White Maltipoos
White Maltipoos
There are many Maltipoo colors, both solid and parti (meaning a mix of 2 or more), however one of the most popular and sought after is the white Maltipoo. A white Maltipoo is bred by pairing a solid white Maltese (some not-so-well bred ones are a light cream) and a purebred solid white toy Poodle.
Now, the coloring does not just come from the parents (dam and sire)....Genetics can pass down coat coloring from at least 5 generations back....And in rare cases even further back.
Therefore, one would need to know the coloring history for both the dam and sire. This can be a bit tricky....Why? Because most dogs are registered when they are puppies.
And, for example, an apricot
Poodle may be born white and then change as the puppy coat turns into the adult coat. Therefore, that dog may be registered as white, but they are not...And they hold a colored gene and it will be passed down when the dog is bred.
This goes for all generations. Therefore, patience must be had when planning a breeding program, to have both female and male dogs who only have pure white in their genetic history....And this will ensure white Maltipoo puppies.
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As with all Maltipoo dogs, there can be some graying that is not due to age. It does not always happen and it only will If the puppy carries the "G locus" gene. If this gene is present, graying can begin to happen at the age of 2 to 3 months old. It is a process that does not take too long, as there will be a steady gradual change, ending when the dog is 1 to 2 years of age.
Fading
A dog may have a color fade or a 'clear' This is due to a gene that is often present in the Poodle (one of the Maltipoo's parents) however it more often affects darker colors such as black, brown or gray. Therefore, there is a slight
chance that a cream may
clear to white. IF this is going to occur it generally will happen by the age of 1 year.
However in most cases, a cream will either remain cream or he will actually darken when the puppy coat
transitions into the adult coat. For this reason, if you are looking to obtain a white Maltipoo and the breeder tells you that her cream pups are going to turn white, this would not be something you would want to bargain on unless you had documented proof that both dam and sire AND 5 generations back on each parent were all solid white coats. Keep in mind that while a Maltese will be one of the parents, not all are white. Some are a deeper cream or even have a bit of yellowing; though this is not desirable in the show ring and is not the preferred look.
Genes and the Role That They Play
A litter is the results of the dam and sire and the generations that came before them. A breeder generally looks 5 generations back. If they do not have those dogs, they simply look at the registration papers or talk to the owners to see if there was a color change.
Once in a while, something happens that is called a Throwback.
This is when a traits travels down a litter or even just one certain pup from 10, 20 or even more generations. Therefore, even with planned, selective breeding, one may still be very surprised at the results. Due to this rare occurrence, even with careful planning, one may expect a litter of white Maltipoo puppies but end up with colors instead.
Terms
When a litter is born, the owner may write down any color
onto the registration papers. This means that one may call a tan puppy an apricot .... or a blue one a black and so on.
Since this breed is not yet recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC), many breeders make up coloring terms , for example, "snow white", "crystal white", "paper white", "diamond coated" and so on. The terms are endless and only limited by one's creativity. If this breed ever does become recognized, it is then that color terminology will become simple.
Bella, 2 years old
Photo courtesy of Dennise (San Francisco Bay Area)
The best way to determine if you have a true white Maltipoo is to take the pup or dog outside into the sunshine. You will then be able to see any discoloration. Any spots of black, tan, apricot or other will generally NOT completely fade (despite what some breeders may say).
Therefore, if you buy a puppy with tan markings, expect that pup to have the markings indefinitely....if they fade a bit during the coat change, so be it.... but do not expect for it to happen.
Names
If you are planning on bringing a white Maltipoo home or already have one, you may be interested in popular names for dogs of this hue...
Here are the most popular:
- Snowflake
- Sugar
- Cloud
- Cotton
- Cotton Ball
- Dove
- Ice
- Ice Princess
- Frosty
- Ivory
- Marshmallow
- Mayo
- Milky
- Pearl
- Powder
- Powder Puff
- Snow White
