Poodles - does colour determine temperament?

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Our breeder is expecting puppies of a specific colour but we heard colour strongly affected temperament. Please can anyone advise?

I've never heard of that with any breed

I’ve heard of this but it’s a misconception and I’d be wary of any breeder who said that they do

poodles have the fading gene anyway so a dog that starts black is likely to be grey by 18 months

Never heard that.

Though all red setters are nuts.....

Old wives tale!

Is it Apricot? They did have a rep as snappy and high strung at one time but I haven’t heard it repeated recently

We've had two black and one white in my family and the black poodles both had completely different temperaments - one very chill, one highly strung. The white also fairly chill. And the black ones definitely didn't go grey though they did get the odd grey hair.

Doesn’t ‘cocker rage’ only happen in a certain colour ?

I thought it was the red ones.

Ive got a bright red 10 month old cavapoo- both of her parents were as red as can be (cavalier mum and poodle dad). She is the chillest, friendliest, sweetest dog you could ever meet. Not snappy at all, calm, and friendly to all other dogs, cats and people. She was a dream to toilet train and is a very "easy" dog in general. I was extremely consistent with training at a young age, socialised her with lots of different dogs/people and made sure she had a good routine right from the beginning. So, her colour doesnt appear to be affecting her in any negative way at all- she's an absolute sweetheart and everyone comments on how lovely she is.

Thank you I’m hoping there is no impact

The only thing I would say is- spend time observing the puppies behaviour. One of her litter mates was quite bitey and dominant and definitely the "alpha" of the litter- she was the last to be picked and even the breeder joked it was because she was a handful. I have no idea how she turned out but in terms of nature/nurture it was very obvious she was going to be feisty. Look for a puppy that is friendly and confident but not too wilful. If you google it, there are lots of things you can look for in a puppy that indicate temperament.

For example: Test No. 2 for independent-mindedness: Hold pup suspended under its armpits with hind legs dangling, while looking directly in its eyes. Those pups that submit are said to have a low score for willfulness, while those that struggle may want to do things their own way.

This was definitely true for ours- she just dangled happily whenever she was picked up.

Mine is a cavapoo - 10 now but still behaves like a puppy! He's the sweetest thing. Dad is an apricot poodle and mum is a red/white cavalier. I haven't heard about colour affecting behaviour, but mine is delightful. He was ginger/golden when a puppy but now more beige, his coat had faded but his spirit hasn't.

My poodle came from one of the mostly highly regarded miniature poodle breeders in the UK. She told me that "some" breeders believe and will tell you that the blacks one are the most chilled out and that the white ones were the most neurotic. She only breeds black ones and mine is totally chilled to and always has been but this as others said maybe due to exceedingly careful breeding and careful socialisation both with her and myself.
Ive no idea how you get a particular colour but currently it seems the red ones are fashionable I rarely see a miniature poodle but the ones I do see are often red (or apricot) and this may encourage less careful breeding by less than knowledgable/scrupulous breeders or them being bred by puppy farms. I went through the UK miniature poodle club to get mine its members seems to be totally dedicated to the breed and producing healthy happy puppies.

This is generally true but mine is 10 now and still virtually jet black as is one of his litter mates Im told by the dog groomer that this is very unusual.

We had an apricot miniature poodle who turned virtually white over the years. He was from a very famous breeder in Austria (we lived there at the time) who bred show winners (both his parents were champions). He was SUCH a handful! Not an easy dog at all and suffered from extreme separation anxiety. He was very beautiful and healthy, but not an easy temperament. I don't know if it's anything to do with his colour. He only calmed down in old age (lived to be 16 - both his parents lived to 18!)

Breeders who breed for colour often attitude colour to certain characteristics. But colour will run in family lines as does character.
I choose a red standard poodle which my breeder told me was the cheeky chewy colour. His dad was cheeky and chewed lots of things as did his half sister. Yes he has been all this things, but I think that is a family characteristic rather than a colour one.
What is true is that certain family lines have less colour fading so hold their colour longer.

Thanks all.

@ParisNoir yes thanks for that, I do have a list in a book to help with checking likely temperament during visit to puppies. I will follow this carefully!

@poodlefan thanks for the info - is there any chance you could send me the breeder’s details via private message please? I have emailed the mini poodle club with an enquiry but not heard back unfortunately