Silver Poodles – With Hearts Full of Gold

If you are looking for a dog breed with a unique color, the silver poodle should be considered as it is one of the most attractive colors. The color of a silver poodle can range from shiny light platinum to a light gray flannel. However, it is important to remember that the silver poodle must be uniform throughout the coat without any shades. Another distinctive feature is that silvers should have black eyes, nose, and nails. This is why many find it almost irresistible to have a pair of jet-black eyes framed by silver hair. Therefore, silver poodles are the favorites of exhibitors and pet owners.

What does a silver poodle look like?

Silvery puppies, the most aristocratic of all poodle colors, are almost always born jet black, with the exception of a white coating on their paws. At six weeks of age, when the puppy is first trimmed, it becomes possible to discover the silver puppy’s color. The lighter the face, the lighter the puppy will be in adulthood. By about 18 months, the puppy’s color gradually lightens from dark to medium to lightest mature color. Also, sometimes it’s easy to confuse this breed with the phantom poodle or even the silver poodles, but I have written an article on them so you can learn and distinguish these two colors.

The genetics of this coat is similar to that of the blue poodle. It is caused by the silvering gene that is present in the black poodle.

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Silver is a recessive color. However, to obtain this color, the dog must have two recessive versions of the silvering gene. When crossing two silver poodles, progeny can be silvery beige, cream, or white. Whereas, these colors, crossed with each other, will be valid. From the very beginning of their appearance, miniature poodles had a silver color. In comparison, toy poodles inherited their silver color from their miniature ancestors. It should also be noted that good silver-colored poodles are more challenging to breed than white or black ones.

Silver poodle puppies

Most silver poodles turn black at birth.

However, you can always determine the puppy’s exact color: whether the newborn will be silver and even how light. Remember, there should be a tuft of completely white hair between the pads of the newborn’s feet. If there are also tufts behind the pads that match our wrist’s color, then the puppy will eventually turn platinum-silver and begin to show its future color very early. On the other hand, if there are many black hairs between the white tufts, then the puppy will be gray or blue, depending on the proportion of black hairs. All black hairs indicate that the poodle will be completely black. So, you can roughly determine the real color of your poodle at birth.

As noted, at six weeks of age, you can always pinpoint your pet’s color. Please note that a silver puppy should have a silver muzzle, paws, and a tip of the tail when clipping. This process can also determine how much lighter the color will be in adulthood. It is noteworthy that at this age, a real silver puppy is incomparably charming. With his black mast of the face framed by black hair on his ears, he looks very attractive. Over time, the silvery puppy gradually becomes lightened from dark gray to light gray and finally becomes lightest by 18 months. If some darkening occurs later, it is due to an increase in coarse black guard hair.

In adulthood, the silver poodle has a silvery color from the edge to the tail’s tip. The color can range from light silver (platinum poodles) to darker (deep silver poodles). It is essential to know that platinum silver will have many white guard hairs, while deep silver will have more black hairs. Moreover, the deeper silver poodles usually have a better coat.

The edges of the eyes, nose, and nails are black in silver poodles. This creates an attractive contrast on predominantly light-colored dogs. This color is both beautiful and practical, as silver maintains purity and elegance. It is also important to remember that silver poodles are mostly black poodles that have an early graying or silvering factor. Because of this, with rare exceptions or planned breeding, never cross silver with black poodles. This will only make black poodles look faded at a very early age.

A silver poodle’s skin color ranges from pink to deep purple, with lighter skin usually producing the lightest silvers. It is important to note that if your dog has damaged skin that could result from a clipper burn, bite, or skin condition, the new coat will turn black. It will take a year from the initial injury to full-color recovery – the same amount of time it takes for a puppy to transform from its black at birth to solid silver.

Also, this coat color can be easily mistaken for the cafe au lait, so make sure to read the article and have a better understanding of it.

Character traits of the silver poodle

Silver poodles, whose appearance is distinguished by sophistication and elegance, are often called “dogs for women,” which is completely unfair. Don’t forget that hunting dogs were the ancestors of this adorable dog. From them, the silver poodle inherited mobility, energy, and love for an active lifestyle. He loves sports games with a ball, running with the owner, and enjoys swimming the most. However, the dog is also not averse to lying on the couch with the owner and watching TV.

An outstanding intelligence and quick wit distinguish the silver poodle. It is not for nothing that experts often talk about him: “A poodle is not yet a person, but no longer a dog.” It is the cleverness and intelligence of the poodle that determine its behavior, demonstrating unparalleled obedience. It may even seem that this dog is trying to please. Still, in fact, he worships his owner and recognizes him as an indisputable authority because he understands that the owner is smarter than himself. The dog supports the “leader” in all his actions and does not consider it necessary to contradict him. If the owner starts digging the ground in the garden, the silver poodle will immediately get involved and start digging the ground nearby. If the owner decides to sit down and watch the sunset, he will definitely settle next to him and selflessly observe this action.

Natural observation, intellect, memory, and curiosity help the silver poodle catch all the nuances of communication, such as changes in facial expressions, gestures, intonations of the owner, and anticipating the owner’s future actions and desires. The dog is ready for anything, just not to upset the owner. Therefore, this dog strives to follow the owner’s instructions accurately and sometimes even manages to do it even before he expressed his desire. If the silver poodle is mistaken, by his behavior, he will demonstrate that he is asking for forgiveness, he has realized everything, and this will not happen again.

The ability to perceive human speech in the silver poodle is excellent. He is believed to know over 70 words. However, lovers of this breed of dogs are convinced that this number is excessively underestimated. Moreover, many commands are understood by poodles by following the movement of a person’s lips. This gift allows them to become excellent companions as service dogs.

The silver poodle is a very contact-needy dog. He needs communication not only with the owner but also with all family members. At the same time, the innate sense of pride does not allow the poodle to be intrusive. Owners of this dog should be aware of the need for attention and affection. Otherwise, the poodle may well become depressed and even sick.

Silver poodles love children. They are ready to be both friends and guardians at the same time. By the way, the poodle’s solicitude can be manifested in relations with all family members, regardless of their age – in this the dog implements its shepherd’s inclinations.

The silver poodle is not aggressive and completely harmless. The attitude towards outsiders depends on whether he likes a person or not. However, if he doesn’t like the person, he can bark at him as a last resort. Silver poodle guards are useless, but they will certainly notify the owner with loud barks if they sense danger.

Poodles get along well with pets living with them in the same family, including cats. However, representatives of the feline family that are not familiar to the dog can be hurt if his hunting instinct works.

The main character traits of silver poodles of different size categories are almost identical. Still, there may be some cowardice in a silver toy poodle character, manifested in fear of loud sounds and sudden movements. This deficiency is corrected with the help of proper education. Moreover, the toy poodle is less energetic than its counterparts.

Conclusion

Unsurprisingly, the silver poodle continues to be the most popular color among poodle lovers. Back in 1961-1970 in Japan, the silver poodle was much more popular than the white poodle. Therefore, since then, the quality of the poodles’ silver color has improved significantly and has become much more stable. However, in terms of color, silver poodles always have this beautiful silvery gray shade. So, if you are looking for an intelligent, charismatic, playful, and unimaginably beautiful puppy, the silver poodle is for you.