Poodle Colors (and other questions)

[Stacy]

I know we don't have a large group of poodle people in the doodle forum, but sometimes it's intimidating to walk into a group of poodle experts and ask the novice questions. Sometimes a girl confuses a cairn terrier with a border terrier and is persona non-grata forever! So, I thought maybe I could bring some questions here as I gain some poodle knowledge for the future. 

AKC doesn't recognize multi-colored poodles for conformation purposes. And I had a lightbulb moment the other day (thanks, Karen!) about how good AKC breeders feel about people breeding multi-colored poodles. But I still don't understand why. I've done a little reading and it looks like multi-colored poodles have been around forever. Has AKC ever recognized them? I thought I read that, but now I can't remember my source. 

My other question is UKC. I know there are a lot of... not well respected breeders who get championships from UKC and then sell puppies as champion bred. And that it isn't the same thing to be a UKC champion as an AKC champion. But I've also read that AKC conformation is highly political and it's nearly impossible for an owner handled poodle to get a championship. That it's more about who you are and know than about the dog. Now, that might just be sour grapes from someone who isn't winning, but is it possible that it will become so political that good breeders will start showing in UKC, giving it more legitimacy? 

I also don't understand why other countries recognize a moyen size poodle and AKC doesn't. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Most people love Jasper's two-toned coloring. I wish he would hurry up and get silver all over, lol. I do prefer the silver Poodles who have light ears, but I've reconciled myself to the fact that Jasper is probably going to be one of those whose ears stay darker, if not his head too. 

Charlie happens to have very symmetrical marking, which I love. I also have to say that I like the looks of brown and white parti colored dogs better than any other combination. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thank you Auntie Karen. I’m pretty excited watching Jasper change. Love and puppy hugs, Charlie

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

http://www.allpoodleinfo.com/poodle-colors    I found this as a simple way to explain colors and which are 'accepted, but by not means explains the genetics. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't find this site to be as accurate as some of the others. I found a few mistakes even in their explanations of solid colors. For example, blue is not a faded black, as this article claims. Blue is a separate color, and they are not mistaken for blacks at birth, as this article says; at least, not by experienced Poodle breeders. There are some blues in Jasper's lines, and the breeders know they are blue the day they are born. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I had to look up black/blue poodles when I discovered a few weeks ago that Riley's skin is BLUE wherever her hair is black.  DH didn't believe me that it's a normal poodle thing so I had to go find him some links to convince him she wasn't sick or something :p  

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Karen, and that’s how much I don’t know about poodles. LOL. 

[Stacy]

That's the thing though, isn't it? There is a ton of information out there and much of it is conflicting. Sometimes it's hard to know what is the correct information and what isn't. People always sound so authoritative!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I hate to say it, but if the site in question has anything to do with doodles, any info about Poodles is most likely wrong, lol. Also, any site where they are selling products or where there are pictures of puppies for sale. 

[Stacy]

What do you think about poodleforum.com? I lurk there some, but I feel like it's geared more to pet owners than to serious dog people (not that that's a bad thing, I just don't always find the info I'm looking for.) There are also a lot of parti colored dog people there. The parti colors seem to be really "in style" right now. Kind of like half of a designer dog. 

Do you know of a Poodle place I could just go and read? I don't necessarily need to interact. This is pretty much the only place where I'm chatty. But it would be really interesting to see what all the breeders of merit are talking about amongst themselves. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Re: poodleforum.com, there are some knowledgable people there, but far more who are not, and there are a good number of breeders, most of them bad. It will probably speak volumes when I tell you that the the most knowledgable Poodle person I know personally was barred from that forum because she is brutally honest. It will also speak volumes when I tell you that a forum member here who stirred up maybe the most major fighting/nastiness we've ever had here took solace from we mean doodle people in the poodleforum.com, lol.
There is one topnotch Poodle group on FB that you can't join, because if they have even the tiniest idea that you have a doodle, you won;t be admitted. I was admitted back when JD was alive (and I had "doodle" in my FB name), only because the above mentioned knowledgable Poodle person vouched for me. But then a different moderator removed me anyway, lol.
I belong to one Miniature Poodle FB group that is so-so. A few really knowledgable people and a lot more BYBs and people who got their Poodles from BYBs and can't tell a Toy from a Mini. The moderators there also will kick you out if you breathe anything that is favorably related to doodles. 
The group that might interest you most is the Poodles in Performance Sports group. They don't have the typical "no doodlers, please" warning on their group info. But I'm pretty sure they also do not look  favorably upon doodles. I can say that the people in this group know their stuff and have top, top, top, TOPnotch dogs.  But you're not going to find any color/conformation/history type of info there. It's strictly performance, although many if not mosat of the dogs you'll see are also conformation champions. 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1257649910917355/about/

[Stacy]

I won't apologize for the doodles, but I will say that if I knew then what I know now I wouldn't have done it. I love the look of a happy floppy doodle, but there are just some things in the doodle world that I don't want to support. I hope one day one of the breeders I'm admiring will give me a chance with a puppy. Maybe if I can get some titles on Maggie. 

It's fun to learn. It gives me new dog fever. No new dogs! Looking only.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Titles on Maggie will go a loooong way. So will all the knowledge you are gaining about the breed. No topnotch breeder of any breed will sell a puppy to someone who hasn't done her research, and that includes spending time around some good representatives of the breed. Look for any AKC competition events in your area; maybe your training club sponsors them or has info on them.Check the entries for Poodles and then go see them in action & talk to the breeders/handlers. That will give you some really good "ins".