Poodle

The Poodle is a versatile water retrieval and companion dog developed in Germany and France during the Middle Ages. Sixteenth-century drawings by Albrecht Dürer documented early representations of the breed, which hunters used to retrieve downed waterfowl from marshes and rivers.

The Fédération Cynologique Internationale classifies the breed under Group 9, Section 2. The German word Pudelhund, meaning water dog, provided the basis for the English name, while the French designation Caniche links the dog to the duck, or canard. French nobility adopted the breed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, establishing standard trims that originally protected the dog's joints and vital organs from frigid water. The Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1874, followed by the American Kennel Club in 1887, establishing formal conformation criteria for multiple size varieties.

Standard Poodles measure 45-60 cm (18-24 in) at the withers and weigh 20-32 kg (44-70 lb), Medium specimens reach 35-45 cm (14-18 in) and 7-12 kg (15-26 lb), Miniature varieties measure 28-35 cm (11-14 in) and 4-7 kg (9-15 lb), and Toy varieties stand 24-28 cm (9.4-11 in) weighing under 3 kg (6.6 lb). The coat consists of dense, woolly curls or cords that grow continuously without seasonal shedding. Solid colors include black, white, brown, grey, and fawn. Breed standards describe the temperament as faithful, keen to learn, highly trainable, and harmonious in social movement.

The coat requires thorough combing every several days and complete clipping every four to six weeks to prevent severe matting. Hair growing inside the ear canals traps moisture and wax, requiring systematic extraction and cleaning. Standard varieties exhibit susceptibility to gastric dilatation-volvulus, sebaceous adenitis, and hip dysplasia. Miniature and Toy lines more frequently develop medial patellar luxation, tracheal collapse, and progressive retinal atrophy. Idiopathic epilepsy and hypoadrenocorticism occur across all four size categories, with genetic screening tests identifying carriers of inherited eye disorders.