Advice/experience with toy poodles

[Pinkfluffyunicornsandrainbows]

My husband and I have been talking about getting a dog for some time. We have spent hours reading and researching and watching YouTube videos on all aspects of dogs and training. I'd love to hear from people who have poodles or have had them in the past, particularly toy poodles. A few things i expect to be asked so i will address them now :-

1. We have a house with a good size garden.
2. We have six children aged 5 - 18.
3. We have looked up the cost on food, grooming, pet insurance and we can afford it without struggling.
4. I am a stay at home parent so i am home most of the time apart from when i go to the shops, appointments etc.
5. If we want to go out for the day at least one of my eldest children would be home as they don't come to parks, zoos etc anymore.
6. If we were all going out together for longer than a couple of hours we would make sure it was somewhere we could take our dog or my sister would mind him/her.
7. We don't go on holiday but if we ever did then one of my sisters would mind our dog if we couldn't take him/her.
8. We have lots of love and time to give to caring for and training a dog.
9. I do like a clean and tidy house so i know i will have alot more housework to do to keep the place clean but that's ok as i'm home all day and willing to do it.
10. Plenty of time to take the dog for walks. Is there anything else i should know? Feel free to post a photo of your beloved poodle 🙂

Sounds like you're perfectly ready!

I have a mini poodle and honestly wouldn't have any other dog now. Poodles are amazing!

Mine is ok being left but it does make him a bit sad. He sleeps by the front window of me or one of my two kids are out. He likes us all with him.

Housework wise - non shedding is amazing! Literally no hairs to be seen apart from those on him. When he's in and out the garden when it's wet his paws just need a wipe. Otherwise we just stick him in the shower after a muddy walk.

This is my boy modelling his orange belt in karate.

My neighbour has one, she is the cutest, cutest little thing!
Seriously adorable and extremely friendly.
She jumps up and down whenever excited about something.
She makes me want one tbh.
I would say though, lovely as she is, she is utterly wild.
No off switch whatsoever, she seems incapable of being calm, my neighbour darent ever let her off lead because she is one of those nightmare dogs that is so keen to make friends she will relentlessly harass other dogs and not pay attention to their pleas to stop.
She is around 8 months though so an adolescent, maybe she will calm down when older.

8 months is very much bonkers time. Although saying that my mini was and is very calm. He's so mellow now he's almost 3!

Thank you @MissShapesMissStakes Oh he's just gorgeous, can i ask his name? Yes i've read that poodles are very intelligent and don't like to be left alone for long. That's cute he waits for you by the front window and prefers everyone to be together. I will definitely be wiping messy paws and bathing if muddy! I love that they don't shed too, i'll be honest i would struggle with hairs all over the house and on clothes etc. Thank you so much for your reply and for the photo of your lovely boy 😊

I'm prepared for the madness of the puppy stage if we get a puppy but we are open to older dogs too. We would just be happy to give a dog a home.
@DiddlyWiddly your neighbours dog sounds amazing! So sweet 🐶
I am going to be strict following all of the training for my dog so hopefully they'll be good as poodles do like to please i read. Obviously every dog has it's individual personality (some may be crazy and others more calm and lazy 😂) but we will love him/her regardless. I expect your neighbours dog will calm down between 1 and 2 as like you said she's still only very young. Thank you for your lovely reply 🙂

Poodle lover here!

This is my pup, who is 10 months and absolutely amazing. He is happiest when we are all together and out on a walk, or snoozing in his bed next to me whilst I work from home (have been for the last 7 years - not a covid thing!)

He is super intelligent which is fantastic as it means I can teach tricks super quickly - most recently to stand between my legs, and then run in a circle around one leg and back to the middle - did that in the time it took my daughter to open her door! The tricky side of that is that he knows EVERYTHING - he has worked out words I've not taught him, I see him watching me when I talk trying to work out what it means for him, he can also get up to mischief if unsupervised - he particularly loves stealing a dirty sock, but he is young and this is expected so his access is managed. He is basically in whatever room I am (or one of the kids, 11 and 14) or he is in his bed if I would need to leave him unsupervised for any length of time.

He is fine to be left for a few hours as just sleeps in his crate, and I left him for the first time for a trip to the office (max twice a month outside of covid) and he was fantastic then too - took him for a walk before I left, my friend came over to see him at lunchtime and give him a good play / practice some tricks etc then back in his bed with a chew - he was sound asleep when I got home, I'd had webcam watching / listening all day to be sure.

He can walk / run for miles, and is just he literal best dog I could have hoped for. I have not once had a moment of puppy regret that I hear everyone talking about!

Sorry - I could go on about him for days!

@OohMrDarcy ur poodle pup is adorable!
Do u give him the "teddy bear" cut? He sounds like such a super clever pup and so well behaved, no wonder u haven't had any puppy regret. That's so good he knows what you're saying even when you haven't taught him those things.....too clever for his own good! Dirty socks oops 🤭😂
Yes i will be keeping our new dog supervised at all times until old enough to be fully trusted which i know can take years for some dogs. It sounds like your dog has learnt well and adapted to being left for some time which is great and i like the camera idea, I said to dh that we will definitely be getting one as even if the dog is in the crate if we are all out for a couple of hours i will still want to know if they're settled, barking etc.
I have read quite alot of people saying they regretted getting a dog at first or that they still years down the line wish that they hadn't but its too late. I've read most of the messages on the puppy survival threads.
Don't apologise! Feel free to carry on, honestly i love hearing everything.....the good and the bad. Although so far it's all been really positive which is nice ofcourse.
Thank you for an insight into how you are finding having a poodle, they are such amazing dogs aren't they! Oh also is urs a standard, minature or toy? X

Could i also ask what you feed your poodles? I've read alot about the raw food diet but we don't have much spare freezer space regularly or any room for another freezer so i think that's not an option really.
Any tips on feeding would be really appreciated.

Sounds like you've thought it all through OP and are ready to take on a pup!

I'm a dog groomer and even though I don't have one of my own, I do love poodles! They are one of my favourite breeds to groom!

They're very intelligent dogs so do like a lot of stimulation, either by walks or toys/puzzles etc but sounds like you've covered that! They can be nuts, a lot of the ones I groom do that typical full body jump up and down where you wonder how they can possibly get so high 😂
A lot of them will calm down after a a year or two but definitely not all - I have one wee old lady on my books who is still incredibly hyper and nuts at 13 years old😂 she's still in great shape though and a wee sweetheart!

ooh yay - always love someone keen to hear more lol

He's a miniature, currently nearly 6Kg so on the small side I guess. I chose that over a toy as they seem more robust to me, I love long walks and I felt like (I'll be honest I can't recall now if it was research or gut feel) a toy might struggle with the lengths I like to do.

I feed raw - he has really thrived on it. I've only given up half a drawer freezer space. Luckily I have a raw food shop not too far from me so I go once every couple of weeks and that works perfectly. I'd ideally like a small extra freezer to get a month at a time but I'm yet to find a spot I could hide it out the way! Plus I choose him some dried chews whilst I'm there - pizzle sticks are the best invention ever here (just don't google what it is!) and dried rabbit ears are great for natural fiber too. If you do decide to go down the raw route, barf uk is the facebook group I used for my info - they have lots of handy guides.

Cut wise, I tried a teddy bear trim but have actually settled on just clipping him myself pretty much - he's a complete scruffball, made funnier by his colour changing coat but that is how we love him. I clip him on the longest comb that came with the clippers I bought and scissor around his face and legs at the moment. As he gets used to it hopefully I'll be able to cliipper more.

The main thing for puppy times for me is remembering dogs and particularly pups need far more sleep than you think - up to 20 hrs a day, and they are like small kids in that they aren't great at regulating themselves, so we made his crate his happy place - nice and den like and whenever he'd been up half an hour or so he was popped in there with a treat / chew and left to snooze. When he woke up it all started again. Even now pup sleeps most of the day, which is why I didn't look at doggy day care for my rare office days.
I'm up by 6.30 - 7 with him then by 9 - 9.30 he's asleep next to me until 12 / 12.30 then we'll have a play / walk for an hour or so then back to sleep until 3 when he starts listening out for the kids coming home. He will then be awake until around 6 when he will snooze for an hour whilst we are eating then awake for his dinner and asleep by 9.30 / 10 for bed. So lots and lots of sleep even at 10 months, I firmly believe that helps stop the puppy crazies!

@Lou98 thank you 😊
It's good to hear from you being a dog groomer as you obviously get to meet and spend time with all different poodles. Nice to know they are one of your favourite breeds to groom.
Yes they are highly intelligent and definitely mental stimulation is as important, if not more, than exercise. I am going to buy some Lickimats and bowls, snuffle mats and slow feeding bowls aswell as plenty of dog toys that can keep our dog challenged and happy. Oh i didn't know they could jump very high! Maybe i should set some hurdles in the garden 😂
Oh gosh 13 years old and she's still a wild one! Sounds like she's a very energetic and not ready to calm down yet. I can see it already.....i'll get a dog that's nuts won't i 😂 the craziest one possible!!
It's nice you say she's a sweetheart still.

@OohMrDarcy i'm very keen to hear it all!
Aww 6kgs is tiny! Yes the toy poodles are definitely more delicate and everyone would have to be careful, i'm happy to have a mini or toy really. There's not a huge difference in size between them but i agree that toy poodles may tire quicker so not be able to walk as far.
Oh i could definitely move things around and make half a drawer space for raw food, the way people talk i thought it would take up more space than that! I have heard about pizzle sticks, dried rabbit ears 🤢 there are many dog treats that sound disgusting but dogs love them! Thank you i will have a look at that Facebook group.
Oh good for you, i wanted to groom my dog myself too. I cut my dh and all of my children's hair so i have some experience in hair cutting which i think can only be an advantage.....although people are VERY different to dogs ofcourse! I totally agree with everything you said about sleep! It is so important that pup gets enough or they can display unwanted behaviours like chewing, nipping, barking etc. Just like we can get cranky when tired so can dogs so making sure they get enough sleep is imperative. Your routine sounds perfect! It sounds like you have a very content and happy pup 🐶 Do you ever get the chance of a sleep in? Do you find that the house gets quite dirty? Muddy paw prints, toilet accidents, sick, scratches on things? Do you let pup upstairs and on your sofa?
Sorry for all of the questions 🙈
You've been so helpful already 🙂

@Pinkfluffyunicornsandrainbows Yeah I do, poodles seem to be very popular round where I live so get to meet loads of them! I'm always amazed how much difference there is in personality between the three sizes, I always assumed before working with them that it was just the size difference but they really are like 3 different dogs! I love standard poodles, I considered getting one myself when we got our last dog! I always find toy poodles the funniest though, they seem to be the most mischievous (but definitely in a good way - never a dull moment!😂)

Yeah definitely sounds like you're sorted for the toys and stuff - sounds like you'll have a very happy little pup!
I was amazed at how high they could jump, they come right up to my hips (I'm 5'6) usually! I have one regular that can go higher than that, have to keep the doors closed when he's in as he used to be able to jump over the wee half gate thing we had 😂

Yeah she is wild but she's lovely! Her names Lady and it suits her to a T! Her mum is lovely aswell, she was a wee rescue dog that her mum got when she was 9 so it's lovely seeing her so happy when she's in (even if she is bonkers 😂)

I also second PP suggestion of pizzle sticks and rabbits ears! We have two staffies so a bit different haha but they go absolutely nuts for them! Them and pigs ears etc aswell, there's a lovely lady locally to us who sells them so we get them in bulk.

We recently changed them to a raw diet and it had done wonders for them, no more upset stomachs and their coats are looking healthier than ever! You won't need as much space in your freezer as you're thinking, I use 2 drawers for mine but I have two dogs and they're bigger so will be eating a lot more than yours will!

yeah he is a smaller miniature - but suspect he has a bit more bulking out to do. He's about as tall as his mum now, but his dad was on the large end for a mini so thought he might get a bit taller, we'll see!

Raw food is based on their weight so picking a small dog means you don't need much space. a 500g ish tray lasts him around 2 days. I feed to appetite really as he has never been one to pig out, if he isn't hungry he will leave it. So generally 4 meals between that, but after a few higher exercise days it will do 3 meals. I can fit around 10 of the trays in the freezer space so I get 2 weeks plus some spares, I tend to get 1 or 2 boneless packs as he tends to get constipated with the standard 10% bone, so I just add a scoop of boneless to most meals to make it more suitable for him.

Pizzle sticks were a god send with teething, he only needed a 10cm one and that lasted two weeks lol, now he gets through a 20cm in that time. Some bigger dogs can demolish them in a day so it depends on the dog!

Regarding sleep I confess that occasionally when the kids are at their dads, I'll take him out for his wee and do breakfast and then take him up to my bed with a cuppa, once he gets over the excitement he just stretches out next to me whilst I read - bliss! I get up when I get up to be fair, I'm not a big one for sleeping in anyway but it has varied by 1.5hrs without issue.
I don't find the house gets particularly dirty tbh. The lounge floor can get mucky in winter - but its wood so I just wipe it down, I've just ordered a washable runner for the back door which should sort that for the future too. After a long muddy walk he goes straight in his crate to sleep, so by the time he comes out he's dry, any dried mud falls off and the rest gets bathed off either that day (if he's really bad!) or that week if not. Now the weather is drier we are going a couple of weeks between a bath, but he loves them so its not a problem.

Toilet training wasn't a problem at all - he did get confused with the lounge rug to begin with so I took it up until he was solid, didn't use the training pads - just took him out regularly when awake and praise / treat when he got it right.

No scratches on anything really - I do have a tear in the seam on the sofa, but it is 10 years old and needed replacing anyway, I conciously chose to wait until he was out of puppyhood! He didn't do anything wrong to cause it, was just running to see me and his claw just swipe where the thread for the seam was if that makes sense?
Sickness the same, not really had more than a couple of incidents... and only when he has eaten a rabbit ear too soon after dinner! He normally gulps it back down whilst I'm getting cleaning stuff ready (apparently this is normal and not what we would consider sick) and I use the same spray as I did for wee accidents to clean it.

All upstairs doors are shut as standard, but he is allowed in the rooms with supervision - for example tucking my youngest in. The pup himself learned that when DS yells 'ready' its time to tuck him in, so he now sprints off ahead of me and jumps onto his bed to give cuddles before bed! He will often come sit on my bed whilst I'm getting ready in the morning, especially when the kids aren't here - he loves it and is generally good as gold!

As a tip for pups - the intelligence is serious! Mine was so good that I had a pen around his crate when he was tiny, but it wasn't locked in any way - just wedged against the sofa etc. Last autumn I left him for an hour in the evening, to meet a friend for a cuppa.... came home and he wasn't in his pen! he had seen me wedging it and worked out how to move it now my house was NOT puppy safe at that point and all interior doors were wide open. I was terrified when I got him as to what mischief he had got up to, he had gone upstairs (only learned to climb them a week or so before, couldn't get back down yet!) and gone to sleep on some of my clothes on the bedroom floor! He was SO PROUD of himself when I got home - but he hadn't had an accident anywhere or done anything naughty, just missed me and wanted something that smelt like me!

You've made a fantastic decision in getting a poodle, you're going to love it!

@Lou98 i love the name Lady, can't beat a bit of bonkers 🤣 I look forward to the funny things our dog will do, for us a poodle just feels like the perfect choice. Wow that's mad they can jump so high! It sounds like they have lots of energy and full of fun as well as being so intelligent. I really hope we can be great owners and make our poodle very happy everyday so he/she has a wonderful life. Ok so definitely need puzzle sticks, rabbits ears and pigs ears......i hope i never find one laying around the house one day thou!
A raw diet sounds like the best option then, i thought it sounded good but was just unsure on space. I just want to do what's best for the dog thou. Thank you 🙂

@OohMrDarcy yes he may still grow a little more or maybe just take after his Mum. That's true, with a us choosing a small dog we should be ok for space in the freezer so we can feed a raw food diet. Really useful information on feeding and about adding some boneless to ur poodles meals. I will have to see if I can find somewhere close by to buy the raw food from. Definitely going to get the pizzle sticks!
That's really good that pup will go out for a wee in the morning and then relax with u if u want him too, he sounds like such a good boy. We have wooden floors downstairs so that's good as they're easy to clean and don't hold smells or stain like carpet. Ah yes that's not puppy's fault if he was just running to see u and his claw got caught, it's not like he's been chewing on ur sofa. It sounds like u have a good routine and keep ur house clean. Oh i really hope our dog enjoys bath times!
Good to hear u have only had a couple of sick incidents.....but he gulps it back down 😱 I've read about the sprays to use to get rid of the smells after any accidents so i'll be getting some of those.
Oh that's so cute ur son shouts "ready" and pup runs ahead for goodnight cuddles!
It sounds like ur pup is too clever for his own good, making a great escape while u popped out!! Little rascal! I love how he just went to sleep on ur clothes for comfort too, he must have been missing you and you must have been so relieved he hadn't done any damage or had an accident upstairs!
Thank you so much, i've really enjoyed reading about your life with your poodle 🐩 and all of the information has been so useful! I really do appreciate you taking the time to give me an insight into your experience as a poodle owner 🙂

with raw food, some dogs just need a slightly lower percentage of bone - mine is one of them so I manage it for him as much as possible. If I'm making with something like chicken for dinner for example, I'll just add any trimmings to his dinner to help balance it better for him, easily done - or a scoop of boneless if not.
Pizzle sticks literally are amazing, we always have one on the go!
Forgot to say - you mentioned jumps etc, I realised mine loves to run / jump / do things with me, so I've now got a basic agility kit which I can put up in the garden, he does fab with it - you just need to be careful with jump height when they are young, so I try to remember to keep it low for now.

bath times - you may regret that! Ours is like a toddler with water going everywhere he constantly jumps up to say hi!
definitely too clever for his own good! After that day he just goes in crate when we go out! At least I know its shut properly lol

How far along your route to getting one are you? Its very exciting!

Poddles have a great sense of humour. I only have to say 'where's my shoe?' out loud and he'll find it and run off with it! 😠🤣

I go to an obedience training class, the trainer has poodles (2 standard and a mini) competes in heel-work to music and obedience (crufts level).

The mini is her demo dog for showing us what we are aiming for! Fabulous, smart, attentive little dog. Good choice!

@OohMrDarcy yes i guess it's just about getting the right balance for your dog, it sounds like you've figured it out! Pizzle sticks are on my list now thank you!
Oh that's funny you saying that, i was saying to my children that we could set up a little course in the garden for our dog. Yes you've got t

Oops i posted that by mistake before finishing it. I was going to say i've read that you've got to be careful they don't damage their joints including not letting them climb stairs as puppies. Oh well bath time sounds fun at your house 😂 i've got it all to come i guess!
Yes the crate is a good idea, a safe and secure place for the dog while you pop out.
We've been looking for a breeder on kennel club and champdogs but prices are so high at the moment so we are holding out hoping that they come down more to match the prices before the pandemic began. We also looked on pets4homes at puppies and older dogs.
@ThreeCharacters it's all fun and games until you lose a shoe 😂 i can't wait for all the fun and chaos!
@catsrus oh i love hearing things like this! Poodles really do seem like the best choice of dog for us.
Thank you for all of the replies 😊

Hi OP, agree you sound like you're ready for a dog. I used to train dogs in a previous life and the dogs I was most surprised by were two standard poodles... They had show cuts and I think I subconsciously expected them to be scatty and gormless, but they were smart and real characters.

The only thing I would be wary of is that poodles and poodle cross-breeds are so popular now that there have been lots of problems with overbreeding. I would go for a registered breeder and get on a waiting list rather than buy randomly... Toys and miniatures can have temperament issues and if they are being bred for money rather than breed/temperament you might find yourself with a snappy, nervous nightmare of a dog.

@MonaChopsis thank you for your reply, i've read and watched so much saying that poodles are so intelligent......they can run rings around you if you aren't careful! I am aware that we will all have to be very consistent in training and letting the dog know what behaviour is acceptable. Yes we are being really thorough and looking at the co efficients of the parents of any prospective puppies and also making sure we find a registered and ethical breeder (as far as we can tell ofcourse). One who has done all of the health tests required on both parents and are not letting Mum have too many litters or too often. We want a home breeder, we won't be looking at any dogs living in kennels (we are aware of puppy farms and that some people take the puppies to a house to make it look genuine and not like they are puppy farming so we will be really checking everything as much as possible). I want the dogs to be used to living in a home, being handled daily and used to household noises. I think we are doing everything we can to try and be sure enough that we have a well bred dog, one that is bred for good health and temperament because the owner cares and wants to breed the best examples of the poodle 🙂