Real Standard Poodles

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Introduction
The Poodle Breed
History of the Poodle Breed
Breeding Poodles
Poodles as Working dogs
Poodle Health
Showing Poodles
Our poodles
Next Litter
Latest Litter
Previous Litters
Testimonials
Photo Gallery
Practical Information
Buying a Puppy
Terms & Conditions
Poodle Import / Export
How to Find Us + maps
Contact us
Tel: + 33 (0)468 201142

e-mail: SophieDuncanMcDonald@gmail.com

Other Information
Poodle Web Links
Link to us
Books about Poodles
Adopting an adult dog
Poodle Art
 

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A painting by Danielle Eubank, with the Château de St-Ferriol in the background

 

A painting by Danielle Eubank, with the Château de St-Ferriol in the background

 

A painting by Danielle Eubank, with the Château de St-Ferriol in the background

 

Real French Standard Poodles
French Poodles from the Languedoc, South of France


Giant Standard Poodle. Click for larger picture.Modern dogs are a poor copy of their sturdier ancestors, and many an animal that was once in the forefront of the chase has now been turned by the breeders into a wretched specimen which can hardly hold a sugared biscuit in its mouth without dropping it.
    (Philip Warner, Historian.)

This site is about a strain of Poodle that has avoided the problems caused by certain Poodle breeders.

Real Standard Poodles are still used as healthy working dogs as well as companions.

 

 

Previous Poodle Litters

Here you can find out about real poodles and the history of the poodle breed, also some of the facts about showing poodles, poodle health and poodles as working dogs.

You can also find information about our poodles, including the Next Litter, the Last Litter and Previous Litters. You can read some Testimonials and see our Poodle Photo Gallery.

If you are interested in owning a real poodle puppy, you can find some Practical Information, including Buying a Puppy from us, our Terms & Conditions, some facts about Import / Export, also How to Find Us and how to Contact us.

In the meanwhile, here are ...

... Twelve Things You Didn't Know About Standard Poodles

  1. Standard Poodles were originally water retrievers. They are still good swimmers like their ancestors, and even have webbed feet. The name poodle is closely related to the English word puddle.
  2. Standard Poodles make excellent working dogs. As well as outstanding companions and pets, and of course water retrievers, they make superb police dogs, watch dogs, sheep dogs, guide dogs for the blind, hospital therapy dogs, truffle hounds and circus performers.
  3. Bas-reliefs dating from the first century found along the shores of the Mediterranean portray the Poodle much as it is today.
  4. Poodles are highly intelligent dogs, possibly the most intelligent of all canine breeds and certainly within the top three.
  5. Poodles do not moult. For this reason do not affect many allergy sufferers as other dogs do.
  6. The distinctive cuts associated with poodles are a vestige of their original reprieving roles. They were developed to lighten the dogs' coats and improve their swimming ability, with balls of hair left protect their joints and vital organs from the cold in winter. Even the coloured ribbons in poodles' topknots had a practical function - allowing hunters to identify their own poodles at a distance in the water.
  7. Different areas favoured different poodle cuts, for example Northern European nations use cuts with the fur left on the entire leg for warmth in snow.
  8. In all probability, the poodle breed originated in Germany or possibly in Russia.
  9. The poodle is known as "Puddeln" or "Pudel" in German, meaning a water dog or one that likes splashing in water. In France, the Poodle is known as the "Caniche" or Duck Dog, from its role retrieving duck. A Standard Poodle is a "Caniche Royale"
  10. Poodles are rarely parti-coloured. They are generally black, white, apricot, gray, chocolate brown, red (chestnut) or cream (Apricot or champaigne). A few specialist breeders concentrate on parti coloured dogs - to the fury of more conservative breeders.
  11. A favourite subject of artists for centuries, the Poodle probably appears in more works of art than any other dog.
  12. All of the different sizes of the Poodle are considered to be one breed, from the smallest lap dog to the largest working Standard Poodle. The words Standard, Miniature, and Toy are used to denotes size only, not the breed. The Standard Poodle is the oldest of the three varieties, which is why it is still referred to as Standard. (the lap dogs incidentally were bred down from the Standard over the centuries first by ladies of the French Court, then by kennel club breeders)
 
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© James McDonald, 2007LinksContact by e-mail