Standard Poodle Information

Standard Poodles were a new breed for me when starting this breeding journey. My Grandma bred miniature poodles when I was younger, and after she stopped had a couple until they passed of old age. I loved them but I had never been around a Standard Poodle. When We first got Luke, I instantly fell in love. Standard Poodles have such an elegant air about them but at the same time have a goofy personality. I also think they are the most loyal dogs. They are very people oriented and like to be with their humans.

If you want a dog who…

  • Is medium to large, combining sturdiness and athleticism with elegance and grace.
  • Has a curly coat that is virtually non-shedding (the best-coated breed for allergy sufferers).
  • Comes in a variety of colors.
  • Is lively and playful.
  • Is one of the brightest and most attentive of all breeds, such a skilled reader of body language and expression, that he often appears telepathic.
  • Is easy to train and housebreak.
  • Is usually polite with strangers and sociable with other animals.

A Standard Poodle may be right for you!

Poodles are ranked as the second smartest dogs. They excel as therapy dogs, agility dogs, obedience classes, and trials, as well as hunting. This is not a breed for anyone who will stick them in the backyard and not pay attention to them. They need mental stimulation and human interaction. Poodles love the water true to what they were originally bred for. They also love to run/bounce and retrieve.

They make great watchdogs most of the time and have mild (sensible) protective skills while not having an aggressive bone in their body. Early socialization is key in making sure they are not timid or reserved as an adult.

Poodles were originally bred to hunt. The body type is a reflection of that. They have a square-proportioned body with a graceful appearance and proud carriage. Their stride is springy, effortless, and light. Their coat is dense, curly, and harsh. Traditionally their clips were used for ornamental and functional purposes. Puppy, Continental, English saddle, and sporting are the types of acceptable clips for Show Poodles.

Life Span: 10-15 years

Height: 18-24 inches at withers

Weight:
Males – 45-70lbs
Females – 45- 60lbs

Grooming: You will spend more money grooming a poodle than any other breed. Depending on the amount of brushing and the look you want determines how long in between clips. I have learned to clip our poodles myself. If you have patience and start with you poodle young this is something that they won’t mind and will save you a ton of money. I plan to do some tutorial videos on basic grooming of poodles in a pet clip. The key to doing it yourself is buying good clippers and supplies upfront. I have been through several cheaper pair of clippers before buying a nice pair that lasted. To keep them in a pet clip they need to be groomed every 6-8 weeks. I groom mine more regular and if not their whole body their feet and face.

Poodle Clips

This is a show clip and is what most people picture when they hear poodle. This is used on poodles over a year old.
This can be used for pet puppies and is also the show clip for dogs under a year old. I keep my poodle puppies in this clip until they get about 5-6 months but it is all personal preference and how much you are willing to brush.
The pet clip is the most common for the pet poodles and what I keep mine in most of the time. The body can be clipped at different lengths again personal preference. The top knot(head poof) and ears can also be left shorter or longer lengths.
This is a VERY time consuming clip to keep and you must air dry them after every bath. It is not a hair style for someone who is not patient as you must "work the cords every day for hours until they are started. Some poodles hair works better for these then others.
This is also a wonderful pet clip. I have had mine in this clip from time to time.

Poodle Colors: All pictures were found on google and aren’t mine

Will stay dark in color and will have dark pigmentation
True whites will be born white and will have black points
Lighter than apricot. Can turn white with age if they don't have strong color genes. They will have black points.
Can range from lighter to dark apricot. Unless they have strong color genes again this color can fade to cream. Black points are preferred but liver points are excepted.
Comes in a variety of shades from light red to deep red. Depending on the strength of the color genes this color can fade to a light shade of red or the lightest shade of red can fade to apricot. Black points are preferred but liver points are excepted.
They are born dark brown and change to cafe around the age of 2 yrs. Cafes must have liver points and dark amber eyes.
These poodles must be born brown. It is a dilute of brown. It carries the fading gene also. They will lighten with age just as silver poodles would.
Born brown. Depending on the strength of the genes they can fade some with age. Should have brown pigment.
Start out looking black and then change to blue. This color look almost black almost silver but is too dark to be silver. Has black points.
Born black and change to silver over a couple of years. Normally their first haircut you will see their face is a different color. They will have black points.
A coat that exhibits a tiger-striped pattern resulting from layered black hair intermingled in areas of lighter color. ie: lighter color with black stripes. Reverse brindle occurs when the black striping is so heavily concentrated that the lighter background, while clearly still present, is much more subdued, giving the appearance of the coat bing black in color with lighter stripes.
Marked much like a doberman. The black can be combined with apricot, brown, cream, grey, red, and silver.
This is again a color pattern. Must be at least 50% white to be considered a parti. Can be any color.
A coat represented by black-tipped hairs on a background of any solid color, with no particular pattern/location designated for such hairs. I would change the above definition to say "dark tipped" hairs. I have seen sables that have been tipped with other colors other than black, such as dark brown or even blue. Adults looks completely different from the puppies.
Will usually have a white bib that may or may not go all the way around the neck, and they have an all white bell. The white will usually extend from the elbows down to the feet and form the hock to the rear foot. Can be any poodle color is simply a pattern.
This is again a color pattern. Will be less than 50% white to be considered an abstract. Can be any color.