Poodles
No breed has a more highly developed sense of humor than the Poodle. Good thing, too, because no breed has been the butt of more jokes than this one. To call someone a poodle is to insult his masculinity. All the joking is unfortunate since it makes many a family overlook the Poodle, an intelligent, hard-working breed.
Is the Poodle the Right Dog for You?
The coat of a Poodle is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it makes the breed shed less so the poodle may be more easily tolerated by people with allergies. But the coat – or rather, what people do with it – is what makes many people cross the Poodle off the list when considering the dog that’s right for them. Show poodles are poofed, shaved and hair-extensioned into an appearance that, though based on practical considerations once, is now the epitome of show-dog silly.
What show people do to these tolerant dogs is tame compared to grooming contests in which prizes are awarded to those who take a blank slate – a standard Poodle – and use dye and clippers to shape the animal into, say, grapes on a vine or a motorcycle. Such folly may be harmless to the dog, but the damage to the breed’s reputation is incalculable.
Kept in a sensible short clip and treated like a dog, not topiary, the Poodle is as smart and hardworking a dog as can be, with a sunny disposition and a notable love of children.
The group Versatility in Poodles was founded to take the focus away from the breed’s appearance and put it squarely on what’s under those curls. Today, Poodles with the right stuff can compete for American Kennel Club working certificates and are also eligible for to compete in hunt tests alongside Labradors, Goldens and other retrievers.
Most people won’t be competing with their Poodles, of course, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty for such a bright and agile dog to do. This easy-to-train dog can go anywhere and do anything. They’re generally good with other dogs, cats and strangers and are easy to house-train.
This breed is a terrible candidate for backyard life, unless you want to see your garden turned into a series of craters. He needs to be indoors and part of your family to thrive.
Poodles shed very little, but do require grooming every 4-6 weeks. Some Poodle owners learn to use the clippers and do the job themselves, but most rely on professional groomers. Either way, it's essential to take care of the Poodle's curly coat, because without regular clipping, it will quickly become a matted mess that can cause painful skin infections at the roots.
Variations of the Poodle
All Poodles are very active dogs, but the smaller dogs need less room
and less exercise. Toy and Miniature Poodles are often the companions
of the less active and can be extremely happy as lap dogs and
TV-watching buddies. Just be sure their busy minds have enough to keep
them out of mischief. Trick training suits their heritage as circus
dogs quite well.
Although Toy Poodles (less than 10 inches at the
shoulder) are too small to roughhouse with children, there's nothing
the larger Poodles – Miniature, between 10 and 15 inches, and Standard,
more than 15 inches) like better than to chase a ball, play-wrestle or
run with kids. Standard Poodles need plenty of exercise to be happy,
and can do a lot of damage if bored or lonely.
Please note that "royal" or "teacup" Poodles are marketing terms
designed to fool you into thinking you're getting something special or
rare when all you're getting is a dog who is quite a bit over or under
the usual size of the breed. Extremely tiny dogs in particular are
often plagued with severe health problems and rarely live a normal
lifespan.
7 Tips to Bring Home a Healthy Poodle Puppy
- Don’t ever, ever, ever buy a puppy from a pet store or Internet site
that offers many breeds and popular mixes, or that ships with no
questions asked. If you buy a puppy from these sources, you’ll be more
likely to get an unhealthy, unsocialized and difficult to house-train
puppy and will be supporting the cruelty of high-volume puppy mills.
There’s also a huge trade in “Royal” and especially “Teacup” Poodles,
so beware of these breeders as well.
- Take a look at the Code of Ethics of the
Poodle Club of America, and see if the breeder or seller can live up to
its standards before you buy from them.
- Ask your breeder to see the results of genetic testing. According to the PCA, every puppy buyer must be given
copies of the genetic tests done on the parents. For Toy and Miniature
Poodles, this includes Optigen testing results for the eye disease
progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) and for Standard Poodles,
certification that the parents are free of a crippling genetic hip
deformity known as hip dysplasia. This clearance must be from the
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) or the University of
Pennsylvania (PennHip). OFA certification of the knees is required for
the Toy Poodle.Additionally, for all varieties of Poodle, the eyes
of the puppy's parents should have been certified once each year by the
Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF). Standard Poodles should have
recent OFA clearance of the thyroid as well.
- Don’t settle for excuses
and lies like, "I know my dogs are healthy because the vet checked
them," or "I don't have those problems in my lines." Those are the
standard lines of a bad and irresponsible breeder.
- Consider an adult dog from a shelter or a rescue group. Many of the health and behavior problems in Poodles aren't apparent in puppyhood, but by adopting an older dog, most of them can be ruled out. Standard Poodles can live 12 years or more, and the small ones can live even longer, so an adult dog will still be a part of your family for a long time to come.
- Puppy or adult, take your Poodle to your veterinarian soon after adoption. Your veterinarian will be able to spot visible problems, and will work with you to set up a preventive regimen that will help you avoid many health issues. Ask specifically about dental care in Toy and Miniature Poodles, and about the signs of bloat in Standards, as well as regular monitoring of skin, eye, and liver health.
- Make sure you have a good contract with the seller, shelter or rescue group that spells out responsibilities of both sides. In states with “puppy lemon laws,” be sure you and the person you get the dog from both understand your rights and recourses.
Health Issues Common to Poodles
Addison's Disease is also extremely common in Poodles. In dogs with
this condition, the adrenal glands don't produce enough of the hormone
cortisol. The dogs become lethargic, depressed and intolerant of
stress, and they may have digestive problems.
Poodles are
also at high risk of the opposite of Addison's, the condition called
Cushing's Syndrome. These dogs' adrenal glands produce too much
cortisol. Symptoms include weight gain, panting, excessive thirst and
hunger, bladder infections and urinating in the house even though the
dog was previously house-trained Cushing’s is usually managed with
lifelong medication, but sometimes requires very expensive and
difficult surgery to correct.
Another hormonal problem common in Poodles is thyroid disease. Symptoms
include weight gain, hair loss, lack of resistance to disease,
excessive hunger and seeking out warmth. Thyroid hormone supplements
can be given, but, like Addison's, the condition can be hard to manage
medically.
Chronic active hepatitis, which causes progressive liver failure, also
occurs in Poodles. It strikes adult dogs, usually after the age of 5,
and causes symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, depression,
confusion, weight loss, increased thirst and urination and lethargy.
Owners may notice yellowing of the whites of the eyes and a bloated
appearance to the stomach.
Since it's the function of the
liver to filter toxins from the blood, when it starts to fail, those
toxins can build up to dangerous levels. While medication and drugs can
slow this process, CAH is incurable and fatal.
Although all Poodles, no matter the size, are the same breed, they don't all have the same health problems.
Toy and Miniature Poodles
Toy and Miniature Poodles share many of the same health problems common
to the smallest breeds of dog, such as kneecaps that easily slip out of
place (luxating patellas), breathing difficulties caused by a
collapsing trachea and dental problems because of their small mouths.
Poodles can also suffer from Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, which causes reduced blood supply
to the head of the thigh bone, which in turn causes it to shrink. The
first sign of this disease is limping, which usually appears when the
puppy is 4 to 6 months old. Treatment is surgical remove of the head of
the leg bone, after which the puppy will have a relatively normal life
other than an increased likelihood of arthritis.
Standard Poodles
Standard Poodles, like many large, deep-chested breeds, have an
increased risk of bloat, a potentially fatal condition in which the
stomach twists on itself, trapping air inside. In fact, according to a
2000 JAVMA study, 2.4% of Standard Poodles suffer from gastric
dilatation-volvulus each year. Dogs that are bloating require immediate
surgery to correct the problem. Because most dogs that bloat once will
bloat again, the surgeon should also perform a procedure known as
"stomach tacking" or a gastropexy, as a preventive measure.
One of the most common problems in Standard Poodles is sebaceous adenitis, an inflammation of the sebaceous glands that leads to hair loss and skin disease. Around half of all Standard Poodles either have this condition or carry it genetically. It can be diagnosed with a simple biopsy, but there is no treatment. Fortunately, as long as secondary skin infections are kept under control, SA is primarily a cosmetic problem and dogs that have the condition can live a normal life.
Finally, Standard Poodles have a higher incidence of cancer than the smaller dogs, including bone cancer.
Despite what the breeder might say and regardless of whether your Poodle's parents are perfectly healthy, it is impossible to guarantee your Poodle will be free of breed-specific issues such as entropion or any of the conditions above. You can protect against the unknown by getting pet insurance. The best advice we can give you when looking for pet insurance for your Poodle puppy is to insure her when she's young, ideally 8 weeks to 6 months of age.
Picking the best pet insurance plan for your Poodle means finding one that covers hereditary conditions. Sadly, most pet insurance plans do not cover these conditions but a few, including Embrace Pet Insurance, do. Because of this, pet insurance plans that cover hereditary conditions tend to cost more than plans from other leading companies such as VPI that do not.
Pet insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions. If you wait until your Poodle is too old there is a high probability that claims for any health issues he has had will be considered pre-existing and thus denied. Remember, pet insurance is the one thing you can't buy when you need it the most, you need to plan ahead and get it when your Poodle is young.
Get a Poodle pet insurance quote