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Parti Poodles, Mismarks, Tuxedo and Ticking
The genes that create Poodle colors, how to pair dogs...why certain colors exist....free Poodle advice for life...and so much more
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Definition of a Parti Poodle
Unlike phantom Poodles, a parti Poodle is one with a white base coat of more than 50% and a secondary color. That secondary coat color may fall anywhere on the dog. This is one element that makes parti Poodles so interesting. No two ever look alike and many breeders take joy in the fact that having a litters of partis is akin to opening presents...you never know what you will get!
On a well-bred parti Poodle, the white should be crisp and clear and the secondary color will have clear lines without fading into the white. It is expected that many parti Poodles will have some tiny spots, usually black, that can appear on the paws or body. However, there should not be any ticking in the white hairs. More on ticking in a moment!
In regard to breeding, pairing 2 partis will always produce partis, however the combinations of color and the landing areas of color cannot be predicted. One litter can contain a black and white parti and an apricot and white parti, with color falling in completely different areas.
On a well-bred parti Poodle, the white should be crisp and clear and the secondary color will have clear lines without fading into the white. It is expected that many parti Poodles will have some tiny spots, usually black, that can appear on the paws or body. However, there should not be any ticking in the white hairs. More on ticking in a moment!
In regard to breeding, pairing 2 partis will always produce partis, however the combinations of color and the landing areas of color cannot be predicted. One litter can contain a black and white parti and an apricot and white parti, with color falling in completely different areas.
Overview
Since we have taken a look at solid colored Poodles and the popular, yet not AKC recognized phantom Poodles, let's now take a look at the other beautiful possibilities in regard to Poodle color.
This section will discuss partis, mismarks and ticking on this for toy, miniature and standard Poodles.
This section will discuss partis, mismarks and ticking on this for toy, miniature and standard Poodles.
It is the MITF gene which causes coloring to appear in random areas in parti Poodles. Since the MITF gene is recessive to solid color (Solid color is a stronger gene), both dam and sire must be partis to create partis and a parti paired with a solid will most likely produce a solid.
Because parti Poodles cannot currently be shown in AKC conformation events, some people mistakenly believe that they also cannot be AKC registered. This is not true. Partis are AKC registerable, with pre-designated color numbers, and can be shown in obedience and agility. It may only be a matter of time before they are able to enter into conformation as they are in other countries such as Germany.
It should be noted that partis were always very popular across the world. In the late 1900's, for unknown and unrecorded reasons, those in power decided to disclude them from the show ring. In 2002 the Multi-Color Poodle Club of American was formed and held their own conformation show in 2006, on the same day as the IKC's 12th annual premer show.
Mismark PoodlesBecause parti Poodles cannot currently be shown in AKC conformation events, some people mistakenly believe that they also cannot be AKC registered. This is not true. Partis are AKC registerable, with pre-designated color numbers, and can be shown in obedience and agility. It may only be a matter of time before they are able to enter into conformation as they are in other countries such as Germany.
It should be noted that partis were always very popular across the world. In the late 1900's, for unknown and unrecorded reasons, those in power decided to disclude them from the show ring. In 2002 the Multi-Color Poodle Club of American was formed and held their own conformation show in 2006, on the same day as the IKC's 12th annual premer show.
Mismarks are called Abstract Poodles by some breeders. Many people, even some breeders confuse mismarks with Tuxedo Poodles, or partis., believing that these words mean the same thing. This is not true. While both will have white, there is a big difference.A mismark has less than 50% of a white coat (partis have more than 50%) and the remaining coat may be any other Poodle color. Essential, a mismark is a Poodle with one main coat color other than white....and then with light markings, usually white, that is on less than 50% of the coat. The light color or white will fall on some or all of the following areas of the dog:
- The chest
- paws
- chin
- neck
- Tip of the tail
Multi Patterned Poodles Colors
While very rare, there are Poodles with mulit color patterns. These dogs will have more than 1 of the acceptable color patterns. For example:
A parti Poodle (this is 1 acceptable color pattern with phantom markings (a secondary acceptable color pattern). These dogs cannot be shown.
Tuxedo
A true tuxedo Poodle will have a very special markings in certain areas that literally remind you of a tuxedo. There will be:A white bib - this is color on the chest, it may or may not wrap all the way around the dog's neck
A white belly - This "should" touch the bib, making a continuous white area
White that extends from the belly down to the front and hind legs and paws.
While this is the preferred look of a tuxedo Poodle, some will only have white that extends down the front legs, some will have a disconnection of the bib to belly, others may have white markings on the head, etc. While slight spotting on the white hairs is acceptable, heavy spotting (known as ticking) is not preferred. The photo above shows a "perfect" tuxedo Poodle, the white is extremely pure and crisp and covers all above mentioned areas in a clear, defined way.
Ticking
Ticking is just a term that means spotting. When a dog such as the Poodle has ticking, these are very small dots. This usually occurs on white or light hair with the ticking (or spotting) being a dark color such as black. The gene that causes ticking is very dominant, therefore most breeders feel that Poodles who are ticked should not be used to breed partis, as the ticking can cause a rather muddied, dirty appearance that gets in the way of what would otherwise be a clear, crisp, clean looking coat.
Poodle Color Genes & Much More Information
The colors of a Poodle is a very complex topic. This, of course is an overview. Do you know the terms used for each part of a Poodle's body that color appears on? Do you know which color to register a Poodle if their color is to be changing as they grow? Did you ever see photos of every Poodle color in the world?
Would you like to see:
- Photos of every color in the AKC list of Poodle colors
- Photos of colors that you do not see on the AKC list of colors, but breeders do have on their AKC applications
- Explanation of color genes, in terms anyone can understand, to describe how the pairing of certain Poodle create certain colored litters
- Photos of every single type of marking a Poodle can have
- Photos of every place a color can fall on a Poodle
- Detailed and easy to understand explanation of coloring, pigmentation & why certain colors exist
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