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About the Toy Poodle

The Toy Poodle is known for superior intelligence and exceptional learning ability. For the Toy Poodle, beauty and brains go together. Toy Poodles are exceptionally smart and excel in obedience training. This dog gives off a proud and dignified appearance, and walks with grace and elegance.

In the recent American Kennel Club® (AKC) poll at www.presidentialpup.com about what breed of dog is best for the Obama family, the poodle won out as the breed of choice. Despite this vote of confidence and its overall popularity –it’s the 8th most popular breed registered by the AKC – the breed suffers from an image problem among people who can’t see past the poodle’s pouf. But underneath all that hair, there’s an intelligent, athletic dog that excels at all canine activities and has a long, proud history. Not just a breed for “the ladies who lunch,” this breed is beauty with brains.

The Poodle is one of the hypoallergenic breeds recommended by the AKC for those who suffer from allergies. Their coat requires regular professional grooming every four to six weeks. The Toy Poodle is an elegant, lively, small dog with a profuse, but well-groomed and clipped curly coat. The ears are long, flat and wide, laying close to the head. The head is long with dark, almond-shaped eyes that have an alert expression. The skull is a bit rounded, with a slight stop. The teeth should have a scissors bite. A good Poodle has a square silhouette, with approximately the same overall length as the height at the withers. The level top line has a slight depression behind the withers. The feet are small, oval and webbed, with arched toes. Dewclaws generally are removed. The tail is docked to produce a balanced dog. The coat may be groomed into three basic styles: the "pet clip" (or puppy clip), with relatively short hair all over the body, the "English saddle" clip, and the "Continental" clip with the rear half of the body shaved, bracelets left around the ankles, and pom-poms left on the tails and hips. All solid colors are permissible. The Poodle has a delightful springy gait.

The Toy Poodle is remarkably intelligent. Highly responsive, they are said to be one of the most trainable breeds. Pleasant, happy, perky and lively, they like to be with people. Delightful, very amusing and clever. It makes a very good watchdog for its size. Any effort the owner puts into training and socializing will be well rewarded. Without the proper type and amount of exercise they may be high-strung and timid. If the human is not 100% pack leader, they may snap if they are teased or surprised.Toy Poodles are good for city life as well as country living. Given enough exercise, they are not active in doors. They will lay right next to you and are more sedate when indoor although they love to play outdoors and are a highly intelligent breed, so they do like lots of thoughtful activities to stimulate their mentality. They will do okay without a yard.

Poodles must be bathed regularly and clipped every six weeks. Clean and check the ears frequently for wax or infection and pull out hairs growing inside the ear canal. The traditional clips were developed to lighten the weight of the coat for swimming and to protect the joints and major organs from cold, but many pet owners opt for a plain lamb clip (the same length all over). The teeth need regular scaling. Poodles shed little to no hair and are good for allergy sufferers. (See description for different styles of clips.)

Height: up to 10 inches and Weight: 6-9 pounds
Life Expectancy: 12-15 or more year