Standard poodles

Ok, I have been thinking about other dogs and maybe adopting an adult from a rescue or something. I probably won't adopt for ATLEAST 2 years though, not until my two are out of their puppy stage. Does anyone know the pros and cons of this breed? I was just curious because I hear that they are really intelligent and I think they are so beautiful. I really want a standard though because I like big dogs more than I like little ones (I'm not bashing toy or minuatures).

My neighbor thats a groomer had one at her house last weekend! It barked a lot! But i liked its cut the only other two I knew were nutty. One got put to sleep for biting everything in site and the other had to be rehomed to an older lady with no kids or other pets.


That may sound bad but I'm sure there are nicer ones around. I've never had good experiences with them though.

Just in *my* experience:

Pros: Virtually no shedding (they do shed but it's trapped in the curly coat), easy to train, playful
Cons: If not properly socialized, they can become very neurotic and nippy; possibly the cost of grooming, incessant barking. But that's a risk you run with every dog.

I will say that I've met enough 'good' standard poodles to consider owning one myself.

I met three of them last month. they were great!! Two whites and one black. They were 3-4 years old. Very playful. One of them was a bit nippy though. The ownr just said 'no' and he stopped. Gorgeous things. Goodluck Julie

Thanks! I won't even consider adopting for atleast two years until the pups have grown and then we only want an adult. We want to go through a rescue (well atleast I do). My husband wants to go to a breeder and buy a puppy and swear he'll take care of it then leave it all to me. I saw a few standards at a rescue near here and almost considered sending in an application. Except most have the requirement about fenced in yards and we don't have one. Plus our house is really small and we already have 2 dogs so they would probably frown on that. Once we move maybe I'll look into the rescues more but for right now just researching.

Juliefurry....Standard Poodles are awesome! Very intellegent and loaded with personality. Through my experiences with them, I would have to say that I like the black ones the best. The few white ones I've known were either slightly weird to extremely weird. I've only known one apricot one and she was a bit neurotic.
Yes, some can be biters, though and they can be stubborn. They are also at risk for bloat. High maintainance too with the grooming factor.
Other than that, I just love 'em.

Pam

I know very little of the breed, but I feel I should add, don't judge a dog necessarily on what breed tempermant is "said" to be. There are always exceptions to the rules.

My Sister owned a Standard Poodle years ago, a black. She was a wonderful sweet mild mannered dog. She obtained all her obedience titles very quickly and was an eager willing student. The downfall is, there are wonderful laid back Standard's and then you can get genetically screwed up Standards...just like any purebred which has been overbred and suffers from a small gene pool. My Sister being a groomer has many Standards for Customer's, we have found...not that this is official or anything the apriocots all seem very hyper and seem to be suffering from more genetically unstable mentalities than the blacks or whites...just a personal observation and by no means does this mean that the apricots are less stable due to our simple observations
I have seen such a range from wonderful self controlled Standards being very laid back...to some very hyper, whacked out Standard Poodles...and it's not the fault of the owner at all..far from it.
Our Poodle did suffer from bloat, she was also predisposed to poor tooth enamel which is common in this breed. She had kidney problems latter in life and suffered kidney failure at the age of 10...and yes she was on a great diet with plenty of water and some home prepared raw meals. They also can be genetically predisosed to bone cancer, a friend of mine just lost her wacky apricot poodle to bone cancer at the age of 6.
Do your research of all the possible genetic problems in this breed...I also know of a person who spent big bucks on her Standard due to surpressed immune system. The poor thing had to undergo a major blood tranfusion, could not be taken in public which it "may" come in contact with any disease. When the dog came into the vet clinic daily it had to be carried in as it was not allowed to walk on the outside ground and be attened to daily for about 1 year before the dog got better.

Oh I absolutely love standard poodles!!

I love them too. As with any breed, it mostly depends on how it's handled and the knowledge of the owner. They can be wonderful dogs and so intelligent and quick to learn. I was considering getting a Standard and looked into them when I was thinking Doberman. The Doberman won. LOL.

Well I just started looking into Standard Poodles, mainly I have just started looking for rescues around my area. I figure maybe I can volunteer at a rescue organization, maybe do a little fostering as well. That way I can really see first hand how this breed is and if I think I would be able to give it a good home. I'm going to start researching the breed soon, but I want to have atleast six months of research into the breed before even thinking about getting one. Although knowing my luck my husband will probably show up with one tomorrow. I was looking at black ones as well because I don't like the apricot coloring on the dogs and I do like white but for some reason the black ones just catch my eye.

What a neat idea Julie....to foster one first and see how you like it. Well, I wish you the best. I personally prefer the black too....don't know why....same with Dobes, striking. You know what I love about Poodles? Their action. They have the prettiest gaits...the way of moving, so light on their feet, absolutely gorgeous action.

ok probably jumping in WAY too fast for my liking on this but had to share. I found a breeder of standard poodles and I called to speak with her. She is only a six hour drive from us (yes I said only). I called to speak to her about the testing that the adults get and the parents and everything and told her that I was looking for a black female. She said she had one black female puppy and I said I didn't know if maybe she had an adult. I didn't care if it was a puppy or adult but I would prefer an adult. Well she said some people had just returned one of her dogs to her because they couldn't keep her any longer. She's a BLACK female and is 2 years old. She said she is housebroken and very laid back. She also said they put a lot of money into obedience training for her as well. They said they can hold her for a few weeks so I can think about it because usually everyone is calling for the puppies and that I was one of the first people she has ever had calling for an adult dog. I want to go see her before I make up my mind and I am going to start doing A LOT of research too. I wanted to have atleast 6 months of research under my belt before trying to go after one but I guess 6 minutes will do (LOL). No, I will make sure that I get in as much research as I can and meet the dog and then come home and do more research before I decide.

that is an awesome way to do it. because once you know you can say you know and you dont have to ask questions ... that is awesome... congrats.....i like the black also however i have a friend with a you and he was red... but he was so cute i wanted to take him home anyway congrats and you are a very smart person and that is awesome

I still have to convince my husband about her. I may just go look at her without saying anything then once I know I like her enough I will bring her up to him. Atleast she's not a puppy.

I co-bred and showed standards years ago. I would BUY from a good well established kennel. Blacks diffinitely have better temperment than most whites. Not knocking whites but they can be a little strange tempered. I do not understand the barking part. No more than other big dogs. Now one must understand this is a large working dog with a poodle coat. Yes they do have attributes of the smaller poodles but they are not pussy cats.They are just like any other large breed and need to be trained and worked with. They are happy and outgoing and can be quite boisterious. They make excellent "watchdogs" and they WILL back up what they bark. Quite expensive to groom but if kept in a working clip(shaved short all over) they can usually go 8 weeks between groomings. They are wonderful dogs but do buy from a reputable breeder and if the parents are not good natured forget the pups. You have not had such trouble as till you get one of these guys with a messed up temperment.

Do these sound like good temperment for the parents to have? The mother is a little older than the father (mother is 5 father is 4) they have had all health tests I'm just not sure because she says the father has a tendency to nip butts.

The temperments: Mom is a runway model. She wants to be pampered and under foot. She is the alpha female in our world for sure but she is very outgoing and friendly to visitors and strangers. Not a good watchdog! lol
Dad is the court jester. Always friendly always playing. He has a nasty habit of nipping at a persons butt. Not out of agression, he wants to play. It feels like a pinch, I call it tough lovins. He is always clowning around. He is very active. He has to be wore down and played with before he can sit still. Once he gets enough energy out he loves to be loved on.

Sounds like good temperaments Julie. The butt nipping is only a matter of training...allowing that behavior. I wouldn't really go for it, but that's not temperament. Being outgoing and friendly, not shy, stable...always the same, level headed...that sort of thing. Whether you decide on a pup or the adult, I'd be sure to be able to make several visits and spend ample time with the dog to get a good feel for it.

What's the longeveity of the dogs in the lines here? What age did a lot of them die at and of what? Make sure to see proof on health tests done...any show titles? Ask about the diseases that Poodles tend toward and how much of these things are in their lines....etc.

It sounds exciting. If you think this is the breed for you and you can keep up with the demands, go for it. But be sure you know how much involvement and exercise a dog that that will need. The do need to "work."

My sister had one and she said what a ding bat the dog was and how she couldn't do anything. Well, my sister doesn't know how to handle a dog and she finally gave it to someone who had the space and gave it the exercise and something to do, and that dog turned out wonderfully. Some dogs just take more work than others. And I think probably a Standard Poodle is one of those. It's like a Doberman....not a breed for everyone or anyone. They take some extra work.

she told me that none of her dogs were ever show dogs, she never got into showing. I'll ask about the diseases and what the poodles lived to and if they had any diseases. I am very anxious to work with a poodle. The adult the woman has is already very obedient and has been through costly obedience classes. She has puppies available but I would rather not go with a puppy if I didn't have to. The temperment for the adults that I mentioned above were for the adult poodle's parents I am looking into.

That sounds great... Keep us posted.