Country of Origin: France has been officially recognized as the Poodle’s country of origin, but the Poodle’s earlier ancestors came from central Asia. The German variety has probably influenced the modern breed most (‘Poodle’ is German for ‘splash’ or ‘puddle’). In 18th and 19th century Europe, the Poodle served a wide variety of purposes, including duck hunting, guiding, and later circus performing, from whence the modern grooming style likely arose. The Poodle became a popular pet for the French aristocracy, and in time was officially adopted as the national dog. Poodles were imported to America in the 20th century. They slowly rose in popularity and eventually became the country’s most popular dog. Famous Poodles include author John Steinbeck’s dog Charley, subject of the book ‘Travels with Charley: In Search of America’, and Weird Al’s Poodle Bela, who…uhm… sat on his head for the album cover of ‘Poodle Hat.’
Size: The Standard Poodle has a shoulder height of 15-18 inches and weighs 20-32 kg (45-70 lbs). Standard Poodles are very elegant in appearance. They have a long, narrow muzzle, slight stop (point at which the forehead meets the muzzle), dark eyes, and wide ears. Standard Poodles have flat backs, straight, docked tails and small, oval feet. Their length is approximately the same as their height.
Coat: The Standard Poodle has a distinctive fine, frizzy, wooly coat similar in texture to sheep’s wool. Solid white is most common, but the coat may also be solid grey, brown, apricot, or black. There are three distinct grooming styles for show Poodles: puppy clip, continental clip, and English saddle clip. The puppy clip entails shaving the face, throat, feet, and base of the tail. The upper legs and hindquarters are also shaved in the continental clip (currently the most popular), leaving ‘pom poms’ around the ankles. The English saddle clip is similar, but the hindquarters are left mostly unshaved. All show clips require heavy maintenance, thus pet clips commonly entail shorter hair over the entire body. Poodle hair can be formed in a ‘corded’ style, in which the hair is allowed to mat into long, thin rows rather than being brushed out. This is difficult to maintain, and now rare. Standard Poodles do not shed, making them a good match for allergy sufferers, for which reason they are commonly used for crossbreeding.
Character: The Standard Poodle is sensitive, intelligent, lively, playful, proud, and elegant. It bonds closely with family and makes a great companion. Standard Poodles are very smart, obedient, and graceful, which makes them one of the most popular pets in the world. The Standard Poodle is bouncy, alert, and usually eager to play. Standard Poodles are a bit calmer and less likely to bark than Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodles.
Temperament: The Standard Poodle gets along well with other animals, other dogs, and children. It is best to socialize it as a puppy. Standard Poodles will announce the arrival of visitors, but are generally friendly toward them. Standard Poodles are highly adaptable and make good watchdogs. They may find their way into some mischief!
Care: Show Poodles should be groomed by professionals, and will require a substantial investment of time and money. Poodles which are not intended for show competitions usually have longer hair on the head, legs, and ears, and are trimmed every five to six weeks. Standard Poodles have a long lifespan of 10-13 years. The Standard Poodle is susceptible to cataracts and eye problems. Standard Poodles which are not shaven carefully can suffer skin irritation or rashes. Meals should be spread throughout the day to avoid bloat. Poodles require frequent human companionship and should not be left to live outdoors.
Training: The Standard Poodle is highly intelligent, making training a fairly simple process. They quickly understand what is expected of them and can learn a wide variety of tricks and games. Standard Poodles are likely to enjoy the training process. Any effort put into training the Poodle will reap large rewards.
Activity: The Standard Poodle requires substantial amounts of exercise. Standard Poodles require long walks and outdoor activities such as swimming or playing catch. The Standard Poodle is fond of retrieving, as it has origins as a hunting dog. It should do fine with apartment life.
Carriage and Condition That of a very active, intelligent and elegant appearing dog, squarely built, well proportioned, moving soundly and carrying himself proudly. Properly clipped in the traditional fashion and carefully groomed, the Poodle has about him an air of distinction and dignity peculiar to himself. Size, Proportion, Substance Size 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. As long as the Toy Poodle is definitely a Toy Poodle, and the Miniature Poodle a Miniature Poodle, both in balance and proportion for the Variety, diminutiveness shall be the decidingfactor when all other points are equal. Proportion To insure the desirable squarely built appearance, the length of body measured from the breastbone to the point of the rump approximates the height from the highest point of the shoulders to the ground. Substance Bone and muscle of both forelegs and hind legs are in proportion to size of dog. Head and Expression (a) Eyes very dark, oval in shape and set far enough apart and positioned to create an alert intelligent expression. Major fault: eyes round, protruding, large or very light. (b) Ears hanging close to the head, set at or slightly below eye level. The ear leather is long, wide and thickly feathered; however, the ear fringe should not be of excessive length. (c) Skull moderately rounded, with a slight but definite stop. Cheekbones and muscles flat. Length from occiput to stop about the same as length of muzzle. (d) Muzzle long, straight and fine, with slight chiseling under the eyes. Strong without lippiness. The chin definite enough to preclude snipiness. Major fault: lack of chin. Teeth white, strong and with a scissors bite Major fault: undershot, overshot, wry mouth Neck, Top line, Body: Neck well proportioned, strong and long enough to permit the head to be carried high and with dignity. Skin snug at throat. The neck rises from strong, smoothly muscled shoulders. Major fault ewe neck The top line is level, neither sloping nor roached, from the highest point of the shoulder blade to the base of the tail, with the exception of a slight hollow just behind the shoulder. Body (a) Chest deep and moderately wide with well sprung ribs. (b) The loin is short, broad and muscular. (c) Tail straight, set on high and carried up, docked of sufficient length to insure a balanced outline. Major fault: set low, curled, or carried over the
back Forequarters Strong, smoothly muscled shoulders. The shoulder blade is well laid back and approximately the same length as the upper foreleg. Major fault steep shoulder. Forelegs Straight and parallel when viewed from the front. When viewed from the side the elbow is directly below the highest point of the shoulder. The pasterns are strong. Dewclaws may be removed. Feet The feet are rather small, oval in shape with toes well arched and cushioned on thick firm pads. Nails short but not excessively shortened. The feet turn neither in nor out. Major fault paper or splay foot. Hindquarters The angulation of the hindquarters balances that of the forequarters.
Hind legs straight and parallel when viewed from the rear. Muscular with width in the region of the stifles which are well bent; femur and tibia are about equal in length; hock to heel short and perpendicular to the ground. When standing, the rear toes are only slightly behind the point of the rump. Major fault cow hocks Coat (a) Quality (1) Curly: of naturally harsh texture, dense throughout. (2) Corded: hanging in tight even cords of varying length; longer on mane or body coat, head, and ears; shorter on puffs, bracelets, and pompons. (b) Clip A Poodle under 12 months may be shown in the "Puppy" clip. In all regular classes, Poodles 12 months or over must be shown in the "English Saddle" or "Continental" clip. In the Stud Dog and Brood Bitch classes and in a non competitive Parade of Champions, Poodles may be shown in the "Sporting" clip. A Poodle shown in any other type of clip shall be disqualified.
(1) "Puppy" A Poodle under a year old may be shown in the "Puppy" clip with the coat long. The face, throat, feet and base of the tail are shaved. The entire shaven foot is visible. There is a pompon on the end of the tail. In order to give a neat appearance and a smooth unbroken line, shaping of the coat is permissible. (2) "English Saddle" In the "English Saddle" clip the face, throat, feet, forelegs and base of the tail are shaved leaving puffs on the forelegs and a pompon on the end of the tail. The hindquarters are covered with a short blanket of hair except for a curved shaved area on each flank and two shaved bands on each hindleg. The entire shaven foot and a portion of the shaven leg above the puff are visible. The rest of the body is left in full coat but may be shaped in order to insure overall balance. (3) "Continental"
In the "Continental" clip, the face, throat, feet, and base of the tail are shaved. The hindquarters are shaved with pompons (optional) on the hips. The legs are shaved, leaving bracelets on the hindlegs and puffs on the forelegs. There is a pompon on the end of the tail. The entire shaven foot and a portion of the shaven foreleg above the puff are visible
The rest of the body is left in full coat but may be shaped in order to insure overall balance. (4)
"Sporting" In the "Sporting" clip, a Poodle shall be shown with face, feet, throat, and base of tail shaved, leaving a scissored cap on the top of the head and a pompon on the end of the tail. The rest of the body, and legs are clipped or scissored to follow the outline of the dog leaving a short blanket of coat no longer than one inch in length. The hair on the legs may be slightly longer than that on the body. In all clips the hair of the topknot may be left free or held in place by elastic bands. The hair is only of sufficient length to present a smooth outline. "Topknot" refers only to hair on the skull, from stop to occiput. This is the only area where elastic bands may be used. Color 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. This is frequently present in the somewhat darker feathering of the ears and in the tipping of the ruff. While clear colors are definitely preferred, such natural variation in the shading of the coat is not to be considered a fault. Brown and cafe au lait Poodles have liver colored noses, eye rims and lips, dark toenails and dark amber eyes. Black, blue, gray, silver, cream and white Poodles have black noses, eye rims and lips, black or self colored toenails and very dark eyes. In the apricots while the foregoing coloring is preferred, liver colored noses, eye rims and lips, and amber eyes are permitted but are not desirable. Major fault: color of nose, lips and eye rims incomplete, or of wrong color for color of dog. 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. Gait A straightforward trot with light springy action and strong hindquarters drive. Head and tail carried up. Sound effortless movement is essential.
Temperament Carrying himself proudly, very active, intelligent, the Poodle has about him an air of distinction and dignity peculiar to himself. Major fault: shyness or sharpness. Major Faults Any distinct deviation from the desired characteristics described in the Breed Standard. Disqualifications Size A dog over or under the height limits specified shall be disqualified. Clip A dog in any type of clip other than those listed under coat shall be disqualified. Parti colors The coat of a parti colored dog is not an even solid color at the skin but of two or more colors. Parti colored dogs shall be disqualified. Value of Points General appearance, temperament, carriage and condition.......30 Head, expression, ears, eyes and teeth.......20 Body, neck, legs, feet and tail.......20 Gait.......20 Coat, color and texture.......10 Approved August 14, 1984
Reformatted March 27, 1990