Poodle Dog Breed History And Origin

When I first started my cartoons, I was thinking of dogs. It was going to be a totally dog cartoon. but the more dog cartoons I created, the more I wanted to do cats, and relationships, and people, and science, ad nauseum. Oddly enough, after I opened my gift and collectible store, and tarted getting more and more emails from poodle owners and lovers wanting to know if I could kindly put up more poodle-oriented merchandise I finally did, but first, I felt compelled to learn the history of the poodle. Though I’d owned dogs all my life, and my first cousin owns and loves her standard poodle, I knew very little about the breed. I was surprised at what I learned.

Nobody really knows the origin of the poodle though we do know it was in Germany, not France. The Germans called them, and still do, pudles, which means to “splash in water”. Poodles were bred to be hunting dogs and remain proficient hunters, though most Americans prefer other breeds for this sport. The poodle was first standardized as a breed in France, hence the French poodle. Later came the regular poodle and even much later the miniature and toy breeds. The AKC began registering poodles in 1886.

Until this day, in France, Poodles are used for everything from truffle hunting to entertaining the royal court, not to mention duck hunting.

The UK received the poodle in 1874. For 36 years they were all shown together and in 1910, changes were made to the way they were shown; put in different classes according to size and appearance.

The foundations that were developed in England became the cornerstones of the breed in the United States. Precisely when the Poodle was imported to the United States is not known. The American Kennel Club registered its first Poodle in 1886. The Poodle Club of America was originally founded in 1896. Shortly after its establishment it was disbanded, and then reorganized in 1931.

The P.C.A. used the Standard and Rules of the Burley Poodle Club of England as its base for establishing the Standard in the U.S. The same Standard now applies to all three sizes of Poodle, the only difference is in the height measurements for each size. The Standard and Miniature Poodle are shown in the Non Sporting Group of the A.K.C., and the Toy Poodle is shown in the Toy Group. The F.C.I. (Federation Cynologique Internationale) recognizes four sizes: the Standard, Miniature, Dwarf and Toy.

Get more info and advice on the Poodle or a full list of dog breeds at this Dog Behaviour website.