Standard Poodles come in more colors than most people realize, and at Poodles of Piedmont we regularly produce seven of them: black, red, cream, brown, abstract, phantom and parti. This page explains what each color looks like, how it tends to change as the dog matures, and what to ask about before you choose. Every one of our puppies, whatever the color, is AKC-registered, DNA health-tested through the parents, and raised in our home in Morganton, North Carolina.
One thing to say up front: color is the last thing we’d choose a puppy on. Temperament, health and how well a puppy fits your household matter far more — which is why we temperament test every puppy between 6 and 7 weeks and post the results before selection. But we know families have preferences, and we’re happy to tell you which upcoming litters are likely to produce the color you love. Just mention it on your application.
Black Standard Poodles
The classic. A true black Standard Poodle has a deep, glossy black coat, dark brown eyes and a black nose, and stays black for life. Some Poodles registered as black carry a fading gene and gradually clear to blue or silver over their first year or two, so it’s worth asking about the parents. Black is a dominant color and shows up in many of our litters. We’ve written a whole page on black Standard Poodle puppies if that’s the color you’re after.
Red Standard Poodles
Red is the most eye-catching Poodle color and one of the most requested. Reds range from a rich mahogany to a lighter copper. The honest thing to know about red is that it usually lightens with age: many red puppies mature into a deep apricot by two or three years old, and some hold their color better than others. The best predictor is the parents, so if you want a red that stays red, look at the adults, not just the puppy. Reds should have black noses, eye rims and lips; a red with a brown nose is genetically a different color.
Cream Standard Poodles
Cream sits between white and apricot: a soft, pale, warm coat with black points (nose, eye rims and lips). Cream puppies are sometimes born looking closer to apricot and lighten as they grow. Cream coats show dirt more readily than darker colors, so expect a bit more bath-time upkeep, but many families love the look. Like all Poodles, creams have the same low-shedding, allergy-friendly coat.
Brown Standard Poodles
Brown Poodles are easy to spot even as adults because their pigment is brown too: a liver-colored nose, brown eye rims and often amber or hazel eyes rather than dark brown. A dark brown puppy is often described as chocolate. Many browns lighten over time to a warmer, lighter shade called café au lait, and a few keep their dark chocolate coat into adulthood. Again, the parents tell you the most. Brown coats are also prone to a reddish sun-bleaching in summer, which grooms right out.
Abstract Standard Poodles
An abstract Poodle is a solid-colored Poodle with a small amount of white: usually a white patch on the chest, a white chin, or white toes. Any of the colors above can be abstract, so you might see a black abstract or a red abstract. Abstracts are fully AKC-registrable, and the white markings only matter in the conformation show ring, which is not where our puppies are headed. Families who want a dog with a little something distinctive often fall in love with an abstract. (Abstract is different from parti, which is 50% or more white — see below.)
Phantom Standard Poodles
A phantom Standard Poodle has a solid base color with lighter, clearly defined markings in the same places you’d see them on a Doberman or Rottweiler: above the eyes, on the muzzle and cheeks, the chest, the lower legs and under the tail. Black-and-tan is the classic, but the base can be brown, red or another color and the points can range from cream to deep red. The pattern is there from birth and stays, though the points can lighten a little as the dog matures. Phantoms are fully AKC-registrable; like partis and abstracts they’re just not eligible for the AKC conformation ring, which isn’t where our puppies are headed.
Parti Standard Poodles
A parti Standard Poodle is at least 50% white with patches of a solid color. Black-and-white is the one most people picture, but you’ll also see red, brown, cream and apricot partis, and no two are marked the same way, which is a big part of the appeal. Partis are purebred Poodles and fully AKC-registrable; the pattern has been in the breed since its earliest days. As with the solid colors, the colored patches on a red or brown parti may lighten with age while the white stays white.
Do different colors have different temperaments or health?
No. There’s no meaningful difference in personality, trainability or health between Standard Poodle colors. What makes the difference is the breeding behind the dog and how the puppy is raised. All of our puppies come from the same program: DNA health-tested parents, a 5-year health guarantee, our ENS / Super Puppy early-stimulation work, and a home-raised start. Details of what we test are on our health testing page.
Does color affect the price?
No. We price by litter, not by color, so a red puppy costs the same as a black or cream puppy from the same litter. Current pricing and deposit details are on our Pricing & Payments page.
How to reserve the color you want
Check Current Litters to see what’s on the way, then submit an application and tell us your color preference. Once we’ve talked and it’s a good fit, a deposit holds your place on the list. Families choose their own puppy in waitlist order, guided by those results and our recommendation — color is part of that choice wherever we can. You can read the whole process on Our Adoption Process, and you’re always welcome to meet our dogs to see the colors in person.