The Standard Poodle

A Very Big Poodle Kiss

Breed Overview

The Poodle was a favorite of the French aristocracy and became the national dog of France. It’s characteristic “hair-do” was noted and became the standard. The Poodle population in America waned, so that in the late 1920’s, Poodles had almost died out in America. During the 1930’s, the breed staged a comeback that eventually placed it as the all time most popular dog in America.

All Poodles need a LOT of interaction with people. They also need considerable mental and physical exercise.

The original function of the Standard Poodle was that of a water retriever. Today, it serves as a companion dog.

Standard Poodle Profile

Very trainable. This is an intelligent breed. Use clicker training for excellent results. Positive reinforcement helps too. Pick up a clicker for around $3 at a pet store. It’s a very simple process.

Crate Training

Want to crate train your Standard Poodle puppy? It’s easy and if you’re interested, take a look and you’ll see what to do. Crate training your puppy will save many headaches and problems.

Potty Training

Standard Poodle puppies are pretty easy to house train, potty train, toilet train, housebreak or whatever you want to call it. If you have a puppy, decide if you want to crate or paper potty train it. For the best results, we have a page at Crate vs Paper Potty Training which will help you decide and from there you can get all the information you need to get the job done. Always praise the pup profusely when she goes potty in the RIGHT PLACE so she knows she has done a good thing. Either method will work for this breed.

If you have an older dog, take the dog outside every two hours until she gets the idea which door leads to her potty area. Older dogs catch on to the potty or housebreaking pretty fast once they are shown what to do.

The Standard Poodle is obedient and always eager for fun, adventure and excitement, especially with it’s family. This dog loves to run, explore, hunt and swim. She’ll even make a good jogging partner. This dog gets along well with most people.

If you happen to get a Standard Poodle a with separation anxiety problem, that can be dealt with by investing a few hours of work on your part and some “tough love.”

A groomed Standard Poodle standing
against a beautiful light blue and purple sky.

Friendly Toward Other Dogs

Picks his dog friends. He likes some, not most others. The Standard Poodle is not aggressive, but he likes his own space. With dogs,. He can take a few and leave many.

Friendly Toward Other Pets

The poodle can acclimate and adjust to being around other pets, but it may take some time. I have known of some cat-Poodle-bird relationships that went along just fine.

Friendly Toward Strangers

Standard Poodles love people. (Some can be reserved with people they don’t know.) They need to be around people all the time. (They don’t do well if left alone too much, so take heed if you are a two person working family.)

Playfulness

Quite playful. Loves to roll around, fetch a ball and enjoy life. He, like his smaller brothers, like to have fun.

Fairly affectionate. I’ve known more affectionate dogs, but this one does pretty well. I’d give the Standard Poodle 6 bars out of 10 for affection.

Yes. but keep toddlers at bay. Toddlers and large Poodles don’t mix well, as the dog can easily overwhelm and injure the toddler.

Teach children how to act around a dog. The Standard Poodle can tolerate quite a bit, but young kids can be downright horrible to a dog so watch them closely and train them well before getting the dog.

Good with Seniors over 65?

Good for a senior, BUT, the Standard Poodle could weigh 65 pounds. As long as the senior can take walks and drive a car to the vet, the Poodle could become a best friend.

Having a doggie door and a fenced yard to play in is a plus. If the senior can walk the dog twice a day, fine. This is a great companion dog, plenty of love and cuddle time suits the Poodle. It would enjoy the brushing and affection time a senior would be able to give it.

Living environment

Apartment, farm, city loving all OK.

This Poodle might appreciate a large fenced yard to play in and fetch a ball for exercise but it’s not mandatory.

Tan Standard Poodle sleeping

Energy level

Two long walks, play time with a ball and a nap in the sun keep this guy happy.

Excellent watchdog. Will bark if a snake grabs a gopher in the back yard.

Good guard dog. They won’t kill the intruder, but they can give him a scare.

Yes, heavy. See professional groomer every 6 to 8 weeks if you are using a standard “dog” cut and every 4 weeks of using a standards “Poodle” cut. (You do NOT need to keep that show-dog look. Most people around here just get a regular “dog” cut.

Brush the Poodle every day to prevent mats and tangled fur, which is curly anyway. Top

The book on the right is by the American National Red Cross and deals with dog emergencies, illnesses and injuries. It’s a valuable reference manual for all dog owners. ________________________________________________ Top

In the event you decide to go looking for Standard Poodle puppies, be SURE to find reputable breeders that really know what they are doing. Be sure the puppy has been well socialized and started in obedience training.
Standard Poodle Breeders with puppies for sale.

Standard Poodle Rescue

In the event you are seriously considering the adoption of a Standard Poodle and are looking for a rescue group or groups in your state, here are several links that might help:
Petfinder – Dog Rescue – (Nationwide) When adopting, try to find out what dog health problems might have occurred in the past.
Adopt A Pet This is an interesting site that may give you some ideas. There are Standard Poodle Rescue sites online too, as well as your local kennels.

This is basically a healthy breed. Don’t let the list below scare you! Your own dog will probably never have ANY of these problems. These are dog illness and medical issues this breed is prone to that have been listed by various veterinarians at different times over the past decade or so and some pertain to puppies and very young dogs that a breeder would deal with.

The information contained herein has been gathered from numerous books by veterinarians and is intended as general information only. Every dog and situation is different. You must see your vet. Our information is for general interest only and not intended to replace the advice provided by your own veterinarian.

Sebaceous adenitis—Mostly a cosmetic disorder, affecting appearance and not the dog’s health. Sebaceous glands help prevent dry skin and they become inflamed and die off. Some breeds have dry, scaly skin and patches of hair loss on top of the head, neck and back of the Samoyed, Std. Poodle and Akita. Severely affected dogs have areas of thick skin and extensive hair loss with a musty or rancid odor plus secondary skin infections. In short-coated breeds like the Vizsla, there is a moth-eaten look about the dog’s coat with some scaling to the trunk, head and ears. Treatments include an anti-seborrheic shampoo and fatty-acid dietetic supplements as well as a special topical spray and certain oral supplements. Recovery is very slow.