Poodle
BreedDog
Highly intelligent, athletic breed excelling in many roles from show ring to field. AKC Non-Sporting Group. Comes in three varieties: Standard, Miniature, and Toy. Known for a hypoallergenic, curly coat.
Trait profiles
Heritable traits and their typical frequency in this breed population.
Long Hair (FGF5)
L
All Poodles are l/l (homozygous long coat). The long, curly Poodle coat is their defining characteristic. L locus is fixed in the breed.
Dilute (MLPH)
D
dd = blue Poodle (AKC standard) or cafe au lait (dd on chocolate). NOTE: "Silver" Poodle color is primarily a progressive graying gene (not in these 10 loci) distinct from D locus dilute. D locus produces "blue" in Poodles.
Extension (MC1R)
E
ee = apricot, cream, or red (intensity-dependent). Em (mask) present. AKC standard colors include apricot, cream, and red.
Black (CBD103)
K
Dominant black (KB) very common in Poodles. ky/ky required for phantom (at/at) expression.
Agouti (ASIP)
A
Tan points (at/at) = Phantom Poodle. Sable (Ay) also occurs. Both require ky/ky at K locus.
Brown (TYRP1)
B
bb = brown/chocolate Poodle. AKC standard color. Very common.
Intensity (MFSD12)
I
Intensity locus produces the spectrum from pale cream to deep apricot/red in ee Poodles. Highly relevant to the breed.
Spotting (MITF)
S
Piebald/parti (sp) allele present in the breeding population. AKC DQ in Standard Poodle conformation but UKC accepts parti. Parti Poodles are popular in pet/companion market.
Merle (PMEL)
M
Merle does not occur in Poodles. Any merle claim indicates crossbreeding.
Harlequin (PSMB7)
H
Harlequin locus absent in Poodles.
Morph names & registry status
Breed-specific naming conventions and recognition status across major registries.
Cream
Commonee + intensity dilution. AKC standard color. "Cream" and "white" Poodles. English Cream Poodles are popular.
Apricot
Commonee + phaeomelanin intensity. AKC standard as "apricot" or "red" (deeper shade). Apricot is one of the most popular Poodle colors.
Chocolate
Commonbb. Brown/chocolate. AKC standard. One of the classic Poodle colors.
Blue
Commondd on black base. AKC standard color in Poodles. Blue Poodles are born black and fade to blue. NOTE: Poodle "Silver" is primarily the graying gene (not the D locus) -- Blue (D locus) and Silver are different.
Phantom
CommonIn Poodles, tan points (at/at) = "Phantom" pattern. AKC does not accept Phantom in conformation for Standard Poodles (solid colors only). However, AKC does register Phantom Poodles -- the pattern is non-standard for showing but not a disqualification from registration. Very popular in the pet/companion market.
Parti
CommonIn Poodles, piebald/pied = "Parti." AKC DQ in Standard Poodle conformation (solid colors only). UKC accepts parti Poodles. Very popular in pet/doodle market. White base with colored patches.
Cafe au Lait
Commonbb + dd. In Poodles, this is the AKC standard "cafe au lait" color -- a warm grey-brown. NOT the same as lilac/isabella in bully breeds despite identical genotype. The term "lilac" is not used in Poodles. Born as dark brown/chocolate, fade to cafe au lait color as adults.
Blue Phantom
dd + at/at + ky/ky. "Blue Phantom" in Poodle community. AKC non-standard.
Chocolate Phantom
bb + at/at + ky/ky. "Chocolate Phantom" in Poodle community. AKC non-standard.
Unknown
ee + dd. Very pale cream/champagne with blue-grey nose. Non-standard. NOTE: AKC "cafe au lait" in Poodles is actually dd + bb (chocolate dilute), which maps to the Lilac combo morph. See Lilac entry.
Unknown
dd + Ay. Dilute fawn. Non-standard in Poodles.
Fawn
Ay/- with ky/ky. AKC standard (listed as a recognized color). Less common than apricot/cream/red.
Sable
Sable Poodles exist but are controversial for show -- sable dogs fade as they mature and may be shown as solid. The sable pattern is not a separately listed AKC standard color.
Brindle
Brindle pattern is non-standard in Poodles.