Poodles

When most people think of a Poodle, they think of the coiffed dog in its rhinestone collar alongside the high-and-mighty. And some people have snubbed the Poodle because of this. But they’re very wrong. Those who know the Poodle realize it’s a dog for just about everybody, as comfortable in a pickup as they are with a movie star on a red carpet. Poodles are smart, affectionate, and love to please and to show off. They come from a retrieving heritage, which means they were bred to pay attention to cues from people. The Poodle has recently undergone a revival of people who value it as a hunting dog. Poodles are also very pretty, with a curly coat that can be shorn short or clipped in a variety of fancy hairdos, or even corded (trained into long mop-like strands). And they come in a huge size range from toys to full-sized retrievers.

Beneath that luxurious coat is an athletic, square-proportioned body with a trim physique. The head is carried high and the movement at a trot is light and springy. The head has a long, slender muzzle, with oval eyes and pendulous ears. Per breed standard, the coat is very curly and dense. Its original purpose was to form a water resistant barrier and keep the dog warm when swimming and retrieving. In the showring, parts of the coat are clipped short, and other parts grown long, in accordance with only a few acceptable trims. These trims originally came as a way to insulate and protect parts of the body when swimming, and were later accentuated when the Poodle became a circus performer. More often, Poodles are clipped down short all over, with perhaps some tufts on their ears and tail and ankles. Rarely, Poodles may also be corded, in which the hair is encouraged to grow in long mop-like strands. The most common colors are white and black, but Poodles also come in other solid colors including silver, apricot, and brown. Parti Poodles, can’t be shown in AKC shows, but can in some other countries. The tail is customarily docked to about ⅔ length in countries where it is allowed.

Poodles are exuberant, sweet, intuitive, happy, playful, affectionate, and highly trainable. Many consider them the ideal dog. Poodles of every size are wonderful companions for people of every age. They are gentle with toddlers, playful with youngsters, adventurous with adults, and compassionate with the elderly. They’re even protective. They’re active without being hyperactive, protective without being suspicious, happy without being overwhelming, and biddable without being in your face. They’re well-behaved house dogs, and excellent service, therapy, and emotional service dogs. They’re even great hunting companions.

Poodles are known for their good nature, high intelligence, and desire to please. In their original job as a water retriever, finding the downed bird (which was often out of sight) depended on their ability to follow the hunter’s directions from afar. If they didn’t, they failed at their job or worse, just kept swimming and swimming. This biddability prepared them for their second claim to fame as circus performers, where they combined their impressive athleticism with their uncanny intelligence to perform amazing feats. Today’s Poodle is primed to please. They are highly intelligent, and while active, not frenzied to obey as are some other super-smart breeds. This means that they enjoy being trained, but won’t destroy your home just because you forgot a training session, or didn’t give them a job that day. They still enjoy an active lifestyle of training and working, but they’re chill enough to take some time off. It’s no surprise that Poodles are among the most successful breeds in the sports of competitive obedience, agility, and rally, attaining the highest titles in each. They enjoy learning new tasks and tricks, and like to perfect them. They also enjoy competing in trick dog competitions, nose-work, and dock-diving. Of course, Poodles expect to be treated with kindness during training. They do best with reward-based training, using treats or even toys. They are very sensitive dogs that don’t even like to have a voice raised around them—and certainly not to them.

According to studies of dog DNA, the Poodle’s closest relatives are the Portuguese Water Dog, Coton de Tulear, and Havanese. It is almost certainly also closely related to the Barbet, which was not included in these DNA studies. Its earliest ancestor probably came from Asia, but the Standard version we know today developed in Germany as a water retriever. The word “Poodle” comes from the German word pfudel, meaning splash. The breed made a splash in France, where it earned a reputation as a duck retriever—to the point it was known as the Caniche, or “duck dog.” Later, it worked as a military dog, guide dog, guard dog, and circus performer. The breed gained fame with most people through its circus tricks. Stories traveled about the “French” Poodles, and the idea that they came from France stuck. The Poodle became a favorite with French Aristocracy, and eventually Standard Poodles and their bred-down version, Miniature Poodles, were the pets of European royalty. Toy Poodles were developed in America in the early 1900s. The puffs of hair on the chest and joints may have started as a way to protect those areas from the cold water when swimming, while removing excess hair to cut down on drag through the water, but it’s more likely the exaggerated pompons (not pom-poms) were added to make a more dramatic circus dog. They became show dogs in the 1800s attracting much attention, especially when shown corded; that is, with long mop-like tresses. The AKC recognized the Poodle in 1887. Only later did it split the breed into three varieties according to size. The Mini and Standard are in the AKC Non-Sporting group. The Toy is in the AKC Toy group. After almost dying out in the United States of America in the 1930s, the Poodle made a comeback and was eventually the most popular dog in America from 1960 to 1982. The Poodle is the main dog used to make various “Doodle” breeds. It was initially crossed with the Labrador Retriever to create an allergy-friendly guide dog. The cross did not actually work, but the idea caught on and “Doodles” became a craze. Hundreds of celebrities have owned Poodles. They include King Louis XIV and XVI, Winston Churchill, Pablo Picasso, John Steinbeck, Jane Goodall, Billie Holliday, Sammy Davis Jr., Marilyn Monroe, Mariah Carey, and Walt Disney.