The Poodle is a formal dog breed that comes in three varieties:  Standard Poodle, Miniature Poodle, and Toy Poodle. The poodle is an active, intelligent and elegant dog, squarely built, and well proportioned. To ensure the desirable squarely built appearance, the length of body measured from the breastbone to the point of the rump approximates the height from the highest point of the shoulders to the ground. The eyes should be very dark, oval in shape, and have an alert and intelligent expression. The Poodle has a wide variety of colouring, including white, black, brown, blue, gray, silver, cafe au lait, silver beige, cream, apricot, and red, and patterns such as parti, abstract, sable, phantom, and brindle. The AKC recognizes Poodles in either solid-coloured and multi-colored coats, however only solid-colored poodles may compete in conformation. Recognition of multi-colored Poodles varies by registry.