Showdog Saturday, The Poodle

It's Saturday, once again, and this week I'm researching the poodle.  The internet is great for finding tidbits of information, so most of this is from various sites on the internet.  I love to find out history and uses for the various breeds so I can understand each one of them better.

Most of us have seen poodles or known poodles, but how much do we really know about them?

Here's what I found out.  Even though poodles are often referred to as French, they seem to have come from Germany a few hundred years ago.  They did become the national dog of France and were popular in Spain and England as well.

                               

There are three sizes of poodle; toy, miniature and standard.  According to dogtime.com, all three sizes are variations of the same breed.  It is said that the standard sized poodle has been popular as a water dog and used as a retriever.  Poodles are said to be excellent swimmers.

Seems like the smaller sizes are more often seen as pets, but they had another use as well.  In some areas of Europe, they were used to dig up truffles and actually preferred to the larger poodles because their small size caused less damage to the truffles. 

The unique haircuts of the poodle have some functional purposes as well.  The dogs were clipped to protect the organs and joints while decreasing interference with swimming.  These cuts became more elaborate as people used them less for workers and more for pets.

Poodles are a non-shedding breed and sometimes better for people with allergies. The hair is curly and dense and requires regular grooming to keep it in good shape. Fairly extensive grooming is required at least every 6 weeks if not more often; either by a groomer or a person familiar with grooming a poodle.

                        

Although they are generally thought of as pampered pets, poodles are actually very smart and eager to please.  Considered one of the most trainable dog breeds, being so intelligent has a down-side; owners can easily teach bad habits as well as good ones so care should be taken to teach responsibly.

Poodles are active dogs who need regular exercise. They also need a good deal of people time to keep them happy. Taking these factors in mind, they make great house or apartment dogs and do very well with kids.