Purebred Dogs vs. Mixed Breed Dogs Which Dog Breed Is Best For You? 11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy Advice You Can Trust: 180 Dog Breed Reviews Teach Your Dog 100 English Words How To Buy a Good Dog

Toy Poodles: the most honest dog breed review you'll ever find. Information about Toy Poodle personality and behavior. main page breed review faq health training adopting/buying links My book, Your Purebred Puppy: A Buyer's Guide (published by Henry Holt & Co.), includes a full-page profile of the Toy Poodle, including these excerpts: "The smartest, most attentive, most trainable of the toy breeds, the perky, elegant Toy Poodle is commonly chosen by obedience and agility exhibitors who want a very small, top-notch competition dog. The Toy Poodle learns faster than almost any other breed, is exceptionally sensitive to praise and correction, and responds eagerly to positive training methods. Indoors and out he is lively and happy, carrying himself with pride and moving with a light, graceful, springy gait. He loves to play and is especially fond of retrieving balls and toys. You do have to watch your lines: some Toy Poodles are dainty, even high-strung, while others are confident and outgoing. Much depends on socialization and training -- i.e., when brought out to experience the world and treated like an intelligent, capable fellow, he is likely to live up to these expectations. Toy Poodles are not for children. Some Toy Poodles are such gentle souls they are overwhelmed by the roughhousing and mischief of small children, while others simply won't put up with it. Toy Poodles are peaceful with other pets." History The Toy Poodle was bred down from the Standard Poodle, who was used as a retriever in Germany. Pudelin means "to splash in the water." France later developed him into a circus and show dog. Size 6-10 inches and 4-10 lbs

Toy Poodles What's good about 'em What's bad about 'em There are energetic Toy Poodles, and placid Toy Poodles. Hard-headed Toy Poodles, and sweet-natured Toy Poodles. Serious Toy Poodles, and good-natured goofballs. Introverted Toy Poodles, and Toy Poodles who love everyone. If you acquire a Toy Poodle puppy, you can't know for sure what he or she will grow up to be like. Because a good number of purebred puppies do NOT grow up to conform to the "norm." Now let's look at some common characteristics for this breed... If you want a dog who... Is small, easy to carry, light and graceful, athletic and agile Has a curly coat that doesn't shed (one of the best breeds for allergy sufferers) Comes in a variety of colors Is lively and playful Is one of the brightest and most attentive of all breeds, so intuitive, and such a skilled reader of body language and expression, that he often appears telepathic Excels at obedience and agility competition Is usually polite with strangers and sociable with other animals A Toy Poodle may be right for you. If you don't want to deal with... A careful search to avoid all the highstrung, neurotic Poodles Timidity or skittishness when not socialized enough Emotional sensitivity to stress, tension, or loud voices Monthly clipping of the curly coat Barking Lots of health problems A Toy Poodle may not be right for you. If I were considering a Toy Poodle... My major concerns would be: Unstable temperaments. Poodles are a dime a dozen, and most of them are bred and offered for sale by people who don't have the slightest idea of how to breed good-tempered dogs. Obedience instructors and behavioral consultants see LOTS of Toy Poodles with neurotic behaviors, including snappiness, extreme fearfulness, and hyperactivity. Providing enough socialization. Toy Poodles need extensive exposure to people and to unusual sights and sounds. Otherwise their natural caution can become shyness or suspiciousness, which are difficult to live with and could even lead to defensive biting. Emotional sensitivity. Be honest...is there tension in your home? Are people loud or angry or emotional? Are there arguments or fights? Poodles are extremely sensitive to stress and can end up literally sick to their stomachs, with digestive upsets and neurotic behaviors, if the people in their home are having family problems. Poodles are peaceful, sensitive dogs who need a peaceful, harmonious home. Grooming. To keep their curly coat short and free of mats, Poodles require regular brushing, and also clipping and trimming every 4 to 6 weeks. Please don't have your Poodle clipped into the ridiculous patterns worn by show dogs. Poodles can simply be trimmed short, with short ears, a rustic whiskery face, and no pompoms on their head or feet or tail. Poodles definitely don't have to look like sissies. Barking. Toy Poodles are often too quick to sound the alarm at every new sight and sound. You have to be equally quick to stop them. For the same reason, Poodles should NEVER be left outside in your yard, unsupervised. To teach your Toy Poodle to listen to you, "Respect Training" is mandatory. My Toy Poodle Training Page discusses the program you need. Health problems. Poodles can be very long-lived, but they suffer more than their share of joint problems and eye diseases. To keep this breed healthy, I strongly recommend following all of the advice on my Toy Poodle Health Page. If you're considering an adult Toy Poodle... There are plenty of adult Toy Poodles who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics. If you find such an adult, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you. When you acquire a puppy, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important. But when you acquire an adult, you're acquiring what he already IS. Copyright © 2000-2006 by Michele Welton. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without the permission of the author.