# Would a poodle fit our family with other small pets? (LONG!)



## Possipoodle (Nov 2, 2014)

Hi everyone! I received a very friendly welcome on the Intros subforum and was encouraged to make a thread looking for advice on whether or not a standard or mini poodle would be a good fit for my family and lifestyle. I've done a good amount of research and have pretty much narrowed the search down to a poodle or Golden Retriever. In this post I will pretty much go through my concerns one at a time.

So, some background info about my family. My family consists of my husband, our two cats, pet rabbits, and me. We own a house with a fenced back yard in Fairbanks, Alaska, where temperatures are usually between maybe 10 degrees and -20F in the winter (but can get much colder), and summer temperatures are between 60 and 80 (but can get much warmer). We are looking for a dog that can withstand cold temperatures. I would put booties on the dog's feet during the winter (since we'd be walking on the road, which gets salted) and would be fine with putting on a doggie coat, I just wan the dog to be able to tolerate cold temperatures to some degree. The dog will be inside with us most of the time, but will need to go outside to poop and pee and expend energy. My general hope is that one 30 minute walk every day will be sufficient. In warmer temperatures, the dog could also spend time in our backyard. Does this climate and my plans for keeping a poodle warm/appropriately exercised sound okay?

My other big concern is finding a dog that will get along with our other pets. The two cats both came from rescue situations: one was a stray from the animal shelter so we truly have no idea how he does with dogs, and the other started out as an overnight drop off with no info at a shelter, but was pulled by a cat rescue and spent a day in a foster home with a lady who actually had a mini poodle. He did okay with her, but I don't know if one day as an 8 week old baby is a good indication of how he really feels about dogs. Our cats are young- 8 months old and about 4 years old, and both are very friendly, outgoing kitties that like everyone, including other cats. I plan to actually borrow a friend's mini poodle to see how our cats react to her.

Our rabbits are indoor pets. For now, they have their own bedroom in our house (spoiled bunnies!) and are in fairly secure cages. If we have a child, they will move from the bedroom to our living room (need the room for a nursery), which means they would spend most of their time in the same area as the dog. Our rabbits range in size from 2 1/2 lbs to about 7 lbs. They're my bigger concern here. I understandably do not want a dog that wants to eat my rabbits! They are part of our family, too. I've heard that both poodles and Golden Retrievers tend to do okay with small pets and will look further into how to introduce them to each other. Do you think a poodle puppy raised with cats and rabbits will be safe to have around them?

Okay, a few smaller things. This will be our first dog. I've always loved dogs, but my parents wouldn't let me have one growing up and I wanted to wait until we owned a house with a yard (mission recently accomplished). My husband grew up with a German Shepherd and a German Shepherd-Husky mix, but had nothing to do with training them or anything. I have read a lot about training dogs in the past and will do lots of research before getting a dog, but don't have much experience with it and it's important to me to have a polite, well trained dog. From what I've read, poodles are one of the easier dogs to train- is this true?

Also, our dog will spend most of its time with us. My husband works 40 hours a week, I work 20, and we tend to spend most of our time at home other than that. We're not very active or anything and just enjoy going for walks sometimes (would be daily if we get a dog), so we're not looking for a super high energy breed. We plan to put our dog in puppy obedience classes at Petco, take it around to public places and invite friends over frequently to help socialize it. Does this sound like enough exercise/family time/socialization opportunities for a standard or mini poodle?

As previously hinted at, we may have a child in the next couple of years. I either want to get a puppy well before we have a baby (at least a year before), or not until our kid is 4 or 5 years old. In your experience, do poodles do well with kids, especially ones that are born after the dog joins the family?

One last question, how do poodles do with crate training? I know it's controversial and not something I'd for sure do (need to read about it more), but it's a possibility.

That pretty much wraps it up, thanks for reading! Sorry it's so long, I'm just thorough by nature and wanted to hit on all my big concerns in regards to bringing a poodle into our family. If we get one, we'd like for it to be in the spring so we have time to get it house trained before winter arrives, and I plan to take a couple of weeks off work to focus on the puppy. 

I'm well aware that every dog is an individual and don't all have the exact same personalities or habits just because they're poodles, but based on what I've written, does a standard or mini poodle sound like a good fit for our family? I'm leaning more towards a mini poodle because I like the smaller size, but my husband wants a bigger dog.


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## Ciscley (Jul 16, 2013)

Possipoodle said:


> Hi everyone! I received a very friendly welcome on the Intros subforum and was encouraged to make a thread looking for advice on whether or not a standard or mini poodle would be a good fit for my family and lifestyle. I've done a good amount of research and have pretty much narrowed the search down to a poodle or Golden Retriever. In this post I will pretty much go through my concerns one at a time.


Hi, welcome! It's always so interesting to me what other breeds people considered before getting a poodle. We've worked with several Goldens and Golden / Lab mixes as part of the service dog organization, so I guess I can see the similarities - large, sensitive, family friendly, grooming intensive. But somehow even after listing those things to myself I still think of them as polar opposites. 

Is there something specific about one or the other that most interests you?



> [...]temperatures are usually between maybe 10 degrees and -20F in the winter (but can get much colder), and summer temperatures are between 60 and 80 (but can get much warmer). [...] Does this climate and my plans for keeping a poodle warm/appropriately exercised sound okay?


In my experience poodles are great for variable weather because the coat is so easily changed. Long in the winter, short in the summer. You can't do that with double coated breeds like Goldens without damaging the coat. That said, for me, the hardest part about a poodle with a long coat in any kind of wet weather is having to comb out and dry the coat when they come inside. 

A smaller dog like a miniature poodle will do better with the short daily walk + indoor only exercise. Personally my Spoos have always needed more activity to burn off their puppy energy than that. Though that amount has been fine for my adult Spoos.



> My other big concern is finding a dog that will get along with our other pets. [...] Do you think a poodle puppy raised with cats and rabbits will be safe to have around them?


I would have zero concern about introducing a young puppy to an existing pet cat. There was a recent thread with lots of good advice and opinions about that. 

Personally, I would not have a rabbit or any small delicate pet (guinea pigs, birds, etc) around any breed of dog unsupervised. But unsupervised means letting the rabbit loose on the floor while the dog is also loose in the same room with no people present. My sister has a Great Dane and rabbits and the rabbit hutch is in the same room that the Dane prefers to sleep in. They co-exist fine. No barking, no attacking the hutch. But when she brings the rabbits out for play time, the Dane goes in another room, in a crate or on leash.

So that for me is a universal "is a dog right for you" question and not poodle specific. 



> From what I've read, poodles are one of the easier dogs to train- is this true?


Easier to train because they are highly intelligent and very people focused, but not in the sense that some people seem to think where they are "naturally" well behaved, prim and proper. Personally I think less intelligent breeds are easier to get to that general level of well behaved household pets for most people - like labs. Mainly because a smart dog that isn't properly exercised mentally and physically will find its own outlets for relieving its boredom and they can be excruciatingly creative if you aren't careful. 



> In your experience, do poodles do well with kids, especially ones that are born after the dog joins the family?


You will need to expose your puppy to lots of fabulous experiences with children, especially when the puppy is very young (less than 6 months), so that the adult dog will be good with children later. 

We don't have children but find attending our niece and nephews sporting events with the puppies to be very helpful. Just make it a key part of your early socialization. 

Again, that's a universal for any dog breed. 



> One last question, how do poodles do with crate training? I know it's controversial and not something I'd for sure do (need to read about it more), but it's a possibility..


Is crate training really still considered controversial? That surprises me. 

Yes, poodles do great with crate training. Even if you don't plan to keep your adult dog crated when you aren't at home you should plan to use a crate as part of your toilet training with the puppy and in general should you ever need to kennel your dog or travel with it, having them acclimated to and comforted by being in a crate is a good thing.


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## Possipoodle (Nov 2, 2014)

Ciscley, thanks for the nice reply!

I'm interested in poodles for a number of reasons. I like that their fur seems suited reasonably well for cold climates, that they tend to be smart, and that from what I've read, they don't tend to have a really high prey drive or boat loads of energy to burn off every day. I have also had good experiences with poodles in the past, with most of the poodles I've known being friendly and fairly well behaved. My aunt had a toy poodle named Prissy when I was growing up. She was nervous around children because my aunt's grandkids were rough with her (poor thing), but quickly learned that I was a gentle kid and she loved to play with me. My uncle also has a toy poodle that's an absolute sweetheart, and my friend has a miniature poodle that I want to kidnap every time I visit! My only negative experience was with a standard poodle that belonged to my neighbors when I was a kid. He liked to bark at children and chase them. The family had young kids and I'm sure they wouldn't have let the dog around the kids if he was actually a threat, but he scared me! My great-grandmother also had a miniature poodle that scared me when I was little, but that's just because she barked and jumped up on me whenever we visited their house and a 3 year old compared to a mini poodle is like a Great Dane to an adult. She was nice other than that, though! 

As for a dog and bunnies, I should have noted this in my original post- the bunnies would never be loose around the dog unsupervised. I don't even let the bunnies loose around the cats. I'm a bit paranoid in that regard!

The good thing with the kids is that I work with children and I'm sure my boss would let me bring our puppy to the office. Her dog was basically raised at our office and has gone to work with her every day since he was 8 weeks old. She's allowed me to bring my rabbits to work in the past for the kids to see. 

Thanks again, Ciscley!

Edited to add: I should add that we'd be fine with, say, two 30 minute walks every day for the first year or so of our dog's life, but would hope for 1 walk per day once the puppy grows up.


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## Manxcat (May 6, 2013)

Hi there!

You've had great advice from Ciscley, but I would just add a couple of points.

You might want to also consider the differences between male and female dogs. There is some anecdotal suggestion that male dogs are more relaxed, people focussed, while the females are a bit more independent, on their own terms kind of thing.

I can only say that from our point of view this is true. Our toy is very high octane, needs loads of stimulation and exercise, wants cuddles when she wants them but generally quite independent and can get a bit jealous. Our mini boy is a total love bug! Will play, loves a walk, but is also really happy to just snuggle or be near his people and much more laid back.

Of course, this may just be my two but there have been threads on here before about male v female which you may find interesting.

As regards the training, it can be a battle as poodles do not automatically do as they're told always!! They think things through then decide if they're doing it or not!!! Clever little so and so's!! But once trained they are great.

Great that you are doing so much investigation before buying though!

Oh, and my toy LOVES the snow!!!


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

I've had Standard Poodles with rabbits, and it was one of the more difficult animals to teach them to leave alone. Something about the hippity hopping just set off their prey drive. The dogs would not bother the rabbits when they were in their hutches, though. I would say that crate training your pup becomes more important because there will be times when you want the rabbits out to play and the pup will need to be contained. Also, you might as well crate train, so that when you do have children, your dog will have a safe spot to escape the baby. I think your dog may need more exercise than you have put down, especially while it is young. Perhaps, a game of fetch in the yard could help. I've worked with Goldens, and find them to be a bit more obsessive than Poodles about being in physical contact with their owners. Poodles are happy to be near you, even touching you... Goldens want to be inside your skin. Some people find this type of attention appealing; others find it annoying. Shedding is a huge factor for Goldens and also, if they have skin problems they get an odor that permeates the room. The advantage to Goldens is that you don't have to clip or pay to have the coat clipped. I will add one more factor to consider about the future. What will you do if you get a Golden Retriever and your baby is allergic to dogs? Poodles are less likely to cause an allergic reaction.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

My one concern would be with the amount of outdoor exercise you are contemplating - poodles can be high energy dogs! Walks are the high point of my dogs' day - they get to sniff all the goings on, check out who else has been around, look out for squirrels and rabbits (sorry!), meet dogs and humans, and generally do all the other fun stuff essential to their physical and mental health. If the weather is really bad walks get cut shorter for a day or two, but much less than 1.5 hours a day out and about and they start getting bored and angsty at home. If the weather is the problem, I would look into indoor facilities like daycare, agility training, etc, etc, otherwise you may discover just how creative a bored adolescent poodle can be in finding ways of getting into mischief! If the problem is time, then you may need to consider paying a dog walker.


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## Possipoodle (Nov 2, 2014)

Thanks so much for all of the great replies! What a wonderful forum. I'm definitely rethinking the poodle thing. Not because I don't think they're great dogs (they definitely are!), but I really don't see being able to work 2 hours worth of walks every day into our life, especially in the dead of winter. 30-60 minutes tops would work. When it's warm enough out, we'd also let the dog run around the backyard and play fetch and other doggie games.


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## spindledreams (Aug 7, 2012)

You may be surprised how low a temp the poodles can tolerate and even enjoy. Grin remember for three years the Iditirod had a team of standard poodles entered and they always finished about middle of the pack. That should also tell you a bit about the energy a poodle can have. One of my poodles was brought home as an 8 week old puppy in January just before an Arctic Clipper came through. The little snot was out playing catch me if you can when it warmed up to 7F... and has been reluctant to come inside even when our temps reached double digit minus though we rarely reach much below minus 10.


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## Ciscley (Jul 16, 2013)

*Need info on exercising dogs in cold weather*

There are several members who have posted pics of their poodles in Alaska type snow drifts. You might want to start a separate thread specifically asking how do you exercise your poodle during the cold months. You may get some great non-walk suggestions.

Also, if you have a close friend or family member with another dog, doggie play dates are FABULOUS ways to burn off all that puppy energy. And like people, when the dog is active they will tolerate much colder temps. I've just joined a running team and my girlfriend who is doing it with me sweated till she was dripping wet in 30 degree weather the other day. 

If you were thinking about a medium sized dog like a border collie, I'd say go for the mini poodle. They are high energy dogs, but they can expend it much more easily indoors with zoom sessions around the house. But I know what it's like to really prefer a bigger dog, so I'd say get some advice about how to exercise a Spoo in the snow and if you end up not thinking a spoo is best for you, I'd recommend you consider a Bernese Mountain dog over a Golden Retriever.


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## Possipoodle (Nov 2, 2014)

Ciscley, it's funny that you would suggest a Bernese Mountain Dog, because that's my dream dog! Seriously, I love them so much and always have. I have multiple stuffed Bernese Mountain Dogs and my husband is always e-mailing me pictures of them. Of course no animal's health can be guaranteed, but their short lifespans (only 6-8 years) and huge tendencies towards cancer and other fatal issues really gives us pause. As people on this forum can surely understand, I bond deeply with my pets and grieve intensely when they pass away. I've still not recovered from the death of one of my rabbits 6 1/2 years ago, and I only had her for 5 months! My husband is reluctant to let me get a dog that's almost guaranteed big health issues and a short life. I've also read that Berners can be difficult to handle and their very large size combined with an inexperienced owner may not be so great.

Also, my husband let me know that he pretty much only wants a standard poodle if we get a poodle. He really only likes bigger dogs, whereas I pretty much love them all. 

I'm really glad I'm doing all this research ahead of time. I'm a very devoted pet owner and would surely give my dog as much exercise/love/mental stimulation/training as it needs, but it makes sense to choose a breed that most closely meshes with our lifestyle already, ya know?

Also, to you and Spindle Dreams, I will definitely look into how to exercise a poodle in extremely cold temperatures! There are so many people with dogs in Fairbanks, I know there must be one out there that would flourish in our family.


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

Standard poodles have been used for just about everything including sled dogs. They adapt. But can you adapt. You have not had a dog before this. The behavior of your dog will almost entirely depend on the training and time you spend doing it. Standard poodles are hard work at the beginning (6months) but are worth it, they shine when well trained. All now I need to do at 20 months with a rabbit is to say "NO" situation finished! When 3 months old (dead rabbit) for sure. All within a heartbeat. It is literally that fast. I used dogs for hunting rabbits and foxes for a few years. It comes natural and needs to be trained out.
If you are to have a puppy the rabbits will have to be housed. period.
Eric.


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## Bizzeemamanj (Apr 14, 2014)

Hi there and welcome to the forums!

I can't speak of all poodles, but I do have an 8 month old mini so can tell you of our experiences so far...

Cooper is a very high energy pup. He requires daily stimulation, both physical and mental, or he creates his own activities. Most of his chosen activities aren't ones I find acceptable. I think most poodles are relatively higher energy plus quite smart, so can get into mischief if not drained of their energy or directed into positive experiences. I imagine there could be some laid back poodles out there, but I bet they are the exception. This is where finding a good breeder would come in - you would need to be specific in what energy level you wanted in your pup. We wanted an active dog and we got exactly what we wanted.

We live in the northeast, which is a looooong way from Fairbanks, and while winters aren't as cold, summers are hotter. Cooper tolerates weather quite well. I'll be curious to see what he thinks of snow. He has a sweater now that it's getting chilly and when snow comes into the picture we will add booties to prevent the snow and ice from pilling on his feet. So far, he's been willing to go outside and walk/play in everything from scorching heat to raging thunderstorms.

Cooper has been easy to train in general, but he's not "blindly" obedient. He thinks about every command he follows, but usually decides to obey because it suits him and makes me happy. He isn't as good with my kids or husband because he definitely sees them as "not mommy". It's not to say he's a bad dog or disobedient. They just have to work a bit harder with him. That said, he's a brilliantly intelligent "thinking" dog and learn quicker than all the other pups in his obedience classes.

I don't have any small fuzzy pets. I don't think I would feel comfortable having "prey" animals around a retriever type animal. Cooper's instinct is to chase down any small animals - squirrels, birds, rabbits - and I don't know I'd trust that not to override my desire to have him get along with a rabbit. He even stalks the lizard we have and Buddy is in a large terrarium! I think the cats would be fine because they can fight back and get to higher ground if need be.


We did crate and pen train Cooper. He picked it up quickly. He was crate trained after the first two nights, is pen trained to this day and was completely housebroken in about 3 weeks.

Cooper does great with our kids, your kids, their kids, kids kids...any people really. He loves other people, other dogs - anything or anyone he gets to meet. Early and frequent exposure is key to successful socialization. We still work on it every day with Cooper and he's such an adaptable dog. It's great.

Good luck on your pup search! It's such an exciting process. I know you will find the dog that is best for your family and lifestyle!


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## hopetocurl (Jan 8, 2014)

Possipoodle, I wanted to comment on the dogs and babies thing. I had a dog and I had children. I suggest waiting until after you have children. Why? Because children take ALL of your time. Dogs quickly become persona non-grata. My neighbor is a good example... They had 2 mini dachshunds who lived indoors. Then, they had a baby.... Now dogs are outdoors quite a bit. They bark and wake baby up.... Get thrown outside. I never did that... But I have seen people get a dog .... Because truly it is like training wheels for parenting. Love the dog. Then, have a baby and then dog gets no attention. 

Plus, babies are individuals... A baby may have allergies...then, a poodle would be the only choice. 

So, I am just saying wait ... See if you still have time for a dog.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

We're a long way from Alaska, too, but my 2 year old standard much prefers our cold weather to hot. She eagerly goes out in single digit temperatures (she does wear a fleece coat if she's in a short clip) and absolutely loves snow (wears booties to keep it out of her bracelets). 

As for rabbits, she killed and ate a young wild rabbit last spring, also loves to hunt/dig for chipmunks. I'd never, ever trust her around pet rabbits, even if I was watching her. (Apparently Eric9 is a much better trainer than I am. :biggrin1: )


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Wasn't there an all spoo team that did really well in the Iditarod? That actually answers the question about cold hardiness. 

I sort of have to disagree about the idea that spoos just need hours of walking or other physical exercise to keep them happy and fit. There are two days each week where the only physical exercise my dogs get is not quite an hour in the yard (in two main sessions, AM before I leave and PM when BF get homes). What they do get a couple of times every day from each of us is mental exercise including find it games, puzzles, challenging obedience routines where each of them has to do something different, games that require good impulse control and the like. Those mental challenges go a long way to preventing cabin fever and I don't think either dog is under-challenged physically (both always get great check up reports) or mentally (no destructive behavior in the house except when there is a slip in the mental games for some reason. That is on us then.).


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## Ciscley (Jul 16, 2013)

lily cd re said:


> Wasn't there an all spoo team that did really well in the Iditarod? That actually answers the question about cold hardiness.


I know it's not what you meant and I don't think the OP sounds like the type of person to misinterpret that, but I just want to clarify that an elite athlete training and running in those temperatures is not the same thing as a regular pet poodle being left outside alone to exercise itself in those temperatures. 

A northern breed dog with a water resistant and insulating double coat often prefers to be outside in those temperatures with the coat helping to ensure that even when curled up napping and not moving they will be comfortable. 

I just don't want a potential owner to think, Oh, poodles are great in the wet and cold. Poodles can handle the cold unlike really thin skinned breeds like a Greyhound, but it will still take concessions and effort.



> I sort of have to disagree about the idea that spoos just need hours of walking or other physical exercise to keep them happy and fit [...]


My adult Spoos are like you describe - they need the mental stimulation almost more than the physical to keep the cabin fever away. But both Spoo puppies I've raised (meaning less than 2 years old) needed a great deal of outdoor activity. They just love to run. Heck, even my senior boy with the heart condition (Danno) will start booking it down the driveway to take his walk if we've skipped more than a day or two during the winter.


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## Possipoodle (Nov 2, 2014)

Thanks again for all of the great replies! 

Hopetocurl, I didn't want to get into this before because it wasn't necessarily relevant, but the reason we don't want to wait until we have a kid before getting a dog is that we may never have a child. I have severe fertility issues. This may sound counter-intuitive for people who want kids, but my husband and I have gone about planning our lives as if it will just be the two of us forever, but will be thrilled to welcome a baby if it ever happens. For instance, my bunnies have their own bedroom (yes, they're spoiled). I just painted it the prettiest shade of sunshine yellow because yellow makes me happy, and I've decorated the room with a rabbit theme. We could have a kid a year from now (or 10 years), in which case I'd completely re-do the room, in which case doing the room as I have it now may have seemed like a waste. But for my own mental health, I can't walk around planning everything for WHEN we have a kid and waiting to do things. Does that make sense? I am a huge planner and definitely have it in the back of my mind (and the front of my mind with things like choosing a dog breed) of how a kid would fit into things, but I can't wait on things in life on the assumption we'll have a baby. One thing I can guarantee is that our dog and other pets will still be loved and cared for if we have a child. I'm very devoted to my pets!

I'm really happy to get all the feedback about poodles with rabbits! It's definitely concerning. The good thing at least is that if we get a puppy soon (before we have a kid), the bunnies will be securely in their own bedroom with a door that shuts when the dog is going through the puppy stage. I would honestly probably even buy one of those hook and eye locks to put on the door in case the door doesn't latch properly one day because I know one time is all it takes for disaster. All of my pets are extremely important to me! 

Ericwd9, The intelligence and trainability (is that a word?) of poodles is one of the reasons I'm drawn to them. Not sure if I mentioned this earlier in this thread, but as a kid, I had a lot of books on training dogs and read them with much interest, even though I knew my mom would never let me get a dog. Dog training is still of great interest to me. This may not mean much, but a few years ago, my dad suddenly got a 10 week old Sheltie puppy, and I took care of him for the first two weeks because my dad had to go out of town. I got him to stop jumping on people within a couple of days, he only peed on the floor once in those two weeks, and I got him started on crate training. It's important to me to have a well behaved dog, and I would love to have one that I can train to do a variety of things, both tricks and more complicated obedience. It's an area I will certainly research further before we get any dog. Behavior fascinates me. This may sound awful and I hope I don't offend anyone because I KNOW dogs and children are not the same, but I do something called ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) with special needs children for a living. You can look it up if you'd like. Like I said, I know dogs and kids are not the same, but my experience with doing ABA might give me a leg up when it comes to training dogs, as compared to the average brand new dog owner with no experience with anything in regards to behavior.

Last of all, Ciscley, not to fear! I would be very careful with the dog being outside in the winter. Depending on the temperature and his cold tolerance, I'd maybe let him play in the backyard by himself (would have to see how it goes), but definitely only when I was at home and well aware that the dog was outside. 

In any case, thanks for all of the insight from everyone! It's giving me a lot to think about.


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## Gryphon (Nov 5, 2013)

Totally understand what you are saying about teaching and special needs kids. I am right there with you. If you have not already read it, I highly suggest a book by Karen Pryor titled Reaching the Animal Mind. I think you will love it. I teach at the college level and have tried to slip some tag-type training into my classroom. 
I think that you will find poodles to be fascinating and brilliant, and I suspect you will be a little dissatisfied with a less brilliant (albeit "easier") dog.
Also, if you had a standard poodle you could cart train it.
Those are my thoughts.


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

There are more similarities between dogs and children than there are differences. Dogs have more retained instincts at a higher level than children. And children don't stop development at age 3. Other than that they behave the same and need the same love, compassion, understanding and training. A well trained dog and a well trained child attract attentive compliments in public. "oh what a lovely little boy" reply from boy "I'm not a little boy I'm a big boy!!!" "Oh what a lovely dog. Is she a labradoodle?" reply from spoo handler, "No she is a standard poodle". "Is that the same as a king poodle?" "Maybe so, they are the largest poodle" "She is so well behaved and so calm! I think I would like one, How much do they cost?" This is the way standard poodles are taking over the domestic dog world. One family at a time. You hear so many people say "we are a poodle family we have always had poodles!.
Or now I've had a standard poodle I could never have anything else. They are so much a part of you and your family!
Eric.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Would it be possible to have a dog with you while you work? There would still be the crazy puppy years to navigate, but a calm, well socialised adult dog could be a great asset working with children. And it might solve the exercise issue, too. 

And on another tack, are you saying half an hour because of limited time in your schedule, or because of the vagaries of the weather? I have been surprised how having dogs has changed my attitude to exercising - one reason for choosing small dogs was that I did not think I would be up to exercising a big one. With Sophy's help, I have learned that long walks are something to be treasured rather than dreaded, that being outside in sunshine lifts the spirits like nothing else, and that getting up really early when it is hot is a pleasure not a pain. Oh, and that housework can be postponed almost indefinitely if something more interesting is on offer, but I knew that already! Even walks in cold and rain and snow have their compensations. I live in a temperate climate, so it is much easier for us, but you sound like such a perfect dog owner it would be a pity to lose out if there is a way around the problem.


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## Manxcat (May 6, 2013)

When we got our pup everyone said "It's just like having a child..." Well, we haven't got children either so that was no help whatsoever!

As an older person I found the first few months exceedingly exhausting, but I had no idea what I was doing....!! It sounds like you would be much better prepared for the puppy years.

We got our second dog Pushkin from the type of home that has already been described - he was "the baby" until the real baby came along, then he was neglected and abused. However, you sound like a totally different type of person than his previous owner, and I'm sure if a baby came along you would be fine with the both. And until then you would have the joy of owning the most "human" type of dog there is!

Just a thing about planning - sometimes dogs don't read the books!! I'd read lots before we got Pippin, but she was on a different page... very challenging!!

She's 3 now, and just gets better every day.


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## Chells_Aura (Dec 7, 2012)

Ahoy there! I feel I have some insight for you... Ciscley gave you an AMAZING first response... I'd like to add a couple things. 

We got our pup in August - female standard poodle named Chell. We had two cats. One normal sized cat and one runty, tiny, ferret like cat. They never showed Chell who's boss when she was a puppy.... and now she (playfully) terrorizes them. We have to keep an ear out so if we hear the cat hiss or growl we have to say "Chell that's enough" and she'll usually stop and leave them alone. She doesn't get that that's the cat's signal they've had enough. Mostly because they're waving their claws at her and that is the poodle "let's play" signal. I wish we'd made the cats interact more with her when she was a tiny puppy... I think a good swipe from a claw would have really done the trick when she was tiny. But now I hear her yelp out when they get her and she still just wants to play. It's hard though because sometimes the cats actually WANT to play so they'll drive her into a tizzy to get her to chase them. 
I imagine you can train your dog to accept any pet that is *yours* but the dog would still go after cats/bunnies outside. Altho on that note I've witnessed a bunny beat up a japanese chin before. (an old 'friend') So bunnies can be mean and quite defensive if need be.
Chell LOVES the cold. We bought her a doorbell so she could go in and out in the backyard whenever she wanted. She learned how to use the indoor one within a day. The outdoor one took a little longer. But now I don't worry about letting her outside in the snow because she can ring her bell when she wants to come in. I don't know how your house is set-up but we have our back door through our laundry room which is essentially Chell's crate. It's awesome cuz when she comes in muddy or snow-balled we can leave her in there to dry and we don't have to deal with the mess inside. But yeah if you got a poodle I'd say cold weather would not be the issue... she hates the heat more than anything and we have to keep her shaved down in the summer. When she was a puppy that first summer and could fit, she'd sleep on the AC vents!
You will probably need more exercise at the start but maybe not in the long-run. When she was a puppy we'd walk her 4 times a day about 20-30 min each time. Plus she had lots of supervised play in the backyard/fetch inside. I was lucky with the timing of getting her. We got her beginning of August I went on early mat-leave Sept 1st and my baby was born on Dec. 1st. So I was home with them. there can be some really rough days especially if you deal with post-partum but I think the dog and the kid being 6 months apart in age is actually really good and I'm glad I did it that way. They are growing up together and by the time there were toys on the ground and what not dog was mostly done chewing/had learned what she could/could not chew. We've always had TONS of toys that were HERS so we've never had any shoe/or other items being chewed on... And she'll only very rarely go after a toy now when my 11 month old throws them at her. but a simple Leave it, uh huh or a Not for Chell. Will do the trick to get her to leave it. I introduce every new toy into the house to her. If it's for her I give it to her and say it's For Chell. If it's not for her I let her sniff it, say Not for Chell if she goes to grab it... and then I give it to the baby and say "For Baby not for Chell." and then she never goes for it.

I went off on a tangent I apologize. I was going to say one more thing but I can't remember atm and naptime is almost over so I gotta get off my butt and finish some things while I can!

G'luck with your decision!

ETA: cuz I remembered reading quickly. 4 walks a day when she was a puppy and she's a year and a bit now and down to 2 30 minute walks a day and she does really well with that. On good days (can't walk a baby and dog in the rain snow  ) she gets 3 walks a day but that's been getting less as it's been really rainy. She's much better behaved on 3 walk days but that's just because she's sleeping more  On 2 walk days I find if I remember to do something stimulating for her (this week has been rough for the poor thing. baby is teething again) then she's just as good as 3 walk days.


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## Possipoodle (Nov 2, 2014)

FJM, I think I could bring the puppy to work occasionally. Not every day, but a couple of days a week for an hour or so at a time. I will have to ask my boss, but both of them bring their dogs- one comes every day unless he's sick (which he's been doing since he was a tiny puppy!) and the other once a week or so. For the dog's safety and the safety of the kids, I could really only bring the puppy in when I'm not actually working with any kids and could devote my full attention to the puppy and the children's interactions with it.

The 1 hour walk limit per day is mostly because of the climate in the winter.

Manxcat, I can say with certainty that I wouldn't become a bad pet owner because of having a kid! That's just out of the question. My pets are family. A couple of years ago, I asked a friend what it was like caring for her pets (specifically a very needy and LOUD parrot) after she had children, and she put it very simply: If the pets truly matter to you, you will find the time and make it work. She also pointed out that if you have two children and then have a third, you don't neglect and rehome your older two kids because of the baby, and kids are (usually) a lot more work than a dog!

Chells, thanks for the tips about the baby and the dog! It sounds like it's working out really well for your family, the tip about showing the dog the baby's toys is a really good one. I will also be very sure to introduce the puppy (of whatever breed we get) to our cats and bunnies when it's really tiny so the dog can know who's boss. This is actually exactly what I did with my kitten. A day or so after we brought the 8 week old kitten home, I let him meet all of my rabbits (one at a time) and did NOT intervene when he inevitably bugged one of them too much and she whipped around and bit him on the face! I called it putting the "fear of bun" into him  When he was that young, the rabbits were bigger than him! He's quite good about respecting the rabbits now, and they get along well.


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## Chells_Aura (Dec 7, 2012)

Possipoodle said:


> Chells, thanks for the tips about the baby and the dog! It sounds like it's working out really well for your family, the tip about showing the dog the baby's toys is a really good one. I will also be very sure to introduce the puppy (of whatever breed we get) to our cats and bunnies when it's really tiny so the dog can know who's boss. This is actually exactly what I did with my kitten. A day or so after we brought the 8 week old kitten home, I let him meet all of my rabbits (one at a time) and did NOT intervene when he inevitably bugged one of them too much and she whipped around and bit him on the face! I called it putting the "fear of bun" into him  When he was that young, the rabbits were bigger than him! He's quite good about respecting the rabbits now, and they get along well.


Hah Exactly! I just wish my cats had put the fear of cats in Chell while they had the chance... I kept telling them to but they didn't listen! /sigh 

You sound like you will have everything under control weather you get a poodle or anything else. I would suggest you write up something exactly like this for the breeder so they can help you get the personality you are looking for. I imagine your first post would be VERY helpful to a breeder to get you *just* the right pup. I'd also suggest maybe if it can work out that way... trying to get the pup around January/February. They don't need lots of walks when they're super tiny... I don't think we started walking Chell until she was 3-4 months old. We just played indoor fetch and took her outside to go to the bathroom. They tire out quickly at that age. So if you get the pup in say January you wouldn't need to start walking them until March-ish and the worst of winter is *usually* over by then. Chell started doing better with less walks around 1 year of age. So your 1 year would be November ish when winter is getting bad again. This would put your highest-energy point during the summer when you can be outside to really expend all that energy!

I know it doesn't always work out that way but it might really help!  G'luck! Let us know what you decide! We'll want to know to look forward to poodle puppy pictures or not


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## Possipoodle (Nov 2, 2014)

Hope it's okay that I'm updating this thread after a couple of days! Just wanted to say that I talked to my boss today, and she said I absolutely could bring my puppy in to work  As mentioned earlier, I'd bring him in probably once or twice a week for an hour or so at a time. One of my bosses brings her dog with her every day (he's a poodle mix!), the other usually has her dog in her car (but sometimes he comes into the office), and one of my coworkers brings his dog to work every day and leaves her in the car, too. Another coworker just got a puppy the other day and will be bringing him in to the office sometimes. Sounds like when we get our puppy, where I work will be a great place to socialize with children of all ages, other adults, and other dogs 

Edit to add, I forgot- my boss said she's looking for a new, larger location for our office that will include a break room for the employees, and that she plans to have a couple of dog crates in the break room so we can bring our dogs with us to work and leave them in the crates when it's not practical to have them running around the office. Sounds like it could be a good set up!


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## blycox (Apr 19, 2013)

*Prey drive in spoos*

My experience is that prey drive is variable in standard poodles. Our female, now 12 years old, hunted rabbits and woodchucks in our back yard when she was younger, and caught them, too. But she has never been aggressive towards small pets – she seems to know the difference. On the other hand, we had to find a new home for our male poodle, whose response to cats and small dogs was to pick them up and shake them. (He's now living in a home with no other pets.) We're in the process of looking for a new poodle puppy, and acclimation to small animals/lower prey drive will be one of our prime considerations.


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## ItzaClip (Dec 1, 2010)

I think I can help you with your decision. Behavior such as chasing/ eating small rodents is totally connected to what you allow and how your relationship is with your dog. If you start from puppy with structure, rules, working for treats/ toys/ praise/ food, and exercise dog physically and mentally I don't see problem. My own spoo vogue has strong prey drive to chase toys etc. I have taught her though that all good things come through me, and in effect to check with me even before going to see something. I am in Canada and keep a lot of hair on my poodle. I do have to groom her often because we are out doing agility and playing in snow. Pic is in Dec at my parents in northern BC. About -25celcius. She is wearing boots but otherwise good. I love how tough she is, mind you she wants to go play and it's our HABIT to go out no matter what..


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## LEUllman (Feb 1, 2010)

You've gotten great answers from lots of experienced poodle people, but I just wanted to add a note about the need for exercise: Not all poodles are "high energy." Our oversized mini boy, Beau, is a regular couch potato. Always has been. He's fine with one half-hour walk a day, and if even that minimal exercise doesn't happen, he's still fine! If he gets the zoomies, we play a vigorous game of "hallway fetch" to let him burn off some steam. As long as he's home, and close to his people, all is well with the world.

In my opinion, your family sounds like a perfect candidate for a poodle -- as long its temperament is more like our laid-back (lazy?) boy vs. a driven, high-energy athlete like Lily. The trick is finding a great breeder who knows how to recognize that temperament in her pups, and can match you to the right one.

Here is Beau playing "Hallyway Fetch" (And when the caption says "it's too cold outside," that means for _me_, not Beau! Don't laugh, but we live in SoCal, so "too cold" means 50F): http://youtu.be/r85fFTGrGNA


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## Naira (Jan 9, 2015)

I agree with Beau and others about the energy/prey drive thing. Work with a breeder that knows her pups, and find the right puppy for you. This may mean adopting them at a later date (12+ weeks)..I'm not quite sure about personality tests in 8 week olds. 

I wanted a laid back, dare I say lazy dog and that's what I got. She's a puppy and while she has her burst of energy at times, she spends most of the day sleeping. A 30 minute walk at even a moderate pace really tired her out. 

Her prey drive seems non existent. Squirrels whiz by her and she doesn't even look, and while she does chew on her toys if I throw them she doesn't really pounce on them. 

I'm sure she'd make a terrible agility dog lol, but an amazing pet for me. So keep looking!


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

Sounds awesome! Just wanted to say I live up north in the BC Rockies which, a few thousand acres to the left, would have me at the Alaskan coast  I have 2 standard poodles and 2 Boston Terriers and they are all fine in the cold winters we have. The poodles do better than the BTs actually. Of course I don't leave them outside but when I let them outside several times a day they run around in the snow like insane things and keep warm by expending crazy energy; when they slow down, I open the door and they race inside. Never had a problem


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## Theo'sMom (Mar 23, 2011)

I have two small (40 pound) spoos.
They love the cold! We took an hour long walk in 10 degree weather last week and they were fine. That was the coldest hour long walk we took.
They are both crate trained and when they stay with their caretakers (friens with a spoo) when we are on vacation, they are crated there for 8 hours, while my friend is at work. They havent been crated since they were each 1 at home-that's when they could be trusted. But it's important that they are tolerant of the crate, for when we go away.
Exercise- they do best with 45' vigorous walk, 30 minute play in a large yard where they can run at full speed, plus 1 hour engaged play/grooming/hide and seek/training.
They have play dates with other dogs up to 3x a week for 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on the day. That counts as their engaged play that day. They love their social time with dogs and people. 
When we are on vacay, their caretaker has a cat, in addition to their spoo friend. They have become very friendly with the cat. They are always monitored when the cat is out and about, but play and cuddle with the cat now.
My first spoo was hard. He bit for 5 months nonstop when he was a pup. My second never bit us, she bit the older spoo. She was a dream (except when she ate my nice boots) and when she wanted to bite, she bit my other spoo, instead of us. Puppies are very hard!


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## Alicesmom (Jan 26, 2014)

I can't speak to everything in your post but it does get pretty cold her in Minnesota and my mini does great. She has a jacket and a sweatshirt, if it's really cold she wears both. I've tried and tried but I can't get her to wear boots for the life of me but some friends at the dog park told me about this stuff called Musher's Secret that's a wax you can put on their paws. It helps protect against the cold and salt and it's done wonders for my poodle and my lab. I know not everyone is a fan but I'm a huge dog park person because an hour there can wear out my girls where as they need at least a 5 mile walk to be somewhat tired. When she was a puppy I had a job that was a 3 hour drive an 80 hours a week so I didn't really have time to walk Alice so I started taking her to daycare. That was awesome, by the time she got home she was way too tired to walk so if there's one of those around you I would definitely look into it. Now we usually go to the dog park from anywhere to 35 minutes (extreme cold) to 1.5 hours on weekdays and 1.5-2 hours on weekends each day. If it's dangerously cold I play what I like to call "doggy stairmaster" and grab treats and a ball and run the girls up and down the stairs in the house for 40 or so minutes and it works just as well. Good luck in your search!


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## The Opera Poodle (Dec 19, 2012)

Back in my younger more foolish years, I had two house rabbits and a half-Lab/German Shepherd. The dog was trained from the get go to not chase the rabbits. She did have high prey drive when out of the house with squirrel and what not but would not chase the rabbits. The dog did bark at the door bell and I believe one of my rabbits died of heart failure because of the noise. I know there is debate as to the frequency of rabbit fright heart attacks, but it seemed to be the likely cause. I was in the room when it happened and the dog did not get even close to the rabbit. It just started hopping back to it's cage when the dog started barking and then dropped dead. 

I then had a chinchilla and the dog left it alone. But because of the chin's destructive behavior, he was rarely ever out unless on his harness, in the "pet room," or supervised in the yard and watched very carefully. The dog never really had a chance to see it at a full run.

We then had the nasty incident of the dog and the gerbil. My son's friend decided to introduce the gerbil to the dog by holding it out for the dog to smell. The gerbil bit a nice size chunk out of the dogs nose and that dog was terrified to even be in the room with the cage after that. 

The moral of the story is I don't know the answer to your question. On one hand, yes - they can live together. My rabbits (lops) were litter box trained and had free roam as well as the dog. After the puppy years with training, I felt no fear in leaving them alone together. The bunnies had a lot of hiddy holes as options to hid in, but preferred hanging out in their wire sided home. (Side note - I lost one due to my ignorance of house plants that were poisonous. I hate myself for being such an ignorant animal owner when I was younger.)

But there are other issues other than just the dog chasing the rabbit to consider. Like a calm environment that bunnies prefer and the fact the rabbit could bite the holy heck out of the dog. Like pointed out, it is all about the personality of the dog and the effort of the human to make it work. Good luck.


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## Possipoodle (Nov 2, 2014)

I just wanted to update this thread since everyone on the forum was so helpful when I was trying to choose a dog breed! I did a ton of research, and our puppy joined us 3 weeks ago and is now 11 weeks old. I flew 2000 miles to pick her up from the breeder! This is my little Annabel, she is a Great Pyrenees. Very different from a poodle, but I still love poodles. So far she is doing great and is such a sweet puppy. She has gained 5 lbs since we got her and is now 20 lbs. Next week, my friend is going to bring her miniature poodle over to play with her, Annabel already outweighs the poodle by 8 lbs! Not to fear, she is a gentle, rather submissive puppy and so far has adored every human, dog, and other animal she's met, so I'm sure she and the poodle (who loves puppies) will get along great.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

OMG! Thank you for coming back to show us your adorable new puppy. I missed this thread in it's beginning. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE GP. They're wonderful dogs. When your friend brings her Poodle over, you might decide that a Poodle will be your next dog. haha. It's great that Annabel will be getting lots of good, early socialization with dogs and people alike. Thanks for showing her to us. She's really irresistible. Hope to see more!


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

Annabel is beautiful! Congratulations on finding your puppy! I see a few Great Pyrenees at my local dog park and they are beautiful dogs -- and so mellow! Enjoy your new addition!


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

i think we need a picture thread for honorary poodles. no better start than annabel. would love to see her growing up photos.


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## Possipoodle (Nov 2, 2014)

Patk, if there's a thread like that, I'd love to make Annabel photo updates! Honorary poodle, too funny  She will be the biggest poodle on the forum. I love my friend's miniature poodle, she's actually a big part of why I was interested in the breed. Hopefully she and Annabel will have a lot of fun, I will share a couple pictures of them playing together.


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

there's a 52 week of your poodle sub-forum. what if you just started a thread there for annabel the honorary poodle? annabel is so beautiful i would be surprised if anyone would object. she could end up being the big sister to a poodle down the road anyway, right?


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