Common Reasons for Surrender
A popular breed with older people because of their cleanliness, Poodles often end up in shelters or rescues because their owners have passed away or have had to move to an assisted living facility or a nursing home. Other times, people adopt a Poodle without first doing their research. Then, after they bring the Poodle home, they realize the cost of caring for their dog, particularly grooming costs and high quality food, are more than they can realistically afford.
Pros
Poodles don’t shed. Many people, who are allergic to other dogs and animals, find the Poodle is the only dog they can have without having an allergic reaction. Originally bred to be companions, Poodles want to be partners with their humans and crave human companionship. If you’re hanging out in the backyard, your Poodle will want to be with you.
Cons
The downside to a Poodle is that she just wants to be with her family and often suffers from separation anxiety when her family runs errands or goes to work. Standard Poodles are prone to bloat and both Standard and Toy Poodles require frequent grooming. Learning how to properly groom a Poodle can take as long as five years, so consider the expense of taking your Poodle to the groomer every six to eight weeks.
Diet
Opt for a high quality dry good food, such as Natural Balance, for your Poodle. You may want to supplement your Poodle’s dry food with small pieces of bacon or chicken or a small portion of plain low fat yogurt. Puparoni makes a good treat, but break the individual sticks into three small pieces and give one piece at a time. Always offer treats in moderation.
Exercise
How much exercise your Poodle will need depends on whether he is a Toy, a Miniature, or a Standard Poodle. A Toy Poodle will get all the exercise he needs by just running around the house. Don’t be surprised if your Toy Poodle wants to be carried around the rest of the time. A miniature Poodle requires a minimum of a half an hour walk daily while a Standard Poodle must have a fenced-in yard. If you don’t have a fenced-in yard, take him to the park or the dog park to run around for a minimum of two hours three times a week. Standard Poodles will need that kind of exercise until they are around seven years old. After eight, most Poodles tend to slow down somewhat, depending on their personality.
Possible Health Issues
A healthy breed overall, Poodles are prone to hip dysplasia, Hildebrand’s Disease, bloat, and Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), the latter of which often results in blindness.
Housing
A Toy Poodle and a Miniature Poodle, due to their small size, will do well anywhere from an apartment to a house while the Standard Poodle ideally will need a fenced-in backyard.
Grooming
Expect to take your Poodle to the groomer at least every six to eight weeks. Grooming your Poodle will likely cost considerably more than a haircut for yourself. You can learn to groom a Poodle yourself but the process can take as many as five years. A Poodle’s hair mats easily, which means you should comb and brush him daily.
Training
The Poodle is an extremely intelligent breed, loves to learn, and is easy to train. Use only positive reinforcement or you risk your Poodle shutting down to the training process. In fact, if you ignore your Poodle during training, or at any time, you will hurt him immensely. Poodles are extremely sensitive and crave your approval and attention. Keep training positive and fun and avoid repetition for the best results.
Entertainment
Poodles love to run and most are happiest when they are with their families. Because of their intelligence, Poodles can learn to dance and do tricks easily. If you go somewhere, your Poodle will want to go with you as he just craves your companionship.
We want to thank Carolina Poodle Rescue for help with this profile.