Poodles
They excel in dog sports, such as agility, and even can make great service or therapy dogs. Giving them a job will help keep their minds and bodies happy and healthy.
The poodle is a hypoallergenic breed with minimal shedding, so these dogs can be an option for those with allergies. The coarse, curly, low-shedding, single-layer coat of a poodle grows continuously. It needs regular haircuts to keep it looking its best. Most owners keep the coat short for easier maintenance. You can either learn how to trim it at home or take your poodle to a groomer roughly every four to six weeks.
Regular brushing is essential, as the hair is retained in the coat rather than being shed. This can lead to painful matting if you don’t brush your poodle fully to the skin. It’s best to brush at least two to three times per week, and some owners do so daily.
Baths and nail trims will be required about every four to six weeks. Also, check your dog’s ears at least weekly to see whether they need cleaning or have any abnormalities. Finally, aim to brush your dog’s teeth every day.
Some poodles, particularly light-colored dogs, will have tear staining. A vet can examine your dog to ensure there isn’t a blockage in the nasolacrimal duct. If the dog is healthy, you can keep their face clean by wiping it with a damp cloth daily and using a bit of hydrogen peroxide to remove any stains.
Like all dogs, poodles require proper training and socialization to be happy and well-adjusted. Because poodles are extremely smart and eager to please, they can easily be trained to perform a variety of commands and tricks and can do well in dock diving and agility training. They can even be used as service dogs.
Also, start socialization as early as possible by exposing your dog to different people, other dogs, and various settings. Most poodles love people and can even be good in multi-pet households when raised with other pets. Plus, poodles are generally good around children.
Poodle Traits and Temparments Poodles are highly intelligent and social dogs. According to the AKC Breed Traits and Characteristics https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/poodle-standard/ Affectionate with family 5 Lovey Dovey Good with young children 5 Good with children Good with other dogs 3 Average Shedding level 1 No shedding Coat Grooming Frequency 4 Several times per week Drooling Level 1 Less likely to drool Coat Type Curly Coat Length Long Openness to Strangers 5 Everyone is my best friend Playfulness 5 Non-Stop Watchdog/Protective Nature 5 Vigilant Adaptability Level 4 Very Adaptable Trainability Level 5 Eager to please Energy Level 4 Energetic Barking Level 4 Vocal Mental Stimulation Needs 5 Needs a Job or activity Poodle Colors Poodles come in their own range of colors and coat patterns. AKC recognized colors include Black, Blue, Gray, Silver, Cream, Silver Beige, Red, Apricot, Brown, Café Au Lait, and White. Coat Patterns In the AKC show ring, conformation dogs are solid in color. However, there are all kinds of great coat patterns that can occur. Parti Parti coats can have any poodle color and the other 50% is white. If it is less than 50% it is called an abstract. Tuxedo Tuxedo are controlled by the same genes as a Parti poodle but have less white. Tuxedos usually have a white chest, bellies, and often white socks. Sometimes it will look like their tails are dipped in white paint. Ticking Flecks of color all over the dog are ticking. The ticking will appear to have tiny white holes in the dog’s base color. Phantom Phantom is a recessive gene, both parents need to carry the gene for it to be expressed in a pup. It is a combination of Black and Tan or Brown and Tan. The “tan” portion can vary in color to pale cream, warm brown, or a reddish-brown. Brindle Brindle coats are striped. The size and intensity can vary. Sable Sable comes in a variety of colors. A sable coat will have black-tipped ends to each strand of hair. Abstract Any color of the coat with a splash of white. Often times it appears as a chest blaze or “socks” on the feet. Merle Merle genes do not occur naturally in poodles. If a poodle carries this gene, it would have been introduced by another breed at some point. The patterning is a beautiful, mottled coat which can be accompanied by blue or odd colored eyes. If both parents carry the Merle gene, the pup could be deaf, blind or have ocular defects. Roaning A pattern that will produce heavily mottled white areas. This is to be confused with ticking, ticking is spots of color on white. Roan coats are never present in purebred poodles. Some of these coat pattens can occur together. Such as a Brindle Parti Poodle or a Sable Parti. Health and Lifespan Most poodles will live a long and healthy life. Standard poodles, miniature poodles and toy poodles, have life spans ranging from 10-18 years of life. It is important that your breeder tests for hereditary genetic conditions. Some frequent poodle health issues are: Hip Dysplasia Eye Disorders Idiopathic epilepsy Sebaceous adenitis (Standard) von Willebrand’s Disease Legg-Calve-Perthes (Toy & Miniatures) Luxating Patellas (Toy & Miniatures) Gastric dilation with volvulus (bloat) Review our Health Guarantee. Exercise Poodles are active dogs who need daily exercise. Whether that is going for a walk or a marathon session of catch in your backyard, the need a venue to unleash that energy in a positively. They also love to swim, since they were bred to hunt water fowl. Training Poodles are highly intelligent and eager to please. This makes training a poodle a bit easier than other breeds. They enjoy canine sports such as agility training, obedience or tracking and dock diving. Potty Training Show Me Doodles pups will arrive Potty Pad & Crate Conditioned. We use both washable and disposable potty pads. By 8 weeks and 4 days, when they are ready to come home, they will be using potty pads only. We confine the pups in a puppy play pen. We will open the pen and let them walk to the door to go outside and potty (only after their 1st vaccination and only in our backyards.) They can then come inside and play. Potty pads are available to them in designated areas, however, by this time they really only need the pad that is in their pen for overnight.