Poodles are my only choice of dogs because of their hair - they don't shed and are hypoallergenic - but even aside from this practical consideration I think it's an amazing breed. Incredibly smart, beautiful, playful, gentle, athletic and up to long walks yet equally happy to sleep the whole day if I am busy.
I have a male who is 20 months old now. He is such a gentleman! Lovely with kids, especially the younger DD who is 5; he is huge compared to her yet very sweet and protective. When he was a puppy I was concerned he was too big to be around 3-year-olds - not because he would ever hurt them on purpose but being young and uncoordinated he did not understand how strong he was so a playful bump could knock my DD off her feet. He is much more attuned to the physical size of his playmates now, both human and canine, and while his favourite friends are lurchers and vizslas with whom he is well matched in size and energy, he is happy to play with tiny dachshunds and is very gentle with them.
He is incredibly loyal, perhaps unhealthily so - I am his preferred human and he refuses to go for a walk with anyone else, including my husband, which is a bit of a problem when I travel or am unwell.
He is a lockdown puppy which means we did not get to do proper training at the right age, and are still having some issues with pulling when on a lead (and he is very strong!), thankfully the head lead is a game-changer.
I grew up with Moyen poodles - it's a size down from standards but bigger than miniatures - a category quite popular in continental Europe but not recognised here. I think smaller poodles are more neurotic, while standards are rather chilled and confident.
He causes a stir everywhere we go, possibly because it's a fairly old-fashioned dog and it's quite unusual to see purebred poodles these days, it's mostly poodle mixes.
As you can see, we are totally smitten by him and the breed as a whole!