About Poodles

Poodles are long-suffering, friendly and highly intelligent dogs that come in three official sizes: standard, miniature and toy. Each one of these sizes is considered a separate breed by national kennel clubs around the world. Perhaps no other breed has had such an impact on show dogs as the poodle. Many designer dogs are crossed with poodles in order to pass on their friendliness and hairy coat.

  1. Function

    • Poodles originally were hunting and retrieving dogs. Their coat of tight curls made them well suited for diving into cold water to retrieve downed waterfowl. Poodles of all sizes now are bred primarily to be pets. Poodles also are the circus dog of choice and make great therapy and assistance dogs.

    History

    • It is unknown just what country the poodle originated from, with France, Germany and Denmark vying for the title. The word "poodle" is from a German word "pudel", meaning "one who plays around in water." Standard poodles have been around for at least 400 years. The smaller varieties -- the miniature and the toy -- were developed in the 1700s. There is an effort to breed a teacup poodle, but so far the results have been disappointing.

    Size

    • Standard poodles are more than 15 inches high at the shoulder and weigh about 60 to 80 pounds. Miniature poodles are from 11 to 15 inches high at the shoulder and weigh around 13 pounds. Toy poodles are smaller than 11 inches and weigh about 10 pounds.

    Identification

    • Underneath the spectacular coats, poodles are long and lean athletic dogs much built like a pointer or a Weimaraner. They have floppy ears, long limbs, and a chiseled profile. They come in a wide variety of colors, including parti-colored (pictured below).

    Misconceptions

    • Poodles are not born with the show coats they are famous for. They have to be clipped to get the "lion" look. Most pet poodles are in a "puppy clip" which mimics the length and shape of a poodle puppy's coat.

      They also are born with long tails. In America, these tails are usually docked for the sake of fashion. Most countries in the world have outlawed tail docking.

    Warning

    • Because all poodles descend from the standard poodle, getting a purebred miniature or toy poodle puppy does not guarantee that they will grow up to be miniature or toys. Poodle puppies often grow a lot bigger than their parents.