Elegant and fancy, easy to train, playful, extremely intelligent, loyal, and affectionate beyond measure, the Mini/Toy Poodle is among the top 5 most popular breeds in the world and it’s easy to see why. These pooches are happy, lively, and eager-to-please canine companions. These are adventurous, kind, family-focused puppies who love hiking, swimming, playing dog games and sports of all kinds and any/all family activities!
These puppies are merry and bouncy little marshmallows! These are cuddly and sweet puppies who love running around, playing, and befriending others and are eager to learn. There are 3 varieties of Poodle puppies: Toy Poodle, Mini Poodle, and Standard Poodle. Even though they come in different sizes, it’s a sure thing that they are glamorous pets!
BREED TYPE / MIX
Purebred
TEMPERAMENT
Cheerful, Intelligent, Lively, Loyal, Playful
ENERGY
Moderate/High
ADULT WEIGHT
Toy 4-6 lbs, Mini 10-12 lbs
SHEDDING
Minimum
ADULT HEIGHT
Toy 6-8 in, Mini 12-14 in
TRAINING
Accomodating
LIFE SPAN
Characteristics
- Poodles do not shed, making them a hypoallergenic breed of dog.
- The Poodle breed has been rated as the second most intelligent breed of dog.
- The agile nature of this breed, combined with its athleticism, has made it a winner in dog sports.
- Poodle breed dogs are suitable for both hot and cold climates.
- These puppies are rated as one of the most trainable puppies across the world, as they enjoy challenges, are easy to train, and are easy to housebreak.
- Poodles are highly adaptable, as even the Mini and Toy varieties are quick to adapt to apartments as well as large homes.
- The lifespan of a Poodle is between 10-18 years.
- Kind, gentle, friendly, and non-aggressive, this curly beauty is best suited for families with or without kids, singles, and seniors.
- They make great watchdogs; while not loud barkers, they will bark to warn of an approaching visitor.
- Being easy to train, affectionate, and highly responsive, this is a perfect pet for first-time pet owners.
- Mini Poodles are renowned for their puppy-like appearance and demeanor well into their teen years.
- Being highly sensitive to people’s moods, having a positive aura, and having a loving and devoted temperament make this breed an ideal therapy pet.
Appearance
With their heads held high, their posture, and their elegant bearing, the Miniature Poodles are certainly glamorous. The Poodle is short in stature, weighing between 10 and 12 pounds, and standing between 12 and 14 inches tall. The Poodle has a well-proportioned square-built muscular body, long straight muzzle, dark oval-shaped eyes, floppy ears, and a straight tail carried up. The color of the eyes and the nose depends on the color of the coat.
The coat, which is hypoallergenic, sheds no hair, and is soft, curly, and luxurious, comes in a range of colors like white, black, gray, beige, cream, brown, apricot, red, blue, silver, silver beige, and any other color of the aforementioned shades. Black, brown, and apricot-colored puppies are the most popular.
Strong and agile with elegant and graceful posture, the Mini Poodle dog has a prestigious reputation in both the canine sports arena and the canine show arena.
There are three recognized sizes of the Poodle breed in the USA and four recognized sizes of Poodle breeds in European countries. The recognized Poodle breeds are the Standard Poodle, which is the largest of the Poodle breeds; the Miniature or medium Poodle; and the Toy Poodle. The European countries have a Moyen Poodle, which is a small standard Poodle. Teacup Poodle dogs are usually small breeds of Toy Poodle Poodle dogs. These small Poodle breeds rarely weigh more than 10 pounds. Poodle puppies of the Toy Poodle breeds may weigh as little as 3 pounds.
Temperament
Miniature Poodles and Toy Poodles are friendly and easy-going dogs. These Poodles are also known for their gentle nature around children of all ages, their acceptance of cats, dogs, and all other domestic pets, and their friendliness to strangers.
Poodles are considered to be highly intelligent, receptive, and attentive since early puppyhood. These puppies are considered to be the most trainable in the world because of their intelligence and eagerness to learn and please.
Mini and Toy Poodle dogs are adventurous and spirited dogs. These dogs love the outdoors and enjoy long walks with their human family members, running, swimming, hiking, playing, and socializing. This is for sure a most wonderful adventure companion! Playful and enthusiastic to have fun and play, the Poodle loves to play and have fun with kids and teens as well as adults whether it is a game of fetch, chase, Frisbee, hide and seek, or a brain puzzle game for dogs. When the play session is over, their peaceful and affectionate nature takes over and is more than happy to participate in a relaxing cuddle session on the couch with their human family members.
Although they check all the boxes when it comes to their quick intelligence, their fun-loving personality, and their friendly demeanor, they have one final skill and strength up their sleeve to wow you with: their participation in dog sports like Rally, Tracking, Obedience, Flyball, and Agility. Fabulous in body, mind, and spirit, the Miniature and Toy Poodles are exceptional companions.
History
The National Dog of France and a member of the canine aristocracy of the world, the Poodle is an old and versatile breed of dogs with a rich history of achievements. These beautiful dogs are featured in paintings and literature around the world, from ancient Egyptian carvings (as old as the first centuries B.C), French poetry, to ancient Greek coins and relics of the Roman Empire.
These dogs are said to have originated from Germany centuries ago where they were used for retrieving water and hunting ducks. They were referred to by the Germans as “Pudelin,” a name that means splash in the water. The characteristic look of the Poodle (now featured in the show ring with the pom poms) was of utmost use during the duck hunting days of the Poodle.
During the war, accustomed to the sounds of gunfire from their duck hunting days, the Pudelins were enlisted into the German Military as working dogs and soon found their way to France as accompaniments to German soldiers. After the war, having proved to be excellent military dogs, the dogs went on to build their reputation as hunting, retrieving, herding, and show dogs. The French Circus became fascinated by the agility and trainability of the dogs and decided to breed them down to smaller sizes to make their handling and transport easier when traveling with the circus.
The Miniature and Toy Poodle varieties of the breed, which quickly gained fame as movie stars, truffle hunters, and show dogs, quickly gained popularity wherever they went and soon won the hearts of nobles and aristocrats across the United States and Europe, including Winston Churchill’s two Miniature Poodles. The French elite decided to breed the French Poodle down to a smaller Toy Poodle variety that would know instant fame as a cute and adorable small lap dog.
The Poodle breed has been classified into three varieties: the Toy Poodle, the Miniature Poodle, and the Standard Poodle.
- The average height of the Toy Poodle is between 8 to 10 inches. It has an average weight of 6 to 9 pounds. It is famous for being a cuddly pet that thrives in a luxurious lifestyle.
- The average height of the Miniature Poodle is between 12 to 14 inches. It has an average weight of 10 to 12 pounds. It is famous for being a truffle hunter and a pet.
- The average height of the Standard Poodle is between 15 to 20+ inches. It has an average weight of 30 to 70 pounds. It is famous for being a duck hunter, a circus performer, and a show Poodle.
The Poodle has been classified as the most popular dog breed in the USA for 20 consecutive years and has now become one of the most popular small breeds of dogs in the world. Poodle is also the parent of many other breeds/mixes of poodles. Because of the hypoallergenic qualities of the Poodle’s coat and the supreme intelligence of the Poodle, the Standard Poodle, Miniature Poodle, and Toy Poodle have over the last few decades been chosen for the development of amazing doodle breeds. Among the most popular Poodle mixes are:
- Cockapoo
- Cavapoo
- Shih Poo
- Yorki Poo
- Chi Poo
- Maltipoo
- Bernedoodle
- Poochon
- Pomapoo
- Mini Labradoodle
- Shepadoodle
- Mini Goldendoodle
- Huskydoodle
- Havapoo
- Pugapoo
- Mini Aussiedoodle
- Corgipoo
Poodles have been crossed with other breeds to develop some of the most popular doodle breeds. Get to know more about the early training and characteristics of the Cavapoo puppies, one of the popular Poodle mixes.