When people think of the Poodle, they think of elegance....they think of a pampered pooch with a very thick "cotton-ball" type of coat. While that may be true for many, Poodles were actually bred for field work in the very beginning of time and had a working purpose. A beautifully groomed dog seen on TV advertisements as well as on dog shows prancing about with their handler gives cause for the average family to cry out "THAT'S WHAT WE WANT".......But none of them has the time or the inclination to spend the long hours every day, brushing and combing and cleaning up after their dog....especially one with such a demanding coat.
They wish to care for such a dog, still less, after the novelty has worn off.
In order to be happy with a dog that needs daily work, you must make sure that you have plenty of time to give and to spend with it. Expert owners and breeders usually trim their own dogs and provide the grooming themselves.....if you are an inexperienced person with regards to the poodle, you can learn to clip your canine yourself through some very excellent videos and grooming books; If you do not feel comfortable clipping your dog yourself, it is best to seek out a professional groomer who can give you advice on daily care and discuss with you when to start clipping your poodle and what type of trim would best suit your lifestyle.
For many years, possibly centuries, dogs have been used as guides for blind people. The work is highly organized, by the National Guide Dogs for the Blind Association in the United Kingdom and Guiding Eyes in the United States.
While many Guide Dogs are Golden Retrievers or Labradors, less conventional breeds can be trained. At least one Standard Poodle has been trained to the necessary level and allocated to an applicant. Due to the success of such assistant dogs, we now see dogs performing many functions for those who are challenged and we are seeing more breeds used for such assistance. It won't be long before we see many Goldendoodles performing such functions.
Poodles can make wonderful family pets, but many demonstrate behavioral problems. Some of these problems are caused by the dogs' environment.....but most of it is due to poor breeding lineage or too much in-breeding within the dogs' family structure. Some poodles (especially little ones) are overly excitable and can cause a low-keyed person to become frustrated with the dog......such dogs tend to be yappy, active jumpers who act neurotic when excited. Others can become "biters" and this is definitely not what the average family looks for in a household pet....especially when young children are present. So, how do you weed out the good ones from the bad ones? NOT AN EASY CHORE! We personally went through approx. 10 poodles (all of whom were adopted out by age 6 months) before we found our TREASURE boy....."BLUE"....a lovely solid blue toy poodle male. It is difficult, in the beginning, to tell whether a poodle will work out for a home or not. Many times, behavioral problems will not present themselves until the dog is approx. 6 months or older. We spent 2 years searching high and low for our first Standard Poodle sire to bring into our Goldendoodle breeding program. Those that did not work out were returned to the breeder or re-sold. It is highly recommended that once you find a good breeder where a Poodle is concerned, to stick with that particular breeder if you plan to own more than one poodle. Chances are, if you get a great poodle from a breeder that you are happy with, you'll be able to get another one who is just as wonderful.
The poodle has some unusual features with the most important one being that they shed very little or very lightly. They have a single coat, of which is quite demanding. Many breeders recommend the Poodle for those who suffer from allergies.....but you have to remember that not all allergy sufferers can own a dog. Some are allergic to dander or to the saliva of a dog. If an allergist can not guarantee that you can live with a canine, neither can a breeder. The Poodle's intelligence level is renowned. They can be taught all sorts of cool tricks.....and they are great field dogs. Many poodles are excellent swimmers and make fine water- retrieving dogs. They are best known for their performing talents at every circus. The poodle actually seems to be constantly smiling and they seem to enjoy learning new tricks. They have a proud, chiseled face and skull....an elegant neck and have a sound body and legs.
Proper docking of the tail is half of the tail length, but some breeders do not dock the tail of their poodles. IT is not important that the tail be docked, unless you are planning to parade your dog in a show. As a matter of fact, in Europe, it is illegal to dock a tail or crop the ears of any canine and all compete in shows el-natural. While such European standards, which are more humane, are not adopted by AKC competitions, it is beyond understanding as to why AKC enforces tail docking and ear cropping. What boggles the mind even more is that AKC themselves, make a statement that they are all for dogs being spayed and neutered, yet absolutely refuse to allow spayed or neutered dogs to compete in their show events. Seems to me a bit of double standard is going on! WELL...WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF AKC.
The Standard Poodle is the REAL TOM-BOY of all of the sizes in this breed. They love to race about in a field or park. They tend to be the extroverts and in class of their own. Highly enthusiastic, the Standard Poodle seems to be a very attentive, loving and happy dog. Once again, we can not stress enough how important good genes are where a poodle is concerned......especially if you intend to have your poodle in a breeding program or around small children. The poodle is a very old breed originating out of Germany. They have a variety of colors in their gene pool. From silver, to white, to black, to red, to cream, to apricot, to chocolate and now even PHANTOM and PARTI colors. Blue is a very old fashioned color that was later bred out of the Poodle.
Apricot is not a common color for a Toy Poodle, but it is a very beautiful color and we are beginning to see more of them with all poodle breeders. The color Apricot is a very common color for Miniature and Standard Poodles. Because Poodles can be considered Parti-colored, it is very possible to create Tri-color or Parti-color Goldendoodles by using a Poodle (regardless of size) who has a very strong parti colored lineage and coat color history. While many inexperienced Goldendoodle breeders will advertise their black or parti-colored Goldendoodles as being "rare" or advertising Goldendoodles with white markings as "rare"...there is nothing rare about it at all.
As a matter of fact, Black, chocolate and silver....even chocolate phantom and silver phantom Goldendoodles can be easily achieved when one of the Goldendoodle parents is a black, brown or silver Poodle. Most black Poodles have a very strong history of black ancestors....black Poodles can easily create Silver and Silver phantom in not only Goldendoodles, but with Poodles as well.
The fun thing about Poodles is now you can profile your Poodle through DNA to get a COAT PROFILE on him or her to know what colors are the strongest in your Poodle's genetic make-up! This can be achieved by clicking here.
If a Poodle or Goldendoodle breeder wants to know if their Poodle has a very strong Parti gene within its genetic make-up, a DNA profile can assist in knowing this information and show to be very helpful for the breeder who is attempting to create unusual colors or markings.
Sometimes there is a science to the madness!
It is very important for those seeking a Goldendoodle to know that Goldendoodles can and do come in all sorts of colors and markings and none are considered RARE AT ALL.
If you desire to learn more about canine genetics and the Goldendoodle, follow the links provided down below.
To the right is a classic example of a "Phantom" poodle. The dog has a dark color on the top of its body with a lighter shade of color about the face, neck, chest and legs. Phantom and Parti-colored poodles are by far the most beautiful......but not sought out by professional dog fanciers who compete in dog shows. I don't know why....like I said...BORRRING! I happen to think the parti and phantom coloring in a poodle of any size is by far exquisite!
There is some dispute as to who actually started the breed, Poodle. Some claim it was the Germans and others claim it was the French. At any rate, this dog was created in the Middle ages as a hunting dog and descends from the Barbet....a bird dog that no longer exists. The poodle became a favorite amongst the ladies of the French Royal court in the seventeenth century. Later in time, this dog became a favorite of the lower echelons of society and achieved its highest popularity in the nineteenth century. As time passed, the poodle made its way to Anglo-Saxon countries....mainly in the United States. In the USA, the Poodle is one of three breeds who has the highest numbers in registered owners and breeders. Although somewhat rare, there is another type of poodle known as "Corde". This dog has long, cord like locks of a coat and is difficult to obtain.
The Poodle comes in all fashions of colors to include multi-colors and phantom patterns. While the Poodle can make a great family pet, as stated above, careful attention to its ancestry and lineage is important if you wish to integrate this breed into a family with children. There may be no Standard Poodle alive today that does not have at least some Wycliffe lineage in their pedigree. ALL OF OUR POODLES HAVE BEL TOR, WYCLIFFE, EATON AND DASSIN CHAMPION ANCESTORS.
