Parti Poodles—growing in popularity

The term “Parti” refers to a Poodle whose coat is part one color and part another. In a true Parti-Poodle, the skin is two separate and completely different colors with break lines between the colors.

(When you see an ad selling a “Party Poodle,” you should probably avoid pursuing it. If sellers don’t understand their product enough to spell it right, you probably shouldn’t deal with them.)

In the beginning of Poodle breeding, both solid and parti-colored Poodles were bred. Then for some reason lost in history, the Parti Poodles lost favor. They were culled from the litter and not bred. But, of course, they still show up in solid color litters from time to time. And there are breeders who specialize in producing Parti Poodles.

There are no specific genetic problems associated with today’s Parti Poodle that would not be associated with a solid color Poodle.

If they are purebred, Parti Poodles can be registered through AKC, CKC and UKC, However, they are not accepted in the AKC conformation ring. For that reason in past years they were usually sold at lower prices than solid color puppies.

Since most buyers have no intention of showing their dog in the ring, there is a renewed interest today in the Parti Poodle. There may be a reverse snobbery involved as some people enjoy having a dog that has been snubbed by the AKC and by Poodle breeders for hundreds of years.

Another reason they are sought out is that they are so striking they get noticed wherever they go. A well turned out Parti Poodle can stop traffic.

Of course the law of supply and demand comes into play. Because they are rare, as they become more popular, they may be priced higher than purebred solid color Poodles just as some of the designer Poodle hybrids are priced higher than purebred dogs.