What does Parti mean?

A Parti coloration means the Poodle is at least 50% white. The coat will be at least 50% white and 50% or less of one other color. They are two solid colors, no mixing, no merle. (Merle is not to be confused with brindle, which will be discussed in a later post)

Great examples of Parti coloration are Harley and Sammy. Harley is a black and white poodle who is more than 50% white. Sammy is a blue and white Parti who is right about 50% white.

The secondary color can be anywhere on the coat, it just cannot exceed 50% of the total coloration. You may also find ticking on a Parti. Ticking can be found in another blog post.

In a Parti the base color is considered to be white. If there is less than 50% white then the dog is not a Parti and may be an abstract, tuxedo, or another alternate. You may see folks calling their abstract a Parti, but if it is not at least 50%, they are mistaken. That's okay, we all make mistakes ;)