Standard Poodle's

[crazy_puppy]

My friend has a male Standard Poodle. I have a few questions about the breed myself, mostly concerning tempermant and doggy sports they can excel at.

This male is very nice as far as structure goes and comes from a very good breeder, he has a nice pedigree.

She is going to show this dog later on as he has poor pigment right now.
In the meantime she wanted to do "something" with the dog, but is not sure what he would excel at. My question to all of you other Poodle owners is --- what kind of fun competitive activities do you do with your Poodle?

Also just a personal question: Have poodles EVER excelled at PP or Schutzhund?

Just wondering becouse this boy has nerves of steel and prey drive like you wouldnt believe, he is also very VERY protective of his family , I'm confident he would give his life for them.
From what I've heard this is a typical Poodle tempermant, with that being said I was also wondering what the typical well bred poodles tempermant was like- in general.


Thank you all in advance and sorry for my Novice questions, just trying to help out a friend and educate myself at the same time!

[Chelsea]

Well, I know Standard Poodles can do well in tracking, and even retrieving events. They were originally bred as retrievers, and a few breeders are competing successfully with their standards in AKC and non-AKC sanctioned trials. So she could give tracking/field events a whack, if she has the dedication.

Other than that, Obedience and Agility are both great options, as well as Rally. There's such a wide array of things almost any dog can do that it's really up to the owner.

[poodlesmom]

I have 2 standard poodles & they are truly a joy! Both of mine compete in obedience & absolutely love it. Farley has had some preliminary agility classes and I think once he gets his CDX (hopefully before next summer) I'll sign him up for agility. I know he'll do great at it - it's me I'm worried about! I have also read where a team of standards have been in the Iditarod.

I don't remember the book I read it in years ago but it said that somewhere in Europe, I believe, many years ago they trained standards for police work and they really excelled at it. However, the decision was made not to use them strictly due to the fact that they didn't think they would be taken seriously.

My 2 are wonderful with everyone. Farley is my goofball & Chloe is my gentle one. Farley passed the test for Therapy Dog International and both of them have gone on visits to a local nursing home and they both are wonderful with the residents.

I have 2 young grandsons & the dogs are wonderful with them. Quite some time ago an acquaintance came over for a visit. The dogs had met her but she wasn't a regular visitor. They were fine with her until she started roughhousing with my grandsons on the floor & the boys started screaming like kids do. Both dogs immediately went on the offensive and went after her thinking she was hurting the boys. Luckily as soon as I yelled NO they immediately stopped. Afterwards they were fine with our visitor and she was then able to play with the boys. So yes, I do believe they will protect us even tho until that day I really didn't think they would.

I have found this breed to be the easiest to train. They really want to please their people. I think I can honestly say I'll never be without at least one of them sharing my home.

[shandoggy1]

Come on Crazypuppy! A poodle doing Schutzhund LOL! I have never heard of one excelling in that! You are funny! LOL! Every standard I have ever met has been a lovable goofball! I'd stick to obedience with one or agility. I have seen them do agility quite well.

[FurryAngel33]

I have a Toy poodle, if I had to pick I would put him in Agility or obedience.
He hasa an unlimited amount of energy and listens well when I give him commands.


And hey poodles have done amazing things, Standarrd poodles have ran the Ididorod (sp?) In Alaska. They have also been sheep herders. They are a very versitile breed.

: )

[elegy]

i think the first dog sheila booth (author of a couple of books on dog training including one on schutzhund obedience) titled in schutzhund was a standard poodle.

[Carrie]

They're incredibly intelligent. I am enamored with them. I just might be temped one day. I think they're beautiful and the way they move is terribly graceful and springy. I love their action. (that's something I look at in a horse too. LOL) They certainly could learn Schutzhund and anything else. Why not? The only thing I wonder about is.....are they heavy enough, strong enough to take down a man? And their bite....their jaws don't look as powerful as say, a GSD, Doberman, Rott or some of those. What do they weigh anyhow?

[poodlesmom]

The breed standard doesn't list weight but I have seen on some sites that the average is 45-70 lbs. Farley is 61 lbs & Chloe is 48 lbs.

I'm not sure about their bite comparison to other breeds - I imagine it isn't as much as some - all I know I can't win a tug of war unless I say drop!

I do know on a full run with a jump they do expend some power. I do think their legs have springs in them - I am always amazed how high Farley can jump from a standstill.

I think they could do Schutzhund but I also think other breeds would probably do better. But I do definitely think they would give it their all!

[crazy_puppy]

Well I think Mal's prove that size dosent' matter in ScH!

Well thats really interesting, I had no idea Poodles could do so much. They really are amazing dogs
Thanks for the Info, I'll be sure to pass that on!

[kelly bell]

My dad said that Poodles have athesma problems. Is this true? His poodle, Ted will sound like he's snorting or like he has a hair ball or something and it really worried me. Then the other night Rauligh did this too. My dad could be full of it because he thinks he knows all =. Or, Ted and Rauligh very well could have hair balls or something. I don't know. Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?

[Carrie]

Well, this thread is old as the hills, but since it's here, I'll take a stab at your question Kelly bell. A lot of toy breeds have what's called a collapsing trachea. The trachea (windpipe) has cartilagenous rings around it which normally keep it well opened and tube shaped for breathing. In a lot of toy dogs, the cartilege is soft and the trachea squishes together for brief periods so the air can't get through well. My Chihuahuas get this when they get excited or sometimes at other times. It's over in a very short time, maybe half a minute. It is quite upsetting to see the poor thing gasping for air, but apparently it is not life threatening. It helps to gently massage the throat and calm the dog with your voice.

Of course, since I'm not there, I can't say for sure that that is what it is with your Dad's Poodle. It could be asthma. So, if the dog is having a hard time breathing for longer periods, I'd suspect asthma and that IS life threatening and the dog should be seen by a vet.

[calgal]

Poodles are extremely intelligent and can be trained to do just about anything. A friend of mine has a standard poodle trained in search and rescue. Smart they are, and I'd say just as intelligent as the Border Collies.

[WolfRyder]

I took my dobie to a SAR seminar a few weeks ago and one of the top tracking dogs from Canada was a beautiful black standard poodle. She was awesome! Her owner/handler treated her like a "poodle" when not working, with all the froo-froo coats, booties and stuff, but wow, could that dog track! When in "work mode" she was outstanding at mantrailing.