standard poodles are a joy to live with

Very intelligent, companionable, clean, and athletic, they excel at all
kinds of work and play.  Better yet, they keep their enthusiasm and
 youthful outlook on life well into old age, satisfied to lay by your side
 while you read a book or ready to bounce around when the leash comes ou
 Should one become available, retired show dogs make an excellent choice,
usually being well-socialized and trained, as well as being housebroken
 and done with their teething!
         

       
 

Standard Poodles are very social

 It's part of their charm.  This means they should have companionship, preferably
 their human family or another Standard Poodle or two around to keep
them company.  Dogs are pack animals, and over the years, we've bred them
to be even more social to enhance their ability to work and play with us.
  It's unfair to expect one of those dogs to live in social isolation,
 alone while you're gone at work all day.

 
                                   
           
         
                                   
 
multiple standard poodles
make their own fun

Multiple Standard Poodles are very good at making up their own games to
 amuse themselves.  I once came home to find one of my dining room chairs
halfway out the dog door - not a tooth mark on it.  I always wondered if they
had planned on playing musical chairs in the yard while the birds sang along.
   
     
 
                                   
 
 

healthy poodles are happy poodles

No good breeder would knowingly bring unhealthy puppies into the world.
  A big advantage for Standard Poodle breeders is a large gene pool
worldwide from which to choose potential mates.  Well documented
information on inherited health issues, testing with national registries
to keep track of them, and a parent club which generously funds research
 to find genetic markers so removing carrier and affected Poodles
 from breeding can become easy and reliable, help make a purebred
Standard Poodle the best it can be.  When considering your next
Standard Poodle puppy, you should ask about and be shown copies
 of test results.
 
                                   
       
 
                                   
 

what if I just want a pet?

Wanting "just a pet" is excellent, although Standard Poodles seldom
ever become "just" pets.  Most good breeders plan their litters with
 specific goals in mind for color, sex, conformation, or performance
ability, and if one or two of the puppies fit the bill, they're ecstatic!
  No matter how hard a breeder tries, total perfection in a litter is
virtually unattainable.  Choosing a puppy from a "show" breeder means
 the rest of the puppies will have all the sizeable advantages of testing,
 socialization, and careful breeding decisions that produced the "pick"
 puppies in the litter, and could well be the perfect puppy you're looking
 for!  If you feel the need to "rescue" a puppy from a bad situation
with a breeder who can't be bothered to do things the right way,
doesn't register her dogs with the AKC, or offers a cheap price tag,
you will only be supporting people who don't breed with the best
interests of the dogs at heart.  You will be choosing a Poodle you
have for years to come - testing, showing, and careful breeding
cost money, and in the end, you get what you pay for.
 
                                   
               
 
 

purebred or not?

Remember, no dogs are perfect, either physically or genetically.  The purebred
 dog fancy as a whole is the biggest lay group actively funding and supporting
research into health issues in dogs.  What better way to support this good work
 than by getting your Poodle from a breeder who tests her dogs and utilizes
the information to make better breeding decisions.  Also remember,
while some people turn up their noses at purebreds, mixed-breed dogs aren't
 necessarily any healthier.  "Hybrid vigor" is largely overstated and doesn't
reliably extend beyond the first generation.  It stands to reason that a
 breeding of two outstanding individuals would produce at least some quality
offspring.  Unfortunately, few dogs randomly crossbred would necessarily
produce the best qualities of both parents, and individuals allowed to breed
indiscriminately are unlikely to be the best specimens.
     
 

You should also consider a dog from Poodle
Rescue.  You can access this information
 at the websites for the AKC or the Poodle Club
of America, or contact me for a referral.
               
 
 

what's the deal with the hair?

Poodles come in a variety of colors, and can wear that hair in a lot of cool styles.
  Standard Poodles were originally a German water-retrieving dog.  Before the 
days of electric clippers, hunters would cut off the hair on the hindquarters 
(we're dog-paddling, after all), but leave the hair on the main part of the body 
for insulation from that cold Bavarian water.  Since one soggy, curly Poodle
 pretty much looked like the next out there, and most Poodles swim with their 
tails up, it was easy to tie colored ribbon in the long tail hair so the hunters
could tell who was working the birds.  And the rest, they say, is history.  Some
Poodles have a single-textured coat, with all the hair the same thickness and
 consistency.  Other lines have more wiry guard hairs and softer secondary
coat.  The story goes that the single-coated dogs got the plush-looking trims,
 and the twin-textured coats were corded.  In any case, the overall hairstyle
 was the same for competition.  While the big Continental trim is de rigueur
(a recent interview with a judge in Europe revealed the opinion that they look
 like they're wearing wedding cakes on their heads), you can still find Poodles
 finishing their championships in the HCC (historically-correct continental),
as well as corded Poodles. If there's a good dog under there, a judge will find it.
                                   
             
                     
                     
                 
                                   
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