StaceyinLA Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Tell me the reasons why I should, or should not, own a standard poodle. Here are the reasons why I am interested in one: Smart and easily trainable Non-shedding (I do know the coat maintenance will require work and money) Kid-friendly I’ve wanted one for years, and have the opportunity now to get a puppy that is a few (I think 4ish) months old, crate-trained, and mostly housebroken. There are 3 pups left in a litter from a local breeder (who was recommended by several people). I’ve been feeling like maybe this would be great just because some of the rough work is done, and an older puppy won’t require the time a younger one would, but it is still young enough to be easily adaptable. Anyway, I’m supposed to go meet them this evening or tomorrow, and I’m trying to decide if I should go for it or not. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 If you like the breeder's reputation, definitely go! Decide before you go what temperament dog you want, though, and don't buy if the right type pup isn't available; ask when they'll have another litter. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Definitely, you should go for it!? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 (edited) I wouldn't think of a 4ish month old puppy as "older" by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not discouraging you, but I think you need to go into it realizing that you're still going to have a LOT of puppy behaviors, teething, house training, etc., to deal with. Edited July 30, 2018 by Pawz4me 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 (edited) We've had a standard poodle for almost 4 years. He was 2 years old when we got him, and very full of energy at that age. He's calmed down over the years, but still needs quite a lot of stimulation. I think another description for "smart and easily trainable" when it comes to poodles is "needs lots of mental stimulation, and if you aren't consistent with exactly how you want them to behave every single time they will choose the way they want to behave." They LOVE being trained tricks and stuff, and I can really see how they make amazing circus dogs. They need firm, consistent training and regular attention or they get bored and restless. I would say that the labs we've had are a lot easy to own and train. Edited July 30, 2018 by wintermom 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 3 minutes ago, wintermom said: We've had a standard poodle for almost 4 years. He was 2 years old when we got him, and very full of energy at that age. He's calmed down over the years, but still needs quite a lot of stimulation. I think another description for "smart and easily trainable" when it comes to poodles is "needs lots of mental stimulation, and if you aren't consistent with exactly how you want them to behave every single time they will choose the way they want to behave." They are fun, though. I would say a lab is a lot easy to own and train. Yep. People mistake smart/easily trainable to mean easy to live with. And that's totally wrong IME. A long time ago I heard Patricia McConnell (well known animal behaviorist/dog trainer) say about pet dogs: "Dumb is good." Truer words have never been spoken. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 (edited) I’m not a standard poodle ?owner, but am a dog person ?? If you live in burr, foxtail terrain, poodle fur can be difficult. Several poodles I’ve known seemed to have incontinence issues, but I don’t know if it is a breed problem or just coincidence—and they were older dogs. They need a lot of exercise and can be high strung. Though they often are seen in city circumstances, the happiest most well adjusted poodles I’ve known were farm dogs with lots of room to run and people to be with on farm chores all day, and also we’re not only dogs Intact males seem to have some visit the neighborhood females inclinations more than some other breeds, IME. Edited July 30, 2018 by Pen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Love mine and will eventually get another one after this one is passed from old age. Hopefully a long time to go as he is only 8. He didn't really start to settle down until about 4. The only bad habits he has is getting into the trash or stealing food off the counter both almost always while we are gone. We have diligent not to leave stuff out that he can get to. We are getting a kong to freeze food in as a treat for when we leave to see if that helps. I bought a chuck it ball thrower and love for playing fetch. When he was younger it saved my arm and would eventually wear him out. He does have a health issue that is under control with medication. He didn't completely quit having accidents until about 9 months old. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Normally I do not like French Poodles, especially the small ones. But Years ago I took my Old English Sheepdog to an Obedience class. The instructor had a Standard Poodle. You are correct that they are smart. Totally different from the tiny Poodles. That is the only kind of French Poodle I would want to have for a pet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 When you meet them pay attention to the parents, not just the puppies. Are the parents (or mother if she is the only dog breeder has) the sort of dog you want as an adult? I agree with the age being a nice time to adopt a puppy if it has been being socialized and training is begun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joules Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 (edited) I lost my older one a year ago at 15...most wonderful dog ever!! The puppy will be 10 in October (yes, not a puppy anymore...she's finally slowing down.) I say Go For It! Pros Most wonderful dogs ever! Smart and easily trainable. If a 4 month old is in a home situation, it's likely already house-trained. You can teach them so much and they pick up so much English just from family conversations. They don't shed and are kind to allergic individuals. They don't tend to overeat, so you don't usually have to struggle to keep their weight down like other dogs. They are people dogs and become a true part of the family. They don't tend to be runners if they get out. Mine come to a door and bark to get back in. Most wonderful dogs ever!!! Cons Because they are so smart, they might be training you as much as you are training them. Ds described our dog as "The pinnacle of a 10,000 year evolution of human trainers." Their non-shedding fur is like velcro. It's soft, but grass clippings, mulch, sawdust, dead leaves, etc. stick to it. The first thing they do when they come in the back door is shake and you think "They might as well shed!" Their non-shedding fur must be groomed or they can't see, or eat, or poop. It's either expensive or lots of work for the family member that learns the task. Dh didn't care if ds learned to cut the grass, but he definitely took over poodle grooming when he was old enough. Some people are allergic to the lanolin on their skin (like sheep.) Sometimes it is hard to get them to eat...they can be finicky like cats. They are people dogs and need to be inside dogs with family around them. They are smart enough to cause all kinds of interesting trouble if left alone or isolated. Standards aren't really crate dogs, unless they just need a safe place away from small children. Edited July 30, 2018 by Joules 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Poodles are extremely intelligent, people-oriented dogs. They need lots of attention and mental stimulation. They're easily trainable, sure... but they get bored easily. They get into lots of trouble if left alone. We call our toy poodle a "problem solver". Does he want to get that piece of cake we put well out of reach? That must've been an oversight, we wouldn't want him to starve! He'll just move this chair and get it himself! Last time he got into the garbage he carefully hid the worst, smelliest bit before plowing into the can and making a lot of noise. When we put the can away and cleaned up what we thought was all the mess, he waited a few minutes, then snuck off to his bed to enjoy the disgusting part he'd stored there. He also gets extremely anxious and lonely. If we leave a room and he doesn't see us leaving, when he realizes he starts howling. (This may be partially a result of having been neglected before we got him, but his being a poodle doesn't help.) It took months before we could leave him alone in the home to run small errands. When we drop him off at the groomers we have to remind them to put away his leash or he'll chew it. Last time they hung it up, and he leaned his paw out of the cage, dragged the leash to his mouth, and chewed up the handle. (Like I said, he's a problem solver.) He's actually sitting on my lap right now as I type. Sometimes he tries to sit on my lap as I poop. He's a great dog, and I love him lots, and he definitely tempers our other dog's antisocial habits (if she sees him cozying up to a random human, she's 85% less likely to freak out at the fact that people exist on public sidewalks and start barking... we're working on this) but he's not exactly an easy pet. Smart dogs aren't easy dogs. Also: Grooming. When we first got him, his fur was matted like you wouldn't believe. It's never been that bad since (the vet said "It didn't get like that overnight", and by my estimation it must've taken several months) but he definitely mats. If we don't take him to be groomed by the six week mark, we have to spend some time trimming the fur from his face and checking for mats in his tail and ears, which I cut off because I don't care much how he looks, just so long as he's not matted. Poodles don't shed normally. Their hair just grows. You have got to take them to the groomer regularly. Our groomer is $60 per visit, but he's a toy poodle. It might be more for a miniature or standard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 2 hours ago, Lanny said: Normally I do not like French Poodles, especially the small ones. But Years ago I took my Old English Sheepdog to an Obedience class. The instructor had a Standard Poodle. You are correct that they are smart. Totally different from the tiny Poodles. That is the only kind of French Poodle I would want to have for a pet. FTFY. :-) The breed is not "French" poodle. It's just...poodle. :-) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 My caution is to find out for sure how well the dog has been socialized. If it has been sitting in a crate most of the time, and not out and about meeting people and other dogs I'd pass. BTDT with a few in the extended family, and t was a huge issue. Also, find out how housebroken is mostly - that could mean it has had two months learning bad habits. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 (edited) We have a golden doodle and two standard poodles. I feel that the best thing about the doodle is the poodle (we got him first because my husband wouldn't consider a poodle ?) and it's all I'll ever have from here forward. Most of my thoughts have already been voiced. Proper socialization is a big thing with standards, as is mental activity, so all of ours participated in advanced obedience and are active in dog sports. I would add that you would really like to know about the pedigree. Show lines, and hunting lines are very different, just as poodles, and standard poodles are very different. Edited July 31, 2018 by melmichigan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 6 hours ago, Tanaqui said: Also: Grooming. When we first got him, his fur was matted like you wouldn't believe. It's never been that bad since (the vet said "It didn't get like that overnight", and by my estimation it must've taken several months) but he definitely mats. If we don't take him to be groomed by the six week mark, we have to spend some time trimming the fur from his face and checking for mats in his tail and ears, which I cut off because I don't care much how he looks, just so long as he's not matted. Poodles don't shed normally. Their hair just grows. You have got to take them to the groomer regularly. Our groomer is $60 per visit, but he's a toy poodle. It might be more for a miniature or standard. Coat is the main reason I'm not allowed to have poodles. Or well-bred cocker spaniels, who have almost as much. Or any dog that has coat. I do well with greyhounds and French bulldogs. ? So this is something you really need to consider. Also, within the breed, some colors have easier coats to maintain: black and chocolate are best, silver is not. I would *totally* love to have a standard poodle...some day when I can afford to have it groomed. :-) Poodles have really great temperaments, and they are fun to live with. You just have to be sure to train them well, and keep them occupied. They were originally bred as hunting dogs, so they like to be busy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 (edited) Smallish dogs are easy to groom yourself. I probably spend an average of an hour a week on our Shih Tzu. Over a three week period that covers the time it takes me to give him two baths, one clipping, trimming his nails a couple of times, quick combings to check for/prevent mats and daily or every-other-day face cleaning. But the thing is--it's a lot harder to do a larger dog at home. Harder to get them in a tub or shower at home, you need a bigger/sturdier grooming table, it takes longer to do everything because there's more dog, etc. Edited July 31, 2018 by Pawz4me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 (edited) We have a mini poodle and my mom has her brother. I don’t know if a mini is similar to a standard or not. Anyway, I think our mini poodles are great dogs. They both have such sweet, friendly personalities. They are fun dogs as they love to play and can hang with the big dogs as far as walks. They love to cuddle and be close to their human. They both potty trained easily. Our poodle trained herself to ring a bell when she wants to go out. Ours goes in a crate when we aren’t home (due to our bichon/poodle mix who is not fully house broken). Our poodle just runs in the crate when I say I’m leaving. As others said, they don’t shed. I go as far as I can in between grooming appointments. I just took our dogs on Sat and she said the last time I went was in April. We do bathe them at home as needed. I can’t think of a con with either our poodle or her brother. Edited July 31, 2018 by school17777 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 (edited) We had a chocolate standard poodle that we had gotten as a rescue when she was four years old. She passed a little before reaching age 13. I loved that dog so much and miss her terribly. Poodles have big personalities. My son did some agility training with her just for fun at home. She was very smart. And sneaky shameless - we couldn’t keep ANYTHING on the kitchen counters. Even if I were in the kitchen working, she’d counter surf for food as soon as I turned my back. To this day, I keep nothing on my counters, so that was kind of a blessing in a way - she trained me! She probably could have used more activitiy than we gave her. She did fine with the dog we already had after she moved in, but she was pretty aggressive toward other dogs. She could not go to the bark park, and we had to keep her on a tight leash when walking her in the neighborhood. She was very much a people person. I took her for grooming every six weeks. $65 before tip. Funny story - when we homeschooled, ds always practiced the piano for an hour in the morning between 8:00 - 9:00 while I would be showering and getting ready for the day. He’d set a timer for sixty minutes. When the timer went off, we’d “go to school” which meant walking down the hall to the schoolroom in our home. You could tell our dog - “Go to school!” and she would run to that room. One morning, he continued to play through the timer going off since he was in the middle of a piece. She started barking at him and then ran toward the school room. When he kept playing, she kept barking and running back and forth between the room with the piano and the school room. She knew it was time to “go to school” when the timer sounded!! Edited July 31, 2018 by Hoggirl 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 One more thing, some groomers are hard on poodles. We have started to groom ours all the time instead of us doing it some times and having someone else do it sometimes. He got really sensitive about his feet probably because of either being nicked on his feet or else the groomers let the blades get too hot. It has been more than 2 years and he still doesn't like me to do his front feet but it isn't so much of a fight now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 Thank you all! We actually had a mini poodle mix when I was growing up. I’m familiar with the coat, and of the non-shedding dogs, I pretty much have it narrowed down to a standard poodle or a mini or standard schnauzer. I just think the poodle will be a more trainable dog, and they have a better reputation with kids (but I just think the schnauzers are cute). Of the pups I looked at yesterday, the male was really fabulous. Within 3-4 minutes of getting out of the x-pen, he was no longer excitable. While the female was still running around jumping, he was standing still near anyone who was willing to pet him. The breeder sells a lot of his poodles for hunting, so he exposes them to a lot while they’re young. These pups weren’t skittish, afraid of loud banging noises, being handled, etc. I know the male would likely make a good dog, but he is gonna be big; bigger than I really want in my house (in the 60-70 pound range). There’s a breeder with a litter that’ll be ready in November. She seems to have very calm, well-behaved adults, and my sister and niece each just got one of her puppies and they’re really great. I have just been torn on starting with one that was gonna need training from scratch because of the time commitment in the beginning. However, I do think her adults likely have better temperaments (although his may be okay after being out - he keeps his adults confined more to a big kennel; hers all live in her house). Anyway I’m rambling. Bottom line - still undecided, but I appreciate all the input. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 (edited) Hunting lines are breed for prey drive, which has a set of challenges if that need isn’t met. I would chose a poodle raised in the house over a kennel, they are just so social. Best wishes choosing what works for you. Edited July 31, 2018 by melmichigan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.