Most poodles are solid colored, since most poodles are registered with the AKC, which is the main club for registering dogs in the U.S.A., and the AKC does not permit anything but solid colored poodles to show. However, the UKC, which is the other main club, allows any color except merle (as merles are a mixed breed, and not poodles), since those colors do crop up, and some people breed specifically for them (such as the partis). I'm off on a tangent here, but I honestly prefer UKC, since they aren't nearly as focused on the looks of the dogs rather than the 'total package', and it's less.... Snobby about it, I guess I could say? Overall. I don't know. It seems like there's much less drama, since they don't put as much of an emphasis on paying a handler to show your dog (owner-handler pairs are more than welcome). They also allow undocked tails, and you can show in clips other than continental, so there's also that. When I get into breeding, that's likely the main club that I'll be joining. To kind of summarize, UKC is that cool uncle who gets into a burping competition with you, and the AKC is the rich aunt who forces your butt down to have a 'proper lady' tea party. Both have good intentions, but one is more fun to be around.

 

Hi Ava! Welcome to PF!

I removed the direct jpg photo link to the pic you wanted show, b/c I'm unfamiliar with that site. Instead, try to copy the photo(s), and then you can add it directly to your post. See our How To Upload Your Images directions.

Thanks, Vita, Super Moderator

 

oh , sorry. It was a photo of "Kovu" From Alue Standard poodles.

Thank you for the info! I usually only attend AKC shows, which is probably why I was so confused.. I'll look around for som UKC clubs and hopefully I can ask around for breeder suggestions while I'm at it... I'm all for the "if the color comes naturally, why pentilize it?"

although breeding in colors is bleh <.<

Is docking frowned upon in poodles? I really do prefer the docked vs. the over the back tail carriage.

 

Is docking frowned upon in poodles? I really do prefer the docked vs. the over the back tail carriage.

Not necessarily, although you will find people who leave the tails undocked exclusively. It's just nice to have the option not to.

 

Oh, Ok.

Honestly I could grow to like it, I'm sure. I'm just not a fan of the over the back, straight up, out, down, or slightly curved is my favorite tail carriage (regardless of breed)

I really LOVE the colors, especially the sable omg, its so pretty.. Really makes me sad that all these pretty colors are left out in AKC!

 

You can find good breeders that breed non solid colors, but do be cautious as they are popular with disreputable breeders. As far as the tail goes, a natural poodle tail can have a range of carriages. Undocked tails don't always have a tight curl over the back. They can be quite straight. The AKC standard favors docked dogs so all dogs shown in AKC are going to be docked. It's more common to see undocked dogs with breeders that show in UKC.

 

Yeah, I am very intense about my breeder search.. Like.. really intense and specific. I'll make sure any dog I get is from a very reputable breeder who goes above and beyond just being reputable.

 

Keep in mind that sable starts out dark and lightens with age. It make take a while for the dog to get to the color you love, and the dog may lighten further after getting there.

 

thats ok! Dark dogs are cool too

 

Go to Poodle Rainbow to get an eyeful

Poodle Rainbow

www.poodleforum.com

from the Illustrated Breed Standard (AKC) http://poodleclubofthelehighvalley.com/IllustratedStandard.pdf
The whole poodle, nose to toes

An interesting statement from a breeder in 1937: Andress

"Miss Lane has started the particolored Poodle in England and I saw a litter of particolored puppies, very evenly marked black and white, with all black leathers, and white muzzles. At present in England they have a special particolored class for these Poodles, and Miss Lane tells me that they are becoming increasingly popular. I must confess that as a conservative, I do not like them, feeling that, as we have worked so long to get the solid color, Poodles should remain solid color. But I must admit that for particolors these dogs were most evenly marked, and quite stylish in appearance."

Parti's have been around much longer than that. Kennel Clubs have only been around since the late 1800's. As already mentioned, the one to avoid is merle. That pattern does not exist naturally in poodles and can carry a number of health issues.

 

ahh heaven

does AKC & UKC accept corded coats? Because I've gotta try that

 

Pretty sure yes, but check each registry to be sure. A member here started a thread some time back about their adventure in cording but I don't think it's been updated in some time.

 

i'll have to try and dig that up, i love corded poodles

 

Cords!

I had my girl Twilight started in cords a couple of years ago, then she went into heat. Sigh Monster chewed her coat up and we ended up shaving her all the way down. And of course I had to start growing her out again. She is finally after a year ready to start shaping her cords again :)...

www.poodleforum.com

 

Sometimes undocked tails look almost like a docked tail, only a little longer. Here docking is now banned. Beckie (blue female) is undocked and Merlin is docked. I used to like Merlin’s tail better, but now it’s the opposite. It think the proportions are better with a longer tail.

 

First of all, AKC does not make the "rules" about poodle color. That is done by the national breed club, the Poodle Club of America. AKC simply accepts the standard of the breed that is decided by the national breed club. This is the case for every breed, not just poodles. The official standard for poodles was last modified and adopted in 1984 (although it was reformatted in 1990). When a national breed club modifies the breed standard that national club submits the changed standard to AKC. AKC publishes the change(s) and then notifies all judges who are licensed for that breed of the change(s).

I don't know how the UKC manages breed standards since I have never lived in an area where there were UKC shows. Since you can show parti-colors at UKC shows, they obviously do not use the breed standard from Poodle Club of America. The silver in the picture above may appear to be a parti color but I think it's just that the bracelets may have been cleaned with corn starch so appear to be whiter than the rest of the coat. The only way to tell is the part the bracelet hair to see if the skin color changes - and I would bet it does not since it would be quite unusual for it to change uniformly at the beginning of the bracelets!

Yes, the corded coat is acceptable for show. Not all poodles have a coat that will cord. You can tell if it will cord by looking at it when the dog is completely wet. A corded coat will show the twist that begins right at the skin. A corded coat is really difficult to maintain. The cords have to be carefully separated at the skin on a regular basis or you will soon have a matted poodle! A corded dog usually has to be "air dried" - so it's difficult to keep them from smelling rather moldy (this is true for Komondor and Pulik, too). So, Ava, you might not really want to go to all the trouble!. I have only seen two corded poodles - both of them were excellent specimens - and I really don't find cords very attractive.

Regarding tails - I suppose they look OK if they are not carried over the back or are set too low. I've never seen a poodle with a long tail.

 

The UKC actually prohibits the use of anything to 'boost' the look of the coat (not even hair spray!), and they look over the dog to ensure this, as they are much more strict about it. Sometimes the judges will even tug on the hair to make sure that it's real, and if anything's out of the ordinary... You're out of the ring. "Total dog" and all that. The dog's coat does look like that naturally, it's a very pretty coat:

 

ohh my god I'm going to need a silver sable <333333

 

What an extraordinary colour.