Can I ask about poodles?

[samedaydifferent]

Are they good with kids?
Family dogs?
Easy/hard to train?

We are seriously considering one after a recent thread. We've only had one dog previously which was a cockapoo so we've not a great deal of experience.
Bit of background we have 2 DCs 4yo and 7yo , decent garden, lots of walking routes nearby, I work from home and will be for the foreseeable future.
I'm aware there are a few different sizes of poodles as well so we are trying to take that into consideration too.

Any insight and advice would really be greatly appreciated to help us make a decision.

I believe they are usually very bright and so will ask a lot of you as owners. Ver6 rewarding but something to think carefully about when you have young children as well.

Ahhhh, you mean a poodle-poo cross?

If so, they're cracking dogs. Intelligent, trainable, lively, playful. They do need clipping, which you'll be familiar with from the cockerpoo. They are very affectionate with their family but can be standoffish with strangers.

The breed club page is www.poodlecouncil.com/, and should be a good starting point.

Standard poodles are incredibly owner orientated, intelligent dogs. They need a decent amount of exercise and lots of mental stimulation. They were bred as hunting dogs with their fur being ideal for going into the water to collect ducks, etc.

Minature poodles are just as intelligent but were bred for the circus originally I believe. They require less exercise but still need a lot of mental stimulation. They are very afffectate but become bored easily.

Toy poodles were bred for companionship but have been used as performers as well. They still have the intelligence of the poodle but due to the small and cute size, they are often 'handbag dogs' and are not given the mental stimulation required and get lots of nuisance behaviours, especially increased barking.

The poodle is a great dog but is prone to health problems, particually with their eyes so make sure they are health tested and scored. This is different from health checked.

I ahve a standard, and he is the most lovely boy ever. Quick to pick things up, was great with my ex's kids (8&9) and very much people orientated.
He follows me room to room but not to be right next to me, just to keep an eye.
The ex had him last night and he slept on the landing so he could see all 3 bedroom doors and make sure everyone was ok.

My standard poodle is 15 months now.
She can be sensitive and nervous in new situations, but warms up to become cheerful and waggy eventually, and I think this is because we got her just before we had our big lockdown where I live (just bad timing) so she didn't get the socialisation I would normally do with a pup.
So you'd definitely want to work hard on early socialisation, to avoid an over sensitive poodle.
We also did a lot of research, and when we picked our breeder we didn't just concentrate on the parents' health, but also their temperaments. Some poodles can frankly be neurotic. And breeding comes into that. Not just your own training and home life.
Her only real fault is reactive barking when anyone goes past our property. Really working on that one, and I do have heaps of experience with dogs, but this is proving very tricky!! Poodles are known for being barkers, so again, you'll want to get into early training with that.
Other than that: She's absolutely 100% family oriented. She wouldn't have been a happy dog if we weren't a house where one of the humans is home 90% of the time.
Incredibly affectionate and cuddly. Very active and playful, but also a fan of long snoozes. Preferrably next to my DH or I.
So clever, we found housetraining and learning commands happened so quickly.
She's wonderful with children (I frequently have small, boisterous GC here).
She's loves playing with our older dog and is very friendly with all other dogs.
She's really an absolute sweetheart.
My miniature poodle cross by contrast, is extremely bright, affectionate, loves us obsessively, but is totally unbiddable and has long mounted a one dog crusade against any man daring to cross our threshold. I need eyes in the back of my head with her.
The standard poodle has been a dream in comparison.

@purplepenguin91

Standard poodles are incredibly owner orientated, intelligent dogs. They need a decent amount of exercise and lots of mental stimulation. They were bred as hunting dogs with their fur being ideal for going into the water to collect ducks, etc.

Minature poodles are just as intelligent but were bred for the circus originally I believe. They require less exercise but still need a lot of mental stimulation. They are very afffectate but become bored easily.

Toy poodles were bred for companionship but have been used as performers as well. They still have the intelligence of the poodle but due to the small and cute size, they are often 'handbag dogs' and are not given the mental stimulation required and get lots of nuisance behaviours, especially increased barking.

The poodle is a great dog but is prone to health problems, particually with their eyes so make sure they are health tested and scored. This is different from health checked.

Exactly this^

My personal preference is standard poodles, I'm a dog groomer and they're one of my favourite breeds to do!

They are lovely, intelligent dogs but do need a lot of stimulation and can be very hyper as pups so definitely something to be prepared for.

Also, I would expect you know from having had a cockapoo, but please take grooming in to account, both cost and time. They do have a thick, coarse coat which can matt very easily which is painful for them so need to factor in daily combing and also either the cost of professional grooming every 6-8 weeks or time to learn to do it yourself. It breaks my heart the amount of poodles/poodle crosses that come in to my work matted time and time again because owners haven't factored in grooming or done any research! (Not saying that's you OP, more often than not people who it's their first long haired dog)

Had a few standards myself and honestly I adore them.

Great with children, intelligent, gentle, fun...they are wonderful family dogs. You do need to be firm with training as they're clever enough to run rings around you if you're not careful, but I've never known one to have anything less than a delightful temperament.

I would strongly recommend training classes for both you and poodle unless you're experienced with dogs. They're a large breed so it's essential you have control over them when out and about.

In terms of how easy they are to train, we'll I've had one at each end of the spectrum 😄 One of mine was blissfully easy, very biddable...The other was too clever for his own good. Dont get me wrong, I adored this side of his personality too as it came with a very human sense of humour but he needed firm and consistent training. For the first few years, he wasn't great at recall so there were very few walks during which he was let off lead.

Both temperaments were endlessly patient and playful with children and other animals.

Sadly, I don't have any poodles at the moment as my lifestyle doesn't suit one but I long for the day when I can have one again.

You need to factor regular grooming into projected costs but you don't need to maintain a clipped look the whole time, they look great when their fur is allowed to grow longer too. Typically, I planned their cuts so they had thicker fur in the winter and a more recognisable poodle cut in summer months.

Happy to answer further questions on the condition that if you get a poodle I may visit and play with it

P.s. not all poodles have fur that feels coarse - in fact mine have always had soft curls, with varying degrees of softness. Like human hair, some poodles will matt more than others, but as pp said you do need to keep on top of grooming.

Oh one final thing...They can have a tenandency towards sensitive stomachs so you're not likely to get away with feeding them cheap dog food. Quality is better for health anyway. They can also get bored easily with the same food day in and day out so be prepared to provide them with variety.

shamelessly placemarking as I long for a poodle in the future! I hope you don't mind OP!

@Eekay
do you mind sharing any tips for reactive barking please?
I look after a jack russel x a few days a week and he cannot stand anyone going past the window or dropping deliveries.
He is fine if they come inside the house though!
Unfortunately he refuses to move to another room where his view will be limited

We have standard poodles and have done so for many years now. They are fabulous family dogs, good with children and very robust. Very, very intelligent, so you need to invest time in training and mental stimulation. In our experience they are very easy to house train and train generally, however, you need to make training fun and entertaining. Poodles have a great sense of humour so really appreciate having fun with you and will respond brilliantly.

Take the time to research breeders and chose one that does genetic testing and breeds for personality. As with lots of breeds, poodles can be prone to certain health conditions, but a good breeder should ensure their puppy parents are tested and clear of these.

Poodles are so clever - very easy to train - if they want to do it that is! They can be quite anxious but very loyal to their owner.

After waiting for the right time I finally have my standard poodle puppy.
He is cheeky, clever and very loving. Very focused on his family, I went for an early vaccination program so I had maximum opportunity in the socialisation window to get him meeting people and experiencing things.
I researched the hell out of my breeder she breeds for health and temperament. All her puppies are endorsed for breeding and export. To prevent them being irresponsibly breed from and undoing all her hard genetic work.

Met a parti poodle the other day. My word she was beautiful

Gorgeous

I have a Standard, great with kids, bomb-proof recall, extremely loyal, likes to herd and also is quite mouthy. If she tries to pull on your clothes with her mouth it means she really, really likes you and she only does this with certain people.
Very, very protective nature, great guard dog, needs a lot of exercise and mental stimulation, craves human company and hates, hates, hates to be alone. If I didn’t have another dog I seriously doubt I could go to work as she would be so stressed at being on her own so they can be quite highly strung.
Also, mine has Addison’s Disease which is another thing to consider.
Everything else health wise though- no problems.

I've grown up with standard poodles as my parents have had at least one at all times since the 80's and I always wonder why they aren't recommended more on here.

They can be incredibly affectionate and are absolutely brilliant with kids, we've never had any issues with nervousness or barking although all were socialised well, first at puppy parties and then at training. They are incredibly intelligent and do need a bit of mental stimulation but walking wise ours have always been happy with a 30 minute walk in the morning and 45-60 minutes at night. As others have mentioned they need to be groomed every 6-8 weeks but you are probably used to that, ours have always had very soft curly coats and we keep their bodies short so a brush twice a week has always been enough in between.

Health wise on top of what has already been mentioned I would look into how to prevent GVD, this is sadly how we have lost two of our DDogs despite doing everything we can to prevent it (both aged 11 though so a reasonably good age for poodles).

I have a red toy poodle. She is very active and very intelligent. We walk for about one and a half hours a day plus various games in the house and garden. She is very healthy and comes from stock that has had all the dna tests for hereditary diseases. She was easy to train but was quite hard work as a puppy because she was into everything and was extremely curious. She needed watching! (but like all puppies I suppose) She likes rolling in fox poo, chasing crows, and paddling in ponds, so she's no pampered prissy madam. They are very sensitive dogs though, and are very good at reading you and anticipating what you are about to do. She is the perfect companion, sleeps down my bed, and doesn't moult. What's not to like?

I have a very nearly 9 month old miniature poodle

He is the best decision I ever made. Poodles aren't a breed I considered for a long time, however once I got past the traditional look (not my preference) and read up on them I fell in love.

He is fun, full of energy, but also great at unwinding and snoozing whilst I'm working on my laptop. He is fine to be left for a few hours in his crate, just goes to sleep.
He is super clever, naturally a little nervous - which has so far made the start of the teenage phase easy peasy as he hasn't done any of the typical hooligan pup things yet. His nerves show in a little barking at home if he hears things outside that he doesn't feel comfortable with, but we are doing lots of games to help his confidence there, he is responding amazingly to them.

Warning - he is smart enough to learn things I've not taught him! He learnt to give high 5 after my daughter showed him - once!

I have a 4 month old standard poodle. She is wonderful, cheeky and extremely smart. She requires a lot of mental and physical stimulation. She loves to play all the time, especially being chased. She is already quite big at 10.8kg and will continue to grow for a good bit. When she stands up, she’s taller than my ds6. I also get her booked in every 6 weeks to be groomed, just to keep her coat in good condition.

Growing up, we had a miniature poodle as a family dog, he was wonderful, definitely on the quieter side compared to my standard, he only barked to go outside to the toilet, and loved cuddles and company.

Best (unintentional) guard dog we ever had was a Standard Poodle. They are very loyal, trainable, excellent family dogs in my opinion.

My parents replaced me with an amazing toy poodle when I moved out. They got the perfect daughter, I’m not even mad 😂

Honestly though, when I get a dog I likely won’t consider anything other than a poodle now, having grown up with many different dogs. They’re non-casting which reduces housekeeping.

She is so intelligent, we honestly think she knows what we’re thinking. Definitely not suited to a busy house where they’ll be left on their own a lot, she likes to be as close to you as possible and go with you when you leave the house. Although can spend time independently when she chooses - she’ll go and chill out in her crate. We don’t have any children regularly, but when she does have kids round once a year she plays nicely.

Definitely agree with what everyone above has said training is key - we meet up with her litter mates and you can see the difference in personalities and training between the pups. They’re so intelligent they will rule the house and be a step ahead of you at all points, so make sure they’re well-trained and have good recall.

We have a miniature poodle who is only 4 and a half months but she is a great addition to the family. She does love to be close to you so she will follow me around the house. She sleeps well in her crate and would happily spend an hour in there if I am doing the school run etc. But she is sensitive and nervous especially when out walking - and it's taken a lot of work to get her relaxed. She has great recall when off lead (so far). She was easy to housetrain and learns quickly but you need to play and stimulate her - she loves a puzzle to solve too. We wouldn't have chosen a poodle if we were out of the house working - I'm always here (but she does cope with time apart - not tried longer than 90 mins though). She's great with my kids and other children too. Just more wary of adults but warms up to them eventually.

Toy poodle here, our first dog and he's brilliant. Loves everyone from kids to grandparents and every dog! Easy to train, too easy as he picks up bad habits quickly if we're not paying attention and training him accidentally. Quick to train out of them though. Loves to be with us although fine on his own for periods of time. Fine to groom, he has a good groom every 6 weeks or so but we keep him quite short and its easy to maintain in between, I'm not keen on the traditional poodle cut. Much easier than friends with cockapoo's. No shedding at all and minimal 'doggy' smell.

He generally gets 2 x 30-40 min walks a day but can walk longer if we want to. We do brain games with him too which he likes. Can be barky in the garden but we've trained a quiet command and he's learnt if he starts barking out there he comes straight back in so he's much quieter now (coming up to 1). He loves to sit at the window and look at the world go by.
Honestly it always baffles me why poodles don't get as much interest as crosses or other dogs on here, they're just great!

Toy poodle mix here. Loads of energy and loves long walks, muddy puddles and chasing birds. Initially easy to train but having to return to training at 10 months for recall as ignores me when other dogs around. Not a cuddly lap dog but snuggles up when she feels like it. Definitely a one person dog so your children maybe disappointed if they think it will be theirs, but she will play with other family members . Strong willed and very clever. Thinks she’s bigger than she is and loves big dogs!
Can be a bit neurotic at times and very fussy with food. I wouldn’t want small children fussing with her as I’d be worried she’d snap at them. A friend with another poodle mix has issues as hers is also neurotic.
I think I would recommend a spaniel. Cav or cocker. Lovely , soppy, kid friendly dogs.
( I do love my dog! Just making alternative suggestion for your situation.)