If you think Poodles are only for fancy and fashion, then you seriously don’t know anything about the breed. They are pure manifestation of ‘beauty with brains.’ In this article we will learn about the breathtaking and beautiful breed – Poodle. Without wasting any further time, let us learn about some fascinating poodle facts.
Poodle Facts 1-10
1. Many believe that Poodle originated in France but they originated in Germany. Most probably they descended from Barbet (another breed of dog).
2. Earlier type of Poodles existed but the ones that emerged in the 1800s are the ones that were chosen as the right standard.
3. The word Poodle originated from the German word ‘pudel’ meaning splash or puddle.
4. It may be surprising to many people but they were meant to be hunting dogs. They were extremely good at water retrieving.
5. They were intelligent and were eager to please their humans. They were developed as performing dogs and traveled around the world with circuses and troupes.
6. French aristocracy fell in love with them at first sight. They were equally attracted to the Poodle’s personality and hair coat. They realized that the hair coat can be shaped in a number of ways.
7. Though they were treated lavishly and sometimes considered spoilt aristocrats, they were also known by the name ‘caniches’ meaning duck dog in French.
8. As of today, Poodles work in the glamour industry, as guide dogs, and police dogs. They also compete in almost all the dog shows.
9. They are excellent swimmers as they were duck retrievers or water retrievers. Just like Golden Retrievers, they have a very soft mouth – they pick up the dead or wounded animal gently.
10. To do their work, they had to jump in ice cold water. The fur if kept as is, would get wet and weigh the Poodle down. The hunters would trim down the hair or fur of the Poodle where it is not really necessary. The fur remained at certain places to protect vital organs of the body.
Poodle Facts 11-20
11. There are three varieties or sizes of Poodles. It is the only dog breed that comes in these sizes – standard, toy, and miniature.
12. These words describe the size of the dogs. AKC recognizes all these three varieties as a single breed.
13. John Suter, a musher entered the Iditarod dog sled race with all Poodle team in the year 1988. Unfortunately, they didn’t perform well. They had to be dropped at few of the checkpoints.
14. It is because of this team that a rule was included in the dog race – only the northern breeds were to participate in the race. This rule ensured the safety of the breeds that were not made for such races.
15. The fur of a Poodle never stops growing! If proper grooming is not done, the fur will be matted and dread locks develop.
16. The fur of Poodles is hypoallergenic and usually doesn’t have any smell.
17. Thanks to the special hypoallergenic fur, Poodles are crossed with Labrador Retrievers, Wheaten Terriers, Cocker Spaniels, etc. to produce dog breeds with hypoallergenic fur.
18. Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, loved Poodles. He had a lot of Poodles at Graceland. He gave each Poodle to his lovers. He gave ‘Little Bit’ to one girlfriend and ‘Honey’ to his wife, Priscilla.
19. Did you know that Poodles are the second most intelligent dog breed in the world?
20. Nala a teacup poodle knows how to operate lifts. No one taught her, she figured it out herself. She uses elevator to visit the residents at a local nursing home where her human parent works. She prefers to travel in the elevator alone.
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Poodle Facts 21-30
21. Just like the Retrievers, they are capable of doing any or almost every work assigned to them.
22. They are very intelligent and active. If they are not exercised properly or given enough playtime, they can get destructive.
23. It is important that you train your Poodle else he/she may think that he/she is the leader of the pack (family) and boss around you. This is especially true for miniature and toy varieties.
24. They need a professional groomer every three to six weeks!
25. They have weepy eyes. This means that the fur surrounding the eyes get moist. To avoid this, you can simply wipe their face with a cloth dipped in warm water or a pet wipe which is alcohol free.
26. They are a very old breed. Egyptian and Roman tombs and artifacts have carvings of Poodles on them which date back to 1 BCE.
27. According to a few theories, they are believed to have descended from Asian herding dogs. These dogs traveled with Ostrogoth and Germanic Goth and eventually became a German dog.
28. As per few other sources, they originated in Asian Steppes. They reached Portugal in the 8th century. They came with the Moors.
29. The miniature and toy varieties were bred by crossing two small Poodles.
30. The job of a standard Poodle was to hunt ducks, that of miniature Poodle was to sniff truffles out of the jungles. The toy Poodle’s task was to accompany noble and clergymen.
Poodle Facts 31-40
31. The toy Poodles were kept in their shirtsleeves by rich pet parents during the Renaissance period. This earned them the nickname ‘sleeve dogs.’
32. England’s Kennel Club registered first Poodle in the year 1874. American Kennel Club registered Poodle in 1886. However, no one knows for sure when these Poodles entered America.
33. Poodles became popular during World War II. There was no turning back from then on for the Poodle as it remained one of the favorite dog breeds in the US.
34. They are very good with families, children, and even other pets. However, they get a little wary of strangers.
35. They don’t bark until and unless they need or have to.
36. Some of the diseases that Poodles are susceptible to are gastric-dilation volvulus, Addison’s disease, epilepsy, Cushing’s disease, patellar luxation, hypothyroidism, Legg-Perthes disease, optic nerve hypoplasia, etc.
37. Don’t overfeed a Poodle as it tends to get overweight.
38. As they are extremely intelligent, they may learn bad habits very fast. It is necessary to not to teach any bad or wrong habits.
39. The hair is of different colors – cream, black, blue, gray, silver, white, apricot, brown, etc. The hair is curly, dense, and wiry. AKC allows only four clip styles for Poodles. Poodles don’t shed any hair.
40. They become high maintenance dogs, thanks to their hair. You have to spend a lot of money on their grooming or you need to spend a lot of time on your pooch grooming.
Poodle Facts 41-45
41. An average dog can learn about 165 words in its lifetime but a Poodle can learn over 400 words in its lifetime.
42. International Poodle Standard recognizes another variety of Poodle between Miniature and Standard Poodle called Moyen Poodle.
43. The average weight of standard Poodle is 45 and 70 pounds, for Moyen Poodle is 20 to 30 pounds, and for Miniature Poodle is 15 to 17 pounds.
44. The average height of Standard Poodle is 22 to 27 inches and that of the Moyen Poodle is 15 to 20 inches. The average height of the Miniature Poodle is 11 to 15 inches, and that of Toy Poodle is 10 inches.
45. AKC has put Poodle under ‘Non-sporting’ category and UKC has put Poodle under ‘companion dog’. Lifespan of a Standard Poodle is 12 to 14 years and Toy Poodles can live up to 17 years.
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