Poodles, toy and standard

looking for more info on poodles for a friend. and i know there are owners of both here.
shes looking for an inteligent hypoalergenic dog and the poodle was the forst one that jumped to mind and i offered to find out some more info on them.
shes interested in either a standard poodle Or a Toy poodle. she has a fairly small home (600sqft) but a very nice garden (1/2-3/4 of an acre) with a great privicy fence.
shes not sure if she wants a tiny dog (ie the toy) or a larger dog (the standard) but she knows she wants either or, shes not a big fan of medium dogs so isnt as interested in the medium (minis?) poodle.

big questions:

health concerns? what is common in the breed, what genetic problems should be watched for, what are they prone to and what can be a problem that might not be something that can realy be controled via genetics (ie bloat)

personality? what are they like to live with.
puppy personality? are they gentle puppies or typically rambunctious? clumsy? hyper? always on the go? couch potatoes? fast learners?

shes been around my dane pup whos too high energy for her, but hes also very outhy and stubborn and has almost severe bursts of energy (hes also deaf) shed rather a slightly softer pup who might be a little quieter or at least less inclined to such sudden swings.

how are they as adults?

other notes of interst?

shes not interested in showing or breeding, but would like a dog she could possibly do some fun agility with, and a dog who will most likely enjoy the water, she swims alot and owns a boat.

is there much differences in the toy and standards other than size?

any help would be apreciated.

I don't know all the health concerns but with most small dogs the toy can have luxating patellas, and I do believe blindness as they get older, all sizes are prone to ear infections if the ears aren't plucked and cleaned. Standards like most big dogs can have hip dysplasia, bloat. I am not sure if this is in all sizes but vWB which is a disease that makes them bleed more cause they don't clot properly.
I can't really think back to when Stryder was a puppy but like most puppies he did his share of sleeping. He did get the zoomies now and then and liked to play but was not always up in your face. He is a Mini by size but his breeding is toy.
Stryder loves everyone and everything. He plays with all sizes of dogs and is not aggresive at all. He is not scared of too much. He does get stressed out when left alone, and barks in his crate. I have stopped crating him at night cause he wakes us up in the morning with barking when he's in his crate but is fantastic sleeping in my bed.
He can have energy and loves to play but also is very willing to sleep all day. He is very inteligent and learns very quick.
You cannot coddle these dogs though or you will get scared annoying brats ,but I am sure you knew that already owning chi's (I am not saying you coddle your dogs and that they are annoying I am saying you already knew not to cddle them)
Stryder unfortunately has not had the opportunity to swim but he has waded into the water up to his chest (as far as the leash would let im go)
There is very little body differences from toy to mini (the only change in the breed standard is the size) but obviously the standards gonna need alot more exercise. Grooming is gonna cost more on a standard.
Some people say toys may not be as smart as the other sizes due to breeding so much for size but like I said my dog's parents are both toys and he is a smart (but large ) boy.
Of course you know to get from a responsible breeder that gets all it's health testings done and both parents have show and performance titles on both sides and yada yada
oh ya and my boy like agility alot and is quite good at for only having 5 sessions

My 2 are standards and they are both joys to have around. Both of them absolutely love swimming, playing fetch and chasing squirrels. They get along with all people and other dogs. They co-habited nicely with my cat in the house. They do love to play but they also enjoy being couch potatoes. If they get bouncy in the evening a game of fetch in the living room while I'm sitting in the recliner watching TV works off their extra energy.

Farley is my resident goofball while Chloe is the gentle princess. While Farley is very high energy he is also very responsive to my saying "enough" and calming down. And while Chloe is the calmer one of the two she is ready, willing & able to participate in whatever is going on.

I almost lost Farley to bloat 4 yrs ago and thankfully emergency surgery saved him. In the future any standard pups I may get will have their stomachs tacked when they are being spayed/neutered.

I have found this breed to be by far the easiest to train. Both of mine really enjoyed going to obed. classes and we also competed successfully in obedience. A year ago I started Chloe in agility strictly for fun and she loves it!

I keep my 2 in fairly short clips instead of any of the typical cuts. They go to the groomer every 8 wks and I find the maintenance between groomings to be easier than any of the other breeds I have had in years past.

I am thoroughly enthralled with this breed and I honestly don't think I will ever be without at least one of these lovely characters sharing my home.

I was thinking even the calmest most laid-back breeds are fairly rambunctious as puppies. That's the reason I have said that I might not get a puppy again and go with an older dog from here on out. I don't know if I'll stick with that, but I've been thinking that any dog or cat I get from here on will be adults.

poodlesmom, can you tell me any more about the stomach tacking. I have never heard of it. I am planning on getting a Standard next year and I know bloat is a common thing for them. Thanks

thanks for the quick replies guys, ill relay the info...
i personally love the standards, how are the standards usually with little dogs? theyd be comming over to play with the chis once in a while so a high prey drive might not be a good thing lol.

MysticRealm, stomach tacking is a procedure where they actually put in stitches to anchor the stomach to the abdominal wall to try to alleviate the possibility of it twisting during an episode of bloat. As with anything there are no guarantees but from all I've read and heard it does definitely have benefit. It will not eliminate the potential for bloat, which does need to be treated if it occurs, but reduces the chances of the deadly torsion.

Thats' really interesting poodlesmom, thanks!

My 2 were fine with all the small breeds at obed. school. As with anything else they need to be trained on appropriate behavior. For years I also had cats and they were absolutely fine with them in the house.

My neighbor has both a standard and a mini ..... I'd take the standard over the ankle biter any day !

My mini has never been an ankle biter.
My mini loves to rough house and I took him to a new friends place that has 2 standards and they had the time of their life playing together (the 2 standards and my mini)

I like all the sizes of Poodles. The Standards are very stately and lovely and I also like the little ones. They're really pretty and quick learners. I think they're great dogs. And Grammy...not all small dogs are ankle biters just like not all big dogs are vicious dogs who will take down a person and rip their faces off. I have big dogs and the tiniest breed in the world and none of my dogs have ever bitten anyone... don't have an ill tempered bone in their bodies.

Not all small dogs are anklebiters. That's just another stereotype. Sure, some small dogs do nip and bite ankles, but there are also adorably sweet pit bulls, aggressive goldens, and perfectly wonderful small dogs, like my Lucy.

My friend has a Standard Poodle and 4 Chinese Cresteds . . . needless to say he's fantastic with small dogs. I haven't known any Standards that have had high prey drive, myself.

But, FYI, there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog.

Sorry !!! I agree , I have met some very nice small dogs . They don't bite my ankles ....just my Goldens ! Don't take Grammy seriously ! All breeds have a fault . Like people , no-one's perfect !

This is a breed we are strongly leaning towards when we get another dog. I would like a dog that's energetic, but also friendly. I've read a lot about the standards and they seem like great dogs. Of course, you have to train them. I would eventually like to get one for agility, obedience, and possible therapy dog. We also want a playmate for Zoe after her issues are worked out. My husband is having issues with it being a poodle

For husbands with issues, find some pictures and some info online about what terrific hunting dogs they are. Even if you and your husband don't hunt, just knowing that might make them seem a little more macho to him. LOL. My sister has, in the past talked about getting a Bishon Frise (sp?) and her husband said that if she did, he won't be helping with the walking it on a leash in public. He wouldn't be caught dead. LOL.

lol, my bf is the same with the chis...
luckily for my frined she is a wonderfull active strong woman with no patients for men and absolulty no interest in any relationship so she doesnt have a man to worry about saying her dog is not a manly dog...
but it can definatly be an issue lol

one of my husband's fave dogs is a black standard. he loves standard poodles, so long as they don't have the froufrou hair cut! anyway, as he loves most things german [obsession] he was thrilled to find out they are german dogs. haha. it's good to learn more about this breed, as it's one we are considering owning. thanks for the info.

but yeah, he wouldn't be caught owning a bichon frise, either, doberluv. he calls them "frizzy b*tches."

jammer, you should have heard the groans I heard from many people (including my hubby & brother) when they heard I was getting my 1st standard. Once Farley came home it didn't take long at all for him to make alot of converts out of all those groaners. Within a year Chloe joined our home and she became my hubby's shadow. My brother, who is 6'2 & 240 lbs, is planning on having a standard as his furpal as soon as his life levels out enough for him to have a dog. I wish I had $1 for every time I've had someone say "Geez, I really like your 2. I never knew poodles were a "regular" dog!" :lol-sign: You can also tell your hubby what they were bred for: they are water retrievers.