What Color Will My Poodle Puppies Be? 

If your poodle has recently become pregnant, there's likely one question plaguing your mind: What color will my poodle puppies be?

Believe it or not, you can actually predict—and even control—the coat color of your soon-to-be poodle puppies! 

One reliable option is to take a Coat Color DNA Test. These tests are used to help dog breeders make more informed decisions and manage the traits of their litters. 

You can also predict the litter’s colors by understanding the theory of color inheritance, which I’m going to discuss in this article. 

Understanding Dominant and Recessive Genes: The First Step in Predicting Poodle Puppy Colors

Determining the color of your poodle's puppies isn't as easy as it may initially seem because of one factor: hidden genes.  

Here's the thing about poodle parents: alongside the colors they display as adults, they may also carry the genes of other colors that have been passed along their ancestral tree.

Poodles—and dogs in general—can carry either dominant or recessive genes. In some cases, they can carry both. 

Dominant genes are what scientists call the “ruling” genes as they have the capacity to override other genes. They're usually identified by capital letters; e.g., EE, BB, DD, etc. 

Recessive genes are overruled by dominant genes. They’re identified by small letters.  

If a puppy has inherited both dominant and recessive genes, he'll appear as the dominant color but will still carry the recessive color. 

Black is a dominant color, so if one of the poodle parents is black, there's a high chance their puppies will also be black—unless they're carrying the Rufus gene, in which case the puppies may appear red. 

But this is where it gets a bit tricky. If a black poodle carrying a brown gene is mated with another black poodle carrying a brown gene, there's a possibility that some of their puppies will be brown. 

This means that the pup has inherited both copies of the recessive gene, one from each parent. This makes the pup a recessive color. 

For a poodle to be born with a recessive color, he must have two copies of the recessive gene. 

For it to be born with a dominant color, he needs only one copy of the dominant gene.   

Solid-color coats are also dominant genes. 

When a solid-colored poodle gets together with a parti-color or piebald poodle, most of their pups will either be solid-colored or have residual white markings. 

Note that this rule doesn't apply if the solid-colored parent carries a parti-color gene. 

If a puppy inherits two copies of the piebald gene, he'll be born with a lot of white in his coat. 

How to Determine the Coat Color(s) of Poodle Puppies According to Parent Coat 

Scientists have yet to master the science of dog color genetics, so coat color predictions are just that: predictions. There’s still no way to determine a litter’s coat color with 100% accuracy.

Still, researchers have determined some possibilities and likely outcomes depending on the poodle parents' colors after decades of testing. Here’s what they’ve found:  

• Black poodle mother + black poodle father = black poodle puppy 
• Brown poodle mother + brown poodle father = brown poodle puppy
• Brown poodle mother + black poodle father = brown or black poodle puppy 
• Apricot poodle mother + white poodle father = cream poodle puppy 
• White poodle mother + white poodle mother = cream or white poodle puppy
• Silver poodle mother + black poodle father = black, blue, or silver poodle puppy 
• White poodle mother + black poodle father = blue poodle puppy 
• Brown poodle mother + white poodle father = cafe au lait or beige poodle puppy 

In the predictions above, it's assumed that both poodle mother and father have no hidden genes. 

If either of the parents has a hidden gene, the color predictions can go in a completely different direction. 

How Does the Coat Color DNA Test Work? 

A Coat Color DNA Test determines a dog's coat color and genetic heritage. 

With the information extracted from a dog’s DNA, scientists and breeders can predict the color of a litter. 

As some recessive genes can be hidden throughout generations, predictions aren't always 100% accurate, as some recessive genes can be hidden throughout generations. 

Still, genetic testing is the only way to test a puppy's coat color before it's born. 

DNA testing tests for all loci available, including A locus, B locus, D locus, E locus, EM locus, and K locus. They also determine possible genotypes.  

Here are some locus types found in dogs, as well as possible genotypes: 

E Locus

L Locus determines the relationship between the Black dominant gene and the Yellow recessive gene. The Yellow gene represents a variety of light colors, like reds, creams, apricots, and whites. 

Possible genotypes include the following: 

• EE: Black x Black; doesn't carry yellow
• Ee:Yellow carrier
• ee: Yellow phenotype

B Locus

B Locus is associated with the presence of Brown. 

Possible genotypes include the following: 

• BB: No brown carrier
• Bb: Brown carrier
• Bb2: Brown carrier
• bb: Brown phenotype

When the B Locus is combined with the E Locus, the following is possible: 

• Black Coat: EEBB, EEBb, EeBb, EeBB
• Yellow Coat: eeBB, eeBb, eebb
• Chocolate Coat: EEbb, Eebb

Yellow Coat genotype dogs—eeBB, eeBb, and eebb—don't have the eumelanin (black) pigment, so the coat color appears reddish instead. Any bb genotype dog will have a brown nose and pad leather.

D Locus 

D Locus is associated with light “diluted” colors, such as silver, blue, grey, lilac, and champagne. 

Possible genotypes include: 

• DD: No dilute
• Dd: Dilute carrier
• dd: Dilute phenotype

S Locus

S Locus is associated with multi-colored markings, such as parti, Landseer, piebald, and random white spotting. 

Possible poodle genotypes include: 

• NN: No piebald copy 
• N/S: Single piebald copy 
• S/S:  Double piebald copies 

Other Locus Genes 

Other groups responsible for coat coloration include:

• C: Albino coloration  
• D: Blue dilution  
• G: Gray   
• M: Merle 
• K: Dominant black 
• R: Roam  
• S: White spots 
• T: Tick 

There are a lot of other colorations possible, but these are the most common. Scientists have yet to identify all colors and genotypes.

Paul S.

Paul has been creating content for the dog niche for many years. The information he shares comes his first hand experience growing up in dog lovers household and then owning multiple dog breeds of his own as an adult. Paul enjoys doing the hard research to collect, analyze and present our dogtemperament.com readers with the best answers to their questions.