Silver Toy Poodle

Question
Hi! My dad and I are searching for a poodle for my mom as a gift. She has mentioned that she would want a silver toy poodle if she were to have one. As my dad and I know very little about dogs, this task is proving to be more difficult than we had anticipated. To your knowledge, is a "silver" poodle harder to come by/more expensive? Are they born a different color? From what i've been seeing online, color is not always listed, and I'm thinking this might be because of color changes during the dog's maturation. What are the most important factors in choosing a poodle? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Answer
Hello Liv,
It may seem like a good idea to get someone a puppy as a Christmas gift, but please be sure that this is what she wants before you commit to this.
If you are sure that she will appreciate the puppy as a gift, I would start looking in your area for Poodle breeders that will be able to point you in the right direction to find that perfect puppy.  
You can use your search engine and type in  Silver Toy Poodles in (Your State).  You can look under http://www.poodlesonline.com/toy/ and you can enter your state and the color of dog you are looking for to find breeders in your area.  

Silver Poodles are quite common if you know where to look.  Silver Poodles are born Black and will "clear" to Silver as they age.  It usually takes about a year for them to turn totally Silver.  You will want to go to a Breeder who is knowledgable about Silver Poodles so that you get a true Silver and not a Blue or Gray.  Backyard Breeders will sometimes breed a Black and White Poodle together and what you get is a Black Puppy that fades to a Gray color as it ages and they call it Silver.  Silver Puppies Start out Black and you will see Silver color in the puppies feet and around the face at about 8 weeks of age.  
Good Breeders will list their puppies as Silver because they know they will turn Silver as they age.  
Be sure that you go out and visit the kennel and see the parents.  You want to see nicely colored Silvered adult dogs and puppies that have visible Silver in their coats.  If you talk to a reputable breeder, they can show and tell you what you need to be looking for.  
When looking for a puppy to buy, you want an outgoing puppy that is calm but will come willing up to you.  You don't want the most hyper puppy that is bouncing and into everything, but you also don't want that puppy that sits in the corner and acts shy.  When you look at the parents, you want to see nice temperments in them also.  Not fearful or too barky, but friendly and well mannered.  What you see in the parents, you will eventually see in your puppy.  

You should expect to pay a bit more for a quality puppy.  I would estimate around $300-$500 for a good quality Pet puppy.  You will want the breeder to have you sign a contract that should include a spay/neuter policy saying you will fix your dog and won't breed it.  The puppy should also come with a Health Guarntee saying that your puppy will be free from any genetic issues and that if you take your puppy to the Vet and if the puppy is sick, the breeder should pay for treatment within a certain period.  If the puppy is found to have a genetic disorder, either a refund or a replacement puppy should be offered.  

This should give you some ground work to start looking for that perfect pet for your mom.  Please feel free to ask me again if you have other questions.  

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim