Purina

Other names:

• Caniche
• French Poodle

Country/Date of origin:

• Germany
• 1400’s

Height:

• 10 inches or less

Weight:

• 5 to 7 pounds

Personality:

• Candidate for most intelligent breed of dog.
• Extremely willing to please.
• Happy, lively, and playful.
• Easily trained.
• Friendly and outgoing.
• Poodles love everybody.
• An excellent family dog for those who are prepared to maintain the coat.

History:

The Poodle originated in Germany as a water retriever (Pudel means water in German).  Today there are three sizes:  toy, miniature, and standard.  They are all judged by the same standard of perfection and are identical in every respect except height.  The toy, which is the smallest of the three varieties, is a miniaturized version of the Standard.  This diminutive Poodle was never used for sporting purposes. It was, instead, the pampered darling of the French nobility.

Body Type:

• A squarely-built, active dog that carries itself with dignity.
• Hanging ears are not altered.
• Upright tail is carried at an angle to the body.  It is docked.

Coat:

• The long coat of the poodle is double.  The outercoat is wiry curls.  The undercoat is thick and woolly.
• If unhindered, the outercoat forms thin cylindrical mats known as cords.  Corded Poodles are rarely seen in the United States because they are difficult to keep clean.
• Any solid color is permitted.  Common ones are black, white, apricot, brown, blue, or silver.
• The skin color of Poodles varies.  Skin may be pink, blue, silver, or cream.
• Requires professional grooming every five or six weeks.
• Two clips are allowed in the United States show ring:  the Continental and the English Saddle.  Puppies are exempted from this and can be shown in a puppy clip (their hair isn’t long enough to accommodate the adult clips) until they are one-year old.
• The face, feet, and base of tail are shaved in all the clips.
• A full coat may take two years to develop.

Health and Wellness:

• The immense popularity of this breed has resulted in many genetic defects.
• Autoimmune thyroid disease.
• Patent ductus arteriosis.
• Tetralogy of Fallot.
• Von Willebrand’s disease.
• Distichiasis.
• Portosystemic shunt.
• Legg-Perthes disease.
• Congenital deafness.
• Cataracts.
• Diabetes mellitus.
• Addison’s disease.
• Atopy.
• Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA).
• Immune mediated thrombocytopenia (IMT).
• Urolithiasis (oxalate and struvite).
• Collapsing trachea.
• Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis.
• Sialocele.
• Cushing’s syndrome (PDH and AT).
• Mitral insufficiency.
• Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD).
• Sebaceous adenomas.

What you should know:

• In spite of the name, the French Poodle is not Gallic.  It is a breed made in Germany.
• The pompoms and topknots of the Poodle had a utilitarian origin.  As water retrievers, Poodles needed the chest and head hair to protect vital organs from the cold.  The pompoms are placed on the joints to protect them from becoming arthritic.
• Victorian merchants often had advertisements cut into the coats of Poodles, and hired someone to walk the dog around.  A sort of living billboard.
• Grooming contests attract international teams, clipping Poodles into artistic creations.  Prizes are in the thousands of dollars.
• The smaller varieties of Poodle are used as truffle sniffers.
• Poodles are beautiful and they know it.  You might even describe them as vain.
• Love to be pampered, and it is easy to spoil these adorable clowns.