poodles are so funny looking to me 
but for some reason I’ve become attracted to them! I think I would have preferred to get the big standard poodle…there’s 3 standard, mini, & toy & teacup 2-3 lbs!
but I live in building where no dogs are allowed so I’m going to sneak it around in a bag, but looking to move anyway…well I bought a toy poodle tonight from a breeder and she’ll be shipping him to me by next weekend. I can’t wait! I hope I love him! anyone with poodle experience?
mine was extrememly smart and very high strung, most are at least high strung, couldnt tell you about smart.
they can be pretty mean dogs if mistreated so be extra nice or be ready to have a dog that bites.
Ack! The pubic hair dogs! I do not wish for the snatch the licks back…
Cerri’s right on the high strung part. You may be moving sooner than you want, as the toys tend to bark at anything. However, our miniture poodle is wonderful (if you ignore the barking thing). He’s terribly smart, and very loving. You’ll have a great companion if you are willing to invest the time in training and simply bonding.
We’ve had our standard for ten years now. He’s very loyal, very affectionate and extremely high strung.
Since the smaller versions pack all the traits into a tinier package, I can’t imagine how high-strung a miniature, toy or teacup could be.
By the way, we give our poodle what’s called a “puppy” or “lamb” cut so he doesn’t look ridiculous.
Personally I would avoid poodles marketed as “teacup” poodles. The teacup label is just a marketing gimmick, not an official classification as toy/mini/standard are. Plus the extremely small dogs are often sickly.
That said, I have had a toy poodle for 14 years and counting. She’s been wonderful. The extra grooming they need compared to many other breeds is the only real downside I can think of. I would agree that poodles are very smart dogs…one of the smartest breeds by many accounts. They also tend to be extremely loyal and attached to their owners, so plan on spending a lot of time with the dog.
Good luck with your new pup.
Speaking as a diehard field hound fancier … I’m really impressed with poodles. Grew up with them, and took care of my mother’s elderly miniature until she died last year. They’re very trainable, which doesn’t necessarily mean “smart” (in my experience, the smartest dogs tend to be the least interested in doing what a human directs them to) but in the case of poodles usually does. Almost all of them have very sweet dispositions and love to cuddle. They’re excellent at detecting human moods and do their best to take care of their owners.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that their fluffy coats house fluffy brains: poodles retain their hunting dog traits, but they don’t always have the soft mouths you’d expect of a retriever. The aforementioned brown miniature was more vicious than most terriers when in the presence of rodents. In a household that raised exotic mice and other small mammals, cages had to be kept very high (shd’e climb up on chairs or ladders to get to them if she could) and extreme care had to be extercised during cage cleaning, or she’d tear through the cage lids to get at the cowering critters inside.
The cons: the barking has already been mentioned. They’re much more energetic than you’d necessarily expect. They’re not nervous, just full of “go.” Standard poodles tend to be mellower than the smaller varieties, but still, take care when selecting one as they are all individuals. Temperament also tends to vary by color, which is probably more indicative of bloodlines than color per se; ever since a top poodle breeder mentioned that I’ve paid attention and it seems to be true. Poodles respond well to rules, but if they grow up without them, they can be holy terrors. “Smart” and “high energy” are a bad combination in an undisciplined dog.
Epilepsy is common in the breed, and in my experience breeders lie through their teeth about it. It’s not necessarily less common in the more popular, expensive bloodlines, either. Our last poodle’s sire sold for $15,000 a few weeks before we bought her, and both he and our dog had it. Poodles’ eyes tear a lot due to shortened tearducts, and need regular attention. Grooming in general is expensive, and although you can do it at home, it’s time consuming and usually best left to a pro. They tend toward rotten or missing teeth and require regular dental care. According to several vets I’ve known over the years, all poodles develop bad backs in their elderly years, courtesy more of their active lifestyles than built in structural issues like those in dachshunds. Hindleg joint trouble is also common, particularly in older dogs.
As for the so-called “teacups” - what lavenderviolet said.
oh no you guys scared me a bit. The breeder said her poodles aren’t hyper at all. She said if the parents aren’t hyper the pups aren’t…so it may depend on the bloodlines??..but boy am i nervous now! I hope I didn’t make a huge mistake purchasing a toy poo.
I really appreciate everyone’s opinion, thank you so much. I have some thinking to do…
I haven’t encountered many tryly “hyper” poodles - those that bounce off the walls mindlessly, as opposed to those that are just purposefully active. Toya and miniatores are barkers, though. You might think “they’d be a great alarm dog,” but they sound too many false alarms; people walking on the other side of the street, blowing leaves, house settling creaks, and so on. Standards tend to be mellower when it comes to barking. The majority of standards I’ve met, though, are rather aloof.
Too many Poodles are owned by older people that, for some reason, are hesitant to socialize their dogs with others. I see a lot of poodles that dislike other dogs, but it’s definitely not a breed trait; it’s usually the fault of an overprotective owner. Poodles, like most very intelligent dogs, really need to be socialized with other dogs. They may look fluffy and frail, but they go head-to-head with the big dogs at a dog park or doggie day care. Getting them out there early and often is critical.
I’ll second, third or fourth the statement that toy poodles bark. In obedience class, they tend to do well. They are well suited to agility, if you’re into doggy sports. They, like other retrievers, want to please their owners, which makes them biddable dogs.
This said - most of the toys I have met over the years have a tendency to be dog-aggressive so it’s a good idea to socialize them early. Go to puppy kindergarten and socialize the living daylights out of your puppy.
Be sure you are able to keep on top of the discipline with a toy breed. Most people don’t because, well, they’re small and how much damage can a toy dog do! Be sure to teach it not to mouth/bite from very early on. Apply the same principles of puppy training to a toy breed as you would a large breed.
Good luck with the pup. Good luck with keeping it quiet, too 
You may want to move earlier than you had planned to. If you do things the right way, and if you crate train the pup, there will be plenty of times when he will bark and be heard.
There’s “hyper”, and then there’s “active”. The “hyper” dog is rare, even among terriers. “Active” or “game” is very common. You just have to deal with your dog’s activity needs. (An R/C car is great. You can charge it up and zoom it around and by the time the batteries are dead, the dog is tired. Or at least the edge is taken off.)
The bloodlines play a big part in your dog’s temperament. That’s why it’s nice to get a look at the parents and the puppy before you buy. A good breeder will also help you pick a dog that fits your lifestyle.
Ideally the “thinking” part comes before the “buying” part.
About the sickly part, a big problem in the extreme toy breeds is hypoglycemia. They just can’t eat enough to maintain their blood sugar. They can die of this. It’s important that you feed the dog on a regular schedule and watch for signs of severe lethargy, stumbling after it’s been active because it may have burned up all it’s sugar. Also, if it gets sick for another reason (diarrhea or vomiting) it’s blood sugar will bottom out pretty fast. You can keep something on hand to give them in emergencies, we recommend Nutrical. It’s high calorie but also has vitamins and is flavored so it’s easier and better than just giving karo syrup.
Behavior has as much to do with upbringing as with breeding. If you socialize the puppy and learn some basic animal behavior so you don’t inadvertently reinforce the bad behavior you should be okay. A puppy training class would be good for this.
Breeding is going to be responsible for other problems and long term health. If you get the puppy from a good responsible breeder then you may be okay, but even the best most conscientious can have problems crop up. Check the pedigree for in-breeding, this is bad.
I would never recommend buying a puppy sight unseen. You should always visit the breeder and see both parents if possible and watch the puppies play and interact. There’s also things you should watch for when choosing a puppy and “tests” you should perform, like picking the puppy up and turning it over on it’s back - how it reacts will tell you some things about the puppy. Do a search for puppy temperament testing for more information.
Good luck.
I come down on the pro-side for some of the reasons mentioned: smart & energetic - in addition to one I haven’t seen mentioned: They don’t shed. IMHO, the biggest drawback to having a dog in the house is the hair that ends up everywhere. True, you could find other non-shedding terrier breeds - but they tend to be ‘loonier’.
My uncle, who does alot of volunteer work for a local Seeing Eye Dog foundation is constantly raving about what a good breed the Labradoodle is, but that’s second hand and I personally don’t know anyone who has one.
This much I do know - they are cute but damn expensive
Hyper is as hyper does. When we come home our standard is so happy to see us that he runs back and forth between each of us, time after time. If he hears a squirrel eating a nut 12 miles away he’ll charge through the house to the furthest window and bark for 10 minutes. I guess you can call that “purposefully active” if you want.
And yes, the standards will bark at leaves blowing, houses settling, or, in my experience, the change of seasons.
By the way, we have to keep our standard on a short leash, becuase left on his own he will a) bolt b) play keepaway for hours c) eat pine needles and d) start throwing up and require a trip to the vet.
cough That’s not a breed, it’s a mutt, a mixed breed, a cross. Combining two pure breeds does not make a new breed, it makes a mutt. Combining two breeds in one generation does not breed true. You can have a whole litter where every puppy looks different, some will look labradorry and others poodley and some in between. It takes several generations and breeding for certain traits to make a new breed.
In the “old days” those were called mistakes and were given away, not sold for large amounts of money because it’s “rare and unique”. Heck, it’s possible to cross a Chihuahua with a German Shepherd and that would be rare and unique, but why do it? If you want a labrador with a curly coat, get a Curly Coated Retriever. It hasn’t been popularized and overbred so chances are good you could find a nice, smart, mellow dog.
Besides it’s a bit too big to carry around in a bag.
Sorry for the hijack, it’s just a sore point for me.
I’ve always had a poodle around the house. Things of note:
A: They are smart. They may be smarter than you are. The only dog smarter than a good poodle is a border collie.
B: The big ones are calmer. Takes a few years, but they grow really mellow.
C: They make excellent guard, hunting, watch, pretty much any kind of dog you want to train them as, besides pets. They’re not as heavy as some, but they really know how to protect. They also know how to deal with young children and are very forgiving of being used as toys.
D: They do not shed. Their fur must be clipped. This makes them hypoallergenic… and also a mild pain to be dealt with.
E: They are incredibly social. Get two. If you have one, make friends with a neighbor who also has a dog. This also solves ‘running away’ problems… the dog will run over to the neighbor’s house to play.
F: The little ones can be psychotic. They’re definately, as a breed, more inclined to being nasty biters.
If you need a good breeder in the northeast, ask. We’ve had quite a few over time.
Oh, on colors and temperment. Black and white are very solid. Apricot and red can be more than a bit twitchy. Chocolate, grey, and blue can go either way, but are nearly as stable as black and white.
Famous poodles! Charley, from John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley was a standard poodle.
It’s a very good description of a ten to twelve year old poodle.
If you want to see a ticked off Standard in action, The Hulk by Ang Lee has a standard poodle as a ‘hulk dog’. It is very accurate, both in how it behaves… motion capture, after all, but in how it decided to stop fighting something it couldn’t handle, and go after something else. Poodles are smart. Many can open doors. Even doorknobs. Mine likes to turn on the TV. Heck, mine watches TV. Likes nature shows with bears and also likes soccer.
I know a couple of Standard poodles that aren’t the best behaved but that was the owner’s fault. They both seem very smart and desperately needing some mental stimulation. They often get into trouble and I’m sure they do it on purpose for the attention. They also bark…a lot.
As someone who’s worked in rescue for ages, I have to say that NO reputable breeder would sell a dog to someone who lives in a no-dogs-allowed building. She also would have educated you on the breed before allowing you to have one. I urge you to rethink this venture and wait until you are in better housing and can research the breed further.
I have a black Standard poodle. She’s just over a year old, and one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever known. She’s not a barker - none of my dogs are. I strongly discourage barking unless there’s something that better be worth barking at. I am in the middle of hundreds of unoccupied acres, but she’s rarely out of my sight. Of all my dogs she’s the one who’ll be at my side when I walk to the barn to feed my horse, etc. She enjoys hunting in the fields with the other dogs, but comes at a whistle. She doesn’t chase my cats, but she’d really like to play if they were willing. She’s very calm, spending evenings on the floor at my side. She doesn’t mind her crate at all and willingly runs in it in the mornings when I go to work. Recently I’ve started letting her hang out in the kitchen with my doberman, Grace, and she’s doing fine. She’d gladly sleep on my bed, but I don’t have room and she always waits for an invitation before she jumps up to lei on top of my legs while I’m reading.
I really believe that often you’ll get from dogs what you put into them. I live a quiet, peaceful life. I’ve always had quiet calm dogs. I treat them with lots of love and respect and they love me back.
Good luck with your new pet.
StG