A Little About Standard Poodles

I'll say it again, not many hunters realize how good Standard Poodles can be as hunting/retrievers on both upland game and waterfowl.  However, that's not all this versatile breed is good at.

They have numerous top performance titles in: Agility, Obedience, Rally, Tracking, Weight Pulling, Field, and the list can go on.  To date there are 5 poodles that have earned AKC Master Hunter titles in the US and one in Canada.  They weren't allowed into AKC hunt test until 1998. That is not bad when compared to the several thousand Labrador, Golden, and Chesapeake Bay retrievers bred specifically for generations as retrievers and have been entering hunt test since long before poodles were allowed in. 

Yes, they do require grooming.  I've learned it's cheaper to do myself.  It takes me approximately 3 hours to do one including a bath, drying, and clipping once every 6-8 weeks.  It requires a couple really good clippers and a few different blades.  Nothing is cheap but it's an investment recovered by the second grooming.  A blow dryer also comes in handy.  Kept short the coat requires little other maintenance. The hair that grows in the ears does need to be checked and carefully pulled as needed to avoid problems. Before purchasing a poodle make sure you are  committed to regular grooming. 

Please, when you think hunting poodle, forget the long unbelievably manicured coat required for the show ring.  I'm not saying if an owner is so inclined a poodle of show quality cannot be kept in show coat long enough to earn a CH.  Once finished it can then be trained as a hunting poodle.  Or, it's possible to do both simultaneously. It just takes longer plus more determination grooming wise then I will ever have.   If a hunting poodle is your first priority my advice is, "forget the show ring."  I would not advise hunting a poodle with long hair. 

Helen now has her own standard poodle, Callie, she can train for rally, agility, obedience, and eventually handle in hunt tests.  I'll do the hunt test training.  In that regard Callie is doing great and we plan to breed her to Beau summer of '08.  If you haven't e-mailed us your interest it's not too late to get on the list. 

I have shown both Beau and Scout in obedience trials.  They each  have 2 legs toward their AKC companion dog (CD) titles.  I'm learning fast I will have to be a lot more serious to do better in that regard.  For now I'm concentrating on hunt testing and hunting them for real.

The breed standard can be found at the American Kennel Club. More information regarding the Poodle breed can be found at The Poodle History Project.