Poodle
Poodles were orginally bred in Germany to retrieve ducks out of ponds, and are closely related to the Spaniels. If their curly coat is left to grow naturally, the resemblence is easy to see. Most pictures of poodles show a carefully groomed and clipped "show coat". It is this fixation on Poodle coats that has made them the purebred most likely to be deliberately crossed with another purebred dog. Currently in the US there is a notion that since poodles are supposedly non-shedding and hypoallergenic, dogs that are half poodle will be good dogs for allergy sufferers. We now have "Cockapoos", "Labradoodles", "Schnoodles" and a growing number of Poo mixes. Some people consider these dogs a separate dog breed. But beware, simply crossing one type of dog with another doesn't mean the offspring will only have the desirable qualities of both parents. It doesn't work that way with humans, so why should it be true for dogs? Poodles have a reputation as highly intelligent dogs. They come in a variety of sizes, which is probably why they are being so widely crossed with other breeds. The Standard Poodle is at least 15" at the shoulder, most are 22-27"; the Miniature is between 10" and 15": the Toy is smaller than 10". The larger Poodles tend to be calmer and quieter than the smaller ones. Poodles generally have solid colors and can be white, cream, brown, grey, and black.
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| "Gimli" (male) courtesy of Happy Hills Animal Foundation Status: verified, Age: 6 yrs Size: very small (Toy) Weight: 10 lbs Height: 10"
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"PJ" (male) courtesy of Happy Hills Animal Foundation Status: verified, Age: 9 yrs Size: very small (Toy) Weight: 15 lbs Height: 9-1/2"
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"Brandy" (male) courtesy of Clarzoo i-dog discussion board Status: verified, Age: 5 yrs Size: medium (Standard) Weight: 45 lbs
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"Ice Man" (male) courtesy of Halfway Home Rescue Status: verified, Age: 1 yr Size: large (Standard) Weight: 68 lbs
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