Abstract Poodle

“Abstract” is mainly a term used in Poodle breeding, but it has also been adopted by the Doodle community. An abstract Poodle has minor white markings on less than 50% of its body surface.

White Abstract Markings

Poodle breeders use different breed terms for different amounts of white:

Parti: White markings cover more than 50 % of the body.

Abstract: White markings cover less than 50 % of the body.

A parti Poodle is predominantly white but has irregular patches of any color.

An abstract Poodle is predominantly patterned but has a small amount of white.

In other words:

Abstract refers to a dog that has too little white to be classified as parti, but too much white to be called a solid. Some people simply call it a “mismark,” because it often happens in puppies that were supposed to be solid. And the AKC Poodle breed standard doesn’t accept white markings for show dogs^[1].

The FCI now accepts some parti patterns which require dogs to have some amount of extended white. But they, too, do not wish for mainly solid Poodles to have minor white^[2].

Abstract can happen in combination with any Poodle color (dogs can be “black abstract“, “apricot abstract“, etc.). With one exception, white markings become invisible on a solid white Poodle.

Abstract markings can include white socks or a small white splash on the chest, chin, muzzle, neck, collar, or tail tip. Some Poodle folks call these markings “white flashes“.

But the “less than 50% of the body surface” rule is highly subjective.

This is not an exact science, of course. There will sometimes be edge cases in the low-medium white range, where people don’t agree if a dog is still abstract or already parti.

But most abstract Poodles only have very minimal white, really.

Many abstracts only have a small patch or two of white. However, some dogs have a more “extreme abstract” pattern with enough white to border on tuxedo parti.

Also: White markings on a puppy may develop ticking. And heavy ticking can make some smaller white abstract markings hard to see if they are buried under lots of mottles.

Abstract Genetics

The term “abstract” only describes a phenotype and not the genetic cause of the white markings.

In Poodles, a limited amount of white is mainly seen in parti carriers (S/sP).

But it can also happen in dogs that test as solid (S/S), but have residual white or whitehead.

Parti Carriers

The solid (S) and parti (sP) alleles at the S locus show incomplete dominance. This means that two copies of parti (sP/sP) cause, on average, more white than one copy (S/sP).

However, the number of sP alleles only determines the theoretically possible range of white. How much white each genotype will actually produce is controlled by still untestable modifiers.

In other words: The expression of S locus genotypes is a little breed-specific.

In Poodles, sP/sP will most often produce “parti“, a predominantly white piebald pattern with big patches of pigmented coat. A more contained expression of parti gives a mantle pattern, this is called “tuxedo” in Poodles. And a very extreme version of parti may cause very extended white.

In Poodles, S/sP will most often produce “abstract” with a very low amount of white. But some dogs with this genotype may not express any white at all. And others may have enough white to produce a tuxedo-like “extreme abstract” pattern with a large white chest patch and white feet.

The fear of producing abstract S/sP may discourage breeders from pairing solid S/S to parti sP/sP. Which is unfortunate since it artificially isolates these color varieties from each other.

Residual White

Residual white happens due to a hiccup during embryonic pigment cell migration. This can happen in all breeds and all varieties that test as solid (S/S). Very small white markings often fill in and disappear.

This often happens as a fluke. But there is some genetic aspect to this, residual white seems to happen more rarely in breeds that select away even from minimal puppy white.

Whitehead

Being whitehead can also cause abstract and tuxedo markings.

This trait should not occur in purebred Poodles. But it has been introduced to Doodles by using whitehead breeds such as Australian Shepherds or Bernese Mountain Dogs.

Keep in mind that parti and whitehead are separate traits. For example, a Doodle with abstract markings can be both S/sP and still express some whitehead at the same time.

Learn More

Links

[1] American Kennel Club (AKC): Poodle

[2] Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI): Poodle

Image Credits

© eriklam/yayimages.com
© Julissa Helmuth/pexels.com
© Alberto Duran Photography/canva.com
© Jennifer McCallum/canva.com
© GregMortimer/canva.com
© Matthew Lancaster/unsplash.com
© Dustin Bowdige/unsplash.com