HISTORY: The Poodle is one of the oldest breeds developed for retrieving water foul. The standard was the first of the Poodles with the Miniature and Toy following later by down breeding. Although the exact origin of the Poodle is unknown, dogs resembling Poodles are depicted in Egyptian and Roman artefacts. The name “Poodle” derived from the German dog Pudel which translates to “splash in water”. Poodles evolved into their present form in France. They were embraced by the French aristocracy and became the national dog of France. They were first KC registered in 1874. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s they became popular with Gypsies and Circus’s. With their eagerness to please and ability to learn, many entertained delighted crowds with their tricks.
HEIGHT: Minimum 38cms (15ins)
WEIGHT: 21-32kg (46-71lbs)
LIFESPAN: 10-14yrs
CLASS: Utility
HEALTH: Poodles are prone to eye problems such as cataracts and progressive retinal atrophy. Epilepsy, Addison’s disease and Granulomatous sebaceous adentis. As with all deep chested dogs they can suffer from bloat. Ears should be cleaned regularly to avoid infections and teeth cleaned to prevent build up of tartar. Be aware also this breed can have sensitivity to the rabies vaccine if you are planning on travelling.
COAT: Curly and dense. A breed that doesn’t shed and is often tolerated by allergy sufferers. Needs grooming 1-2 times per week and clipping by a professional groomer every 6 weeks. The lion cut is the show cut, but their are plenty of other styles, it’s down to personal choice. Colours- Black, White, Blue, Grey, Silver, Brown, Cafe au lait, Apricot, Cream. All these colours fade as they reach 4-5yrs with the exemption of white.
TEMPERAMENT & EXERCISE: Happy, intelligent, eager to please and love being part of family life.Sensitive to vocal tones making training easier. The negative side of their sensitivity makes this breed unhappy and even ill if there is stress or upset in the household. Some strains are highly strung and suffer from separation anxiety. Will bark at intruders but not an aggressive dog. High energy and high spirited needs exercising 80-100 mins a day. Many enjoy a retrieve game and a good swim but be aware of the danger of water, dogs can get into trouble too.
Viewpoint of dogs owner Ian
Raffles – A mixture of Fun Affection and Mayhem
Three years ago this bank holiday my wife went off to pick up our new puppy. She had nagged me for ages to get another dog after her previous dog Boots had passed away. Eventually I agreed and she had organised everything but wanted to keep it as a surprise.
As I was working on rebuilding one of our walls she returned from Blackpool where she had gone to pick up Raffles. The cat stopped and I put my head through the door and there he was sat on her lap. “That looks like a Poodle! I exclaimed. “Yes but he’s very lovely”. Initially I wasn’t impressed and her two friends couldn’t wait to get away. Gilly brought him into the garden to meet me and the cats. He was cute however I was still not that impressed. She explained that he was a standard poodle and would grow much bigger. Apparently his father was a champion in America and she picked him as he reminded her of me?
Three years on how wrong I was, he is a fantastic animal full of boundless energy, hugely inquisitive and brilliant to have around. Early on we had a behaviour specialist to help with his training. He is generally OK unless he sees someone then he’s off. He loves people and always wants to jump up and hug people. He can actually wrap his paws around you and give you a hug. The only problem he is just over 5 stone! And stood on his 19 inch paws he is about 5 Foot 7 Inches tall. Once he gets a head of speed up he is a one man battering ram and can knock anyone flying.
He was named Raffles because the breeder said they are intelligent but will take anything. How right she was, if it’s not locked away or nailed down he will have it. He can even open cupboards and has retrieved and devoured whole packets of biscuits etc before now. He is much better now but early on he was a big chewer and completely destroyed 6 bannister spindles and skirting board.
We have even taken him to a pet friendly Hotel in Scarborough. They all loved him and he was pretty well behaved.When we went in the room he refused to go in his cage and promptly jumped on the 4 poster bed, he did finally settle down and slept on the settee.
Would you believe it a year ago Gilly felt Raff needed a companion and lo and behold we now have a labradoodle “Toots” smaller but another load of affectionate mayhem! – That’s another story.
