Poodle: Dog Breed Information

Poodles harmoniously combine beauty, intelligence, friendliness, and optimism. These dogs have sensitive and kind hearts. Possessing an original appearance and cheerful disposition, Poodles always become the soul of the company and invariably attract attention. They are also the most talented circus performers in the world of dogs!

Appearance

The Poodle is a breed that is adored all over the world. The Poodle is ranked second in the ranking of intelligent dog breeds by psychologist Stanley Coren.
The standard includes 4 varieties:

• Standard (large) Poodle. Height at withers: 45-60 cm.
• Small Poodle. Height at withers: 35-45 cm.
• Miniature (dwarf) Poodle. Height at the withers: 28-35 cm.
• Toy Poodle. The height at the withers is below 28 cm.

The Poodle has a proportional build. It is a typical mesomorph that looks elegant and harmonious. The back of the dog is short and straight, the chest is deep, the loin is strong, the croup is slightly rounded. The neck is strong with a nice curve. The head is elongated, the skull is slightly convex with a pronounced occipital protuberance, the transition from the forehead to the muzzle is very smooth. The eyes are almond-shaped, set slightly obliquely. Eye color ranges from almost black and dark brown to amber and matches the color. Hanging ears, long, set low. The tail is docked 1/2 or 1/3 in curly-coated poodles and is preserved in its natural state in corded-coated dogs. In the active state, it is located above the top level.

The coat is of two varieties: curly and corded. The curly coat is fine, soft, and very thick; beautiful curls are formed all over the body. Corded wool looks like fleece. It is thick and long, gathered in cords of a uniform length – from 20 cm.

Accepted colors: uniform white, black, gray, brown, and red.

Personality

Poodles are energetic, cheerful, agile, and empathetic pets. They always become the soul of the company and infect everyone around them with their optimism. With a benevolent and friendly temperament, they never show aggression either towards humans or towards other dogs and behave like real gentlemen.

Loyal and obedient, Poodles show amazing training abilities. They learn commands easily and get great pleasure from the lively educational process. With their inherent dexterity, they perform the most complex circus tricks.

Poodles have a keen sense of smell, swim well and in some countries are used as gun dogs for hunting birds and hares.

Poodles can become moody and disobedient due to mistakes in the upbringing. To prevent this from happening, you need to deal with the pet from the first months of its life. The Poodle is a social dog that develops its best qualities in the process of communication and suffers alone.

Perfect companions on hikes, country walks, and sports, Poodles happily support the active hobbies of their owners. However, they feel great in the city.

Health

In general, the breed is characterized by good health. However, Poodles have sensitive livers and need a very balanced diet.

Poodles can live up to 18 years.

Care

Poodles are neat and tidy dogs that require standard grooming. Only the dog’s coat needs special attention, which must be regularly brushed, washed, and cut. It is best to discuss the grooming of a particular dog with a groomer.

There are several options for show haircuts for poodles: “Lion”, “Modern”, “English haircut”, “Pappy clip” and “Terrier haircut”.

History of the Breed

It is believed that the birthplace of the breed in France, however, disputes about the origin of these amazing dogs continue to this day. True, now they are only theoretical in nature, in 1936 the FCI officially recognized France as the country of origin of the Poodles and published an official standard in the same year.

According to the main version, the ancestors of the breed are hunting French Water dogs. From history, we see that Poodles were really used as hunting dogs for a long time, and were also the favorite pets of aristocrats.

However, the very name of the breed “Poodle” is an abbreviation for the German pudelhand (“to paddle on water”). Many mysteries remain in the ancient history of these intelligent and sensitive dogs. But at one glance at them, all reasoning loses all meaning. It is enough that this amazing breed exists, and even in 4 variations!