Gray Standard Poodle

Question
I have a registered black Standard Poodle and he is slowly getting gray hair. At first he had a little bit of gray but now he looks like he has a gray saddle on his back! His legs are turning gray also and when I shave his face it almost looks silver. Is my Poodle actually a gray instead of black? I have pictures I can forward. Thank you!

Answer
Hello Amanda,
You said that you have a Registered Black Std Poodle, but what you might have instead is a Blue or Silver Poodle.
Both Blue and Silver Poodles are born black and start to change color as early as 8-12 weeks.  You will see Silver between the toes and when you shave the face.  The coat will start to change at around 4-6 months or so.  The legs will start to Silver out at first then the rest of the body will gradually lighten.  
With a Blue Poodle, the face may lighten and you might see some lighter hairs around the feet, but the most noticable thing that you will see is Brown in the coat.  Brownish highlights starting around 10-12 weeks or so, and remaining until you shave the dogs coat (or trim the brown off) will indicate a Blue colored Poodle.  
The Blue is an off-Black color that varies from an almost Black dog, to a Steel Grey color.  

If you would like pictures of a Blue dog with the brown in his coat, and of a young Silver dog, just post me an e-mail to Topkdog@webtv.net and I will send you pictures of my two Std Poodles.  
Riot is my Blue puppy and his Brother Smoke is the Silver.  

To take up for the Breeder, most new or inexpirenced breeders don't realize that Silvers and Blues are born Black and so will sell a Silver or Blue as a Black.  But you do have to watch it sometimes because there are those breeders who know perfectly well that their "Black" puppy is really a Silver that hasn't changed color yet, and will sell it to an unsupecting buyer.  

Since your puppy is papered, you can get a color pedigree from the AKC that will list your dogs parents/grandparents/etc, and what their colors are.  This will let you know if your puppy had any Silvers or Blues in his background.

If you are interested in those pictures, like I said, just drop me a line and add your puppies age if you may.  This will help me know if he is turning Silver and how long it may take for him to totally "clear out".  
If you want, you may also send me a pic of him.  I would be interested to see him.  

Talk to you soon, and Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim