Black Poodle Guide – Everything You Need To Know!

Black Poodles are a purebred dog with a jet black coat. Their stunning coat color makes them a super popular choice, along with their super friendly and intelligent temperament!

If you are interested in Black Poodles keep reading this article to find out all the answers to your questions about this dog breed!

Cover Image Credit: @desert.rain.poodles // Instagram

Table of Contents

What Is A Black Poodle?

Black Poodles have a jet black coat as well as black nails, paw pads, eye rims, nose and lips. They usually have dark brown eyes and dark grey skin. True Black Poodles do not have any color variation between their inner and outer coat. This means that they do not have any silver or blue tinting and do not have any silver or white guard hairs.

Are Black Poodles Rare?

Black Poodles are not rare. In fact, black is the most common Poodle color and is one of the 11 coat colors that are recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC). Black is genetically dominant so there is not surprising that so many Poodles inherit this coat color. The next most common are Brown Poodles.

What Are Black Points On A Poodle?

Black Points on a Poodle means that their nose, paw pads, lips and eye rims are black. This is a requirement for True Black Poodles.

Black Poodle Characteristics

Black Poodle Characteristics
Height	Depends on size (Toy, Miniature, Moyen or Standard Poodle).
Weight	Depends on size (Toy, Miniature, Moyen or Standard Poodle).
Temperament	Intelligent, independent, friendly.
Activity Levels	High.
Exercise Requirements	30 to 60 min per day.
Lifespan	12 to 15 years.
Coat	Curly single black coat.
Eyes	Dark brown eyes.
Shedding	Low.
Apartment Adaptability	Depends on size.
Good with Children	Yes

Coat Color Changes

Do Black Poodles Fade?

Black Poodles can change color with age however not all will. If a true Black Poodle carries the ‘fading gene’, ‘dilution’ gene or ‘progressive graying’ gene, they may experience coat color changes to a grey tone.

These changes will usually occur within the first two years of their life however not all Black Poodles will change color. If a Black Poodle changes color, their coat will fade to a grey or a whitish-grey color. Most of the fading occurs around their eyes, nose and chin.

Black Poodles can also change color from UV light exposure. If your Black Poodle spends a lot of time out in the sun, it is likely that their coat will fade to grey.

Poodles Born With A Black Coat

Some Poodles are born with a black coat that changes color as they mature. Specifically, Blue Poodles and Silver Poodles are born black but change coat color within the first year or two of life.

Silver Poodles lose pigmentation from their inner coat which turns their hairs white or transparent while their outer hairs remain a grey or silvery color. These changes occur in their first year of life.

Blue Poodles are also born black. The roots of their hairs change color as they mature and these changes usually occur between year one and two. The tips of their hairs and outer coat usually stays a dark brown, almost black color which is why Blue Poodles are often mistaken for True Blacks, especially as puppies.

Coat Variations

Black and White Poodle

Most Black and White Poodles are a type of Parti Poodle. Black and White Parti Poodles have a white base coat that covers at least 50% of their body with black patches that are usually located on their ears, around their eyes, on their ears, muzzle, legs and on their backs.

You can also get Black and White Poodles that are not parti. These Poodles have a mainly black coat with white patches and are called Black Abstract Poodles or Mismarked Poodles. Nevertheless, in most cases Black and White Poodles are parti as they have a mainly white coat.

What Is A Black Abstract Poodle?

Black Abstract Poodles have a solid black coat with white markings that cover less than 50% of their body. Usually the black patches are on their chest, paws or muzzle. They are also known as Black and White Poodles.

Black Abstract Poodles are also called ‘mismarked’ Poodles as they do not have enough white on their coat to be called a Parti Poodle but also have too much white on their coat to be called a Solid Poodle.

What Is A Black Phantom Poodle?

Black Phantom Poodles have a coat with a solid black background and patches of another color in very specific locations. These locations include the chin, throat, chest, legs, beneath their tail, above their eyes or on the sides of their muzzle.

Black Phantom Poodles can have patches in lots of different colors such as: cream, brown, apricot, grey, red or silver. This is different to a lot of other Phantom Poodles such as Silver Phantoms that are specifically silver and cream or Red Phantoms that are specifically red and apricot.

Black vs Blue Poodle

Is My Poodle Black or Blue?

Black Poodles have a jet black coat while Blue Poodles have a smokey grey coat. When Black and Blue Poodles are puppies they look almost identical however Blue Poodles fade within the first two years of life. That is why so many Blue Poodles are accidentally registered as Black Poodles with kennel clubs.

One way to tell the difference between a Blue Poodle and a Black Poodle when they are puppies is to look at the color of the fur on their face when it is shaved. Blue Poodles have a much lighter inner coat than Black Poodles. Blue Poodle puppies will also usually have silver or white colored hair between their paw pads. Their hair may also have brown undertones which you can see when you take them out into the sun.

Black Poodle Price

How Much Are Black Poodles?

Black Poodles usually sell for prices between $2000USD and $4000USD. This is a relatively low price point as it is such a common coat color compared to others.

Smaller sizes of Black Poodle such as toy or miniature are generally more expensive than larger sizes. This means that Black Standard Poodles are generally cheaper than Black Toy Poodles.

A good way to keep up to date with current Poodle prices is to regularly check out dog breeder advertising websites like PuppySpot.

Black Poodle Shedding

Do Black Poodles Shed?

Black Poodles are classified as light to non-shedders. They will drop a few strands of hair here and there throughout the year but will not undergo heavy seasonal shedding like other breeds.

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Their light-shedding characteristic is one of the main reasons why Poodles are crossed with other breeds to create light to non-shedding ‘doodle’ dog breeds like Gold endoodles, Labradoodles, Aussiedoodles, Cavapoos and more!

Are Black Poodles Hypoallergenic?

Black Poodles, like all other Poodle coat colors and patterns, are considered to be hypoallergenic as they do not produce or release much allergy inducing dander into their immediate environment. Sometimes smaller sizes of Poodle such as Toy Poodles are considered to be more hypoallergenic than other Poodle sizes as smaller dogs produce less dander than larger dogs.

Black Poodle Haircuts

There are many different haircuts that you can give a Black Poodle. Some popular ones include:

Teddy Bear Cut
Puppy Cut
Summer Cut
Continental Cut

Black Poodle Sizes

Black Poodles can come in many different sizes such as Toy, Miniature, Medium (Moyen) and Standard.

Black Toy Poodle

Black Toy Poodles are the smallest Poodle size. They get to a height of up to 10 inches (25.4cm) and weigh between 4 and 6 pounds (1.8kg to 2.7kg).

Black Mini Poodle

Black Mini Poodles are the second smallest Poodle size. They are 10 to 15 inches (25.4cm to 38.1cm) tall and weigh between 10 and 15 pounds (4.5kg to 6.8kg).

Black Medium Poodle

Black Medium Poodles are 15 to 20 inches (38.1cm to 50.8cm) tall and weigh between 20 and 35 pounds (9.1kg to 15.9kg). They are one of the middle Poodle sizes.

Black Standard Poodle

Black Standard Poodles are the largest Poodle size. They are 18 to 24 inches (45.7cm to 61.0cm) tall and weigh between 45 and 70 pounds (20.4kg to 31.8kg).

Black Poodle Full Grown

The age a Black Poodle is full grown depends on their size.

Toy Poodles are fully grown between 6 and 7 months of age.
Mini Poodles are fully grown between 7 and 12 months of age.
Medium/Moyen Poodles are fully grown between 12 and 18 months of age.
Standard Poodles are fully grown between 18 and 24 months.

Once your puppy is fully grown you’ll need to start investing in dog products that you’ll keep for their whole life such as:

A full size dog crate so they have their own cozy den to sleep in – consider a dog crate pad to make it that much comfier!
An adult sized dog raincoat to keep them dry during wet weather
An adult sized dog life jacket to help with swimming in lakes and oceans
An adult sized dog jacket for cold winter weather
A dog cooling vest if you live in a hot climate
High quality no-pull dog harness to reduce stress on their neck while walking
And other similar products

Black Poodle Breeders

If you are looking for a Poodle breeder, consider PuppySpot where you can use our discount code PUPPY300 for $300 dollars off any dog. Check out the adorable Poodle puppies that are currently available here!

PuppySpot is dog advertising website based in the US that connects breeders with prospective pet parents. They screen and vet every breeder on an annual basis to make sure their puppies are of top quality as they have a zero tolerance policy for puppy mills and substandard breeding practices of any kind. They also offer various trusted, USDA-certified transportation options to deliver your puppy to your home safely. You can check out their current Poodle litters here.

Black Poodle Names

Black Male Poodle Names	Black Female Poodle Names
Ash	Raven
Noir	Oliver
Cosmos	Chanel
Bullet	Ava
Charcoal	Pepper
Thunder	Stella
Blackjack	Cindy
Bandit	Amelia
Darth	Riley
Bear	Millie