Poodle

Poodle
A light apricot Standard Poodle in a pet clip.
Other names	Pudle (Old English) Caniche
Origin	France and Germany
Kennel club standards Fédération Cynologique Internationale standard
Dog (domestic dog)

For the political insult see poodle (insult).

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Appearance

General appearance

According to the AKC standard, a Poodle should be of moderate build, neither heavy or insubstantial. It should have an elegant, balanced appearance, and should carry itself in a "proud" or "dignified" manner.

Most Poodles are proportionally long-legged dogs. They have dense, curly, non-shedding fur that grows year-round and requires regular grooming. Most are solid-colored, and many registries only allow solid colors in conformation shows. "Parti" (short for parti-colored) Poodles have large patches of colors. "Phantom" Poodles have the color pattern of a black-and-tan dog, although not necessarily black and tan. Solid-colored Poodles may either "hold" their color (i.e., stay more or less the same color throughout their lives) or "fade" or "clear" to a lighter shade. Usually, the ears and the thicker guard hairs hold more of the original color than other fur.

The tail is usually docked in the US, less often in Europe. These days, tails, when docked, are left much longer than in times past. "Bunny tails" (very short-docked tails) are now rarely seen except among puppy millers.

Coat

A cream Standard Poodle in a continental clip

Poodle show clips require many hours of brushing and care per week, about 10 hours/week for a standard Poodle. Poodles are usually clipped down as soon as their show career is over and put into a lower-maintenance cut. Pet clips are much less elaborate than show clips and require much less maintenance.

Poodle hair is similar in texture to sheep's wool, but not used for any commercial purpose. There are some cases of allergies to poodle wool with symptoms consisting of rashes, runny noses, itchy eyes and severe sneezing.

Show clips

Many breed registries allow only certain clips for Poodles shown in conformation. In American Kennel Club (AKC) shows, adults must be shown in the "continental" or "English saddle" clips. Dogs under 12 months old may be shown with a "puppy clip". A handful of registries, such as the United Kennel Club, allow simpler clips.

Puppy Clip

In the puppy clip, the face, throat, base of the tail and feet are shaved. The coat may be shaped with scissors for neatness. Although this clip appears simpler than the other clips, the length of the hair makes it at as difficult (maybe more so) to maintain as the adult clips.

Continental Clip

In the continental clip the face, throat, feet and part of the tail are shaved. The upper half of the front legs is shaved, leaving "pompoms" around the ankles. The hindquarters are shaved except for pompoms on the lower leg (from the hock to the base of the foot) and optional round areas (sometimes called "rosettes") over the hips. The continental clip is the most popular show clip today.

English Saddle Clip

A corded Standard Poodle

The English saddle clip is similar to the continental, except for the hindquarters. The hindquarters are not shaved except a small curved area on each flank (just behind the body), the feet, and bands just below the stifle (knee) and above the hock, leaving three pompoms. This clip is now rarely seen in Standard Poodles.

Pet Clips

Pet clips can be as simple or elaborate as the owner wants. The hair under the tail should always be kept short to keep feces from getting matted in the fur. Most owners also keep the feet and face clipped short to keep dirt from matting between toes and food from matting around the dog's muzzle. Beyond the sanitary requirements, the desired clip depends on the owner's preference. Some owners maintain a longer clip in winter than summer. Longer hair should be brushed daily to remove any tangles.

Corded coat

In most cases, whether a poodle is in a pet or show clip, long fur is completely brushed out. Poodle fur can also be "corded" with rope-like mats similar to those of a Komondor. Though once as common as the curly Poodle, corded Poodles are now very rare. Corded coats are difficult to keep clean and take a long time to dry after a bath. Any Poodle with a normal coat can be corded when their adult coat is in. Corded Poodles may be shown in AKC, FCI, CKC and UKC shows.

Temperament

Poodles were developed as a multi-purpose, easily-trained companion dog. They are generally eager to please, sociable, and playful. A personality component of almost all easily-trained breeds is a craving for interaction. Poodles are no exception. They will demand attention, even when you might think you have better things to do.

Lifelong playfulness is a distinctive characteristic of most poodles, and they will want you to join their games. Poodles rarely like playing alone. Most like squeaky toys, tug toys, and chasing balls. Many poodles like to carry and retrieve things, but not with the passion of a lab or a golden retriever.

Most Poodles like to bark, but not excessively (though this varies between dogs).

On off-leash walks, most poodles will stay close to their owners. As with all dogs in this crowded world, you should never let a dog off-leash near traffic or where he might disturb someone else.

Most poodles are highly sociable and like the company of other dogs and people. A dog-aggressive or people-aggressive or shy poodle should not be bred.

Health concerns

With proper care and nutrition, many enjoy life well into their teens. This Toy Poodle just turned 16, and with arthritis medication still has a very active life.

Longevity and Causes of Death

Standard Poodles in UK, Denmark and USA/Canada surveys had a median lifespan of 11.5 to 12 years. In a UK survey, the most common causes of death were cancer (30%), old age (18%), GDV (bloat/torsion, 6%), and cardiac disease (5%).

Miniature and Toy Poodles in UK surveys had median lifespans of 14 to 14.5 years. In Miniature Poodles, the leading cause of death was old age (39%). In Toy Poodles, the leading causes of death were old age (25%) and kidney failure (20%).

Potential health problems

The Poodle has certain health problems it is prone to:

• Addison's disease (hypoadrenocorticism)
• Cataracts
• Congenital heart disease
• Chronic active hepatitis
• Cushing's syndrome (hyperadrenocorticism)
• Distichiasis
• Entropion
• Epilepsy
• Glaucoma
• Intervertebral disc degeneration
• Lacrimal duct atresia
• Legg-Calvé-Perthes syndrome
• Progressive retinal atrophy
• Patellar luxation (Toy and Miniature)
• Trichiasis
• Urolithiasis.
• Hip dysplasia (Standard)
• Hypothyroidism
• Gastric torsion
• Osteosarcoma
• Patent ductus arteriosus
• Sebaceous adenitis
• gastric dilatation-volvulus
• Von Willebrand's disease

All three breeds are predisposed towards certain types of mammary tumors, so if the Poodle owner does not plan on breeding their female, then they should consider spaying her before her first heat cycle. This dramatically cuts down the Poodle's chances of developing quite a few different types of mammary tumors later in life.

They are also predisposed to skin problems and allergies- especially food allergies.

Hybrids

Main article: Poodle hybrid

The Minature poodle, which is of intermediate size between Standard and Toy.

Many hybrids have been created by crossing a Poodle with another breed, such as Labradoodles, Lhasapoos, and Cockapoos. These "hybrids" or "designer dogs" are not, however, recognized breeds by the American Kennel Club (AKC). Poodle hybrids are popular both for the desirability of their temperament and their coats, which are lower shedding and more easily tolerated by owners with allergies. Many breeders promote Poodle hybrids as actual breeds and charge more for them than is usually charged for a mixed-breed dog.

Famous Poodles

• Stephanie Schneider's Argyle Blanket.
• Algonquin from Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
• Basket, Basket II, and Basket III, successive pets of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas
• Boy, pet of Prince Rupert of the Rhine (1619-1682)and killed at the battle of Marston Moor.
• Charley, pet of Nobel Prize author John Steinbeck, a black (referred to as "blue" in the novel) Standard Poodle played Charley in the TV miniseries "Travels with Charley: In Search of America", based on Steinbeck's 1961 book.
• Cleo, from Clifford the Big Red Dog
• Daphne, from the third Look Who's Talking movie
• Fifi, on circus Blinky Bill's Extraordinary Excursion
• Fifi, pet of the Finsters on Rugrats
• Fifi, pet of WWE Superstar Rene Dupree
• Foo-Foo, Miss Piggy's pet on The Muppet Show
• Gigi and Cash, pets of Christian Serratos
• Georgette from Oliver and Company
• Josephine, prized pet of author Jacqueline Susann; inspiration for her 1963 novel, "Every Night, Josephine".
• Misiu & Cricket, pets of The artist Buza source: [1]
• Mocha, pet of Taiwanese American business woman Nikki Hsu
• Puff from The Proud Family
• Rhapsody in White, or 'Butch', of the movie Best in Show
• Roly, the Poodle owned by Sharon Watts in the BBC soap opera EastEnders
• Rufus, pet of Winston Churchill source: [2] retrieved July 31, 2005
• Rufus Lucas, a Brindle turned Silver, renowned for high intelligence.
• Teddy, famous dog of radio talk show host Michael Savage (commentator)Pictures of Teddy
• Yankee Poodle from Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew

• Judy, "The Killer", Toy Poodle owned by Alicia and Waylon of San Leandro, California.

External links

• Poodle Club of America
• Poodle Club of Canada
• Poodle History.org
• Poodle Health Registry
• The Corded Poodle