Genetics

Parti Poodles and AKC Registration: Everything You Need to Know

Parti Poodles are beautiful and growing in popularity — but there's confusion about AKC registration, show eligibility, and genetics. Here's everything you need to know.

January 30, 2024 · 4 min read

What Is a Parti Poodle?

A parti Poodle carries two copies of the recessive S (parti/piebald) allele at the S locus. This produces a coat that is at least 50% white with random patches of another color — most commonly black, red, apricot, brown, or silver. No two parti Poodles look exactly alike; the white spotting pattern is determined by when and where melanocyte migration was interrupted during fetal development.

AKC Registration: Yes. AKC Show: Complicated.

Parti Poodles can be fully AKC registered — the parti color does not affect registration eligibility. However, the AKC Poodle breed standard traditionally only accepted solid colors in the show ring. The AKC began officially accepting parti colors in Poodles relatively recently. Whether a parti Poodle can be shown varies by the specific AKC show class and current standard interpretation — breeders serious about showing should verify current AKC Poodle standard acceptance for parti.

How to Produce Parti Poodles

Both parents must carry at least one S allele (parti gene) for parti offspring to be possible. Parti × Parti (sp/sp × sp/sp) = 100% parti offspring. Parti × Solid Carrier (sp/sp × S/sp) = 50% parti, 50% solid carrier. Two solid Poodles who are non-carriers (S/S × S/S) cannot produce parti puppies regardless of any other genetics. DNA testing of breeding dogs for S locus status confirms carrier status before breeding.