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The doghouse

Tell me about poodles

13 replies

ElizabethShaw · 20/10/2017 22:14

Are they good family dogs? I know they are very bright and love the look of them with natural coats.

OP posts:
Judashascomeintosomemoney · 20/10/2017 22:18

What type of poodle? Standard miniature or toy?

Indigo90 · 20/10/2017 22:59

I have two miniature poodles and I think they are fab dogs. Bright but not troublesome (unlike the border collie I had as a child who spent all his time plotting trouble), easy to train and good with other dogs and other animals (one of mine looks after any small animal of any species, very sweet). Very good with children. Not moulting is a real bonus.

They are prone to bark so be very firm and nip that in the bud from puppydom.

honeyroar · 21/10/2017 03:32

I was never a fan, but I did a French course where I stayed with a family that had one. It was the sweetest, friendliest little thing, and completely changed my opinion of them.

Lucisky · 21/10/2017 13:26

We got a toy poodle in Feb this year at 8 weeks. She is turning into an absolute joy. Very intelligent and quick to learn new things, very loving and always, just always, so happy and full of enthusiasm! I like walking and she will go for miles over any terrain, there is nothing twee or delicate about her. She is especially fond of water too. I trim her myself so that her coat is an even length all over (no fancy pom poms thanks). No moulting, but does need very regular brushing to keep the knots at bay. I can't recommend them highly enough. Much better than getting a poo cross too.
I don't have any problems with barking, as I never encourage it in any dog I've had, just the regular when the door bell goes. She is the perfect house dog and companion.

fessmess · 21/10/2017 19:53

I have standard poodle cross (90% poodle) and she's s delight. Friendly, trainable, energetic and loves people/dogs/cats. Very sensitive to agro. Only have to relay take of arsehole at supermarket for eg and she's jumping up trying to appease you!

Paddingtonthebear · 21/10/2017 20:00

I have a poodle x Shih tzu if that’s any help? She is very loving, great with kids, very active in terms of playing fetch, Swimming etc. But otherwise quite calm and very loyal

MagdalenLaundry · 21/10/2017 20:03

I have a mini. Perfect family dog
Easy to train, laid back, won't walk in the rain

MagdalenLaundry · 21/10/2017 20:05

She does like to be close. Likes sitting or lying touching one of us
Not very mature

YouCantArgueWithStupid · 21/10/2017 20:07

We’ve had 2 standard poodles. No1 was very calm and was a great companion. No2 is mad as a box of frogs but great with DCs

Afternooncatnap · 21/10/2017 20:49

After much research we got a miniature poodle. He's now 19 months and he is the beat dog ever. He's loving, easy to train, friendly, great with kids and the happiest dog in the world. Oh and super cute. I could sing his praises all day, but poodle bad points:
Grooming. It's is time consuming and expensive. I now cut myself to save money but it takes time and you need to train the dog to stand and behave while you cut which also took alot of time and effort. If you can't cut yourself it's about £40 every 8-12 weeks and brushing in between.

He's too soft and too friendly and as such we find other dogs don't take to him well. He's been attacked twice. My mums poodle was killed in an attack.

Although he doesn't need mega walks like bigger breeds and working breeds, he does want alot of attention. They are very clever dogs and so need alot of stimulating. Trick training works well for us.

He is a cat hunting nightmare. We were told poodles get on with cats. He does not. He doesn't hurt them but he loves to chase them.

But if you can take time to train and groom poodles are the best dogs.

StandardPoodle · 23/10/2017 20:34

We have (unsurprisingly) a standard poodle. He's friendly, loyal, beautiful temperament, superb guard dog. They are though high energy dogs - he's played for 3 hours solid with a springer spaniel and would have continued, needs at least 2 good off-lead walks a day, rain or shine, and of course there is the grooming (he goes every 6 weeks for a clip and needs plenty go brushing in between even though he is trimmed very short).
High maintenance, yes. High reward - definitely!
The different sizes do have different health issues, so make sure if you use a breeder rather than a rescue that the relevant health tests have been done.

PhatSlag · 24/10/2017 09:24

I have a Standard, great dog.
Loyal, clever, obedient.
Needs a lot of exercise though and mental stimulation, can understand a lot of commands.
Can be fussy with food, will flat out refuse to eat kibble.
Quite sensitive, absolutely hates to be told off for anything. Loves the DC.

FoxesAreFabulous · 24/10/2017 13:00

We have a miniature poodle boy, who is just coming up to 18 months now. I also highly recommend the breed - intelligent, loyal, loves his walks and will go all day but happy with an hour in the park, easy to train, good with other dogs, generally good with people (although ours is quite nervous of young children but this is unusual for the breed, the other poodles we know all love children). He isn't good with cats and wants to chase them but doesn't live with one so isn't used to them. As others have said, you do need to be prepared for the grooming requirements, but apart from that they are pretty low maintenance in between clips. Our boy is red and we only discovered after we got him that the red ones are known to be mad Grin. Apparently the black ones are the most laid back. As a breed, they are not prone to health issues (as long as the breeder has health-tested the parents properly) and are long-lived. If we ever go for a second dog, we'd have another poodle - the image of them being a pampered old lady's dog or a bit 'poncy' (as I heard someone say the other day!) is completely wrong - they are real dogs who love mud, water, rain and rolling in the autumn leaves!

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