Standard Poodle

The Poodle is one of those breeds of dogs found in all sizes ranging from small to medium and large and is said to have originated in Germany in the 15th and 16th century. It gets its name from the German word “pudel” which means “to splash into water”. They also happen to be the national dog for the French. They are intelligent and skilful and the top choice for taking part in many a dog shows and competitions around the world. They also end up winning and taking the top honours year after year. They are a type of retriever and can still be seen hunting in the fields too.

Poodles come in many colour coats and all are accepted to be a rightful part of the breed. They have dense curly coat and regular grooming and brushing is a must. They also need to be dried once they are out of the water since they have no undercoat of any sort. The texture varies from dog to dog from thick and woolly to smooth and wavy. The tail section of most of the poodles is docked in to a round bunny like shape, but it is now illegal to do so in many countries such as Australia and UK. Grooming them to show clip is very difficult and time consuming and requires professional equipment too. Their hair can also be corded just like dreadlocks we humans have.

They are a very energetic breed. Even circuses have been training them and making them perform for centuries as they are easily trainable and are known to exhibit amazing tricks requiring physical and mental stamina. Poodles love the companionship of humans and always try their best to please their masters. They are great with children and always game for a little play time. But it should be seen that they get lots of time to rest after their activities. They can also be potty trained much easily as compared to the other breeds. They need to be groomed and showered more often than other water dogs to keep the coat clean and shiny and pollen free. It is also advisable to have a vacuum cleaner with a filter in handy around the house to pick up all the dander from the dog. They can also get bored and mischievous within an instance.

The large Poodles are the oldest of the variety and they gained fame for being excellent water dogs. So their coats were oats were trimmed quite often so that they cud swim well. Hence began the whole trend of trimming their coat in various shapes and proportions as we see today. Poodles generally live longer as compared to the rest of the breeds because of their small build.Like most other breeds they also suffer from certain disease. Hip dylasia, ear infection, epilepsy, tracheal collapses are just a few to name. Ear infections are said to be the most common in all the type of poodles. It can be minimized by keeping the ears dry after every shower session and also by consulting the veterinarian as soon as the dog shows any signs of the infection.