Even Yukon Cornelius had a poodle on his sled team, you know!
My cat, Rupert, is named after Prince Rupert of the Rhine largely because of Prince Rupert’s association with his poodle Boy. Prince Rupert, general and admiral, seems manly enough from where I sit.
Poodles do have to be clipped regularly because of the nature of their coats, but keep in mind that this is a dog, not a topiary, and you’ll be fine.
I’m reminded of this utterly hilarious story told by Dan Savage about his family’s toy poodle. (edit: possibly NSFW for strong language)
I’ve known men who had both standard and miniature poodles. Alright- I guess the standard poodle belonged to both my grandparents, but I think it as primarily my grandfather’s dog. They can be used as hunting dogs and they’re very normal-looking if you don’t give them the crazy show dog haircut.
See, this is the problem. There might not be anything wrong with the dog. But you’ll be linking yourself to these people.
The only standard poodle I have ever known well was my MIL’s late Maxwell Sebastian. There was something just…off about that dog. Everyone just accepted that he was a flaming dog because every move and look he made exuded it. He was obviously smart but didn’t use it for anything cool. He sulked in depression most of the time and he was quite pissy. I would walk in ready to sit down and watch TV and there he would be laying on his back taking up most of the couch belly up with his head resting a pillow and his paws daintily laid over his face. He would just glance up long enough to give you a go to hell look and make this weird lip move movements before he ignored you completely again.
He knew all the basic tricks but they were painful to watch. Paw shakes were like a virgin princess offering her wrist for a kiss. Sitting was an overly precise affair. I had to take him on walks in Boston’s Back Bay a number of times and it was it was mortifying. I have never felt less manly in my entire life and I even had a pet Shih Tzu once. Don’t think I am projecting either. Maxwell Sebastian got plenty of comments based on mannerisms from strangers over the years. I love almost all dogs and have owned many of them but he was an usual case. I know not all standard poodles are like that but the possibility exists so you better know that if you get a Standard Poodle puppy.
Dan’s hilarious, alright. I used to read his Savage Love column in, I think it was, the Bay Guardian. Advice and humor.
Hey Faggot, if you happen to read this, you’re doing great. 
(for what it’s worth, I’m not gay.) 
Peace,
mangeorge
Do men live with poodles?
I would feel absolutely chock-full of testosterone if I were lucky enough to live with a Standard Poodle. My wife and daughters came home one day a few years back (without telling me where they were going or what they doing) with what I thought was a rather large powderpuff applicator, but turned out instead to be, a schnoodle. Here’s what I’ve learned since that day: some dogs can’t take the hint that they should wander off and live elsewhere when you drop-kick them out the door; a man’s genitals actually shrink when he say’s the word, “schnoodle”; and being seen walking a schnoodle by a man walking a poodle gives him license to look at you like you’re light in the loafers.
No, I won’t. I think it looks weird, but as long as the dogs are happy, I’m happy.
I want my pooch to look like those retrievers linked to by picunurse.
I don’t hunt, btw.
At least the dog is smiling. Dogs do smile.
That looks like smiling to you? It looks like the last thing seen before the Demon Dog ate the cameraman’s face.
The funny thing is, the prissy ugly clips are actually remnants of clips that were intended to make it better at hunting. The weird “half hairless” thing is that it was supposed to keep the hair from snagging, while keeping its vital areas warm and protected from bites. They become popular for nobility and dog groomers because they looked “utilitarian” which was apparently a thing back in France back in the day.
Samoyeds like my late, great Bear smile and do it well. Now there was a dog that could be groomed to a polish so refined it would make your eyes hurt and stop traffic but he was certainly manly. Poodles on the other hand can smile but not nearly as well. Maxwell Sebastian got hit by a car when he was a puppy and it broke his jaw so he had permanently pursed lips as a result which didn’t help matters any.
I’ve known lots of dogs, and all 7 of my grandpuppies do that. Even the great dane. Believe me, the pooch is smiling. And loves it’s little girl to pieces.
Now go to your room.
What would John Wayne say about a man and a poodle. That’s the question you have to ask yourself.
I think the main reason people think poodles are prissy is because of the haircuts. Portugese water dogs are similar in many respects but people dont think of them as prissy because they aren’t usually seen in puffy fancy cuts.
I have a miniature poodle mix. I don’t get her groomed in a fancy cut. Right now, I have her hair shaved to like 1/4" for the summer and you would never even guess she was a poodle. They look like completely normal dogs if you just have their hair trimmed instead of having it clipped in a fancy cut. You have to work at making them look prissy.
My wife, who worked in a vet’s office, claims that is just how they test if you are worthy of joining the Poodle Club and they really just bite your nose a bit. If you don’t flinch you are okay. My daughter’s American Bull Terrier let me join the American Bull Terrier Club, but in this case it involved piercing my ear a bit.
The Little Girls are now allowed on our late Collie’s bed because she drew blood when the Bull looked at her dinner, but I don’t think that was part of any initiation. The Lab cross had hidden the bed when they moved in (honest to God, he shoved it under a cabinet rather than allow them to sully that sacred shrine–he loved her deeply), but now it’s okay because the Bull is a pain but was given what for by a creature a quarter her size.
He didn’t like being an Alpha and apparently attitude counts for more than size when determining an Alpha. And this was the Beta Little Girl. The Alpha is nastier.