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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Toy poodle

17 replies

KandoKat · 03/12/2018 18:29

We're thinking of getting a toy poodle next year. Any tips, pros and cons welcome 🐩
For context, we have a cat (mainly sleeps in dd room), dd, 8, has asd, she loves animals (more than people I suspect) and helps to feed, water and generally care for dcat.
TIA

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WRachelC · 03/12/2018 19:12

Poodles are lovely dogs. One of my favourite breeds. Don't know if this is unfair of me, but all the toy poodles I've met have been quite highly strung though. x

Errrrrrr · 03/12/2018 19:17

My aunt has alwats had toy poodles on her farm in rural wales and firmly believes that if you treat them like dogs they will behave like dogs. They run around with pointers and labs and get dirty and hunt rats in the hay barn - suspect the highly strung ones are those which tend to be bought as lap dogs!

Original poster

KandoKat · 03/12/2018 19:26

Thanks for the replies. If we get one then it will be walked morning and late afternoon, we are in a rural location so lots of rambling in woods and also local parkland. Weekends we will walk at local beach and marshland. We won't treat as a lap dog, more a companion.

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Original poster

KandoKat · 03/12/2018 19:32

And a pet, obviously!

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Pinkandpurplehairedlady · 03/12/2018 19:38

I have a toy poodle curled up on my bed next to me at the moment:). He’s a typical poodle and was very quick to train, he loves rolling in mud and anything smelly!

Make sure you budget in grooming costs. I keep ours in a lamb cut and brush daily - if we miss a couple of days he gets matts which will need shaving off. He goes to the groomers every 6 weeks or so and it costs £35 a time.

He’s a fantastic dog and I really wouldn’t be without him.

MissShapesMissStakes · 03/12/2018 19:52

We have a 6 month old miniature poodle. He’s great. Clever (I think!) and lovely with my kids. Lots of fun too.

He does like to be with someone all the time. I think it is a little bit of ‘in the breed’ and a little bit of his environment as there is usually someone in so he expects company now.
He can’t settle well though unless we are ALL home. And if the kids are lagging behind on a walk he won’t carry on until they catch up.

My 6 year old can be quite anxious and he seems to already know to be calmer with her. He doesn’t jump up on her at all, and rarely barks (she hates sudden noises). He will listen to her when she does some ‘training’ (she has food in her hands). My daughter did find the tiny puppy stage difficult as he changed our daily routines hugely to start with. And I do think she resented him for a while. Her behaviour definitely went downhill for a while. Now though he can distract her when she’s getting stressed (or just shouting at us) and she adores him.

villainousbroodmare · 03/12/2018 20:01

I'm a vet and I notice this about all the tiny dogs, be it poodles, Yorkies, Pekes, Poms... the ones that walk in the door on a lead are easy, lovely, confident dogs. The ones that come in in their owners' arms or wrapped around their necks are usually anxious, snappy and stressy. So treat your tiny dog like a dog and you are likely to have a happy and calm one.

Original poster

KandoKat · 03/12/2018 20:24

Lovely boy Miss
Dh aunt a dog groomer, so will be groomed by her regularly.
We will go to puppy and socialisation classes and ddog will be trained (both dh and I grown up around dogs)
Dh and I work opposite shifts, so ddog will have companionship and mil has said ddog can stay with her if we're away for any length of time.

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doingwhatican · 03/12/2018 21:02

Mini poodles are a good size if you want something slightly bigger. Ours only weighs 5-6 kgs so not a tiny dog, possibly less fragile?? She’s a proper dog, very athletic, we don’t do the crazy poodle hair or shave her face (that’s just our preference). Loves when we’re all together. Not yappy, very clever. Poodles are great!

Original poster

KandoKat · 03/12/2018 23:18

Mini poodle would be fine, just not a standard as our house not big enough.

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AgathaF · 04/12/2018 22:19

We have standards and I really love the breed. Another here that doesn't do the poodle clip or shaved face. I know a few toys and miniatures, including some of each that live with the same owner. I think the miniatures seem to be more robust and less nervy around other dogs. However, as others have said, if you treat the dog as a dog and don't molly coddle it then I'm sure it'll grow up to be a good dog.

Lucisky · 04/12/2018 22:22

I've got a red toy poodle, she is 2 today. She is a lovely dog, very affectionate and cuddly but also likes long muddy walks and chasing seagulls and crows out in the fields. She was a very active puppy, into everything, and had boundless energy. She became more settled around 18 months - before that she was a whirling dervish. Very easy to train too. She is very sweet tempered and curious about everything you do. Poodles also seem to have an uncanny knack for understanding much of what you say.
She goes to the groomer every 6 to 8 weeks for a lamb cut, around £35 a time.
They are expensive puppies to buy though. Make sure your breeder can provide all the correct paperwork for the testing done on the puppy's parents for hereditary diseases.

villainousbroodmare · 04/12/2018 22:52

AgathaF ... we have standards

AgathaF · 04/12/2018 23:22

villainous

fessmess · 05/12/2018 11:06

My Standard cross..

Original poster

KandoKat · 05/12/2018 17:02

Thanks all, lots to think about.
fess looks lovely and cuddly 💓

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PBobs · 03/01/2019 23:50

We have a red mini poodle (just - she just made it to 15" tall). I adore poodles. We had a mini black when I was a kid. He was a rock star. So amazing with kids. Our poodle now is the same. So incredibly smart - potty trained in 48 hours. Always curious and wanting to know what you're up to. Very easy as a puppy.

The best thing about poodles is they'll happily play on their own for 20 mins and then snooze or lay around. They are high energy in short sharp bursts rather than needing to be exercised all the time. Our dog now is super cuddly as well as being playful but my dog when I was a kid wasn't very cuddly. That's a bit luck of the draw I think.

She can be a bit nervous to be honest but we're working on that and she is getting better. It is partly because we are a quiet household so she reacts when it gets a bit noisy - even though we took her out loads as a puppy etc. She isn't a fan of other small dogs but does have two dog friends she hangs out with - one massive and one smaller one. She's good with people - it takes her 15 mins or so to get aquainted with them and then she's happy as larry. She's just stand offish with them at first - never aggressive. I'm OK with that. We live in a country where dog theft is common so I like the idea that she is wary of strangers. Again though that is more her than poodles. Poodles definitely love humans - more than they love ither dogs. I would totally trust her around children - she is good with them. In fact we have one on the way and I can't wait for them to be buddies.

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