French Standard Poodles
South of France
Facts about the Standard Poodle
 The
Poodle is one of the most popular breeds of dogs in the World.
Here are some facts about Standard Poodles:
- Place of Origin: Medieval Europe
- Function: Originally retrievers and flushers of birds,
now mainly used as companions.
- Life span: 10-14 years
- Coat Type: Curly, non-shedding
- Height: 15 inches +
- Weight (typical):Dogs 45-70 pounds (20-32kg.) Bitches
45-60 pounds (20-27kg.)
Function
- Shooting Still excellent water hunting dogs.
- Watchdog: Very high potential
- Protection: Average capability
- Trainability: Very high potential
Nature
- Intelligence: Very high
- Activity Level: Medium - but will not object to high
levels of exercise
- Character: Accepting, loyal, adaptable, gentle, obedient.
Owners will tell you that they are intelligent enough to have
a sense of humour.
- Good with children?: High to medium, a good family
dog
- Good with other pets?: Medium
- Good with strangers?: Accepting
- Active? very active, intelligent, and elegant. A proud
dog who needs attention.
Poodles make good companions and are extremely loyal, sometimes
to the point of being possessive. Well-trained Poodles are eager
to please. The owner should be a competent trainer, as poodles
can be wilful if poorly trained. As a good working rule, if you
do not train your standard poodle then it will train you.
Keeping
- Environment: Unimportant as long as they get lots of
exercise
- Best Owner: Patient consistent leader with time to
play and exercise, a good family dog
- Potential Behavioural Problems: Standards have better
temperament than miniatures but need more exercise. As long
as they are exercised and not spoiled they will not misbehave.
- Potential Physical Problems: Properly bred dogs are
not likely to suffer from any genetic conditions, but dogs bred
for showing, especially in countries where inbreeding is common,
may have genetic problems. Most of the serious ones you cannot
see, but you can see eye problems, excessive tearing - stained
face, ear problems and repeated infections.
Grooming
Body fur is naturally curly, often in small tight clumps of small
curly ringlets. Hair on the ears can be straight or slightly curly.
Poodles do not shed and are considered a hypoallergenic breed.
Regular grooming is recommended, with occasional baths if your
dog does not work as a water retriever, and clipping every six
to eight weeks. Ears should be checked regularly for mites and
ear hair should be pulled out if necessary. Teeth may need scaling
if the dog has a poor diet. Nail trimming needed only if not properly
worked.
Clips
If your poodle is a working water retriever you might favour
one of the traditional clips: the English Saddle Clip, Continental
clip or Lion Clip, with the rear half of the body shaved, bracelets
left around the ankles, and pom-poms left on the tail and hips.
Otherwise it is kinder for all concerned to stick to the plain
Lamb Clip - with hair same length all over, which is also easier
and more economical to maintain. Alternatively the Pet Clip" (or
Puppy Clip), with relatively short hair all over the body and
close shaved paws and nose.
 Other
- The Poodle is often called the "French Poodle" because of
its popularity in France, where it is the national dog. Signs
in France which show a silhouette of a dog generally feature
a dog that is recognisable as a poodle.
- Brown Poodles tend to become prematurely grey.
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