While many people equate a Poodle with a solid coloured dog (with white, black, red and apricot being the most popular colours), there are many more variables in regard to coat colour and markings.
Unlike Phantom Poodles a Parti Poodle is one with a white base coat of more than 50% and a secondary colour. That secondary coat colour may fall anywhere on the dog.
This is one element that makes Parti Poodles so interesting. No two ever look alike and many breeders take joy in the fact that having a litter of Parti’s is akin to opening presents…you never know what you will get!
On a well-bred Parti Poodle, the white should be crisp and clear and the secondary colour will have clear lines without fading into the white.
While colours may blend a lot when the Poodle is a pup, there will be many changes as the Poodle matures. Final colour and the element of blended vs crisp lines can be determined once the puppy has grown into adulthood.
In regard to breeding, pairing 2 Partis will always produce Parti’s, however the combinations of colour and the landing areas of colour cannot be predicted. One litter can contain a black and white Parti and an apricot and white Parti, with colour falling in completely different areas. (Very exciting!)
It should be noted that Partis were always very popular across the world but In the late 1900’s, for unknown and unrecorded reasons, those in power decided to exclude them from the show ring. In 2002 the Multi-Colour Poodle Club of American was formed and they held their own conformation shows.