The Rarity Of Red

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252 – The Annual, 2025-26

By William Given

Red? Poodles primarily come in black, white, or brown. However, they come in many other colors, including grey, silver, silver-beige, cream, caf-au-lait, blue, apricot, and yes, red. The rarest Poodle colors are considered to be blue, red, and apricot (light red), with apricot being cited as the rarest of all colors, due to their very unique combination of recessive color genes and the interaction of known and yet unknown modifier genes.

Current evidence suggests this is due to the “Rufus” gene. This gene is believed to influence the red Poodles’ coat. In some cases, the Rufus gene allows some coats to fade with age or darken the apricot coat, making it red.

The red Poodle coat can come in a variety of shades from a light red to a dark mahogany shade, and all are based on the specific color genetics of the individual dog. Depending on their genetics, many light, medium, and dark reds will fade to a lighter shade as they mature.

The Dynamics of Red Poodle Genetics

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252 – The Annual, 2025-26

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Posted by AnthonyA on Jan 4 2026. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.