Used poodles?

[Tammyla]

Do we want to adopt a 7 yold miniature (not toy) female poodle. Pros and cons, costs please. We need to decide soon and I'd love to bring home a rescue dog, but wonder about training. (She chews household items, but other than that is house trained.)

 

I was thinking of a very tiny dog, but wonder if a miniature (around 12-15 lbs)would handle our winter weather a bit better.

[Mamagistra]

Poodles are terrific, adaptable dogs. And miniatures are both sturdy and smart. :)

 

Cost wise, poodle grooming is not optional. You can learn to do the grooming yourself, but you'll want to invest in a quality pair of clippers and blades. If the dog has any anxiety issues, you may be happier having someone else do the grooming, though.

 

For the chewing, I'd be wary of other anxiety issues. A neurotic dog can eat up a lot of cash in the form of shoes, carpet, etc. ;) There are a variety of soothing chew toys (Kongs, Orkas) that can be filled with dog kibble or treats for a longer-lasting fix. If the dog is crate-trained, so much the better, for then it can be confined for chew time.

 

I hope it works out for you. :001_smile: I heart poodles!

[Anita in NC]

Usually every 6 to 8 wks. I learned to do mine myself because he is a Standard Poodle and would be quite costly to pay a groomer to do. You could contact a local groomer and see how much it is to groom a dog that size, as I am sure it varies a lot by area.

 

Poodles of all sizes are great dogs and seem to tolerate the cold well while out playing and on walks. I just keep my poodle's coat a little longer in the winter and shave him down during the summer months.

 

Good luck.

[Soph the vet]

Check out her teeth first. Bad teeth and miniature poodles go hand in hand and will cause you much angst and vet bills over the coming years. Just my two cents.

Soph

[sweetTN]

We adopted a 6 year old toy poodle, about eight pounds, 4 years ago. I took a lot of kidding because we live on a mountain. We invested in a good set of clippers which has saved a bundle. Dude has been the perfect dog. No shedding, no chewing, loves to hang with the deer outside ( they tolerate him...I think if deer could laugh, they would) He handles the winter cold and snow by wearing a coat outside (don't laugh, it works!) when it's below freezing, and we keep him clipped shorter in the summer. I think a poodle makes a wonderful pet.

[emzhengjiu]

My wonderful minature poodle, Coco, died last summer at the advanced age of 18.5. She was healthy until she was about 17. She was the most amazing, intelligent, loving dog you can imagine. Coco was a rescue dog as well but I got her when she was still young. As another poster mentioned, bad teeth was an issue but until she was too old I had the vet clean her teeth annually. I bought clippers to use in between grooming sessions. Her groomer usualy charged about $35 to $40. Depending on my budget, I only had her groomed two or three times a year. When you think of grooming expenses, remember that poodles don't shed unlike my very large, lazy cat! My dog also wore a coat during the few cold days we have here but the coat wasn't very expensive. In fact I believe I still have Coco's most recent one. If you decide to get her, let me know. I'll be happy to give you the coat.

[GreenKitty]

Love poodles, the best dogs ever. Though ours is not yippy and jumpy like I have seen others. Very loveable and loyal.

[katemary63]

Poodles are great - we have one that is going on 15. You would have a lot of years left to love on this dog. Just be sure he/she is good with kids and make sure that the kids know that a small dog will bite when cornered - just because it is scared. Our dog is wonderful with the kids but has bitten them all when he is cornered and they are rushing at him - it's there fault, not his.

 

Anyway - about the grooming. We have a farm and everyone said that we should invest in a fancy set of clippers. We went to the Dollar Store and bought the $10 ones they have. They last us months and months on the goats and horses, then we just throw them away and get another pair. A good set of clippers cost over $100, so we have saved money. It might work on the poodle, you could try it and see how long they last. All you've spent is $10 if they don't work on him.

 

Have fun. We love our mini poodle!

Edited February 8, 2009 by katemary63

[sandellie4]

We love our poodle (also rescued). He had some anxiety/separation issues at first; we have found that all three of our dogs have had issues that initially made us wonder if we'd done the right thing. It's taken three to six months for each of our dogs to settle in on their schedules, etc. Both of our small dogs need teeth cleaning annually (pretty common in small dogs), and we have to pay for grooming as well. But it's much better than dealing with the shedding! Poodles have such wonderful, playful personalities. We love all the ones we've ever met!

 

Sandy

[Tammyla]

Would I be able to check her teeth just by looking in her mouth? The rescue league will not let us take her out of their sight for any reason even a vet check before we finalize the adoption.

 

Thank you for so many thoughtful answers everyone:grouphug:. I really appreciate each and everyone of them.

 

Grooming vs. shedding would be a definite plus. I'm going to call and check on grooming costs, but would likely give clipping her a try to save money in the long run.

 

Now if I can just make up my mind. There are lots of baby poodles in the news paper, but my heart is committed to a rescue dog if at all possible. And I know who will really be taking care of this dog....me.:001_huh: My family is 100% there of course.

 

Check out her teeth first. Bad teeth and miniature poodles go hand in hand and will cause you much angst and vet bills over the coming years. Just my two cents.

Soph

[dirty ethel rackham]

ROFL! Too much chai tea! I saw your subject line and thought "what, do you mop the floor with one and pass it on?" Okay, a little punchy, here:D!

[CactusPair]

I love poodles. I have 3 poodle mixes, all rescues. Even if your new dog has had some training it would be beneficial to get her into obedience classes with you from the start. This would help you establish yourself as the leader and get you both started on the right foot.

 

Provide lots of chewy toys and treats. All my dogs like the rawhide chewy chips.

 

Keep her in the crate most of the time at first and let her become acclimated to the house slowly. This will ease the anxiety some.

 

Do not free feed! Feed the dog on a schedule. If she doesn't eat the food within 15 minutes remove the bowl. She doesn't get any until the next meal time. Also require the dog to sit, look at you, and wait until you give the ok before eating. These practices will help prevent food pickiness and require the dog to earn the food. No free lunches is the idea. It also shows the dog that all good things in life come from you and they have to earn them.

 

I have 4 rescue dogs in total. I kept each one on a leash with me in the house (it is the tomato staking philosophy at work) for several weeks to even months for my last (she's hyper). This way I can keep the dog close to me and prevent it from getting into trouble. Very confidence building for both of us. The dog sees me as the leader and I can establish a strong bond from the beginning with the leash in the house technique.

I have had good luck with using a gentle leader head collar for the little dogs.

 

I would also recommend taking the dog outside for bathroom breaks on the leash, rather than just opening the door. This way you can show her where you want her to go and reward her right away when she performs well. You won't have recall issues this way either. This is a great way to build a good habit. When the habit has been firmly established, you can ease up and just let her out.

 

Hooray for you for considering a rescue dog! I hope it works out for you.

[Ellie]

I love poodles. My mother bred and raised toys, but I've always like miniatures better.

 

You might consider crate training, so that when you're not home, or at night, the dog doesn't have access to household items to chew. Also, you might try reading the Dog Whisperer's book(s), or watching the shows (you can watch some episodes on-line, I think, and you can rent them). Often dogs will be destructive because they are not getting enough exercise and discipline (exercise means doing The Walk, not letting them run around outside).

 

As others have said, be prepared for the grooming.

[Tammyla]

If it could clean the floors, I'd want to keep it.

 

ROFL! Too much chai tea! I saw your subject line and thought "what, do you mop the floor with one and pass it on?" Okay, a little punchy, here:D!

 

I'm going to check back today and ask some more questions.

 

Crate training is a new concept for me, but I'm going to read up on training and look into the obedience classes. Thanks for the Dog Whisper book/show suggestion that sounds like a good place to start. I think Netflix and my library have them.

Edited February 9, 2009 by Tammyla

[SquirrellyMama]

We had two poodles while I lived at home and my parents had one while I was in college. They are cute and fun dogs but I would stay away from purebreeds. All of our dogs had health problems. Our first dog had a hole in her heart although she did live a long time. The second dog had cancer and lived for about 2 years. The third dog had kidney problems and lived for about 5 years but that was with lots of drugs and medical intervention.

 

We also had a cocker spaniel who had a brain tumor.

 

Get a mutt. You did say she was 7 already so her health problems would have already been detected. It is probably safe then.

 

Kelly

[Hoggirl]

Except for sneaking food off the counter (she took a chunk out of the banana bread I made yesterday!) she is a great dog. Of course, this wouldn't be an issue with miniatures. I grew up with this size of poodle.

 

Anyway, our rescue poodle has added lots of fun to our household. She has quite the personality. We have only one dc, but I have likened getting this poodle (our second dog...first is a mutt rescue dog) to what it must be like to have a second child b/c we constantly talk about, "what did we do before he had this dog." LOL!

 

Poodle people unite!

[Ellie]

We had two poodles while I lived at home and my parents had one while I was in college. They are cute and fun dogs but I would stay away from purebreeds. All of our dogs had health problems. Our first dog had a hole in her heart although she did live a long time. The second dog had cancer and lived for about 2 years. The third dog had kidney problems and lived for about 5 years but that was with lots of drugs and medical intervention.

 

We also had a cocker spaniel who had a brain tumor.

 

Get a mutt. You did say she was 7 already so her health problems would have already been detected. It is probably safe then.

 

Kelly

Our purebreds were all healthy.

 

The key is to buy purebreds from a *reputable* breeder, one who will provide health information for both parents.

[Tap]

The rescue league will not let us take her out of their sight for any reason even a vet check before we finalize the adoption.

 

Is this standard? This seems suspicious to me, but I am not a pet person so I don't know what is typical. Will they let you pay for a vet visit, and they take her? Or go with you?

 

I wouldn't like the idea of getting a pet, without an accurate health history. I understand you take your chances with any pet, but it doesn't seem unreasonable to request a basic health check before you and your children get attached.

[hornblower]

I'm involved with rescue.

 

Reputable rescues will vet check the animal, spay/neuter, worm, depending on the region - test/treat for heartworm, microchip &/or tattoo and bring all vaccinations required utd.

 

If the animal requires dentals, treatment for parasites, recovery from injury, surgery, etc - the rescue takes care of that prior to adoption. We do not adopt out unhealthy animals.

 

 

 

You should be able to see the vet check documents.

 

There are several ways of dealing with this:

-get the rescue to give the vet ok to talk with you & then you can ask the vet questions

-if there's been no vet check, insist there is one & arrange to attend & observe/ask the vet questions

-if you want your own vet to examine the dog, you can make the appt, pay for it, and ask the foster or another volunteer to bring the dog by.

 

We would not let an animal go anywhere with someone unless the application was pretty much approved/home visit done/references checked.

 

Hwvr, in the case of medical issues, esp. where we know the adoptive family may be taking on some chronic health probs, it is imperative that they are fully informed of whatever we know about the dog's condition.

 

Of course adopters need to be reasonable; problems do crop up post adoption that we may not have been able to see or the vet diagnose.

 

But a good thorough exam by a vet is the basic threshhold that needs to be met.

 

 

 

Make sure you're dealing with a reputable rescue.

 

If there's no home visit, reference check, of you & if the animal is not fully vetted, be very wary. Some are nothing more than brokers..... Reputable rescues also stand by their animals and REQUIRE that the dog be returned to them if you cannot care for it at some later time.

[Brenda in FL]

We have a miniature poodle as well. Mocha is 12 years old, and one issue we have with her that was diagnosed about 2 years ago - is her heart. We just started treatment for her the past couple of minths though. The vet explained to me that her heart problem is very common in these smaller breeds. If you are able to get a vet to check her out prior, I'd suggest asking if she has any signs of a heart murmur.

 

Also, with the teeth cleaning, in my experience the vet uses anesthesia for teeth cleaning, so you need to be aware that it could be quite costly. (Or you could put up with the horrible dog breath - which is what we do most of the time!)

 

Hope you love the poodle! We also had one growing up - so we love miniature poodles!!