History of the Poodle

The first Poodles appeared in the Middle Ages. Even then they were groomed in a distinctive way, with some parts of their body completely shaven. This was connected to the breed’s use as a water dog, as it insured that the Poodle’s coat did not get caught on brambles and branches as it moved around the marshes to retrieve ducks.

A truly European dog

The poodle takes its name from the German Pudel, which is in turn derived from the verb Puddeln- German for “to splash about in water”. In French the breed goes under the name Caniche, from the longer name chien a cane or canichon, which translates as duck dog.

The experts agree that the Poodle is one of the oldest breeds specializing in hunting after game in water. The Poodle is the result of crosses between several European water dogs: Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Hungarian and Russian.

By the fifteenth century the Poodle was beginning to exchange the marsh for the drawing room. Breeders focused on the selection of smaller dogs to meet the demand from the Parisian bourgeoisie. It was at that time that the Miniature emerged, followed in due course by the Toy, both of which are simply smaller versions of the original Poodle with exactly the same behavioral and morphological characteristics. This shows that the Poodle was a much sought after dog well before the advent of modern dog fanciers.

No other canine breed has aroused so much passion, especially on the subject of its paternity, which is claimed by many countries. It was only after long discussions and a laborious process that the breed’s home country, awarding it the paternity of the breed standard in 1936.

A global star

The number of sizes differs from one country to another. Japan, the USA and the UK, among others, recognize only 3 sizes: Toy, Miniature and Standard. France and the majority of FCI member countries distinguish four sizes: Toy, Dwarf, Miniature and Standard.

Regardless of its size, every poodle is famed for its vivacity of spirit, curiosity and ability to learn. No amateur can forget the roots of the breed, as a water dog, war dog and shepherd dog, but also used in many utilitarian disciplines (truffle dog, guide dog, etc).

As a fundamental characteristic of the breed, regular grooming is essential and thorough knowledge of the various types of trims- Continental, Puppy, etc- is a must. Every owner is aware of the necessity of grooming, to ensure that the dog is always in good condition, with a coat that exudes good health.

Unequalled Intelligence

Did You Know: If you measured canine intelligence by a dog’s ability to adapt to all kinds of situations then you’d have to give the Poodles a prize Humans have made the most of its ability to understand things quickly combined with its vivacious desire to make its owner happy

The Poodle is everywhere. It was originally a hunting dog, but it is just as excellent as a truffle hound. And did you also know that it is even an assistant to the disabled, able to anticipate an imminent epileptic seizure or detect a range of diseased?

When it has a close relationship with a human a poodle can learn to detect the early warning signs of an epileptic seizure. That allows it to alert others quickly. It can even learn to press a button to accomplish this task (Pfeiff, 2001).

Diseases like cancer lead to major cellular degeneration and the appearance of by–products of oxidation in the blood stream and then into the expired air. These molecules (aldehydes, alkanes, formaldehyde, etc) have an odor and can be detected by the dog, whose sense of smell can distinguish certain compounds at concentrations 1000 times lower than the human detection threshold (Broffman, 2001)