose.

In general I don't have much issue with his coat color, and he never ever has had any kind of tear staining. I swear by bottled water on that, though.

 

[Mandycasey'smom]

Mandy is a cream and though she does get dirty around her neck from her walking collar and red on her legs where she has licked ( hope to shave the worst of soon) she doesn't get overly dirty that a good brushing doesn't bring out.

 

[cbrand]

With the exception of teething and allergy issues, I think tear staining is usually genetic. (It can be caused by deformed, blocked or nonexistent tearducts.) It's something to look into when you consider a breeder. (Cuz you know the list wasn't long enough already, lol.)

I agree. If the dam and sire are tear stain free, then the offspring usually are too. I find that most Cream/White Poodles have softer coats. They are harder to groom for show, but in a companion dog, that isn't really an issue.

The Creams/Whites definitely don't get as hot in the summer sun (Boy do the Black dogs suffer here in Colorado). The best thing about a Cream/White is that they are easier to see at night. This is a big issue if you like to go camping. The poor Black dogs always seem to get stepped on in the tent.

 

[thestars]

I co-own a white toy, Candy, and own Lucy whom is a light apricot/cream and I've had a white Mini before. Never had a tear stain problem with any of them! I have kept with a dryer eye pedigree. I have a much easier time grooming lighter dogs then darker dogs and picture taking is so much easier with light dogs. Even my Club friends like grooming lighter colored dogs better. Even though I adore Black it is a tough color for grooming and photos! As for cleanliness, black dogs show up just as dirty around my house. Mind you Lucy has the thickest woolly coat too!
Candy
http://www.patriotpoodles.com/i/CandyChair.jpg
Lucy in Scruffy mode
http://www.patriotpoodles.com/i/IMG_0092.JPG

 

[wishpoo]

OK - now that we discuss colors - today,first time in my life I got a "quote" from a breeder who asks 2000 $ for blacks and browns and 1,500 $ for whites !!!!!!!!

I was like - WTH ??????:doh: I am trying to calm down before I answer the "statement" since I want to get "explanation" !!!

 

[Cdnjennga]

I co-own a white toy, Candy, and own Lucy whom is a light apricot/cream and I've had a white Mini before.

Both your girls are very sweet, but I really like the look of Candy! That clip is cute, I think that's just how I'd want mine to look.

This has been very interesting. I think I will definitely at least talk to a couple of breeders and see how we go. The biggest step will be convincing my mom that I should at least consider getting a white. Although my dog's colour really doesn't have anything to do with her, she has made it known repeatedly that she prefers black! She also keeps saying "our dog". :wacko:

 

[Poodle Lover]

Cdnjennga,

Romeo, my cream male (although technically he is more champagne than cream) has no tear staining, no runny eyes, no unsightly orange anywhere on his paws or tail or anywhere - knock on wood.

I am your polar opposite, I will do pretty much any color but black and prefer lighter colors. You can actually see when your light dog is dirty, fleas and flea dirt are easy to spot as well as allergies. And those dark eyes on the light face are priceless.

 

[Harley_chik]

There have been a lot of good points raised. Neither are Poodles but I have a white dog and a black dog. Harley does suffer terribly in the heat. He loves to be out side but is restricted to early mornings and late evenings in the summer months. Even now (it's been hitting the mid 60s) he is getting hot in the afternoon. He also gets pretty dirty but you don't notice until you pet him for a while and your hand turns black. ICK! W/ Bailey, you have to worry about sunburning (light hair, light skin) and I can see if he's dirty. Bailey goes out to potty and that's about it and he does have a very different coat type than a Poodle. He does pick up dirt easily but he is pretty easy to bath b/c of his size too.

 

[desertreef]

Chiming in about colors...
Really good points brought up. A light color, such as white/cream, will show the dirt but those dark poodles are just as dirty. Being mine are allowed on the bed and 'some' furniture, I'd like to see and know they are dirty.

My white/ creams do not have an eye issue either. I think it's rarely seen with the standard variety... more the toys. I think they can get help for that though.

Now Wishpoo.... reading your recent post regarding prices on different colors. Was this price only because of color or because they were from different breedings? The prices of my pups are all the same, in a litter... no matter the color BUT I do have some breedings that there was more cost involved so their price reflects that.
Just curious....

 

[Locket]

Mitch stays pretty clean aside from when he pounces in mud puddles, zooms through mud puddles, or goes bobbing for his ball in mud puddles. I find it easier to keep his coat clean because I can actually SEE the mud as opposed to Matrix, where I think his paws are clean and then I see muddy prints everywhere.

Mitch has one runny eye, but if I stay on top of it, it doest really stain.

 

[MericoX]

One thing I don't like about my silver toy girl, if that stains show up really good on her fur *cry*. She tears and stains alot, though I have found it gets better with different foods. I'm still not sure if the dark fur around her eyes is like that, or just because of all the tearing. Luckily it doesn't stain THAT bad. Though she is from a mill and got the whole, dirty puppy thing, she gets frequent baths and most of the time looks dingy. But she's pretty dainty and doesn't come into the house covered in mud.

On the other hand, my mini red boy (I call him orange and he LOOKS orange) is the dirtiest dog I have ever owned. He'll come in with his legs looking like they were dipped in chocolate. But I at least prefer him to be light-colored, as I know when he is dirty. He tears as well, but not as heavily as my silver girl. It also gets worse when his ears are bugging him (like constant ear infections and problems with my boy).

The upside of having lighter dogs, is they can be out in the summer longer. The schnauzers (black.. now kinda blue-grey looking) get hot super quick. Also lighter dogs are better to be photographed LOL

 

[*heather*]

Hey Cdnjennga,
here's one for you ... http://www.adoptapet.com/pet3327203.html

 

[KalaMama]

Both your girls are very sweet, but I really like the look of Candy! That clip is cute, I think that's just how I'd want mine to look.

This has been very interesting. I think I will definitely at least talk to a couple of breeders and see how we go. The biggest step will be convincing my mom that I should at least consider getting a white. Although my dog's colour really doesn't have anything to do with her, she has made it known repeatedly that she prefers black! She also keeps saying "our dog". :wacko:

I think that's sweet that she wants such a big part with your pup