Poodle

From Pet Encyclopedia

Dog Breed Here

Origin of Breed

Breed Nick Names

[edit] Introduction

[edit] Origin and History

dogs similar in conformation to the 3 sizes of modern day poodles have been found throughout europe for at least four centuries.although samples of bas-reliefs from pre-christisn rome and ancient eygpt contain images of shorn dogs clipped in the style not unlike that of today's poodle clips,there is no factual evidence that links these dogs to any traceable descendants of todays poodle.bas-reliefs from the first century found along the mediterranean,however,provide a clearer look at the dogs very similar in conformation to modern poodles and these dogs are the orsized as being possible prototypes of the breed.these dogs were clipped to resemble lions and bear great resemblence to the poodle specimens of the first bench shows.german writings from the sixteenth century describe the pudel,which translates to splashing in water,as a fairly large,black water retrieval or fowl dog.he was also found throughout belgium and holland,where he was known as the poedel and used chiefly as a working dog.upon migrating west to france,poodles found a loyal following and were used extensively as fowl dogs.at first they were just designated as canis aviarius aquaticus(fowl retriever) or barbet,a term that literally means beard but was used colloquially to designate any long haired dog.as the breed became more plentiful,the name chiencanne(duck dog)was assigned.The german pudels were sturdy,thick set animals,while the french chiencanne were slighter in build.the russian poodle was much slighter and higher in the legs,almost resembling the greyhound in overall body type.only the german and french specimens are credited as figuring in the present day poodle conformation,although russian dogs are thought to have helped refine the thick german body type.germans differentiated the pudel into gross(great) pudel,mittlere(medium) pudel,and klein(little) pudel,with the schaf pudel designation being given to dogs with wooly coats and schnurl pudel for the corded specimens.french poodles were also given names according to size,general terms such as grand and petit barbet differentiated the large and the small long haired.the miniature and toy poodles that enjoy such widespread popularity today have only reached a standardization of type within the last century.the miniature is said to have resulted from interbreeding small and standards,while the toy undoubtedly resulted from breeding small miniatures.the toy poodle has been around for hundreds of years commomly know as comforters and sleeve dogs.the toy poodle did not get official recognition from the american kennel club until the late 1940's as they were the hardest to breed.The toy poodle is credited with being the principal ancestry of the truffle dog of england.it is believed that the toy poodle was crossed with a smaller terrier to produce a dog that would be ideal for it's strange occupation.the truffle is an edible fungas that was formerly considered a great delicacy.regardless of the variety the poodle is one of the most intelligent of the canine race,having within it's own breed great variations of character.infact there is something more human than canine about the poodles.which quality makes them unique dogs and enchanting companians.

[edit] Appearance

poodle colours and explanations of colour 2008-08-02

black black is the dominant colour regardless of what other colour it is put to.poodles carrying only genes for black(purely dominant for black) will pass on thier black colouring to thier offspring.if,however,they are not purely dominant for black and carry a recessive gene for another colour then a variety of colours can result.it is the black poodle that is said to be the most perfect model of type. white white colouring is caused by a pair of recessive genes.since it is purely recessive,white bred to white will always produce white.however,some breeders have found that white to white after several generations produces dogs with pink or brown points,with both of these colours being disallowed by the breed standard.to counter this,some breeders introduce a blue cross every sith generation in order to preserve the mandatory black points.two shades of white are known.one is snow white,the other is a paper white,with the first being the whiter of the two,it is the paper white that carries the desired pigmentation of the dark eyes that give the poodle his/her typical expression. brown brown colouring is a dilusion of black,if a brown dam is mated to a black stud,the resulting litter will have some brown and some black puppies.mating a brown to a black,if the former has not been harmed in colour by a previous cross,helps keep the colour and pigmentation dark.brown bred to brown will breed true,and there is no other colour that has as amny beautiful variations of hue as does the brown.these range from the darkest chocolate through to a brilliant reddish chestnut to cafe-au-lait.the most regularly occurring fault in browns is thier tendancy to light eyes.along with the light eyes,point pigmentation usually runs to pink.such faults rob this colour variation of the typical poodle expression,giving themeither an insipid look or an overly aggressive one.although the standard allows for liver coloured noses eye rims and lips in brown poodles,dark amber eyes and points are preferred.silver and blue these two colours are best known dilusions of black ,but are also the most difficult to attain.although the first blue was produced as a cross between a black and a white,it is no longer recommended that a blue or a silver be bred back to one of these first two colours.perhaps because of thier popularity,these two colours are also greatly distorted.the blue should be light,clearand unshaded blue,which is still very rarely attained.silver should be a very pale platinum with as few shadings as possible.again a very popular colour,in the haste to produce this colour it seems many variations of this shade are being accepted,none of which hit the mark,butall of which tend to take away from the true silver.much in evidence are taupes with brownish tinge,dark gray,gun metal silver,even dirty pewter kind of hue these two colours can be bred together and will always result in silvers and blues.no other cross should be made.most always the puppies from these matings are born jet black and will lighten over varying periods of time.some take only a few weeks before the silver begins to show,in other cases it takes months.only very occassionally will a puppy appear silver at birth. apricots poodles exhibiting a true apricot colour ing are still comparatively fewer in number than the other colour variations .it is difficult to breed a rich apricot that does not fade,while retaining the black points and dark eye.although the standard allows the liver coloured nose and points it is not desired.the colour apricot covers a wide variety of colours,though at the base it gets back to three colour classes,first are those that are born from the cream line.at birth these puppies are born with a clear rich colour,but they later tend to fade back to cream.exposure to direct sunlight also effects fading in this colour group.second are the apricots that are developed from colour lines such as brown,silver and occassioally black.these ,like the silvers and blues,are jet black at birth and lighten as they mature .the apricots born from these lines do not tend to fade as readily as the ones from cream lines,although too much sunlight will damage the clarity of the colour in these also.the third colour class are those dogs from the strongly line bred lineages.they are resistant to fading in comparison to the cream bred apricots,but dogs linebred for this colour are very hard to find .

[edit] Temperament

when you purchase a poodle you are taking into your homea marvelous new companion,one who is sure to delight and protect the entire family for many years.The poodle temperament allows for a highly intelligent dog who is adaptable to any enviroment he/she might be placedin.thus,wether on a farm or in a busy city,in a rambling house or a small apartment,the poodle will find his niche and make himself/herself comfortable.his/her one desire is to please his/her master and he does so in a number of ways.as a companian,the poodle the poodle is wonderful for people of all ages.with children the poodle takes on a playful mood,delighting them for hours with frisky play.for someone who spends a great deal of time at home,such as a retired person,the poodle can be excellent company.as family protector,the poodle is staunch and ever cautious,alerting family members to any unusual noises with a repeated bark.as previously mentioned,the poodle is highly adaptable,so he/she will easily get used to the particular household in which he/she is placed.even if placed in a home were another dog is already present,the poodle will adjust to his/her new friend in a short while,and the two will most likely become inseperable friends.such is usually the case with the poodles,there is never a feeling of rivelry or jealousy towards a housemate.of course,the first day may be a little touch and go as the two animals get aquainted,but everything will be most likely smooth sailing from then on.such is the nature of this friendly,eager to please dog.because the poodle was originally a water worker,he has a natural resistance to the elements.serving long hours in the cold water while retrieving game has forced the breed to become exceptionally tolerant of a variety of harsh climates.when not shorn to the skin,the thick coat of the breed affords excellent cold weather protection.the versitility of the coat also allows it to be clipped in a number of patterns,many of which provide a bit of warm weather relief.while year round attention to trimming the coat is necessary to retain good condition.it is all the more important to do so in the summer months when the dog may become very irritated by the heat.poodles are double coated,the inner layer of the coat providing a natural insulation.although this insulation is a bonus in retaining body heat in the cold winter months,it can pose a very uncomfortable situation if too much heat is retained during the warm seasons.paying careful attention to your poodle during the change of seasons will yield the best results in judging wether or not your dog is generally comfortable in which ever clip you choose to keep him/her in.if he /she if found to be constantly cold supplying a poodle sweater and allowing the coat to grow in more fully are often adequate solutions.those poodles kept in outside runs as appose to those kept indoors will bear the thicker stronger coat.

[edit] Health

signs of good health 2008-08-02

picking out a healthy,attractive little baby to join your family circle is a different matter from picking a show dog.it is also a great deal less complicated.often the puppy will pick you.if he/she does,and it is mutual admiration at first sight,he/she is the best puppy for you.trust your eyes and hands to tell if the puppy is sound in mind as well as body and temperament.ears and eyes should not have suspicious discharges.legs should have strong bones,bodies should have solid muscles.coat should be clean.lift the hair to check that the skin is free of scales and parasites.reliable breeders and pet shops will urge you to take the puppy to the vets of your choice to have the puppies health checked if bought from a good breeder this should not be a problem and baby should pass with flying colours.

[edit] External Links

the way to have a well mannered adult dog is to give him/her firm basic training while he/she is a puppy.when you say NO!!! you must mean NO!!! your dog will respect you only if you are firm.a 6-8 week old puppy is old enough to understand what NO!!! means.the first time you see your puppy doing something he/she shouldn't be doing,chewing something he/she shouldn't chew or wandering in a forbidden area,it's time to teach him/her say NO!!! firmly.usually a firm NO!!! in a disapproving tone of voice is enough to correct your dog.NEVER punish or shout at your puppy once you have called him/her to you he/she must associate coming to you with something pleasant.

[edit] References

male or female ????? 2008-08-02

before buying your puppy,you should have made a decision as to wether you want a male or a female.unless you want to breed your pet and raise a litter of puppies,your preference as to the sex of your puppy is strictly a personal choice i on the other hand do not have a personal choice they are both fabulous with unique qualities on the whole both sexes are pretty much the same in disposition and character although each individual dog you will find has a unique one all of thier own as you will find out for yourself,and both make equally good pets.

the question of spaying 2008-08-02

if you feel that you will never want to raise a litter of pure bred puppies,and if you do not wish to risk the possibilty of an undesirable mating and surplus mongrel puppies inevitably destined for euthanasia although i might add not all do depending on the breeder,then you may want to have your female spayed.spaying is generally best performed after the female has passed her first heatand before her first birthday;this allows the female to attain the normal female characteristics,while still being young enough to avoid the possible complications encountered when an older female is spayed.a spayed female will remain a healthy,lively pet.you often hear that a spayed female will become very fat.however,if you cut down on her food intake she will not gain weight.