10 Interesting Facts about Poodle

The word «poodle» raises in imagination of the majority of people a lively dog with a fairly sophisticated haircut. Someone might remember that it’s an official national breed of France. And these are the only solid facts that we actually know about this wonderful breed. I offer to fill this gap and to get to know it a bit better.

1. It’s Einstein in the canine world. Don’t let the Poodle’s fancy appearance fool you. This is a super smart dog with outstanding sense of humour. All-around friendliness and quick-wittedness make it a frequent participant of game shows.

2. The Poodle is a good choice for allergic suffers. Its fluffy coat sheds little to nothing and doesn’t make a specific «doggie» smell. Since its fur never stops growing, regular grooming is a must for this breed.

3. This dog is an excellent athlete. It’s endowed with all characteristics of an ultimate four-legged companion, including moderate size, charming look and quick mind. Additionally its small yet agile and sturdy body is designed for motion so it becomes a first-rate hunter and retriever. In fact the Poodle was originally developed to retrieve water fowl and has so-called «soft mouth» (it can very carefully draw the dead or wounded bird from the water).

4. The Poodle’s peculiar haircut has a very specific goal. The point is that the dog had to work in really cold water so it required protection. However too much wet hair would make it difficult to swim so the hunter would leave coat only on those parts of the dog’s body which would suffer from cold the most.

5. This breed exists in four sizes. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) separates the breed in 4 types: Standard, Medium, Miniature, and Toy. And by American Kennel Club (AKC) classification there are only tree types: Standard, Miniature, and Toy.

6. Its unique fur has become the reason of numerous cross-breeding programs. The Poodle has been mated to such widespread breeds as the Cocker Spaniel (Cockapoo), Labrador Retriever and Golden Retriever (Goldendoodle), Wheaten Terrier and English Pointer (Pudelpointer) in order to produce hypoallergenic hybrids.

7. Elvis was a loyal fancier of this breed. The King owned lots of Poodles and also presented these dogs to the women he loved.

8. Frenchmen absolutely love the Poodle. Of course it enjoys enormous popularity in all European countries, but only in France it’s honoured as a national breed. This is despite the fact that its modern version was initially invented in Germany.

9. This is a truly old breed. The age of this dog numbers thousands of years. Its pictures can be found on the Egyptian and Roman pieces of art which were created in the first century B.C.

10. The Poodle is a big sleepyhead. The breed member needs 13-hour sleep a day to feel itself crisp and ready for playtime with its owner.

Above all, this dog forms so strong attachment to its human companions that it tends to get seriously stressed if separated from them for too long. The cheerful and human-friendly Poodle makes a wonderful pet for individuals and families with kids alike.