Dog Breeds - Poodle

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The Poodle comes in three size variations; Standard, Miniature and Toy. The classification is determined by the height of shoulders. While the Poodle is the national dog of France, it is believed (but not proven) that the Poodle originated in Germany. In fact, the name originated from the German name “Pudel” from the word “Pudeln” which translates to “splashing about”. The Poodle was named as such because is a very skilled swimmer, related to both the Irish Water Spaniel and the Portuguese Water dog. Each of the three size varieties have had different duties that they were used for in France. The Toy variety lived among royalty as a pampered companion, the Standard size used to hunt, and the Miniature size used to sniff out truffles; a prized cooking ingredient dear to the French. The Standard is the oldest variety of this breed, but it is believed that the Toy and Miniature were developed soon after. The Poodle became a very popular breed in North America after the Second World War, but they were first brought here near the end of the 19th century.

One of the reasons that the Poodle is such a popular breed is because its coat does not shed, making it a hypo-allergenic breed suitable for allergy sufferers. This quality, along with their high intelligence, is why there are so many very popular mixed breed variations of this breed ie. labradoodle, lhasapoo, pekepoo, poogle, schnoodle. While Poodles are a hypo-allergenic breed, their coat is still very high maintenance, requiring frequent brushing as well as regular bathing and clipping. Most owners choose to take their poodle to a professional for regular grooming. This can be quite costly and this cost should be taken under consideration for potential Poodle owners. Poodles are prone to eye infections so their eyes should be cleaned regularly to remove any harmful buildup.

The intelligence of the Poodle is astounding. They are fast learners, obedient, and are eager to please their owner making them wonderful companions. They have been used for retrieving, hunting, performing (agility/obedience competitions, circus), drug detection, watchdog duties, drug detection, etc. They are quite good with children, however the toy variety should be closely supervised with small children to ensure the children do not harm them. Poodles are very loyal to their family, and can have the tendency to become possessive. They should be socialized from a young age to avoid over-possessive behavior.