He is the national dog of France.

He is a member of the AKC Non-Sporting Group.

The Poodle is very active, intelligent, and elegant. He carries himself very proudly, he's very active and extremely intelligent, the Poodle has about him an air of distinction and dignity peculiar to himself. He also seems to recognize other poodles as being the same breed! (A class of their own!)

The words Standard, Miniature, and Toy are used to distinguish size only, all of these are one breed. The Standard Poodle is the oldest of the three varieties.

Poodle type dogs have been around since the 15th and 16th centuries. It was in the 17th century that the poodle as we know it was starting to develop. In Germany, he was known as a "Pudel" which means "to splash in water" In the early days everyone claimed to be the originators of the breed! The French won out, hence the term "the French Poodle". Where ever he originated, he was well known for his great abilities as a water retriever and his outstanding intelligence. But he is best known for his amazing ability to connect with his master which is what seperated him from other breeds. The miniature and toy sizes were developed as some people liked all the poodles characteristics, yet prefered a much smaller dog. Variety shows featuring poodles dressed in all manner of costumes and displaying amazing feats of intelligence, balance and agility became all the rage in the 19th century.

Many are not aware that in the begining, the poodle came in both solid and parti (two toned!) colors, it was when the Breed clubs set the standards that the parti colored dogs were excluded in those standards, as they felt the approved coat styles did not look as elegant and balanced in a parti colored dog! This led to breeders to begin breeding away from the parti colored dogs, yet they continued to pop up in the lines, most were culled (killed) until recent years a small number of devoted breeders have worked very hard to bring them back and to earn them the recognition they deserve with the kennel clubs. As of June 11th 2004, they are now once again accepted in the UKC (United Kennel Club) show ring!!! Hopefully they will eventually also come to be accepted in the PCA (Poodle club of America) and The AKC conformation ring. A little know fact is they are accepted for registration by the AKC, and are welcome in all AKC events accept the conformation ring!

A lot of people wonder about the strange and kind of wierd looking hair cuts, the unique poodle "look" is a direct result of the poodle's working and sporting heritage. Standard Poodles are known for their retrieving capabilities in the water.
The Poodle's coat is clipped in a wide variety of hair styles. Many were developed to lighten the load and yet protect the joints and vital organs in the cold water while he was retrieving. He still retains his ability as a gundog and swims very well. In recent years he has once again proven himself in his hunting and retrieving abilities in hunt tests, thru the AKC, UKC, and other clubs.

100 years ago, poodles were popular in a "Corded" coat, looking much like dreadlocks, the cords are actually controlled mats! The breed standard was revised in 1978 to once again allow corded poodles to compete in the show ring, although it is very rare to see one!

Most pet owners prefer to keep their poodles in a puppy, or sporting clip!

The poodle does reguire dedicated grooming, either by the owner or a professional groomer, but the extra coat care is well worth it, as your poodle will reward you many, many times over the extra attention required in upkeep, in his deep devotion to you.

In 2003 the poodle was ranked #8 in AKC registrations, and has been in the top ten for many years now. So what makes the poodle so popular??

They are a very wonderful and fun companion, a happy good tempered dog who makes a good family pet, they don't shed hair all over the house, and are hypoallergenic. People who have allergies to dogs and cats can usually own a poodle without difficulties. They are consider one of the top dogs in the intelligence department, they have been known to think about a problem and work out a solution by themselves!! They have a very well developed sense of humor, if they do something that makes you laugh, you can be sure they will repeat it! They are sensitive to their humans moods, and very eagar to please! His intelligance and eagerness to learn make him very popular in obedience trails. He is a steady, smart and loyal companion, and he will do anything an owner could wish for including obedience, shows, tricks, hunting and retrieving, and therapy work too.

The poodle comes in three sizes in the USA.

The Standard Poodle is over 15 inches at the highest point of the shoulders. Any Poodle which is 15 inches or less in height shall be disqualified from competition as a Standard Poodle.

The Miniature Poodle is 15 inches or under at the highest point of the shoulders, with a minimum height in excess of 10 inches. Any Poodle which is over 15 inches or is 10 inches or less at the highest point of the shoulders shall be disqualified from competition as a Miniature Poodle.

The Toy Poodle is 10 inches or under at the highest point of the shoulders. Any Poodle which is more than 10 inches at the highest point of the shoulders shall be disqualified from competition as a Toy Poodle.

There is offically no such thing as a 'Tea Cup" Or a "Royal" , a "tea Cup" is simply a very tiny toy, and a "Royal" is just a very large Standard.

Go to www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/poodle.cfm to view the breed Standards.

Many people are not aware of all the accepted colors , patterns and markings the poodle comes in, and that are accepted for registration thru the AKC.

Below is a list of colors and patterns the AKC accepts in the poodle, you can go to www.akccolors.org to view this yourself.

Use this form to get a complete list of the standard and alternate colors available for AKC recognized and FSS listed breeds.

Description: The name of the color.

Type: Standard (S) or alternate (A). This the classification of the color for show purposes. Please refer to the breed standard for specifics regarding registered breeds. FSS breed standards not available online. Please e-mail the FSS department if you have color questions regarding an FSS breed.

Code: This is the code entered on an application for registration of a dog.