If you want a confident, intelligent dog that enjoys an active life, a Poodle may be the best breed for you. Poodles are full of life and energy; inquisitive, dignified; and loyal. For at least the last ten years, the American Kennel Club of the United States has listed the Poodle as one of its ten most popular breeds. One reason Poodles are so popular is that they come in a variety of size like small, medium and large, known in the dog world as Toy, Miniature and Standard Poodles.
Poodles come in a variety of sizes, from the diminutive Toy Poodle to the slightly larger Miniature Poodle to the tallest Poodle, the Standard Poodle. Toy Poodles cannot be taller than ten inches at the shoulder. Miniature Poodles measure ten to fifteen inches in height, and Standard Poodles include any Poodle taller than fifteen inches at the shoulder.
Standards for the Poodle coat are the same for all three sizes. The Poodle coat is dense, wiry and curly, and also rough to the touch. Standards of the breed allow a range of colors from black to white, with brown, apricot blue, gray and silver in between.
The origins of the Poodle breed are uncertain, although Germany, Denmark and France have all claimed credit for developing the breed. Over the years, France has come to be recognized as the Poodle’s place of origin, and the French hold a special place in their hearts and in their culture for what they call the Caniche.
Although the Germans, the Danes, and the French all claimed at one time or another to be the country where the Standard Poodle breed originated, France has come to be known as the Poodle’s country of origin. The French are exceedingly proud of this designation, and the French Poodle occupies a special place in French culture.
A Standard Poodle can become famous because their owners are famous or because they gain fame in their own right, or because their famous owners incorporate them into their public persona. Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas had three Poodles, named Basket, Basket II and Basket III. “Weird Al” Yankovic has a poodle named Bela, who posed on Yankovic’s head for the cover of his “Poodle Hat” album. WWE Superstar Rene Dupree has a poodle named Fifi.
Entertainer “Weird Al” Yankovic posed his Poodle Bela on top of his head for a photograph used on the cover of his “Poodle Hat” album. When wrestling Superstar Rene Dupree, now known as Rene Bonaparte, gives interviews he often refers to his Poodle Fifi.
And a fictional Poodle named Fifi is featured in the animated TV series Rugrats. Most Standard Poodles will never see their name in lights, but their owners nevertheless consider them stars.
