Blue, in my opinion, is the most overlooked color in Standard Poodles. There are so many benefits to having a dog who is blue, it is simply amazing to me why this color is hardly ever selected for, much less sought after.
So what are the pros of a Blue??
1. They are dark enough to not show dirt, but their face is light enough to show up in photos!
2. They generally have much better coat texture than Silvers, who often have cotton like hair that mats when you look at it. This soft hair is NOT ideal for any poodle, but the fading of a black does cause the hair texture to change. Both Silvers and Blues are born black, but fade with time / age. Blues have only one gene that causing them to fade slightly, where as Silvers have two (making them lighter than a blue).
3. These colors are NOT the result of a ‘dilute’ gene, which you see in Dobermans, Bully breeds, etc. There are no health risks associated with the color.
I think the main downside of a blue is they often look brownish while maturing. This makes it hard to finish them in AKC conformation unless you show and finish them young. There is a slight haze to the hair that is muted and some blues look black until you put them directly next to a black dog. It is not a shiny color like a holding black. It is flat and dull, just like a gun, hence the term “Gun Metal Gray”. It usually takes 3 years for a blue’s coat to stop changing and to pass the ‘brownish’ stage, and some darken and lighten for their entire life. You can see the difference during grooming, just like Silvers.
Having a litter will often change the color of a blue or silver. They can go lighter or darker, depending on the dog. A few months after the pups are placed, the dog’s hair will change back to a more normal color for them.
I really like my blues, which is why I tend to keep them for breeding. You can get black, blue, and silver pups from a blue! It is the only color that it is possible to gain all three.