Skin changing color

Question
My white toy poodle was born with pink skin and and it has stayed pink until just the past few months, he is 4 1/2 years old but now I have notice that his skin is turning black, do you know why this is happening.

Answer
Hello JoAnn,
If a Poodle is a True White, meaning that it is line bred White to White, then they typically have darker skin, but there are actually 3 skin colors in White Poodles.  There is Pink skin which is more prone to Sunburn and they can also be more prone to allergies and skin issues, Silver colored skin, and Black skin.  If the Poodle has other colors in its background, then its skin is usually more pink in color.  The lighter colored skin will turn darker when exposed to the sun.
He could just now be turing darker because maybe you are shaving him shorter because of the heat and his skin is being exposed to the sun.  As dogs age, their hair thins out a bit.  This could also be a reason for him to be getting darker skin.  
Whatever the cause, its not a bad thing.  Actually, its better for him to have dark skin because it protects the skin from sunburn.  The AKC actually prefers white dogs to have a darker pigmented skin and light skinned White dogs are minorly faulted if they don't have black points: ie Black eye rims, lips and nose.

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions about this or other Poodle questions in general, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim