temperament as it related to color

Question
You mentioned to an other reader that you have noticed differences in temperament in standard poodles as it relates to color. I recently read that the red standard is the result of the efforts of one or two breeders. Reading between the lines a bit I got the impression that there was a bit of inbreeding which took place in order to achieve this. Might I surmise that this is also true of some of the other more exotic colors such as silver and apricot? If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to hear what you have experienced to be the average temperament of each color.

Answer
Hello Camilla,
To start, let me explain the difference between in-breeding and line breeding.  Line breeding is where you stay within one particular line of dogs maybe because that line has characterists that you want in your dogs.  In line breeding, its not uncommon to breed father to daughter or mother to son for one breeding to double up on the genes of either the father or the mother.  Care must be taken when doing this so that you don't double up on unwanted characterists that might produce problems in future puppies.  Line breeding is necessary for instance, if you get a good color or trait in a paticular puppy and you don't have any other lines to go to, to get those qualities that you want.

In-breeding on the other hand is usually done by irresponsible breeders who don't care what dog goes with which and will put father with future daughters or mothers with future sons; or worse brother to sister.  They might take the OFFSPRING of a father to daughter breeding and breed IT with its father and so on.  This will eventually lead to genetic problems within the line of dogs.  
RESPONSIBLE BREEDERS WHO WANT TO BRING OUT PROPER TRAITS IN THEIR DOGS DO NOT INBREED!

As for the different temperments in the different colors, I have found in my own Poodle expirences that they tend to go like this:

Black colored Poodles and White colored Poodles tend to be an All Around balanced dog, very verstle, friendly and loyal.  

Silver and Blue colored Poodles tend to be more reserved and loyal.  They make good watch dogs and excel at Obedience, Agility, and Field Work.

Apricot, Cream and Red dogs tend to be very loving and loyal to their owners.  They may be a bit shy at first and need a bit more socialization early on.  

Brown Poodles tend to be in a realm of their own.  Brown Poodle owners claim that the Brown colored dogs are clowns and want the attention on themselves at all times.  They are big goof offs and really enjoy a laugh.   

This is just observations from Breeders that I have known, stories I have heard about and expirences I have witnessed for myself.  Do know that all Poodles are very intelligent and that they will mold themselves to the lifestyle of their owner.  Almost every Poodle will do good at Canine Sports (Obedience, Agility, Rally Obedience, etc) as well as being an all around good dog.  The owner is responsible for making the dog what they want him/her to be by shaping and molding the puppy when its young.  You also want to be sure that you look for the traits you want in a dog, by knowing what traits the parents posess, and by choosing a Responsible Breeder.  

With all this in mind, you should be able to pick the dog that will be perfect for your lifestyle.  
I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions or comments for me, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim