Poodle - Straight Hair

Question
I have a 2 year old miniature poodle. When we got her she was completely black with a few spots of white on her chest and paws. She is now almost completely silver/white with almost no black, and her hair is still very straight and fine. Is it normal for the dog's hair to change color like that and why is her hairs still straight?  

Answer
Hello Laura,
It sounds to me like you have a Silver Poodle rather than a Black.  Silver Poodles are born black and change over time to silver.  On Silver puppies, you will see silver shades between the toes and around the face that tells you they are silver puppies.  Your dog may get even lighter as she ages as the Silver color is a fading gene.  

As to her hair, she could just have a soft coat rather than a curly one.  You can help bring the curl out in it by keeping it shorter and by not combing and drying it out when you give her a bath, just let her dry naturally.  Applying a conditioning spray to her coat while its wet will add some shine and also help it curl some.  (I like using the Sally's Beauty Supply products, one called Spray on Glosser)

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.  If you have other questions for me, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim