| By :
Brent McCoy
The Poodle (also known as the "French Poodle" though this is something of a misnomer) is a non-sporting breed of dog that comes in three sizes - standard, miniature and toy - and features long ears with a wiry, non-shedding coat in colors such as blue, gray, silver, brown and cream. The breed can be traced back to the 15th century in Germany, and was first raised for the main purpose of retrieving game from the water. Some of their more distinguishing features include their hypoallergenic coat that is often clipped in a variety of outrageous hairstyles as well as their high level of intelligence, obedience and playfulness - which all help in making the Poodle one of the top companion breeds around the world for active owners and families while being equally suitable for aspiring dog groomers, allergy sufferers, for use as a circus dog, competitive obedience and agility or even in hunting as they were originally designed for. The Poodle is typically associated with France, though they are believed to have originated in Germany as early as the 15th century and were commonly used as water retrievers that would swim and collect game for hunters - giving them their original name, "Pudlehund" in German which would loosely translate to "dog that splashes about". They are
alleged to be a descendant of the Barbet and Hungarian Water Hound. Later they achieved popularity in France, Spain and England where smaller versions of the Poodle were developed in the 18th century. Poodles are commonly known to come in three separate sizes - standard, miniature and toy. Standard Poodles are termed as a large-sized dog with a height of 22-27 inches high from paw to shoulder and a weight of 40-80 pounds. Miniature Poodles measure 10-15 inches tall and weigh 15-20 pounds and are classified as a small-sized dog, whereas Toy Poodles like their name suggests are a toy-sized dog and refers to any Poodle under 10 inches tall and usually weigh 6-9 pounds. The Poodle is renowned for their playful, obedient and devoted character. They are usually reserved with strangers though well-socialized dogs can often be very outgoing, which often means they are quite unsuitable as a guard dog. The Poodle is also demonstrated to be extremely intelligent - scoring 2nd in comparison with other dogs when taking into account their capacity to be trained obedience directives. They are also known to be good with children - which means they are highly suitable as a family pet. The Poodle is quite companionable with other dogs and smaller animals such as cats if raised with them though due to their prey instinct may chase squirrels and other small animals when venturing outdoors. The Poodle can be satisfied with a small yard to play in, but they are fairly suitable for apartment living provided they are taken for daily walks. The Poodle enjoys leisure activities such as chasing after a ball, learning tricks or going for a swim. They have a high degree of energy and require exercise every day in the form of only moderate-length walks to help keep them calm and manageable while inside the house. The Poodle could be the ideal dog breed for families, allergy sufferers or active owners with plenty of time to care for a dog. They are well-suited for anyone who is keen to carry out a very high level of grooming and allow time to provide them with early socialization and ongoing mental challenges in addition to take them for moderate daily walks and grant a good sum of company and devotion. Although they might be a little inappropriate for those who don't have the patience or means to commit to a high level of grooming, if you are capable of meeting this requirement as well as provide them with plenty of mental stimulation then the Poodle possibly will be the ultimate dog for you.
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