Poodle appreciation

[dontdoodlewithapoodle]

Just wanting to see if there are any other poodle lovers out there who feel like sharing my enthusiasm for this breed?!

I bought a mini poodle 3 years ago knowing that they were an intelligent dog and wanting something fairly easy to train never having had a dog before.

Well she didn't disappoint in the intelligence part but I never expected her to be so funny, so athletic or so loving!

She's such a little clown, loves showing off, literally dances around! Can run so fast and keeps up with us even on long walks over any terrain, loves every second. People are always so surprised when they ask her breed (I don't have her clipped like a traditional poodle) and say they never expected her to run like she does or to be such good fun.

Anyone else got a plain old poodle not a doodle?! Would love to hear about yours! 🐾

If you ever want to take him on a plane it would be best to go for miniature

Here's our boy. He's 14 months old now and I can see some lighter hairs starting to come through his coat.

He likes people and dogs (and birds - especially pheasants). He likes to keep the family together, if we're out and separate from each other he refuses to budge until we're together again. If DH and DS go out he lays down on the doormat until they come home. He dances on his hind legs to say hello. He paws at me if I try to stop stroking him and likes to lay on the sofa snuggled up to one of us in the evenings.

He is clever and learns easily but his recall is only subject to there being no dogs/pheasants in the vicinity. He's bloody quick and has bags of energy, happy to walk for miles as long as the weather isn't too warm and will chase after a ball for hours.

@AnnPerkins he's gorgeous 😍

This is our delightful miniature Cyprus poodle, angling herself to take up as much as the sofa as possible last week on holiday. Such a sweet natured animal, her enthusiasm for life was the only thing that kept our spirits alive in lockdown. Feel very lucky to have her

@noodlypoodle she's super fluffy! Is a Cyprus poodle a variation in the breed? Haven't heard of it. I totally agree about keeping spirits up in lockdown. Ours was delighted to have us all around so much more

Unfortunately we're a little vague about her history. She was rescued from Cyprus then has had two other owners in the Uk through no fault of her own, so the information we have about her background is third or fourth hand. She is very crafty at sitting next to me and gently moving my hand to her tum when she fancies a tummy tickle.

Oh what a lovely thread!! We are hopeful to get a mini later on in the year, I have been in contact with a couple of local-ish breeders I found through the Kennel Club and fingers crossed it will all come together! So nice to see the pics and poodle appreciation!

I had no idea poodles' faces needed to be shaved! I just thought they were naturally pointy looking

@SconNotScone great choice! Would love an update when you get yours! Best of luck

@TheYearOfSmallThings

I had no idea poodles' faces needed to be shaved! I just thought they were naturally pointy looking

every day is a school day

Love poodles! Can never see the point of all these doodleoodlepoos when poodles are such fab dogs!

We always had yorkies or poodles growing up.

This is such an enlightening thread! I had heard that poodles could be quite neurotic and anxious but your dogs sound wonderful. It's not a breed I had considered but this is making me reconsider.

Love this thread, I've wanted a poodle for years. Id love a standard but i couldn't cope with all the energy in my small house so i reckon a large toy or small mini would do. My cat won't tolerate a dog though so I'll have to wait a few more years!

@undermycatsthumb

This is such an enlightening thread! I had heard that poodles could be quite neurotic and anxious but your dogs sound wonderful. It's not a breed I had considered but this is making me reconsider.

Not in my experience! She is cautious in unfamiliar situations, mine won't take affection from a stranger for example. Often people seem offended when she approaches and doesn't want to be petted but I think it's just good sense not to trust people you don't know! Nothing neurotic about her.

Yes mine can be cautious at times/certain random things like roadworks or funny noises but he looks to us for reassurance and if we show him it's ok he will investigate.

He loves all people (just not as much as he loves us).

My dh thought they all came out with shaved faces and feet, and with the floofy pom-poms. I prefer a shorter all over practical look but love the shaggy look too. I'm not usually keen on 'proper poodle' cuts but then there is a black mini we see nearby that looks fantastic. She carries it off beautifully. She also has a ribbon too.

It's great how many options there are for poodles grooming-wise.

I'm also convinced he understands us so much more than he should! He certainly wants to. He has a lot to say too. Not in a bark-y way. But so many funny grunts, whines, one word woofs.

He's great to train random tricks too as well. My 12 year old will decide a trick to teach and have 20 minutes on it with him and he's got it. Apart from roll over. He refuses to do that one. They have standards!

For all of you saying that this thread has sold the idea of getting a poodle... we love ours (a mini) but to be truthful I wish we had chosen another breed as she is a bit on edge and snaps sometimes. Obviously we wouldn't change her as we love her but just wanted to put a balanced view out there

For all of you saying that this thread has sold the idea of getting a poodle... we love ours (a mini) but to be truthful I wish we had chosen another breed as she is a bit on edge and snaps sometimes

Do you think that’s a breed trait though?

Any dog of any breed can be snappy. You could have got another breed and still ended up with a dog that snaps.

@bluebluezoo Totally. Not specifically poodles either. For example, when he was a child my ex P's grandma had a miniature schnauzer that was absolutely horrible, snappy and bitey and he was terrified of it. Yet my mini schnauzer was the nicest, most even tempered, placid dog you could ever meet.
They're all different and I reckon you can find snappy, grumpy dogs in every breed.

As bluezoo said, any dog of any breed can be snappy or reactive. It depends on so many things, breeding and raising when with the breeder, early socialisation, ongoing training (or not training), unpredictable things like another dog attacking or snapping that has a lasting effect on a dog.

I think that sometimes small breeds (like the toy poodles for example) have a reputation for being snappy and possibly some are because they are bought as lap dogs and not trained properly, socialised properly, or redirected appropriately during the mouthing/teething stage of puppyhood. That tends to give all poodles a bad name, but in reality lots of small dogs have the same issues.

Here’s our beautiful mini poodle. Intelligent, athletic, so so loving! Adores people, other dogs and is a big cuddle monster.

I don't think poodles make the easiest first dogs to be honest unless you have a lot of time that you can dedicate to them. They are definitely incredibly intelligent and I was convinced our poodle understood every word of every human conversation. They love people and are definitely "shepherds" so on walks will not like people of the same family to fall behind and will try to herd them. However, their energy and intelligence doesn't make them easy. And ours was definitely a wimp!

Definitely agree @XelaM my mum has taken to spelling words so our poodle “doesn’t understand” - but it hasn’t worked - I think she can spell now too 😂

She knows based on what mum is wearing whether mum’s going out and whether she will also be going or if she has to stay home, in which case she goes downstairs and sits in her bed, when mum’s finishing getting ready

I've have always had standards and always will do 😍 the most adorable and adoring dogs - fiercely intelligent, funny, sweet, gentle. I'm not the most athletic person in the world but always been able to keep them adequately exercised. They bring so much joy and love into my life!

Again, they just love having their people around them. My last one also developed a love for lie in so was never that keen to get moving in the morning 😆

I love that they're being more widely recognised as wonderful, fun and down to earth dogs but this along with the recent rise in dog napping has meant im reluctant to let them off lead now :/

@lurker101 Haha omg I so recognise this! We used to spell words in the hope he wouldn't understand and he still did! He knew everything. I'm convinced he spoke several languages as well (we're a multi-lingual family) and knew all our code words for everything. We wouldn't mention the scary "V E T" word, and yet without fail on the morning of every appointment he would hide under some furnishings and shake refusing to come out (same with grooming appointments ).

Haha "have you got the t-r-e-a-t-s for the "W-a-l-k" or "shall we have c-h-i-c-k-e-n for tea" is standard conversation in our house

Mine will also get excited when I put my dog walking jeans on, she knows the difference between these and my others.

It's so nice to hear all your stories and to recognise the same traits