Our delightful poodle puppy is 11 weeks old and adorable.  I think however that I have been a bit naive,  He is KC registered as are the parents and I met the mother when I visited the litter.  There were only a couple of pups left so I chose one.  However as he has grown he has developed white patches on face and chest and paws (he is apricot).  He is adorable and bright of course and gets on well my other dogs.  However I now realise that Dad was a parti poodle although Mum was a solid colour.  It doesn't matter to me but I did pay top dollar (you can imagine) but now realise that even if I want to do a bit of showing, I can't.  Well c'est la vie I suppose and I should have done my homework.  However when I took the pup to the vet for his second jab yesterday the vet asked me if he was pure poodle as his face didn't look poodle enough (I suppose that is what he meant).  Indeed he could easily be a cockerpoo but I have seen a picture of his sire who was definitely a poodle.  Think is I really chose a poodle because they are among the brightest of dogs and I intend to do some obedience with him - I have already done a bit.  I think I am feeling bit annoyed with myself that I did pay such enormous money for him!!!

I think parti poodles are fetching high prices now as the colours are attractive. My daughter has some friends who bought a standard parti deliberately bred by what seemed (to me that is) a good breeder. Health tests on sire and dam, KC although colour not recognised etc and lots of advice and follow up.
So you having a parti and paying a lot I’m not surprised at to be honest

I have read that parti poodles are an old breed that went out fashion when the KC decided they preferred solid colours.  Looking at pictures of  parti poodles they do look quite stunning,   I wonder why they lost popularityx

There must be some reason why the solids took over and have become the one KC will register.perhaps someone on here can enlighten us.
Daughters friend has a black and white and he does look good

It's my dream to have an apricot Parti! Join the Parti Poodle Club, such a friendly club. They had their first show in 2019 and are working towards getting the partis added back to the KC standard. Obviously last year's show had to be cancelled and I don't think there is one this year but they will start up again. My Poodle is a black and white Parti.

BTW about the face, is it shaved? Poodle pups don't look like Poodles without being clipped. The first time should be done already at 3 weeks of age. Mine wasn't and she looked nothing like a Poodle at all, she certainly did the.moment she has her basic face, feet and tail done.

It wasn't the KC who decided that only solid colours were to be allowed, it was the early Poodle breeders who wrote a breed standard and felt that the solids were nicer - just a fashion thing that pre dates the KC even existing. It then became the norm.

> It wasn't the KC who decided that only solid colours were to be allowed, it was the early Poodle breeders who wrote a breed standard and felt that the solids were nicer - just a fashion thing that pre dates the KC even existing. It then became the norm

This is how it usually happens - the breeders get together to draw up a Breed Standard (which is often amended as/when needed) and that's submitted to the KC for ratification.  I don't know about Poodles, but wonder if some problems cropped up amongst the partis?

If I were you, I'd do an Embark DNA test (or similar) to check that he is 100% poodle. If he's not, then you could have recourse to getting money back from the breeder...

Mamabas there were Parti Poodles in the 1700s, in fact they were probably the majority, back when health etc wasn't really considered. It was just fashion to go for solids, much like how the King Charles Spaniel developed a flat face when Pugs came into fashion, where before they had looked like today's Cavaliers. I find the history of breeds fascinating!

1234 even the Merle "Poodles" often test as 100 % Poodle even though it’s not possible without another breed having been mixed in. If x number of generations have passed it no longer picks it up which is why breeders of merle so called Poodles often use DNA to "prove" they are purebred.

Oh right. Perhaps it might pick up if a recent relative wasn't a poodle though??

He will still be great for obedience and also agility , the showing well that is a shame but he can still do fun companion shows .  To be honest I thought I would want to show when had our first weimaraner and we did a few but it felt kind of pointless when was never going to breed and I hadn't bred her myself so was just showing someone else's work.  If I bred my own could get into it as would be showing my own efforts but one someone else has bred isn't really the same.  plus with a male you would not get anywhere showing if had him castrated which many owners prefer for a companion dog.  At least with obedience and agility the balls don't count!

Gosh Goldmali, I didn't realise that clipping should be done so young.  Our little fella hasn't been clipped yet though he is paying a visit to the groomer next (in her words for a gentle trim and a cuddle!!).  I expect after that he face will look a bit more poodly!

Yes I know!  He is already learning some basic obedience,  sits, stays etc.  One of my dogs,  a Miniature Schnauzer, was hopeless in the show ring,  good looking but noisy and badly behaved,  So we started him at obedience and now he is in the top class and amazingly good at it.  I never thought I would see the day!  I think the poodle will love obedience and agility as he is so quick and clever and full of beans!x

No,  I don't think I will.  We adore him and he is so bright and loving.  It is what it is and after all is said and done one wants a dog to be  a loving and loyal companion.  The vet gave him a clean bill of health and said he was a very confident little dog.  I suppose I should have checked and asked more questions of the breeder but he is after all a very pretty Parti Poodle!!xx

if he is kc registered I would consider him a full poodle and enjoy him

I absolutely love parti poodles. Gorgeous dogs.

Although saying that, don’t they have to have a certain percentage of white to be parti? I might be imagining it. Rather than just a few small patches.

I can remember seeing a stunning black & white standard, who on checking the pedigree, was linebred to a top winning stud dog, whose coat testing at a show revealed he had been dyed  amazingly the owner's were not punished for the cheating.

Although saying that, don’t they have to have a certain percentage of white to be parti? I might be imagining it. Rather than just a few small patches.

Yes -there should be more white than colour but also not just white with say just coloured ears (which happens). Technically speaking a bit of white would be classed as a mismark but often indicates that the parti gene is carried. Both parents must carry it for partis to occur. My Lottie's parents were a black with a little bit of white on, and an apricot.

The breed club can be found here: https://thepartipoodleclub.co.uk/
and on this page showing the calendar https://thepartipoodleclub.co.uk/2021-calender/ my Lottie is pictured in the third row down, second from the left, sitting in front of a little waterfall. She's also in the 2020 Lockdown gallery sniffing the lilac.

Oh Lottie is gorgeous and so glamorous!  I had never heard of parti poodles but I can picture them in old oil paintings,  there were always various dogs in posh courts around looking very parti-poodlish!  I am afraid my little fella is much more humdrum in colour as he is apricot all over apart from white on his head, chest and paws.  He is so pretty though.  I did see a picture of his father though who was black and tan as I remember,  mother being apricot all over.  I think I read that the puppies should have been solid colours so I think mine is just a mismark.  I don't mind because he is so clever, loving and pretty.  I do love the look of the part-poodle though,  I can't believe I have got to the age I am and all the dogs I have owned (and have always been interested in all things canine) that I had never heard of parti poodles!!!

It’s only in the last few years that I’ve known about them. And I like them too

A good poodle breeder will  have already done feet and face a couple of times before the puppies leave them. It's definitely worth getting a DNA test, though I've seen cockerpoos that could pass for poodles and vice versa, the trimming makes a lot of difference. I think parti poodles are lovely and it's a shame they can't be shown. Presumably though if you fancy exploring showing you could still show him at companion shows and learn how to do the show handling on him :-)

Thanks Lucy,  I will as he has a lovely temperament and is so attractive.  I have only had him for a couple of weeks but already he likes to do a bit of obedience,  sit, stay,  down, come etc so his name is down for our local obedience class(when it gets going again) and I will definitely enter him for companion shows.  He is the easiest dog I have ever owned!!