I have a mix that is half poodle and I have always had dogs that don't need grooming so from that standpoint be warned, the grooming is lots of money and work. You HAVE to keep up with the daily brushing or you have a knotted mess. I would take the shedding fur over that kind of fur any day.

Now on the other hand, I love standard poodles I think they are awesome dogs and I love my small poodle mix's personality a lot. Standard poodles are being used as assistance dogs quite a bit because of their intelligence and good disposition.