People are so ignorant about poodles!

[cockerlover25]

Have you ever noticed that some people don't like poodles mostly because of the show haircuts that they have. All my friends hate them because of the different cuts that they have, I always say that those are only the show cuts and that if I had a poodle I would have alittle fur on the head, top of the tail, and the bottom of the feet. The rest would be shaved. Also if I had a poodle there are some colors that I wouldn't have him/her. Grey, parti-colored, red, or blue. I love poodles in apricot, white, and black. I also would have it a Standard. What I think is funny is that some people call a Standard Poodle a 'french poodle' but really all of the poodles (standard, miniature, and toy) are french. I hate it that poodles are put in the NONSPORTING group of dogs, when they first originated they had those special cuts so that they could float better on the water when they retrieved the game that their owner(s) shot down! They are really hunting dogs, I have 2 people in my family that hunt and they both hunt with poodles. One relative has 3 poodles and the other has 2. Just goes to show you that poodles are NOT nonsporting dogs.

[Pam]

Cockerlover...I couldn't agree more, although I love all colors and all sizes. I have had them all! Right now I have only one poodle living with me. She is a standard poodle and her name is Bella. Thank you for bringing up some of the points you have made. To really know a poodle is to love them! :) :) :)

Here's my sweetie:

http://wsphotofews.excite.com/030/Ur/gu/lx/fH48061.jpg

[ August 21, 2001: Message edited by: Pam ]

[Tanya&Fritz]

How could anyone not love this face???

http://wsphotofews.excite.com/010/v5/9f/In/ao56518.jpg

[3-greys-and-a-mutt]

I have to admit that I was one of those people who thought that poodles was such prissy and overly-pampered dogs. My grandmother had a poodle that she used to dye pink (I don't think that's popular anymore!)
But as I've gotten older, I've realized that poodles are really fabulous dogs! The teacups and the mini are so sweet and dainty, and the standards are so noble and proud! I think they are all so beautiful!
I just adore all the Pet Talk poodles: Reece, Fritz, and Bella - am I missing any?
Pam - you'd better never let me meet Bella, or you'll be going home without a dog - I am in love with her! I just want to ruffle her mop-top!

[Daisy's Mom]

I also must admit I wasn't a poodle lover either. I thought they were little yappy foofoo dogs... but then I joined Pet Talk, and I "met" sweet Reece, beautiful Bella, and adorable little Fritz. Those three cuties changed my mind completely! I totally melt when I look into Reece's big brown eyes, or when I see Fritz's sweet little puppy face, or Bella's gorgeous fluffy head! I am in love with all three of them, and I thank them and their loving mommies for converting me into a poodle lover :)

[jackiesdaisy1935]

I agree with 3greysandamutt, and cockerlover, the only Poodles that I saw were the ones in the show and I had the same opinion, but after hearing and seeing all the great poodles we have here I am hooked.
I showed Don Bella, and he couldn't believe
how beautiful she is. I think Bella could have her pick of babysitters if you were to go on a trip. :D :D

[ownerof3dogs]

O.k since evreyones confessing I geuss I'll give it up too. I didn't like them either. I thought they were snobby dog who didn't like to get dirty. But comeing her and meeting all the poodles mentioned above and hearing there stories I come to find that I was totally WRONG and that I acually like the breed.

[Stenograsaurus]

Originally posted by Daisy's Mom:
<STRONG>I also must admit I wasn't a poodle lover either. I thought they were little yappy foofoo dogs... but then I joined Pet Talk, and I "met" sweet Reece, beautiful Bella, and adorable little Fritz. Those three cuties changed my mind completely! I totally melt when I look into Reece's big brown eyes, or when I see Fritz's sweet little puppy face, or Bella's gorgeous fluffy head! I am in love with all three of them, and I thank them and their loving mommies for converting me into a poodle lover :)</STRONG>

Ditto for me!! :D :cool:

[ August 22, 2001: Message edited by: Stenograsaurus ]

[cockerlover25]

All you people who confessed about poodles I want to congragulate for being so honest! (clap clap clap clap clap)I think that if people get the whole picture about poodles and not just the haircuts. I think it isn't the poodle that some people didn't like, it was the steriotype that poodles had that made people dislike poodles so much! But again I want to congratulate you for actually confessing, not alot of people have the courage to do that.

[ilovehounds]

Okey okey I'll admit it to, I at one time didn't like poodles, yes I said it ..lol.. I thought they were snotty, prissy, nippy dogs.

BUT my aunt has a son with Down Syndrome and they got him a poodle. She is the most sweetest, wonderful dog in the world. He at times can be a little rough with her but she loves him soo much and would never hurt him. She has never bitten or even growled at him. She is now 12 years old and is still the sweetest thing.

She and the poodles her at pet talk have totally changed they way I see poodles.

If anyone ever asked me know what I thought of them I would say they are wonderful, genlte, loyal dogs.

[TollSettFK]

I like poodles! And a lot of people that think that they are "weak" powderpuffs" or "showy and concieted" never knew that they are actulley water dogs, used for bird hunting.

[kobieeli]

I gotta jump in here, too! I admit that poodles groomed to look like weird topiary, with bulbs of fur in between bare spots and what-have-you, just make me feel sorry for the poor animals. But my doctor tells me about her four poodles (who are NOT groomed like that!) and I've come to realize their intelligence and sense of humor.

The kicker was in a recent issue of The Bark magazine, where I read an article about search and rescue dogs--and learned that there's such a thing as "avalanche poodles"! Apparently they are very good at finding people buried under feet of snow, and they're light and careful enough not to disturb the scene and cause new snowslides. Go poodles!

BTW, if any of you haven't yet discovered the joys of The Bark, I highly recommend it. Portions of each issue are always online at their website: www.thebark.com (http://www.thebark.com) I hope my birthday subscription renewal goes through with no missed issues!

[Albea]

Kobieeli:
I just love the description of the hair cut that makes poodles like "weird topiary" :D
I must admit that I was also not very attracted to poodles, although I knew they are smart, until I got to meet Fritz, Bella and Reece. They are so adorable!
Some weeks ago I sent a message to Aly and Tanya begging them to keep Reece and Fritz with their puppy haircut forever. They don't need anything else to enhance their beauty ;)

[AdoreMyDogs]

I also must confess...I never hated poodles, I never hate any breed for that matter, but poodles were very low on my list of my type of dog. When I worked at the vet hospital, every single poodle I saw (mostly toy & mini) were completely untrained, unruly, & completely spactic and frantic. We would get quite a few poodles in and they were usually owned by older folks who knew nothing about training and the poodles were so hard to handle, and so "babied" that they had forgotten that they were dogs. I was ignorant and figured it was a poodle thing, when in reality it's an owner thing! With the right training a poodle is an incredible breed! Reece is the first poodle to truly turn my respect back to the breed. In fact, I would love to rescue a poodle some day because of that precious soul, Reece :) And then came Bella...the beautiful supermodel girl with those liquid eyes that could melt even the coldest of hearts. One look at her picture and I was completely in love. She is so noble, has such naturally good looks, and according to Pam, has brains to go along with her beautiful self. And we can't forget little Fritz who is helping his mom heal from a very great loss. Little Fritz sounds so sweet, loving and he's such a bundle of cuteness. I wish I could cuddle him.

Whenever I see older folks with poodles that are so babied that they rarely ever set foot on the ground, because they are carried so often...and they are given their ways with everything...I will never again blame it on the dog. It's great to baby dogs, and to dress them up, and to spoil them to a certain extent, but I think certain breeds tend to become more spoiled and babied then what is natural. Poodles maybe being one of those breeds. And yes the show cuts don't help towards gaining respect in my opinion. I find the show cuts far from cute. The puppy cut is the only way to go in my opinion!

[Pam]

It was interesting to read everyone's "confessions." :D I have to admit before I ever had a poodle I felt the same way. The breed was brought to my attention by a co-worker who had one. The rest is history! I love Pet Talk because I have become much more educated about different breeds, training tips and just the support from other pet owners who "have been there" with some of the same problems that we have all run into that go hand-in-hand with dog ownership. You guys are on my mind more than I had realized. For example, yesterday I passed two schnauzers running in a yard and I thought "there goes a couple of Perry look-alikes!" A couple of weeks ago I saw a baby basset hound in PetsMart and thought of sweet Daisy! :) Anyway, not to repeat myself, but this is a great site with great people!

[Pam]

Out of the five that I have had, only one did. It was my male toy poodle. He was apricot colored. I understand that tearing is worse in the toys.

[ August 24, 2001: Message edited by: Pam ]

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Pam, of course I can see the difference in cuts between show dogs and a family dog. Do you know what the purpose of those fancy cuts are that turn people off of poodles or mayby I should say a lot of people? Do they shave their bodies way down? I see Bella seems to have curly body hair etc and look how much more beautiful she is than those lolly pop looking poodles.
Jackie

[Pam]

Jackie as I type this Bella is having a haircut. :) I tried to groom her today and got about 3/4 of the way done and she was starting to fidget quite a bit. Hubby is finishing up and she is an angel for him. I will never understand that. :confused: I guess I need a deeper voice!

To answer your question about the purpose of the fancy cuts, I really am not sure. In my own personal opinion it may be to judge the quality of a poodle's fur. Some poodles are much woolier than others. In fact some poodles could not even be clipped that way because of soft fur or thin fur. It may be one of the ways the judges determine fur quality?? Anyone out there that is a breeder may know the answer to that one. One of my toy poodles, Pumpkin, had a horrible poodle coat. It was soft and thin and with him every day was a bad hair day. :D He came from a back yard breeder, just a family with a male and a female and seeking to make a buck. I actually can't be mad at them, though, because he was absolutely the most lovey dovey little guy and happily he lived to be 17!!! :) A professional breeder, though, breeds for conformation to breed standards, and coat is very important. I have been told (don't know how true this is) that the wooliest poodles are white and black. Our Whitney (who was black) and Bella (who is almost white) definitely have/had the best coats, so I guess there is some truth in that, at least from personal observation. Yes, we ONLY clip in the puppy clip. It is easy to maintain and looks more sensible. I loved the "topiary" comment! :D :D :D

[MHMama]

Okay, Confession time, I never thought much of poodles either but since our "nice" neighbors moved in with Ruska, I see them as pretty neat dogs. Okay, Okay, Okay if I am going to truly confess and all of you promise never to tell Ricky, here goes..... I never ever liked Chihuahuas. I thought they were the most obnoxious, irritating, ugly little dogs in the world and look at me know. Shows you can't judge a dog by its cover or its haircut.
:) ;) :rolleyes: :p :) :o

[ShepherdLover]

I hate to admit it, but I hate the weido show hair-cuts! If they just have a regular pet hair-cut I think they look fine. When a poodle has a pet hair-cut I like to call them "Beauty and Brains." If they have the show hair-cut I just call them "Brains."

They are very intelligent dogs. If someone offered me a standard for free, I'd take it! They're really good dogs. Although for now, I think I'll stay with the shepherds! ;)

[ownerof3dogs]

Pam

The purpose of the fancy hair cuts on poodles were to the keep the joints and the internel organs worm in cold water(the poodle was used alot liked labs)you'll notice by where the "puffs" of hair are located. Of course the hair cut in dog shows are exaggerated.

[Albea]

Here is one more comment about poodles hair cuts. Rita Rudner said: " I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult." :D

[aly]

HOW did I miss this topic?!?!?!!?

I have always liked poodles, but I didn't understand their full personalities until I brought Reece home. A poodle wasn't at the top of my list in dogs that I wanted, but this little boy stole my heart. I have never met a more easy going dog than him. He just LOVES all people and animals. He's such a flirt. He thinks its his duty to personally greet every person we come across, no matter where we are. (People at drive thrus love him).

I know the lady that runs poodle rescue here in Austin. I went to her house one time and played with her 5 foster poodles. Each of them had wonderful personalities. I'd really recommend to anyone wanting a poodle that rescue IS the way to go. I got the most perfect, wonderful dog out of rescue :)

Leslie touched on an important point. Most of the people who are attracted to the breed spoil and baby them. They appeal a lot to older people who are retired and home with lots of time to coddle and spoil. This makes dogs with not so great personalities. the true tragedy with this situation is if something happens to the owners, it is near impossible to place a snotty dog into another home. While it may be acceptable for the people who are spoiling the dog, they never think about what if something happened and their dog had to go to a new home. I have seen stories exactly like this at a shelter conference I went to a few months ago. The dogs have to be put to sleep a lot :(

The reason for their poofy cuts, is when they were water dogs, those patches of fur would keep their joints warm. I think this cut just stuck in the show ring. I like looking at show poodles, but there's no way I'd ever put Reece into a cut like that. I like him the way he is :) My groomers always try to get me to put him in some sort of poodle cut other than the puppy, and I won't have anything to do with it.

Thanks everyone for your compliments about Reece. I REALLY wish you could all meet him, because I can't even begin to put into words how smart, cute, and sweet he really is. Leslie, maybe I could take him to my grandparent's when I go to Michigan. We'd LOVE to have a chance to meet you :)

http://wsphotofews.excite.com/030/Ur/gu/ls/o394860.jpg

[TheAntiPam]

I'm a poodle fan from waaaaaay back! I dog-sit for two lovely black miniature poodles, and sometimes visit a feisty, tiny white toy boy poodle. I agree with the comments about the hair cuts, and love the topiary and religious cult comments! :D

To add to the discussion of pampered/ spoiled poodles, part of the problem is that poodles can be VERY VERY smart! They learn quickly and do well as performance dogs (remember the circus dogs jumping through hoops etc?) When people treat them like babies, they easily learn the expected behavior, and will play it TO THE MAX! But of course, being dogs, sometimes their canine side has to come out...giving the yapping or nipping or other behavior. And since the humans won't learn how to handle the dog properly, the poodle will manipulate the situation as much as they can. Once again, the problem is most often the human, NOT the dog. :mad:

Give your poodle pups a warm hug from me! They are special treasures!!!

[aly]

I just wanted to post another pic that I took today of my poodles :D (Lolly is part poodle too)

Reece is getting pretty shaggy.

http://wsphotofews.excite.com/031/Ef/i7/SM/nJ75174.jpg

[ September 08, 2001: Message edited by: aly ]

[Pam]

Albea that's very funny! Maybe the cult they belong to is the hairy krishnas. :D

Aly I can't believe you missed this post either! We needed you to weigh in here and also post some pics, and by the way Reece is adorable, shaggy or groomed! I for one never get tired of seeing sweet Reece and Lolly! :)

Your comments about pampering these dogs is so true. I was in the mall a couple of years ago and a lady passed by me with a toy poodle in a baby carriage. The pup had painted toe nails and was done up to the max! I really got the impression that this carriage was bought for this dog and not a hand-me-down from earlier use with a child. I guess small dogs in general can fall prey to this type of coddling. I am thinking that yorkies and chihuahuas probably get similar treatment. Aly, you bring up a good point about what happens when a spoiled pup loses its human and must be placed in another home. I hadn't thought about that! AntiPam you are so right also! The problem with most any dog is very often the human!

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Aly, that picture of Reece and Lolly is so cute, I think that's the best one yet. I love it.
I hate to admit this but you are all right about older people spoiling dogs to the extreme. We half way got there until I read a lot of posts to Don and we are turning over a new leaf. We let Perry and Daisy do about anything they wanted to do and we would put up with it and just kiss and hug them all the more.
A new day - when they get on the couch to bark at everybody including kids going to school we let them up there, but tell them no bark and they are getting the idea.
In the morning when they get treats, they do their thing, sit up, crawl, shake paws and lie down.
Any other time they get treats they have to sit before we give it to them.
When we get ready to go for a ride instead of jumping all over us, now Perry must sit before we put his harness on.
We still have to chase Daisy to put her harness on, but we're working on it.
Perry used to jump on Don ten or more times at night sitting in his chair, now he lets him up once if he jumps down he tells him no he can't come back up.
What I am trying to say is that all of you have helped us so much by your posts, we have picked up information here and there and tried this and that and it's working.
Thank you all for waking us up to what we should do and thanks to Carrie most of all
for having so much patience, Carrie I took your advice and looked Daisy straight in the eye and told her to come and I can't believe it she does. :)
Jackie

[Daisy's Mom]

Aly, Reece and Lolly are so cute!!! I just love Reece's big round fluffy sweet face!

[KayAnn]

Ive always liked the poodles!
I grew up with an apricot poodle and a black poodle as neighbors. Their names were Captain and Seabass. Now they are moved to a different house, and i actually got to see them a couple months ago.... Seabass stil remembered me, but Captain has allways been skiddish around people and didnt come out much. I have a stuffed dog that i named Seabass a long time ago, and he has that curly fur and fluffy ears.. now he has lost his nose, it always used to fall off, but now we cant find it.. we always sewed it on.
And then there was this.. i think its called a giant poodle that this lady used to walk all the time... his name was Eddie. And everytime she came by id run out there and pet Eddie. He was a great dog. Ill admit i was a lil bugger and would pull on his ears and stuff, but he just stood there and put up with it.
Really, nothing is ever the dogs fault on how they act, it is always the owners. Just look we give our dogs the greatest love, and what do they give us back? Love, Joy and Companionship. People who beat their dogs, fight them (like pit bulls) the dog attacks and hates people. Dont you see the pattern? This goes for the old saying, Treat others like you want them to treat you! I wanna thank you all for being loveing Doggie owners.
;)

[Logan]

LOL! I have read every post, and now I want a poodle, a little one, that will sit in my lap! I think Bella, Reese and Fritz are just perfection. And it is so good to hear everyone's comments. I know they are smart dogs, but everyone that I ever knew growing up was very owner protective and spoiled. So I never even considered them as a potential pet for myself. Bella has convinced me that she can "hunt" with the best of them, and I know Honey and Lilly would have a blast with her.

Bottom line....I love all dogs, and can't tell you a single breed that I would refuse. But some of their owners are a different story! :D

[dababy]

Poodles are smart dogs, but it's the owners I have problems with!

I'm new here, but I've looked around enough to know the adorable faces of the poodles here. They're owners are responsible and care for them as they should.

Nearby, I have some neighbors with 5 teacup poodles. They are cute, and look pretty cuddly. The people that live there are extremely nice, but I do not agree with the way they treat their animals. They used to breed them..and it eventually or accidently, became 'inbreeding'. I think they had 5 or 6 litters...from one female. They sold all but one of those pups. The one they kept, they have to keep. She fell off a couch, hit her head on a table, and has brain damage. She has to take a pill daily, and one of her front legs doesnt function properly. I feel so sorry for her. I think she may also be one of the imbred pups. All of the dogs were un-neutured until about 6 months ago. The dogs have their own room-which is nice- althogh is it just a room with a plastic drop cloth, with towels thrown on it. Those dogs aren't potty trained, arent trained at all for that matter. I think every dog deserves to be trained in every way. These dogs bark non-stop...which training would help with. They dont have the fancy cuts, they are just covered in inch long hair everywhere. All 5 of them are adorable, but I wish their owners would take time to train them, so they could contribute to society.

Do you agree with me, or am I just sticking my nose in their business? :confused: Any comments appriciated.

[Pam]

These pups I am sorry to say, sound like they have been neglected in every way except to bring in some money. It sounds like they don't have much human contact from what you describe and apart from being fed they are not being properly care for in any way. This is no way to treat a dog and my heart goes out to all of them.

The whole subject of breeding teacup poodles concerns me a little. While they are absolutely adorable, breeding a dog to be smaller and smaller creates many problems. While in the vet's office one night I was seated next to a teacup poodle breeder. As people in a vet's waiting room often do, we got to talking. Her dog had a splint on his front leg. She explained that he had previously also broken his other front leg some months ago. He was only a year old and had already suffered two broken front legs! This happened just by routine playing. When a dog this small slides across a kitchen floor (as all puppies do when they play) a bump into a chair or table leg very often will result in a broken leg. Their little legs are just not made to take it. My heart ached for this little fellow in the vet's waiting room and now I am also aching over your neighbor's dogs also. Gosh sometimes these posts really get to me...... :(

[aly]

That's so sad :( Poodles are one of the breeds that backyard breeders love to try to make money off of. It breaks my heart.

[sycamore5]

Hey, guys:
I'm a newbie and not-quite-there-yet when it comes to posting my 2-cents worth. Karen has helped a lot, and this is my test run. I understand all the prejudice against poods, but it still saddens me that they are the butt of so many dog jokes. I am a convert to the world of Standard Poodles....my first one came to me as a rescue five years ago, and last year we added a baby brother: Lucas, a blank Standard who came home to us at eight weeks of age last August. (He's now 62 lbs.!) There are so many breeds that I admire, and would love to share my home and heart with, but having "pooples" has really changed my priorities. Keep that poodle dialogue going...and thanks for being so willing to overcome their "fru-fur" image. Testing in Seattle!

[sycamore5]

Hey, guys:
I'm a newbie and not-quite-there-yet when it comes to posting my 2-cents worth. Karen has helped a lot, and this is my test run. I understand all the prejudice against poods, but it still saddens me that they are the butt of so many dog jokes. I am a convert to the world of Standard Poodles....my first one came to me as a rescue five years ago, and last year we added a baby brother: Lucas, a blank Standard who came home to us at eight weeks of age last August. (He's now 62 lbs.!) There are so many breeds that I admire, and would love to share my home and heart with, but having "pooples" has really changed my priorities. Keep that poodle dialogue going...and thanks for being so willing to overcome their "fru-fur" image. Testing in Seattle!

[Pam]

Linda welcome aboard! Is it really you??? Get ready to be addicted to this site. Some of the nicest people in the world are here and so many wonderful furkids are represented. You will learn so much and I am sure you have MUCH to contribute. Please post some pictures when you can. If you need help with that just ask. So glad you're here! :)

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Linda, welcome as you can see from the posts Pam and Aly with Bella and Reece have won us over. Most of us have never been around Poodles and had that idea that poodles were froufrou. Being here and listening to the stories and looking at the photos have completely changed our minds. We are now poodle lovers at least I am and I know many more are too. We will be very anxious to see photos of your dogs. As Pam knows I have two terrier terrors (Schnauzers).
Jackie

[3-greys-and-a-mutt]

We are taking two of our dogs to obedience class. In the class (of about a dozen dogs), there are two standard poodles (owned by different families). One is black and the other is cream. I am in love with Gigi, the black one. She is so sweet and eager to please, but also has a gentle puppyish quality about her. She is so classy and elegant. I think my husband is even getting won over by her!

[dababy]

Sorry my post got to you Pam! :(

Welcome to Pet Talk, Linda! :D

Oh, and good luck in obedience class Grey! ;)

[sycamore5]

Thank you for the warm welcome! It took me a while to figure out how to get here. I have two jpegs of my babies on my deskstop and would love some instructions on how to post. I'm on an i-mac and don't see an "attach" or "enclose" option here. Hi, Bella! Hi, Reece:-). Forgive my learning curve.

[Pam]

Hi there Linda! :) First of all to post a picture here it has to be on a website. Most of us here at Pet Talk use Webshots.com. It is very easy to use and free!

Once you have your pictures there all you need to do is select the picture you want to post. Right click on that picture and choose "properties." That will give you the URL of that picture. Highlight the URL, right click on it and choose "copy." Then come to your post and just copy it into your post. Hope this was helpful. Good luck! Almost forgot.....you must have in the front of your URL and at the end of your URL. You can use the Instant UBB Code displayed to the right of the instant icons on the posting screen. It should wind up looking like this: YOUR URL HERE

[ September 25, 2001: Message edited by: Pam ]

[aly]

Hi Linda!! I uploaded the picture you emailed me to my webshots album to show you what Pam explained. Here's what you type to get the picture to show up:
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/036/T2/Eb/Q4/AS75171.jpg
But you just leave out the spaces.. and then this shows up:
http://wsphotofews.excite.com/036/T2/Eb/Q4/AS75171.jpg

Just follow Pam's instructions and you should be good to go!

P.S. My email I wrote to you got returned to me with an error :eek: I'm about to try to send it again :)