The Toy Poodle: Breed Primer

My family seems to have a long running with the Toy Poodle. When I was a child, we had a white one named Jacques. Yes, for some reason my mom liked French names, which is a tradition she and my sister have continued over the years. We also had Marques, Jacques' son. My sister has a black one named Pierre. And about ten years ago, I bought my mom an apricot one and surprise, surprise - she named him Muffin! So with that, ended the French names! Thank goodness! Not that French names are bad, but that I don't believe a person should limit themselves to just one culture of names. I also believe that a person shouldn't limit themselves to having just one type of breed. But, the Poodle has proven to be a great companion over the years for my family.

Let's talk about the physical description of a poodle. By breed standards, he should be an elegant and lively dog with a springy gait. The coat will be curly, but clipped in one of the popular styles such as the Puppy clip - a short cut that is one length all over, the English Saddle Clip, or the Continental Clip - where the rear half is shaved and some of the coat is left as bracelets around the ankles, with pom-poms on hips and tail. They come in a variety of solid colors - apricot, black and white being accepted as a standard. Ears on a Poodle should be long, flat and will be wide and lay close to the head. Sometimes it is hard to keep the ears looking good, especially if the dog has a skin allergy and tends to scratch a lot. Muffin's ears aren't the prettiest because of this reason. A Poodle has almond-shaped eyes that are dark but have a bright and alert expression. His skull will be a bit rounded with a slight stop - with Muffin's fur on his head, this is where his name came from. He looked like the top of a muffin! The Poodle has a square silhouette with about the same overall length as the height at the withers. He'll have small, oval, webbed feet and arched toes, which helps with his swimming. When a Poodle is born, the tails are docked to balance out the look. I've seen some Poodles with long tails, which is against AKC standards, and it is a little strange looking on the dog. When a Poodle is properly cared for and groomed, he can have a very prissy appearance.

Having so many different Toy Poodles in the family over the years, I've seen quite a variety in temperament and personality. They've all been very smart, quick to learn and highly responsive. We have never been much on teaching a lot of tricks, but they did learn to beg easily! They were all very easy to house break and learned quickly what would make the family happy. They have all wanted to please. For the most part, these dogs are pleasant to be around, with occassional outbreaks of yapping, depending on what is going on in or near the house. They are very perky and lively and don't like to be alone. They can be amusing dogs, as well. I remember Jacques would grab a balloon and shake his head violently back and forth, then he'd let go and bounce the balloon off of his nose. We really had fun watching him do that. Others we've had have liked to chase the ball or just curl up in our laps. They can be good guard dogs, at least alert the owner if someone is at the door. One incident with Jacques that my mom still talks about today, happened when I was two years old. I'm not sure how old Jacques was, though. I was playing in the backyard and my mom was watching me from the kitchen window. Jacques was in the yard with me. The electric companies' meter reader jumped the fence to read our meter. Now, I don't know if he saw me and Jacques or not, but he didn't get a chance to read the meter! Jacques went into attack mode according to my mom. He chased the guy all the way across the yard nipping at his ankles the entire time. The guy had to jump the fence to get away from him. So, they can be a very protective dog if they want to be! I remember other times when Jacques was a very fierce and intimidating dog. I don't remember him ever biting anyone, but I think it was because his bark kept them away.

Another time that I remember well with Jacques, I was probably around six or seven, and I was playing in the backyard once again. This time the intruder wasn't a human, but a tarantula. I guess it had come out from under a tree while I was swinging and Jacques placed himself between me and it. He barked at it and even got nipped on the nose a few times by it before my mom came out and killed it. Needless to say, Jacques was always my hero and my favorite Poodle. It was very hard when we lost him at the age of 13. Not all Poodles will react this way, it just depends on their nature. Jacques always tended to be more of a "butch" type Poodle while the others we've had have been more delicate and not so protective.

With a Poodle, you do have to make sure the dog knows who the alpha of the family is. He has to know what his limitations are or he might get Small Dog Syndrome and try to become the pack leader. If you let your Poodle run the house, you will probably see some behavior issues such as being snappy, growling and becoming overly demanding. You want to make sure that the dog is good around small children, so you really have to take command of the dog at an early age. Poodles cannot have meek owners - they must take the initiative to be in control at all times.

As far as size goes, this breed comes in three: Toy, Minature and Standard. For a Toy, his height will get up to 10" and his weight will only be about 6 to 9 pounds.

Of the Toy Poodles we've owned, we've never had any serious health problems. The breed does seem to come with some more than others, though. It will depend on the breeding of the dog. If the breeder has been careful, they would have made sure to not breed inferior dogs. With selective breeding, many health problems can be reduced. Some of these problems Poodles tend to get are: ear infections - because of the long ears and hair, bacteria may build up, so regular ear cleaning is a must, runny eyes - not a bad problem with most Poodles, digestive tracts and heart disorders, skin conditions, slipped stifle - Luxated Patella, or displaced knees, PRA - Progressive Retenal Atrophy, which is inherited and can cause blindness, IMHA - Immune Mediated Hemolytia Anemia, this is when the immune system kills red blood cells and not the germs. It also means that oxygen can't get to tissue. IMHA can kill quickly even with aggressive treatment. Out of all the Poodles we've owned, this has never been an issue.

Toy Poodles usually live twelve to fifteen or more years. A lot of it will depend on living conditions - how well they have been cared for. You want to make sure that you do not over feed them. They also need regular exercise. Not only will this help their physical health, but their mental health as well. They need to have daily walks and daily play. This will help avoid the Small Dog Syndrome, too.

Grooming needs to be done on a regular basis. Usually every six weeks they need to be bathed and clipped. Make sure to have the ears cleaned well and canal hairs removed. This will cut back on the bacteria getting trapped in the ear. Make sure you dry the inside of the ears good, too. Because they have very little shedding, all Poodles are good for people with allergies.

The exact origin of the Poodle isn't really known. They have been in Western Europe for at least 400 years. The places that they are thought to have been developed are France, Germany, Denmark, and Ancient Piedmont. France is officially recognized for the Poodle, though. Hence the reason my family liked the French names. The French do love the breed dearly. But the word Poodle comes from a German word "Pudel", which means one who plays in the water. Ancestors to the breed might be the French Water Dog, the Barbet and the Hungarian Water Hound.

In Germany and France, the Poodle was used as a retriever for water fowl. This is the reason for the clips they had. They kept the body coat shaved so that they could swim faster through the water, but kept the fur around the joints to keep them warm and from water reeds slicing into their skin. Today, we put the cute cuts on them just because they look so darn adorable!

Since the breed is so quick to learn and agile, the French started using them in their circuses. We still see them used today for entertainment. They've also been used to sniff out truffles! While we all call them Poodles, the French call them "Caniche", or duck dog.

Poodles have been found in 15th Century paintings and even on bas-reliefs from the 1st Century. Bas-reliefs are sculptured artwork found on walls or rocks. They didn't become a royal favorite until the 18th Century, though. Today, the Toy Poodle is recognized by the AKC in the Toy Group.

This breed has a varied past and a bright future. As long as humans are around, the Poodle will be as well. They are loved by many and make great companion dogs. For me, though, none will be as great as Jacques was!