# Airborne tendency of Poodles ?



## cliffdweller (Jan 31, 2011)

Does anyone know the origin of the jumping, leaping tendency in the Poodle ? 

It appears to be a breed trait, and I am curious to know if this trait once upon a time had a specific (functional) purpose. I have a preliminary speculation (not researched), but am interested to hear from you on this topic.


----------



## outwest (May 1, 2011)

Fabulous picture as usual.  

With my girl, airborn is to be expected, too. In the last couple months she has been doing it more and more. I think because she is done growing tall and now developing her muscles and bones becoming more sure of her abilities at a year old. But, my last standard did not leap or show the pure joy my current one does when she flips in the air or springs sideways. I don't think they all do it. 

I know with hunting leaping and fetching moving objects is important. When my whippet and poodle run in a field, the whippet runs like an oiled machine, but the poodle leaps and bounds over the tall grasses. It is so fun to watch the different styles! 

My last standard was from show lines. I don't know if that has a thing to do with it, but it was a different breeding. She was flashy yet not bouncy like a spring and didn't have the turning ability of my current one (of course, she had hip dysplasia from a young age). My current one has more working poodles. I am interested in what others say. 

I do think Rain seems particularly springy. In most pictures she is flying or leaping. She would likely love something like agility jumps and I bet she is a crazy ball fetcher.


----------



## cliffdweller (Jan 31, 2011)

outwest said:


> Fabulous picture as usual.
> 
> With my girl, airborn is to be expected, too. In the last couple months she has been doing it more and more. I think because she is done growing tall and now developing her muscles and bones becoming more sure of her abilities at a year old. But, my last standard did not leap or show the pure joy my current one does when she flips in the air or springs sideways. I don't think they all do it.
> 
> I know with hunting leaping and fetching moving objects is important. When my whippet and poodle run in a field, the whippet runs like an oiled machine, but the poodle leaps and bounds over the tall grasses. It is so fun to watch the different styles!


I am also thinking along these lines a bit : such trait would be very desirable in a dog used for flushing game, e.g.



outwest said:


> I am interested in what others say.


Perhaps someone can point out a good source for info on these traits in the breed history.



outwest said:


> I do think Rain seems particularly springy. In most pictures she is flying or leaping. She would likely love something like agility jumps and I bet she is a crazy ball fetcher.


 I was dumbstruck the first time she cleared the couch in the living room. I wish we had a facility for agility down here (~~~ perhaps we need to organize one ...). When Rain became mine at a year old, she seemed not to understand interaction with humans and toys. She came with a tennis ball, but played with it by herself, throwing it up and leaping after it. Eventually, suddenly, she would retrieve toys to hand. But I don't play fetch with her much and she doesn't comprehend these games outdoors at all. So far she is pretty much on her own to develop in whatever way comes naturally. I facilitate space and opportunity, and try to keep her from harm. I _love_ watching her and I think she is very photogenic ...


----------



## Yaddaluvpoodles (Mar 20, 2010)

Beautiful photos!

If people are unfamiliar with Emily Cain's wonderful Poodle History Project... now might be a great time to check it out Poodle History Project

Poodles are considered to be the most versatile of all dog breeds. We all know that historically poodles were used for hunting and I don't know what that brings to the minds eye of most people.. but I suspect the hunter trudging through brush or along the river with the trusty poodle at his side ready to retrieve the downed kill. My personal belief (have been in bed for last 5 days with flu, my thoughts are very muddled right now.. I may want to delete this all in the morning!) is that the gun dog retrieving is only in very recent times. Most of us don't want to think of our beloved cuddly curly haired furkids that we trust with the baby and grandkids as capable of being competant and efficient killers. I believe that poodles were among the best of pot dogs. Capable of humting, killing and bringing home the kill..both with human direction and without. Further I suspect that in many of our living poodles today, these capabilities are present, that we have merely redirected them with our training, environment and control. Many of the dog behaviors that we observe are actual related to obtaining live food. Games of chase... pouncing... 
For most of us, I suspect a good poodle pounce on a favorite toy puts a smile on our face.. but ever compare that to the killing pounce of a coyote? Not a whole lot of difference. The game of tug? a mutually cooperative effort between two or more dogs (in this case used to refer to wild canines as well as domestic) to restrain and typically to suffocate a prey animal. These were life survival skills, instinctive and in most cases are still very present in our poodles. Those gorgeous flying leaps to nab a frisbee mid air could quite capably be taking small game birds out of the air. The ability to change direction on a dime.. all essential traits in a hunting dog.
A few years ago I had a conversation with a woman who had a tough time containing her poodle.. and every time the poodle got loose it made a serious dent in the neighborhood cat population. Not only was this.. an obviously upsetting situation for all involved (especially the cats) the poodle delivered the freshly killed cat carcasses to the owners porch. From a modern perspective, this is a killer dog the owner can't control. But what I saw.. was something a bit different. I saw a pot dog--a poodle who was instinctively hunting and bringing home the next meal for the pot. Fully intact instincts, the problem is.. she was working independently and without direction...and as we all know..not everything is fair game, least of all the neighbors cats. 

I'm betting that many of us have poodles who will present us with a pile of toys, one after another... and again, believe this goes back to what these dogs did historically. These dogs are packed full of instincts which were developed over.. my guess is thousands of years. It is only the last few centuries that we have had firearms.. and even more recently that we haven't had to hunt for ourselves out of need for food, but more for the needs of pleasure or ego. 

So my two cents is.. poodles fly and turn on a dime because they were bred over the centuries for hunting purposes(among others).. that we no longer use.


----------



## Yaddaluvpoodles (Mar 20, 2010)

I would love to hear from folks..how do your poodles play behaviors correlate with those used for hunting?


----------



## WestCoastSpoo (May 11, 2011)

I think the love of fetch is all about hunting - Hux is SO intent on running down whatever object I'm throwing, grabs it in his jaws and then happily and proudly returns it to my hand.

Huxley also seems to only have his paws on the ground as a temporary measure to get him to his next bounce  I can't walk him down the street without someone commenting on his "prance" and he seems to leap over the shrubs in our backyard just for the pure joy of being temporarily airborne! 

Inside the house he has cleared the coffee table, jumping SIDEWAYS from a STANDSTILL (and our coffee table is NOT a small one - it's high and fairly wide). He has also jumped OVER our huge leather chair from a sit. I guess that's what I'm most surprised at - I can see a dog jumping while running but the poodles I've met can attain amazing height from a complete standstill!


----------



## Yaddaluvpoodles (Mar 20, 2010)

*Squeek Toys*

Oh and then there are those squeek toys!!! How many of us have dogs who aren't motivated to a high level with a simple squeek!

Betting more than a few people have an assortment of stuffed animals that have had the squeekers removed....

All of these behaviors stem back to historic functions... (IMO) and I'll bet just about everyone here could share tales of things their poodles that demonstrate the presence of those behaviors....


----------



## LEUllman (Feb 1, 2010)

Rain is clearly related to Tigger. No question about it.


----------



## MrsKaia (Dec 3, 2011)

Loves to jump? Yes!  Even more so since he's lost some weight. He loves to get airborne trying to catch a ball. Romping with other dogs: not his thing. Retrieving is his game, and he does that with a 110% focus. He would probably be a great hunting buddy, because he also likes to use his nose.

Loves squeakies? Of course! What kind of a silly question is that?  He manages to de-squeak a new squeaky toy within a couple of hours to within a day though. One of the squeakies I actually use without the toy. Makes for a great dog 'whistle' 


Click on the image for a larger photo.


----------



## lcristi (Feb 27, 2011)

I haven't posted here in a very long time, but, your post is of particular interest to me as a standard poodle owner.
I have a 2 1/2 yr old brown standard. A bitch from established poodle breeders. The stud is from an old poodle family in MN and has been mentioned (by Del Dahl) as breeders of hunters. They take their dogs seriously there.
My girl is as athletic as they come - I asked for it-I got it. We have been playing at agility since she was 5 or 6 mos old but that's only the tip of the iceberg. She's solidly/squarely built and shows all of the ability you have high lighted in your post. For instance-she has one of those *jolly balls* I don't know what it weighs but I'm sure is substantial compared to a tennis ball. She can pick it up by it's handle and run, run, run with it. Exactly what a good hunter should be able to do. She has great neck-good front. Watch her turn when running full tilt as I recall-that prey is not getting away from her-hunters stew-for sure. 
I hope this thread grows-I too want to hear more about the Versatility In Poodles. 
The ultimate dog-they rock! IMO


----------



## cliffdweller (Jan 31, 2011)

MrsKaia said:


> Loves to jump? ...


Beautiful dog, beautiful photo ! More, more, more ~~~


----------



## Yaddaluvpoodles (Mar 20, 2010)

My Riley was a counter surfer extraordinaire. I will never forget the day I was thawing a 23 pound turkey (yes, it did weigh..23 pounds) I moved it briefly to the sink, left the kitchen, came back just in time to see Ri moving across my nearly one acre of back yard, head held high, balanced, gorgeous leg extension... with my dinner in his mouth. Hate to say it.. all I could think was how gorgeous he looked, took my breath away!

One of the other things the Tug game does is build incredibly strong neck muscles. I normally don't have my dogs lug around 23 pound items, never really thought about how much weight they could comfortably carry in their mouths (anyone have any idea about that?)


----------



## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I dont think Vegas is full poodle, he must be part bird. Live action poodle air shots. This video makes me smile every time I watch it, love my boy.


----------



## Yaddaluvpoodles (Mar 20, 2010)

100% pure poodle... with antigravity genes!


----------



## MrsKaia (Dec 3, 2011)

@Fluffyspoos: Great drive! He looks like he can never get enough of that game


----------



## Rayah-QualitySPs (Aug 31, 2010)

nu2poodles said:


> Does anyone know the origin of the jumping, leaping tendency in the Poodle ?
> 
> It appears to be a breed trait, and I am curious to know if this trait once upon a time had a specific (functional) purpose. I have a preliminary speculation (not researched), but am interested to hear from you on this topic.


Well back in the really old days, haha, I was told that poodles were used to grab men off horses in the period of knights on horses. 

I have never been able to find any proof but often think of this when my poodles jump straight up 6 feet in the air and how they use their front paws to hug me. 

Often, in my house anyway, jumping 6 feet straight up is a brown poodle trait. VBG


----------



## happybooker1 (Dec 6, 2011)

*I noticed it from the first DAY*

I brought Remi home at 8 weeks. I have raised many litters of Shih Tzu's and immediately noticed the difference between Remi's balance and agility and an 8-week-old Shih Tzu puppy. 

From the start, Remi could climb UP the sofa pillows to get on the back of the sofa. He could run rings around our cats -- literally! He was already balanced enough to start working on 'sit pretty' and now at 4 months that's his best 'trick'! He learned at 10 weeks to jump from the couch to a low ottoman and then to get on the coffee table, where he thought all the goodies were!

It's like he was *born* able to balance and jump!


----------



## Yaddaluvpoodles (Mar 20, 2010)

*Poodle Pups*

Sept 12, 2010 I had a litter of 9 puppies (Gilley and Valentine are the proud parents). I still have a video of them that was done at 8 weeks old on Youtube. It's not very good, I was just trying out my video camera and it almost makes me dizzy to watch it. But it's fun watching the pups behaviors, there are some hunting/stalking kind of things as well as a bit of herding all intermingled with a whole lot of curiosity, exploration and confidence. The pups were video'd on my property in a place that we hadn't previously visited. It's tough keeping an eye on that many at one time and I have predators (bear, coyote, mountain lion, eagles, hawks and owls) who would all love to have a puppy dinner. I was concentrating so hard on how to work the video that I lost track of pups. Thankfully all is well.. if you watch to the end, you'll see the two who vanquished the peabodies (peafowl) return to the rest of the pups. At this age, no fear!


----------



## outwest (May 1, 2011)

Bonnie is fixated on kitties. We have two. She has never hurt them and stays just out of reach of their sharp claws. We have taught her they are off limits and allowed them to whack her on the nose a couple times when she was little so she developed a healthy respect. 

She watches them like a hawk, eyes twitching. She will stand stock still for minutes a time watching them in the window sill. She tracks them outside, finding their hiding places. She freezes when she spots them, moving in slow motion, paws stopping in midair not making a sound, sneeking up so she can pounce two inches away from them. They leap and hiss, she jumps back, tail going a million miles a minute. What fun it all is for her. 

I trust her to never hurt them now, but if I hadn't taught her from day 1 that she was not allowed to be mean to kitties, I wonder if she would have been trustworthy. 

She has discovered the squirrels on the telephone wires and watches the birds through the windows for great lengths of time. My whippet will bark wildly, out of control at the squirrels on the wires. Bonnie freezes, burning holes in them with her eyes, almost like a pointer.


----------



## LEUllman (Feb 1, 2010)

@fluffyspoos, Looks like Vegas is propelling himself into the air with his glorious long natural tail!


----------



## Yaddaluvpoodles (Mar 20, 2010)

*Different styles of jumping....*


----------



## Yaddaluvpoodles (Mar 20, 2010)

I should add a disclaimer that playing with sticks is not safe. I do it, I probably will continue to do it.. but it's one of those risks I take.


----------



## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

Yaddaluv, that video made me laugh so hard, LOVE your music choice!

LEUllman, Vegas has a docked tail, just a long dock at 10 inches without any scissoring, Desert Reef does beautifully long docks that I adore.


----------



## outwest (May 1, 2011)

Can others post pics of their poodles leaping? 

I love looking at them. 

4 1/2 months old:
This one is straight up








Over the boulder


----------



## cliffdweller (Jan 31, 2011)

Yaddaluvpoodles said:


> Beautiful photos!


Thank you !



Yaddaluvpoodles said:


> ... Most of us don't want to think of our beloved cuddly curly haired furkids that we trust with the baby and grandkids as capable of being competant and efficient killers. I believe that poodles were among the best of pot dogs. Capable of humting, killing and bringing home the kill..both with human direction and without. Further I suspect that in many of our living poodles today, these capabilities are present, that we have merely redirected them with our training, environment and control. Many of the dog behaviors that we observe are actual related to obtaining live food. Games of chase... pouncing...


It is not too difficult to imagine what the outcome of a move like this might be, were it not in play :










And, I am delighted to see that Rain chooses to jump where she can, rather than run around an object in her path :










What I find really remarkable, and mysterious (to some degree), is the drive to become airborne when there is nothing there (no ball, frisbee, object, etc.) -- apparently, at least -- to instigate the leap. _This_ behavior is what has motivated my query (does this behavior have an historical, functional origin ?) :


----------



## outwest (May 1, 2011)

Rain is so silly! Bonnie does the jumping for no apparent reason, too. I will find her bouncing around like a bunny just for the heck of it. It is so odd. I don't know if anyone if going to have an answer to your quiery of WHY? I would like to know, too. My whippet runs around objects, but Bonnie runs and leaps over them like Rain. It must be a breed trait, but no mention of it in the standard for the poodle. I know it is why poodles make good circus dogs, particularly the minis.

Are you sure there isn't an agility school near you? Rain would love it.


----------



## Brittany May (Feb 9, 2012)

I love that middle photo of Rain!


----------



## petitpie (Nov 16, 2011)

Loved the puppy video! And Rain seems launched by her own spring board!


----------



## cliffdweller (Jan 31, 2011)

outwest said:


> ... I don't know if anyone if going to have an answer to your quiery of WHY? I would like to know, too. ... It must be a breed trait, but no mention of it in the standard for the poodle. I know it is why poodles make good circus dogs, particularly the minis.


I would think the breeders (caretakers of the breed) would be very interested in this behavior trait, since it is quite distinctive (especially in the case of a "large" dog like the Standard). Perhaps it's just me ... and you ... (Too bad when/if it gets lost in the shuffle  )



outwest said:


> Are you sure there isn't an agility school near you? Rain would love it.


 No, I'm not sure, yet. Perhaps in Key West ... (30 mi. away -- about as far as I could go, since I care for two ancients and cannot be away for long ~~~).


----------



## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

Carley is 7 years old and still tries to fly...


----------



## Eclipse (Apr 26, 2010)

Nu2poodles,

I do a lot of agility with my girl and she loves to jump. But she will also do the same kind of jumping in the air for no reason like the pictures of Rain you posted. She will do it repeatedly when playing in the yard and does it so often that we call it her "gazelling" since she sometimes looks like the little gazelles that gallop across the African plains doing bounds in the air. I think it is just a happy thing she does for herself.

If I ever figure out how to post pictures, I'll post some from some agility trials. And some day, I will get a pic of her"gazelling" haha!


----------



## cliffdweller (Jan 31, 2011)

Eclipse said:


> Nu2poodles,
> 
> ... She will do it repeatedly when playing in the yard and does it so often that we call it her "gazelling" since she sometimes looks like the little gazelles that gallop across the African plains doing bounds in the air. I think it is just a happy thing she does for herself.


Yes, exactly !!! But I'm thinking that it may have had a functional origin as well. It's a very interesting, delightful, amazing trait.



Eclipse said:


> If I ever figure out how to post pictures, I'll post some from some agility trials. And some day, I will get a pic of her"gazelling" haha!


The photo you posted is wonderful ... more please, if you can ~~~


----------



## Jstanfill (Oct 22, 2020)

nu2poodles said:


> Does anyone know the origin of the jumping, leaping tendency in the Poodle ?
> 
> It appears to be a breed trait, and I am curious to know if this trait once upon a time had a specific (functional) purpose. I have a preliminary speculation (not researched), but am interested to hear from you on this topic.
> 
> hi I have 1 yr old cavapoo part poodle , king cavalier spaniel , mine def has her Bounce going on when she is playing or chasing a critter, would advise to watch those joints, I give mine one glucosamine each day for her back leg, was bothering her for bit . working on some training , got mine to go upstairs , can’t get her to go downstairs?Any advice?


----------



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Hi @Jstanfill  You've landed on a very old thread with members who've not been active on Poodle Forum in quite some time.

I recommend posting your question here:









General Training and Obedience


All training and obedience questions, tips, articles go here




www.poodleforum.com





Or here:









Poodle Health


Discuss Poodle health and important health testing for common poodle diseases.




www.poodleforum.com





(Depending on whether you feel this is more of a training issue or a health issue.)

This way active members are more likely to see your question and respond. To avoid any confusion, I'll go ahead and close this thread to further replies.


----------

