ARPEGGIO POODLES

POODLE COAT COLORS: BLUE & BLACK

AKC COLOR CODES FOR POODLES
BREED STANDARD FOR POODLES
COLOR BREEDING IN POODLES
GENERAL POODLE CARE
HEALTH CONCERNS IN MINIATURE POODLES
HEALTH CONCERNS IN STANDARD POODLES
HEALTH CONCERNS IN TOY POODLES
HISTORY OF THE POODLE
POODLE PUPPY GROWTH CHARTS
PUTTING WEIGHT ON POODLES
TEARING IN POODLES
POODLE COAT COLORS: SILVER & SILVER BEIGE
POODLE COAT COLORS: BROWN & CAFE AU LAIT
POODLE COAT COLORS: BLUE & BLACK
POODLE COAT COLORS: RED, APRICOT & CREAM
POODLE COAT COLORS: WHITE & CREAM
POODLE COAT COLORS: BRINDLE & SABLE
GROOMING THE POODLE
GROOMING YOUR OWN POODLE
GROWING HAIR ON A DOORKNOB (HAIR GROWTH FORMULA)
LOOKING FOR A NEW GROOMER
POODLE HAIR CUTS A-D
POODLE HAIR CUTS E-J
POODLE HAIR CUTS L-M
POODLE HAIR CUTS N-R
POODLE HAIR CUTS S-Z
POODLE HAIR CUTS EARS
POODLE HAIR CUTS FACES
POODLE SHOW COAT BANDING
ANAL GLANDS
WORLDS BEST EAR CLEANER
AVOIDING HEAT INJURY IN DOGS
BLOAT (GDV)
CANINE CPR
COPROPHAGY (FECES EATING)
CRYPTORCHIDISM (RETAINED TESTICLES)
DANGERS OF SWIMMING-BLUE-GREEN ALGAE TOXICITY
DOG BREEDS FOR ALLERGY SUFFERERS
DOG FIRST AID KIT
FINDING A GOOD BREEDER
HYPOGLYCEMIA
INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN DOGS
INTERNAL/EXTERNAL PARASITES
IS YOUR DOG THE RIGHT WEIGHT
LEAVING PUPPY HOME ALONE
LICKING,CHEWING AND SCRATCHING BEHAVIOR
NEW PUPPY CARE
OTC MEDICINES SAFE FOR DOGS
PANOSTEITIS (LIMPING)
PATELLAR LUXATION (POPPING/SLIPPING KNEECAPS)
POISONOUS FOOD, PLANTS AND HOUSEHOLD ITEMS
CARPAL SUBLUXATION SYNDROME (CSS OR DOWN PASTERNS)
TAIL DOCKING
URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS IN DOGS
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A HEALTHY PUPPY
BARKING TRAINING
BEHAVIORAL ISSUES
CRATE TRAINING
DESENSITIZATION
POTTY TRAINING
SOCIALIZATION
TO BREED OR NOT TO BREED
BREEDING/WHELPING INFORMATION
BREEDING CHART
HAND FEEDING PUPPIES
SWIMMER PUPPIES
OTHER LINKS

BLUE VS BLACK 
 
I have also found through the years that many breeders have no clue what a blue is.  Many blues are registered as blacks and as they mature it is realized they are not blacks.  This causes many, many people out there to think that their dogs are bad blacks when infact they are a blue (this isnt to say that they are no bad blacks).  I hope to help show the difference between these colors on this page.  I have collected color articles on poodles and will post them here along with pictures so help show the difference.  The authors of these articles are posted above and below the article.  These articles are older but are very good for defining color and giving you a good idea of how to get that color.
 
REMEMBER: Many blues are actually born black so unless you really know what you are looking for you could easily mistake a blue for black.
A blue is NOT a bad black.  It is infact a real color.  It is NOT a parti color.  You may see some breeders mistakenly refer to these blues as a dog that is a combination of colors such as grey and black, or brown and black, you may hear them refered to as a phantom when they really are not, or even hear them called a sable which again they are not.
You can indeed have a blue born blue.  When these puppies are compaired to a black puppy you can actually see they are a blue and not a black.
Blues as puppies will usually have white or silver colored hair inbetween the pads of the feet.  You will also have a brown highlighting of the black hair.  This is one way to tell you have a blue.  When taken out into the sunlight or sometimes in the flash of a picture a blue puppy will almost look dark brown in color.  This is almost a sure sign of a blue.
As a blue "clears", which sometimes takes up to 3 years in standard poodles, they will become a dark gun metal grey color.
It has been my experience that blue poodles tend to carry the genes for all colors of poodles.  So for many breeders they are a great asset to a breeding program.
Blues may have black points or self colored points.
*POINTS refers to the color of the nose, lips, eyeliner, and pads on a poodle.
*SELF COLORED means the same color as the coat color.
 
*Because it is usually much easier to tell the difference between a blue and a black if they are compaired together I will only place a couple pictures of each individual color below the color articles and will show pictures of blue vs black together at the bottom of the page.*

BLACK COLOR ARTICLES
*Please take into consideration when these articles were written.  Some of the information is a bit outdated and not always what we breed for or believe today.*
 
 
BLACK By Mackey J. Irick Jr “The New Poodle”

 

Black is the basic, dominant color in Poodles. When a dominant black is mated with any of the other colors, all the puppies will be black. And as a rule this pure dominant also carries the greatest perfection of type.

A black Poodle's coat should be absolutely dense and inky jet black. The skin should have a distinct bluish cast. To keep it this way, or to clear it if it is shaded, is relatively simple. The magic formula is simply to breed jet blacks to jet blacks and never allow the admixture of any other color. But outside of European countries, where it is obligatory, this is very seldom done consistently. Yet, without question it is the only way to get and keep inky black, practically unfading coats. A true black has no graying ( or dilution) factor which causes the black to fade with age.

Only one cross is safe-that of black's own dilution, brown-which, if sparingly used, will not affect the purity of color. But, of course, such brown crosses must be used very sparingly and not too close together. Some breeders believe that although this cross does not affect the coat color, it may lighten the color of the eyes. The fact that brown does not affect the purity of black coats is a recognized fact, and even in countries where the mixing of colors is banned, such a mixture is permitted.

Many black strains, black-bred for many generations, carry a brown gene which causes browns to appear every now and then in an otherwise black litter . Such browns usually carry very dark eyes and pigmentation.

Blue, gray and silver crosses in a black strain are fatal for soundness of color and most difficult to breed out. They leave a most unpleasant grayish shading in the coat and are crosses that never should be used.

It is not definitely known whether eye color is part of the same gene for color, or whether it follows a pattern of its own. In countries where black must be bred only to black, the eyes are very dark, almost black. But nothing has been proven scientifically. Be that as it may, eye color, like any other point, can be fixed by selection. There is no doubt that light eyes have need of correction in many of our American blacks as well as in many English imports. A dark, velvety, oval eye plays an important part in the beautiful Poodle expression we all desire in our dogs. It is too valuable an asset to overlook or to lose carelessly. And in no other color does a light eye stand out as unpleasantly as in a black Poodle.

Standard and Miniature breeders are still finding it difficult to create pure non-fading jet black lines, due to the fading factor which appears in almost all American bred lines. The gray import Ch. Griseley Labory of Piperscroft was a major culprit in Standards as was the gray Ch. Misty Isles Algie of Piperscroft in Miniature lines. Since the graying gene is a recessive, it is particularly difficult to cope with in breeding. Two apparently good blacks may harbor the graying gene and when bred together will produce a proportion of blacks who will gray as they age.

Breeders have a better chance of stabilizing and enhancing a good black by using an older male who has held his color until nine or ten years of age. Breeding to an excellent colored young dog who grays in later years is another problem. Even worse is discovering you have used a beautiful colored jet black who has been dyed!

A male's true color may best be observed at home in his later years rather than in his glamorous show ring days. Unfortunately, almost all blacks fade to some degree and a true jet black at ten years is still a rarity. It has been observed that some of the best lasting blacks only gray around the muzzle rather than a gradual and steady all over graying with age.

BLACK By Mackey J. Irick Jr “The New Poodle”

 

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BLACK    By Mrs Hoyt - The Book of the Poodle 1982

 

A deep intense glowing black that in the sun gives off an almost metallic blue-black tone. Eyes very dark, not necessarily as black as those of a white, but so dark as to be described as a "black brown," not just brown. Eyerims, lips, nose, and toenails black.

Common Faults: Such dogs may have a few silvery or white hairs throughout the coat. Pro- vided that they are not so numerous as to cause streaks or spots this is no fault.

Such dogs may have a white spot on the chest. This is a show fault, provided it is noticeable, but no breeding fault.

Such dogs may have a brownish or rusty tinge on the top of the coat. This is a show fault, and the breeder must look into the animal's background. Is this tinge caused by weather, or an unhealthy coat, or is the color always like this? In other words, a poor black? This fault can be eliminated in the offspring by proper breeding.

Such dogs may have a grayish tinge about the muzzle or ears. This can be old age. It is a show fault but need not worry the breeder. If the dog has gray blotches or the coat is rust-colored down to the skin, it is a bad black and should not be used.

Such dogs may have a truly brown eye rather than the very dark brown. This is a minor fault, not much penalized in the ring, but the breeder may wonder how much mixed color is behind such a dog.

Question: Will breeding blacks to browns hurt the black?

Answer: The black will not be hurt if only one brown cross is made. If, however, a second brown cross is made into the black line, light eyes may be the result.

Question: Will breeding black to white im- prove the black coat?

Answer: It may, but why not breed to a good- coated black from a line of good-coated blacks? Most blacks are more refined in type than the whites. Why risk hurting your type when there ARE good-coated blacks, not to mention mixing up the color heritage.

Question: Will breeding to a gray improve an open black coat?

Answer: It may. It is better breeding than to a white or a brown. It would be best to select a gray related to your bitch on the gray's black side. Here is an example: Champion Blakeen Roulette of Misty Isles was a black Standard female with excellent type, good temperament, good quality coat, but a decided tinge of brown. Roulette's sire, Nymphaea Pice, was a black of only fair type with a large white splash on his chest. He could not be shown. Pice came from a mixed heritage of brown, black, and white. His dam, Ranee, was a brown of better type than Pice, but had a very poor temperament, timid, high-strung, etc. Roulette's dam, Anita v Lut- terspring, was a black of excellent type and temperament, German bred. Roulette bred to Champion Harpendale Monty, an English black of fair type, and produced an all-black litter, no brown tinge, fair type, and excellent tempera- ment. Monty had a most aggressive tempera- ment, which was inherited. Roulette bred to Eric Labory, who went back to German breeding as did Anita and was a black of excellent type and coat but had a very poor, timid temperament, produced all-black puppies with excellent coat and type. Two became champions. They were not as timid as Eric, but not perfect in tempera- ment. Roulette bred to Champion Griseley Labory of Piperscroft of Blakeen, C.D., (an im- ported Swiss gray nephew of Eric on his sire's side) produced coal-black puppies. These pup- pies were even blacker than the Eric puppies and had excellent coats and perfect temperaments. The one I kept (I did not keep any from her other litters) became a well-known
winner and stud, champion Blakeen Mirandello. He won Best Brace in Show with his kennel mate Cham- pion Blakeen Michael Mont at Westminster one year. He never sired a brown or a gray, and his black offspring were very black.

This last had been the right mating for Roulette. If Griseley had been a black, it might have been even better. When Roulette was bred to brown she produced some browns. Bred to Duc (white Tri-International Champion Nunsoe Duc de la Terrace of Blakeen) she produced an excellent brown bitch with a white chest. This bitch bred to blacks produced blacks and often one or two browns.

Question: Is black a popular color in the show ring and with the public?

Answer: In the show ring, next to white, it is the most popular. It is difficult, however, for a good black to defeat an equally good white, as good whites are very appealing and glamorous. With the public it is the most popular color of all. Black puppies are the easiest to sell. Black is therefore the easiest color to breed successfully as to money as well as type. A clue to black breeding: remember the most glamorous thing about a black, besides good type and tempera- ment, is blackness.

BLACK      By Mrs Hoyt - The Book of the Poodle 1982

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BLACK - from an article by Pamela Ingram, Sassafrass Kennels

I do not want to write about the blacks at all. You might say, "black is black" and, like all breeders, I adore the black poodles. They are stylish,intelligent and handsome. They are hard to beat in the show ring---mainly,I suspect, from the fact that faults, being so dark, do not show up so much.

However, it is a difficult color to breed if a black is accepted as being a true holding jet black color! I know of some lines, especially in the toys, which are certainly blackish at one year of age, and most certainly fadedand most unattractive by two and a half to three years. What value is there to having ten generations of black breeding only to have them deteriorate,as it were, in the prime of life?

A true black has no fading factor. A true black does not fade in the sun.

A true black is a black minus white hairs in the 5th, 7th, and 9th yrs, allowing only for some graying on the muzzle.

How many have you ever seen? Granted, black is dominant as a colorbut, like any other dominant ( whether the stronger sex or not ) it appearsto have hidden weaknesses.

I have seen jet blacks non--fading from blues, jet blacks non--fading from brindled apricots, jet blacks non--fading from white and brown and last butnot least jet blacks non--fading from jet blacks. The whole secret is thenon--fading or lack of dilution factor. Black is not just DARK, it is BLACK, shiny, sooty, boot black black---no white hairs ---no brownish tinge---justblack, so black it is JET black.

In lien of color when whelped, at six weeks, six months, etc., I would prefer to start backwards: What color are the parents at six yrs, three yrs.,one year? If a black aged one has as many as 20 white hairs in the coat,it is going to turn gray early and go on graying month after month, yearafter year. Keep the blacks that stay black and breed from them---use an older black stud in place of the young "dark" ones and then we'll get blacker than blacks that stay that way.

from an article by Pamela Ingram, Sassafrass Kennels

Black standard pup at 6 weeks
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Black adult
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Chewy owned by Mike M.

Black standard adult
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Chewy owned by Mike M.

BLUE COLOR ARTICLES

*Please take into consideration when these articles were written.  Some of the information is a bit outdated and not always what we breed for or believe today.*
 
BLUE By Mackey J. Irick, Jr – The New Poodle 1986 

A real blue Poodle, which is an even color throughout with a bluish cast, can be quite beautiful. Unfortunately blue has become a "catch all" name for Poodles who are not good blacks and yet too dark to be called gray. Most often the eventual blue color does not clear until two or three years of age. Blues seen in the ring are usually the result of a mixture of colors and so beautiful in conformation they are shown despite their color, not because of it.

Two of the most famous blues were Eng. Am. Ch. Frenches Blue Marvel who won the Group at Westminster and Ch. Jocelyene Marjorie who had a great career in the ring and was the dam of 18 champions. She was never bred to produce more blues. She was always bred to good blacks and most of her get were blacks.
BLUE By Mackey J. Irick, Jr – The New Poodle 1986 
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BLUE From “The New Complete Poodle by Lydia Hopkins – 1964”

 Blue and silver are, of course, the best-known dilutants of black, and as they are recessive they will breed true. At their best they are beautiful dogs, but none of the other colors are as difficult to get correct in color, properly modeled in head, and sound of structure. Even now they are not the equals of the blacks in Poodle type.

The correct blue is a light, clear, unshaded blue, about the color of a light, not dark, blue Persian cat. And when it is correct and carries black eyes and nose, it can be very lovely. However, this shade is extremely rare, and a dark, dismal steel, or even merely unsound black, has very often been considered ideal, which is, of course, very far from being the case.

BLUE From “The New Complete Poodle by Lydia Hopkins – 1964”

Blue standard pup at birth
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Blue standard pup at 2 weeks
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Blue standard pup at 3 weeks
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Blue standard pup at 6 weeks
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BLUE STANDARD AT 9 MONTHS
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BLUE STANDARD AT 1 YEAR
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Blue adult
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These pictures show blue and black together.

Blue and black together
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Showing blue, black and silver together.
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Here are a couple of pictures showing blue vs silver in puppies.  You can see how platinum in the face at 6 weeks the silver is.  If a pup is not platinum silver in the face by 6 weeks then you do not have a silver puppy.  You could perhaps have a blue.  In the blue puppy you can see how much lighter the face is than the body color of black.  A true black will be jet black even when shaved closely like this.  You may not notice the normal brown tint to the coat that you normally see in this picture.  That is due to the fact that both blues and silvers show this brown tinting while they are clearing.

Blue (left) VS Silver (right) in puppies
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I am happy to have you sign my guestbook, but if you are doing it just to be rude, please don't bother. It just wastes my time and yours. As Thumper says "If you can't say ‘muffin nice, don't say ’nuffin at all!” Thank you. DO NOT SOLICIT ON MY GUESTBOOK PAGE!

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PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT I NO LONGER BREED POODLES! I do not have any puppies or adults for sale.

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This site is dedicated to my Mother and Father.  Afton Jeannette Huff Davis (10/22/1920 - 2/27-2008) and Robert Glen Davis Jr (9/16/24 - 2/3/2012).   Bless you both.  I know you are happy once again being reunited.  Thank you for being my friends, my teachers, my heros and my parents.  I miss you both greatly.  Your loving daughter.

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