Appearance

The poodle is active, intelligent, graceful, beautiful well-proportioned and loyal.

These qualities along with a sense of “joie de vivre” that’s a natural part of their personality; have made the poodle one of the most popular canine companions; one enjoyed by the whole family.

A healthy Poodle is a magnificent animal to look at. They are an athletic, well balanced dog with a sturdy, muscular build. Poodles feature an attractive proud head which is held high and supported by a long strong neck. They have a lustrous dense coat which comes in many solid colors and is either curly or corded.

Originating from the working retriever breed, the Poodle’s body type is a reflection of its athletic heritage. The squarely-proportioned Poodle has a graceful appearance and a proud carriage; the dog’s gracefulness is apparent in its gait which is yet springy, effortless, and light.

The Three Sizes of Poodle

There are three different varieties of Poodle. From the largest to the smallest they are the Standard Poodle, Miniature Poodle and the Toy Poodle. The Toy Poodle is divided into three sizes as well. The tiniest of the toy poodle sizes is the teacup. Tiny toy is the next size up. These last two classifications, (teacup and tiny toy) which are subcategories, are just terms used to identify size. Dogs in both of these size classes are registered as toy poodles. Generally the difference is considered to be a marketing strategy used by breeders to sell smaller versions of the breed.

The Standard Poodle:

The largest version of the breed is 15 inches or taller at the highest point of the shoulders and between 45 and 70 lbs.

The Miniature Poodle:

The Miniature Poodle is 15 inches or shorter at the highest point of the shoulders, with a minimum height in excess of 10 inches and between 20 to 32 lbs.

The Toy Poodle:

The smallest Poodle, The Toy, is 10 inches or shorter at the highest point of the shoulders, weighing about 5 to 7 lbs.

Poodle Colors:

Poodles have either a solid-colored or parti-colored coat. A coat that is non-shedding and found to be agreeable to most dog-allergic people.

The Poodle has a wide variety of coloring, including white, black, brown, silver, gray, silver beige, apricot, red, cream, sable, and parti-colored coat (a term used to note a mix or partial color) and in patterns such as phantom and brindle.
For solid-colored poodles, the coat is an even and solid color at the skin. In blues, grays, silvers, browns, cafe-au-laits, apricots and creams, the coat may show varying shades of the same color.

The standard colors are:

1- Black
2- White
3- Apricot
4- Grey
5- Cream
6- Silver
7- Sable,
8- Red
9- Blue
10- Brown

Often the poodle will show a somewhat darker feathering of the ears and in the tipping of the ruff. While solid colors are preferred by the registries, such natural variation in the shading of the coat is not to be considered a fault.

However at this time Parti’s do not meet the AKC Breed Standards and “Parti-colored dogs shall be disqualified. The coat of a parti-colored dog is not an even solid color at the skin but is of two or more colors.”Parti-colored poodle

Parti-colored poodle

AKC Standards aside, Parti-colored poodles are recognized in poodle history as the original coloring of the poodle. A “parti” poodle has solid-colored patches over a white coat. The coat will usually be white and colored in equal amounts, though it can vary with a larger percent of white.

When the poodle has markings which resemble those of a tuxedo, it is called, not surprisingly, a “tuxedo” poodle.

Poodle Mixes ~ Breed Diversity

Poodles have been cross bred for various reasons, and the resultant “designer dogs” are described by whimsical portmanteau words, such as cockapoo or spoodle (Cocker Spaniel), maltipoo (Maltese), goldendoodle, labradoodle (Labrador), Schnoodle (Schnauzer), pekepoos (Pekingese), Cavapoo (Cavalier King Charles), Bernedoodle (Bernese Mountain Dog) and many others. The Poodle has been the basis for more “new breeds” (though these “hybrids” are not recognized by any major breed registry) than any other pure bred dog. In reality the cross breeds are not one breed of dog, but two.

Appearance & Grooming

See “The Popular Culture of the Poodle:”