With their smart hairstyles and royal air, people might think of poodles like delicate aristocrats. However, their origins are far from it, and their personality is open, friendly and ready to get into dirt in the big outdoors. Read on to learn more about this unusually smart, talented race!
They come in three sizes
The standard poodle – which grows to more than 15 inches high and weighs in between 40 and 70 pounds – is the original poodle. These athletic, smart and active dogs were popular enough for people to breed a smaller version of them, the miniature poodle. Similarly in personality with their larger colleagues, the minis will grow to between 10 and 15 inches high and also weigh between 10 and 15 pounds. The smallest, the toy pod, was bred to be a companion dog. Although small without a higher than 10 inches and between four and six pounds, toy seeds are still quite active.
They come in even more colors
If it is true that people start to look like their pets after a while, a Poodle’s owner may come to the salon for a hair color treatment. This is because the coats of these accompanying puppies can be white, black, cream, silver, brown, red, gray, café au lait, apricot, blue or silver beige. This salon had better expanded their product offering.
They can be good for allergic
Another interesting thing about Poodle’s coat is that it is hair, not fur. Their coat also makes these puppies a more appealing opportunity for people with dog allergies because their curly hair traps dead hair, limiting caste and helping to produce fewer allergens. However, grooming is still very important for poodles!
They used to be artists
Poodles are widely considered one of the smartest dog breeds and as such are very training. They also have great personalities and a desire to please their people, so it may not be surprising that they were once circus athletes. It is unlikely that any poodle you adopt will run out to join the circus, but they are sure to be entertaining enough to do so.
They have a story of picking up
Although they have worked in the circus and a number of other fields, Poodle’s background is a little grit than that. They were originally bred to pick up waterfowl hunting. Their apparently snobbish hair cut also had a very practical purpose: to isolate body parts most suitable for being affected by cold water and to minimize the hair elsewhere to help them swim faster.
Their love of water is in their name
Although Poodles worked in the water in the past, it does not mean that they did not enjoy being in it. These days, the breed still tends to be terribly happy to come out of a little wade or swim. And their name reflects it! Poodle is derived from the German word “pfudel” or “poodle” which means “puddle” or “to spray.”
They are practically triathletes
In addition to their natural athletics and swimming, Poodles is one of the best races for runners because they have no problem hitting the trails for a few miles. That’s because they are a very high energy race. If they could only master ride on a bike, they could easily try a sprint triathlon.
They have earned in the White House
The White House does not currently have any pets in residence, but most presidents have had a dog or a cat or even a raccoon (looking at you, Coolidge family). Poodles have been among these presidential animals. Richard Nixon had a poodle named Vicky, who once dived into a goldfish pool, but was pulled out before there was any carnage. Grover Cleveland’s wife First Lady Frances Cleveland also had a poodle named Hector.
One of the more prominent poodles was First Lady Jackie Kennedy’s Gaullie, named after French President Charles de Gaulle. Gaullie is said to be “straight and proud” with “a prominent nose.”
They also hung out with old Romans and Greeks
It is perhaps not surprising that Poodles would advise US presidents because they have been in the thick of politically innovative environments for a few millennia. Poodle-like dogs appear on coins from both the Roman Empire and the ancient Greece. Maybe it’s time to get a few of them on our ballots.
Current French residents love them too
Poodles, as we know them today, come from Germany, but they are most connected to France. It is partly because they are the French national dog. This honor as a national symbol goes back to the government of King Louis XVI, who was among the breed’s biggest fans and had a lot of toy pods.