Standard Poodle

[sp0322]

Okay so before I posted about chi's and yorkies.. well after alot of research and many quizzes I found that with my lifestyle that they wouldn't fit in well. So after research I found that I like the standard poodle. Could anyone tell me from personal experience what are the pros and cons of them? How much they usually cost? What should I ask the breeder? What are some subtle red flags that I should look for that I might not notice normally?

[Boemy]

One of the cons is that poodles are sooo popular that you may have to search and search and search to find a top notch breeder admist all the backyard breeders out there. On the bright side, the standard poodle has the least BYBs of the three poodle breeds. A pro is that they're extremely intelligent!

[poodlesmom]

I may be a little biased but I think Standard Poodles are the absolute best! Over the years I have had Great Danes as well as many mixed breeds and while I loved each & every one of them I honestly don't envision not having at least 1 poodle in my home.

I have found this breed to be a pleasure to train. They are very happy to be with their people. They are ready, willing & able to participate in just about all activities but are just as willing to be couch potatoes if you are looking to have some down time. My 2 love swimming & playing fetch as well as chasing all the local squirrels and wildlife out of the yard.

I keep my 2 in a fairly short clip and take them for grooming every 8 weeks. Maintenance between groomings is very easy.

Here is a link to the Poodle Club of America which has loads of info about potential health issues, the standard for the breed, etc.

http://www.poodleclubofamerica.org/breedstandard.htm

edited to add the link!

[sp0322]

Thanks for the info! Anyways now I need something to win my mom over.. She has had problems with poodles in the past.. a particularly nasty one especially.

[elegy]

i've met some nasty standards, too. they can be sharp even when they're not mean. but there are also some really wonderful, friendly ones out there. it depends a lot on breeding.

they're an athletic breed- originally bred as water retrievers- so they need lots of exercise. they're also extremely smart, so you need to keep them occupied or they'll occupy themselves. the hair can be either a pro or con, depending on your lifestyle.

make sure the breeder CERFs eyes and is knowledgeable about addisons disease in their lines. addisons is a significant problem in the breed, and it's a serious one.

[FoxyWench]

ive never met a WELL BRED, WELL SOCILIZED poodle i didnt like.

the key with poodles is to find a great breeder, then train and socilize like crazy, even the toy and mini poodles have an absolutly wonderfull mental capacity, they seem to love to learn and work...ive seen toys who want nothing more than to swim and retreive!

Ive found the only time people have problems with poodles are when they baby the dogs and dont train them or give them the mental stimulation they need.

coat is definatly more on the upkeep side of things though so be aware that grooming CAN be expensive!