Standard Poodle

[Medussi]

Could anyone with experience of the standard Poodle breed advise me if this would be a good fit for me?

I'm looking for a dog who is (likely to be) friendly, affectionate good with all other breeds of dog, as little shedding as possible, enjoys 1-2 hours of exercise a day, good with livestock, excellent recall, calm in the house (after puppyhood).

I know a lot of this is training and socialisation, but from what I've read the SP seems to tick the boxes but I wanted to hear from owners!

Thanks!

I grew up with a succession of poodles and they were pretty much all you describe. We had one that was quite aloof with strangers, not aggressive in any way, just ran away from visitors, and another that had chronic separation anxiety. On the whole they were quite straightforward. And very easy to train.

That sounds encouraging thank you!

Yes absolutely!! They are honestly the best dogs. Ours are calm (unless he has to zoomies - post bath!) and loves a sniff walk as well as running with me. One is a complete snuggle bunny who tries to sit in my lap, the other is more happy to wander round the house on his own but also loves a good snuggle!

Both very smart, and need brain stimulation. Be prepared for the cost of grooming them and a hefty waitlist from a good breeder, feels like there are fewer good litters than ever.

Weve had two in the family, WONDERFUL dogs and i will always recommend and you sound a great fit. However if around livestock,their prey drive is very strong and if you have any small fluffys, they will peak an intrest. ( as someone whose pet rabbits saw a sticky end!)

We had a standard poodle when I was growing up. She was a wonderful family dog - wanted to be friends with everyone. ☺️
Very gentle, calm, obedient, easy to train and such a lovely nature.

We have a standard, he's my favourite living thing on the planet. And I have a DH...

He's 2, so eager to please and just wants love and affection. Easily distracted, and not as smart as they're billed to be but zero shedding and he does have excellent recall.

I grew up with lurchers, setters and boxers and I'd now only consider a poodle.

Mine is a Velcro dog his recall a amazing as he can't bear to be apart from me. He is great with people, he has recently become slightly reactive with labradors after one spontaneously lunged at and but me when he was walking calmly by my side.
You need to prepare for the grooming bills about every 8 weeks. You need to ensure there have been all the health checks done hips, elbows, eyes ( ideal DNA) and gene test for Addisons disease.

Yes agree with the others. They’re fantastic dogs.

BUT be aware of grooming costs!! They really need a groom every six weeks so they don’t get matted. Even when I’ve tried to do it myself each day it doesn’t seem to negate the need for regular grooms.

All Poodles are brilliant. We had a Toy and she was the most excellent dog. I still miss her.

Affectionate but not needy.
Bright and easy to train.
Loved to go for long walks but loved her bed too.
Friendly with other dogs but knew when to back off.
Easy to groom at home / to groomers every 6 weeks (we kept her fairly well trimmed).
Barked when someone approached front door (good, AFAIC), but instantly stopped when we walked to open it.

Poodles are wonderful.

Just on grooming - it does depend what clip you get. We keep ours shaved short (so soft!) just with bushy head and tail so can go longer between grooms as no risk of matting

I have a mini and she's amazing, very easy to train and clever. She'll climb mountains with us but also enjoys a day on the sofa! I get her groomed about every 8 weeks and it costs £38. I'd expect a standard would cost more.

This is just brilliant feedback thank you!

They really do seem like the perfect fit.

Would you recommend a dog or bitch?

Mine is exactly as described! She's an absolute perfect pet, everyone who knows her says so.

I'd say bitch as her sire had a habit of digging up the garden but maybe the breeders didn't walk him enough. I've always gone for bitches though as I've never had issues with them at all.

I like a dog. The choice comes down to personal preference.

We've had two of each and prefer a dog

We adopted an older standard poodle a couple of years ago and he’s the best dog ever.
He did chase a cat once but he ignores livestock reliably. Great with other dogs. He’s really playful, calm , active, gentle, affectionate and the grooming isn’t a big thing because we keep him cut short with a home scissors cut. His nails get filed by the sand and the walking because he’ll walk hours. He’s way fitter and more playful than the other old dogs in the neighbourhood, even labradoodles. You can bury your face in his soft fur and he just makes you feel so happy- so lovely when you feel sad. He does eat socks though sometimes and he loves toys. I would never want a different type of dog even though he does like to make up his own mind when we recall him or tell him to get in the car:) The biggest disadvantage is that I’ll probably outlive him and hate the thought:(

We've always had standards. Great dogs and sound like a good fit for you. They're intelligent so need stimulation, more so than many breeds, but that is part of what makes them such great personalities.
Regarding livestock, you need consistent training around livestock early on. Ours will chase squirrels, but we've never discouraged that. However, they'll completely ignore ducks and geese etc as they were trained to ignore them from very early on.

They're easy to clip yourself. Ours are kept in a plain clip, short and all the same length, no shaved areas. I like them kept short so clip them every 3 - 4 weeks. It takes about an hour and a half to clip one.

I grew up with them. They're not all a problem with small fluffies... one made friends with a stray cat, brought him into the house, and they spent the rest of their lives cuddling up together in the dog basket. The cat killed squirrels and rabbits. The dog didn't.

Not had one (too much grooming for me but otherwise they tick all the 'perfect dog' boxes for me) but I know people with them & they are gab dogs, just remember that the trade off for low shedding is proper coat maintenance.

Agree with what @justaboutdonenow says. Low shedding does not mean low maintenance.

They need daily grooming, not weekly.

They are a lovely breeding, but they are not a low maintenance one.

I think it depends on how you have them clipped as to whether they need daily or weekly maintenance. Ours are clipped down to half an inch all over, every three to four weeks. Between clips they need very little maintenance. They are bathed pre-clip (because otherwise my clipper blades would blunt too quickly), but that is done the day before clipping and they just have a brush through after a bath. Because their coats are still relatively short at that stage, there isn't any matting and brushing takes ten mins.

I disagree with this (sorry!) I've had 4 and never needed to do daily or even weekly grooming. They get clipped/shaved at the groomers, that's all.

They do need good ear/teeth maintenance though, more than some other breeds I believe.

Out of interest how much do you get clipped off? That might explain the not needing to groom that often?

My friend has one that she basically has shaved naked (and yes, it looks as AWFUL as it sounds - poor thing looks like a naked molerat half the time) but she never has to groom it! Definitely a low maintenance option 😂

Hi I have always had SPs (in wider family as a child and have had 4 in the last 20 years, still have 2 of them.
they are the greatest dogs imo. So sweet and loyal, cuddly, fabulous with children even tinies, don’t shed a single thing, 1-2 hours exercise is fab but even a 30min zoom around off lead will leave them happy and conked out in bed for much of the day. Very clever so with training will recall beautifully - I had one who turned on a sixpence if called her even in the process of chasing a squirrel, but I have also have one less well trained who has selective deafness on occasion. Re good with livestock - again it’s partly a training issue. Four of the four are/were excellent with sheep cows horses because they have to be, we have livestock around us. Three of the four are/were excellent with chickens in their proper place ie outside. One ate a chicken who came inside and got in his bed and I can’t really blame him. One of the 4 was a menace to small animals and ate 2 Guinea pigs, quite a lot of chickens and a lot of squirrels. I do think she was not that representative of the breed though. She showed worrying interest in sheep as a puppy but then got stuck in an electric fence surrounding them which was the best thing for her as she stayed away from anything large after that.

re calm in the house - yes. Except when you return after you have been away for AGES (ie any time longer than 5 minutes) when they will be thrilled to see you and leap in the air like a circus dog on springs. Every morning I swear they greet me as though they received a telegram in the night saying I was missing presumed dead. Sweet but bouncy. They calm down quickly though and will sleep for ages and are not bothered by delivery drivers etc.

you have to be ready for costs of grooming though - £60 every 6 weeks on the nose. Or learn to do it yourself.