The
poodle is an old breed. Itīs origin was probably south
of Europe
during the Middle Ages and then spread all over Europe.
The biggest
poodle was commonly used as a retriever as well as a
travelling
circusdog. The poodle was clipped to resemble a lion
with shaved back
so that he could swim better. Full coat was left round
the dogs chest
and balls of hair were used to protect their joints
in the cold water.
A color ribbon was knotted in the hair of the head so
that the hunter
could recognize his dog. A smaller poodle did early
develop from the
big poodle and by crossbreeding with other small toydogs
the toypoodle
was born. The toypoodle was very popular in France as
a lapdog at court.
The poodle has always been brushed and clipped and these
toypoodles
were clipped like the bigger poodles in the lionclip.
It`s possible that
either Germany or Russia was the Poodle's country of
origin, although
France seems to be the country most responsible for
popularizing the
breed both as a family pet and sporting dog. In that
country, the
breed is known as the "caniche", a name derived from
the French
word for duck. The Poodle got his name from the German
word pudel,
meaning to splash in water.
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Poodles
come in four sizes: The standard poodle is over 18 inches
(45-60 centimeters) at the highest point at the shoulders.
The
miniature poodle is between 14 to 18 inches high (35-45
centimeters).
The dwarfpoodle is between 11.2 to 14 inches high (28-35
centimeters)
and finally the toypoodle is under 11 inches at the
highest point of the
shoulders (under 28 centimeters). In other countries
there are only three
sizes of poodles: standards, miniature and toys. The
poodle colours
are: black, brown, apricot, white and silver.
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The
Toy Poodle can be an ideal companion for the less active
and those with
limited living space. The breed makes a fine little
watch dog, protective
of his home but not a dog that barks at every thing
that moves. Poodles are
nice
to train and compete with in obedience because they
are more easy to
bring up than many other breeds. Poodles donīt shed
like ordinary breeds and
therefore some dog allergics could have the breed. But
the coat grows
throw the dogs life and you have to maintain it or pay
others to do it. It
should be brushed frequently and clipped regularly about
four times a year
minimum. Poodles and Children do fine together, but
both need to be
taught with patience how to treat the other. They need
to know fro certain
what is and is not
allowed.
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