# What has surprised you about owning a poodle?



## Raven's Mom (Mar 18, 2014)

I totally agree with you, Zooeysmom! Raven is my first poodle and I underestimated the length of time it would take her be "civilized". She is also very funny and silly and after a couple of months of not liking her much at age 7mo to one year, I am totally in love with her now. Her intelligence is usually wonderful but it can be frustrating too, when she needs convincing to do something I want her to do.


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## Coco86 (Oct 23, 2014)

Our vet told us when Sunny and Rosie were puppies that if we aren't careful the poodles would be running our house. He was right :aetsch:


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

I have lived with a wide variety of breeds over 60 odd years. Many became a vital part of my family. Grace is not just a part of the family, she organizes us all. She is big on routine and though I strive to do things at different times of day Grace has very set ideas of when and where things should be done. If I neglect to check on the hydroponics systems too long she will herd me in that direction until I do. I in my dotage I miss a meal, she is there in my face "daddy you must eat!!!" She does not share my meal but she insists that I eat three times each day. Every time I change my clothing or shoes she is there "sniff sniff!! where are WE going daddy" In the evening at about bed time she will stand and give me "the look" "Don't you think it's time you went to bed daddy?" Unless there is an earthquake or something she will not wake me when I sleep but when she thinks I am awake "Daddy why are you making out you are asleep, lets get on with the important things of the day. Firstly breakfast, then to the beach so I can run with the wind and chase seaweed blowing down the shore. Then you can throw the ball for me. Daddy you know you want to get up and play with me don't you (nose bump, sits!) " I'll help, here are your undies and socks" I was once an Officer in a service and in charge! In my home Grace is in charge and everybody knows it. She is not rude or annoying, just polite and insistent.
I am becoming dependent on her! what will I do if I survive her? Will I ever be able to organize myself again?

This is a standard poodle. Be sure you want one and have the energy to train and exercise one before you adopt.

Eric


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

A lot of the same here too. I think the most surprising for me is just how much everyone loves him - I mean of course I knew I would adore him, but he wraps everyone he meets around his little paws. [emoji7] 
My parents, who mostly only let our childhood dogs in the house on special occasions, let Rory sleep on their couch and their bed when he stays over at their place now, and they sometimes go over to my house when I'm at work just to visit him. I've also had people who don't like dogs offer to look after him for me if needed!

He is just the friendliest pup who makes friends everywhere he goes.


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## Bluemoon (Dec 30, 2015)

My late tpoo was very smart. So some of the things that Zoie does doesn't surprise me. However, there is one. She can problem solve and use items in the area to get what she wants. For example, there was a treat on the coffee table. She had moved it to where she couldn't reach it. So she gently took hold of the table runner and slowly moved the treat back to where she could reach it.

She is very smart.


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Muggles said:


> A lot of the same here too. I think the most surprising for me is just how much everyone loves him - I mean of course I knew I would adore him, but he wraps everyone he meets around his little paws.
> My parents, who mostly only let our childhood dogs in the house on special occasions, let Rory sleep on their couch and their bed when he stays over at their place now, and they sometimes go over to my house when I'm at work just to visit him. I've also had people who don't like dogs offer to look after him for me if needed!
> 
> He is just the friendliest pup who makes friends everywhere he goes.


My dad has always tried to insist on outside-only dogs and been all "They're just pets!" with the dogs we had growing up...but the last time I took Archie to visit he started referring to himself as Grandpa and letting Archie take naps in his lap. :biggrin:

And yeah, I knew they were smart, but I didn't anticipate how much self-training he would do. It's to the point now where I just explain things to Archie in full sentences, because I figure there's a decent chance he knows enough English at this point to get it. We also have to be very careful about how we humans talk about him, because he'll react if we start talking about taking him somewhere or leaving him behind while we go somewhere.


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Bluemoon said:


> My late tpoo was very smart. So some of the things that Zoie does doesn't surprise me. However, there is one. She can problem solve and use items in the area to get what she wants. For example, there was a treat on the coffee table. She had moved it to where she couldn't reach it. So she gently took hold of the table runner and slowly moved the treat back to where she could reach it.
> 
> She is very smart.


Yesterday Archie and Cleo were both chewing on bully sticks and Archie decided he wanted Cleo's for some reason. I watched him look over at her for a moment, then he stood up, walked around so that he was in front of her face, waited until he had her attention, and then just dropped his bully stick on the floor. Cleo is a relentless chew-thief, so she immediately jumped up to take the one he'd dropped...which of course gave him the opening to reach over, take her original stick, and retreat to the couch before she noticed that she'd switched instead of hoarded.

I've had a lot of fun watching him display his problem-solving skills, but I didn't realize how manipulative he could be until I saw that.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I thought Buck would become more blasé about where I was going and what I was doing. Still Velcro at two! He does not like our schedule to be disrupted and he can tell time! Poodle nose poke, snooze alarm paw for reminders, also a dramatic display in his crate when it's time for dinner and I'm late. He pushes the crate mat back with his hind legs and claws at the metal bottom in staccato bursts for effect:"Feed me!" Okay, okay. The intensity of the breed was a surprise. Actually, it was all a surprise since he is my first Poodle.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I was surprised with my first Poodles when, although I knew they'd be smart, I didn't realize just how smart. I'd worked with a couple but that isn't the same as living with a couple. Matisse especially is really, really quick, quicker than Maurice. Maurice is very willing though and that makes up for a lot. And I notice that although Matisse catches onto certain new behaviors in just a couple repetitions, he also has those moments of near non-compliance where I have had to go around the block a few times, thinking up new, creative ways to motivate him. Some of the classic, straight forward methods need some tweaking with this dog. He questions things, it would seem and thinks "too" much. lol. I don't like that when my dog is smarter than I am. :argh:

Another thing: I had Chihuahuas and they did their share of yapping, which I was able to train them to stop quite well. I thought they were most annoying after having a Doberman who was quite vocally frugal. Along came these Poodles and I though I expected some yapping, I was unprepared for the supreme skillfulness they showed at a variety of loud vocalizations and such a large lung capacity. They're pretty good at stopping when I ask and they only bark when there's something to bark at, such as the UPS man at someone else's driveway, adults walking by behind the fence, children walking by, dogs, cats, robins, a pine cone falling out of the tree. So yeah...only for a good reason do they bark. 

I'm sure there are other things that surprise me but right now I am not surprised that they are awaiting their dinner. The chef has had a long enough break.:afraid:


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## Alika (May 17, 2016)

Where I live, standard poodles are very rare. To most people here, a poodle is a small dog. "Real dogs" are labs, golden retrivers, pit bulls, german shepherds, huskies, border collies and Australian cattle dogs (and, for some reason, mastiff × great dane mixes). When I told people I was getting a spoo the reaction was almost always very negative.

So I've been surprised at how positively people have reacted to Karma since I brought her home. She gets a ton of compliments. The staff at the vet's office is particularly fond of her. Some people think she is a full grown mpoo, which is amusing to me, but everyone keeps telling me what a nice dog she is.

My husband says he has been most surprised by her paw dexterity. And with that, I suppose, is how cat-like she can be.


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## maddogdodge (May 29, 2015)

I have my first poodle, he's now 7 months old. To be honest, not much has surprised me at all, I did soo much research into Spoo's to make sure I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. I looked at the good and the bad.

I think the only thing that I found a little surprising is I'd actually say he's not as switched on as the dogs I'm used to. All my life I've had herding dogs (Border Collies, Kelpies and my latest an Aussie Shepherd) so getting a poodle is a totally different kind of smart dog! He is definitely incredibly smart but It's very different from what I'm used to. Not demanding like my herding dogs and he doesn't make it his mission/job to get things done, he just goes with the flow. He's definitely super smart and awesome to train but he doesn't use his intelligence with everything he does unlike my herders who take everything pretty seriously. It's really hard to explain exactly what I mean, hopefully you guys get the idea.

Only other thing that surprised me is that blokes actually like him! I get more complements from blokes than I do women!

Also 99% of people guess right that he's a boy... I was expecting everyone to assume the fluffy white poodle is a girl!


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## FireStorm (Nov 9, 2013)

We were definitely surprised by how smart they are. They really think! Hans can think several steps ahead, and I've never had a dog that could do that before. For example, he went through a phase where he would ask to go out, bark frantically at nothing so we would come outside, then run inside and steal our spot on the chair or bed. He came up with that plan because we wised up to his ringing the bells to get us off the chair or bed so he could have our spot. He got away with it several times before we caught on. 

It makes training interesting, because positive interrupters don't work very well - he will do something he shouldn't so he can get rewarded for stopping. 

He also knows about the alarm clock, and not only does he get off the couch he isn't supposed to be on when it goes off, he gets on his bed and looks like he's sleeping. There's always a poodle sized warm spot on the couch though.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

maddogdodge said:


> Only other thing that surprised me is that blokes actually like him! I get more complements from blokes than I do women!


Haha, same here! I didn't realize that until you mentioned it


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Merlin is my first poodle and I was amazed at how smart he is. Also, his level of energy now is becoming quite amazing, even though he's just a six pound little guy. He's energetic but still in his place, he understands real quick when you tell him to stop if he's doing something wrong. And he has an off switch, which is perfect.

He is very graceful, I love to see him walk, and he looks like a miniature gazelle when he runs, he's so fast !

Also, I was surprised to see how much into me he is. I knew they were supposed to be very attached to their people but to see it in real is different.

Very good dogs in general. Smart, energetic but not too much, elegant and true to their people !


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## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

I was surprised at how different Max and Lily are from other dogs I've had...particularly Lily! Love their personalities, smart, sparkly, funny, albeit challenging (did I say particularly Lily?)- never a dull moment&#55357;&#56361;


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I've never been without a dog in my life so when Molly chose me, I expected a puppy like most other puppies I've owned..............WRONG!!!! I find the scope of her intelligence mind boggling! From the way she problem solves, to the affinity she has for humans over other dogs, to the way she 'knows' if I am having a bad day and becomes low key, or the way she communicates her wants and needs. 99% of the time I don't have to guess as she will 'show' me if I don't understand........I have never owned a dog that trained me, rather than the other way around! LOL!


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## seminolewind (Mar 11, 2016)

She is everything I chose a poodle for. What surprised me is I'll never want a different breed!


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

It has often been said that once you have had a standard poodle you would never have anything else.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Having a standard poodle is like eating potato chips. It is hard to stop at one.

Funny, creative, smart, sensitive--not really surprises to find those traits but amazing at the depth of their personalities in those areas.


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## msteen (Jun 28, 2015)

Misty is our first poodle. I grew up with a Newfoundland, and outdoor-only hunting dogs. My husband grew up with labrador retrievers.
We are surprised by how smart Misty is, and she's particularly devoted to me. My kids say to find me, they look for Misty.  
Our lab loves everyone and everything, and is a terrible watchdog, but Misty will alert me with a little grumble if anything is amiss or someone is at the door. The lab would sleep through a home invasion. However, I had always thought that small dogs were "barky." Misty is not!! I've heard her bark exactly once in the time that we've had her.
Misty is a true athlete! We are constantly amazed by her agile moves, and her playful nature.


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## Coco86 (Oct 23, 2014)

ericwd9 said:


> I have lived with a wide variety of breeds over 60 odd years. Many became a vital part of my family. Grace is not just a part of the family, she organizes us all. She is big on routine and though I strive to do things at different times of day Grace has very set ideas of when and where things should be done. If I neglect to check on the hydroponics systems too long she will herd me in that direction until I do. I in my dotage I miss a meal, she is there in my face "daddy you must eat!!!" She does not share my meal but she insists that I eat three times each day. Every time I change my clothing or shoes she is there "sniff sniff!! where are WE going daddy" In the evening at about bed time she will stand and give me "the look" "Don't you think it's time you went to bed daddy?" Unless there is an earthquake or something she will not wake me when I sleep but when she thinks I am awake "Daddy why are you making out you are asleep, lets get on with the important things of the day. Firstly breakfast, then to the beach so I can run with the wind and chase seaweed blowing down the shore. Then you can throw the ball for me. Daddy you know you want to get up and play with me don't you (nose bump, sits!) " I'll help, here are your undies and socks" I was once an Officer in a service and in charge! In my home Grace is in charge and everybody knows it. She is not rude or annoying, just polite and insistent.
> I am becoming dependent on her! what will I do if I survive her? Will I ever be able to organize myself again?
> 
> This is a standard poodle. Be sure you want one and have the energy to train and exercise one before you adopt.
> ...


Our poodles are the same way, they know when their scheduled mealtimes and bedtime are. If we are late Sadie will definitely make herself heard!


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

How intelligent they are:

Bella will bark until I turn the timer goes off on the stove when I am cooking and will not stop as long as it is making a noise.

Cayenne knows I go for cigs. in the morning, and normally she will whine and cry when I get dressed to go someplace. I started putting my finger to my lips for her be quiet, since I do not want to take all dogs. She never whimpers or makes a sound (as Bella is still under the desk), it's like I will be quite so Bella does not get to go.

Sage I am amazed how quickly she has picked up my rules. If she needs to pee at night (I started training her for the potty patch) she will go on the potty patch, during the day she goes to the door to go outside. She sits and knows she gets cookies the 3rd time, Bella 1st, Cayenne 2nd.

They are all Velcro dogs, I never get lonely


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

Smart, really smart. I'm amazed at how much they understand, how they can pick relevant words out of a sentence, how quickly they learn. 

Grace and agility. I love to watch them trot, run, leap, jump, spin with the grace of a dancer. And they're so fast. They can turn on a dime.

We've never had dogs so...human, maybe.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Another thing that surprises me is how Matisse especially will lie on his back for a long, long time playing with a toy that he holds in his paws and supports with his tummy, just like an otter. Dogs will do this so it's not entirely unusual. What's interesting to me is how long he'll play this way. 

Another thing that most dogs do but that surprises me in the _way_ Maurice does, is he washes his face just like a cat. He'll sit there, lick his paw, swipe from his eyes down his muzzle. He'll bring his paw up near his ear and swipe it down along his cheek. He will sit there and repeat this for quite a spell, like a cat. I do wash his face and keep him groomed. I promise. He just seems to like to make sure. He's fastidious.


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## Beaches (Jan 25, 2014)

We, like Eric, have had many dogs over the past 50 years but never dreamt how perfect poodles are. In spite of the grooming she is simply the best. We love the Velcro aspect,it's hilarious watching her help hubby cut the grass. Loves the car, can take her anywhere, affectionate, NOT over the top needing exercise. She loves other dogs and is very good with puppies. She's been perfect since we brought her home, laid back while very agile and loves to run and jump. I could do pages of this....lol


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## peepers (Apr 13, 2012)

Poodles are not great family dogs. The poodle chooses the human.


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## sdefanti (Apr 13, 2016)

I have to say there has been many pleasant surprises after getting Stella, my first standard poodle. I am dog lover and have various breeds all my life, but I am partial to the bully breed. I hate to say I had favorites through the years, but it’s true. I have determined Stella is a reincarnated version of my past absolute favorite dog of all time that we lost to cancer. We just hope her outcome is different and she lives a long healthy life. In a nut shell, here are the things that surprise me:

1)	How gut splitting hilarious she is! There has not been a day since I got her that she has not sent me into hysterics. She is such a goof ball. 
2)	I saw a poodle as a prissy breed, similar to my Poms. I knew they were athletic, but I am surprised at how protective and scary Stella can be when she becomes startled. She is proven to be a great watch dog and I am pretty sure if the wrong person came through the door she would protect me to no end. Only the wrong person though – everyone else gets lots of hugs and kisses!
3)	Toys, toys, toys! This doesn’t seem to be a normal thing to be surprised about, but I have never owned a dog who loves toys so much. When I come home and tell her I have a new toy, you would think it’s Christmas! She gets so excited running through the house and smashing her new toy up against my legs to make sure I see she loves it. It amuses me every time!


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## Kassie (Apr 7, 2016)

I've always had dogs, several at one time. And in the mix, there was always a poodle. To me, I never counted my poodles as a dog. I had 2 Aussies, 2 border collies, 3 shepherds etc, but always a poodle; either tpoo or mpoo. I had 4 dogs in total last September (plus a toy poodle) and I said to my daughter "as the animals aged out, we were not getting anymore dogs". The majestic male shepherd passed suddenly last September and we were expecting our old female to pass, but she still with us. When the toy poodle, Mister Hobbs passed away this past Easter Sunday, I was inconsolable. I was still then mourning the loss and pending loss of my 2 incredible companions, my shepherds. But the poodle never counted in my dog quota. I could not be without a poodle. So, as my mental health was deteriorating into depression as I was also nursing an old 16 year old Maine ****, I searched for a poodle, to help stop the flow of my tears and the bleeding of my very own soul. I chose an oversized toy so I could do more with him. My wound healed the moment I held my poodle. To me, a poodle is the soother to my soul. They provide comic relief and are worlds apart from other breeds. I don't know why and I can not out my finger on it. But a poodle to me is life's little joker....my heartbeat and soul's soother. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## West U (Jul 30, 2014)

All of my life I wanted to own a Standard Poodle. I have had three toy poodles growing up (really smart wonderful, wonderful. dogs)!, one Shetland Sheep dog, Malamute, Golden Retrievers, Mutts, 5 Beagles, (yes another one soon!), two gorgeous Corgis. For some reason, there is a stigma surrounding all Poodles, I am not even sure what that is now! We can't ever be without a big old Poodle ever again.


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## scooterscout99 (Dec 3, 2015)

My 7 mo spoo is the sweetest dog of my life, and very different from the poodles of my childhood. I was so worried about all of the training that needed to be done, manners and obedience and house training, etc. i quickly relaxed after realizing just what a quick student he is. He is the biggest lap dog! Bold yet sensitive, and as others have said, a velcro dog without being clingy. I can't wait to see how this combination works in performance sports.


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## 5girls1guy&apoodle (Jun 12, 2016)

I was not expecting her to be able to jump our fence.:ahhhhh: We are in the process of selling our house, so we won't be getting a better fence until we move. She's an indoor dog anyway, and only allowed outside supervised, so it isn't the end of the world, but wow she can jump. I knew I was going to like her, but I didn't realize just how much. She has completely stolen our hearts, such a sweet perfect family dog.


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## Locket (Jun 21, 2009)

I was 14 when I got my first standard poodle. I think everything surprised me! I remember being particularly overwhelmed by his exercise needs, and so appreciative of his smarts.

Now that I have had and met multiple poodles, I think what surprises me is how they all have very different personalities, yet they all have that poodle charm/silliness.


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## Poodlemanic (Jun 27, 2016)

I would say the thing that surprised me the most was, there is no doubt poodles are smart, but that doesn't mean they're easy to train. However, they are born bird dogs and instinct is awesome when it comes to training them, in my experience. They already know they are supposed to be gentle with birds so when I make the "bring them home" gesture they just seemed to know right from the start. They LOVE to bring the chickens home, and from there it was so super easy to use the "bring them home" gesture to bring the livestock in. Not to say they're great in other areas, such as eating every single thing they find in the forest and I don't even want to know what some of it is. But I sure do love poodles and it's a nice treat not to have all that undercoat of the herding breeds to have to deal with twice a year.


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

Not so much surprise as validation of my breed research and memories of the Poodles I'd known. Living with one full time for the first time has let me see how much of a near person he can be, and how much better I need to do and be for him.


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## Raven's Mom (Mar 18, 2014)

> I would say the thing that surprised me the most was, there is no doubt poodles are smart, but that doesn't mean they're easy to train.


Poodlemaniac....Yes! Exactly! I find Raven to be much more of a challenge to train than my collies. They were sooo eager to please and would work multiple repetitions for precision. Raven will not, she catches on quickly and wants to move on and could care less about precision. She absolutely makes ME work harder which isn't at all what I expected.


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## West U (Jul 30, 2014)

You are absolutely correct!!! Lola has personality plus, is very intelligent and smart too. She got the basic obedience down easily (that is all I have done with her), but she can be really stubborn and definitely is not always that interested in "pleasing". All that said my husband coined it perfectly "I will never be without a big poodle again."


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Well I certainly agree that you can't do repetitive drills with a poodle, but Lily and Javelin both are happy to work through things to be right and get the life rewards that go with having done something new/hard well. Since they both have a very strong desire to be with me and to be getting attention from me I have found both of them to be willing workers. I'm not so sure I agree that they are hard to train, but they do keep you on your toes while you are doing it!


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## Knutdanoodle (Aug 4, 2016)

To the poster who owned a border collie...Oh my, my in laws have one and she is a total trip. So like a human, incredibly devoted and obedient, they let her run around in the front yard where theres no fence and she stays on the property and doesnt leave. She always comes when you call, and she growls to communicate. but shes also protective and picky about who she likes. We think she must have filled her "people quota" a couple years ago cause she doesn't seem to tolerate new people as well as she used to.

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## TeamPoodle (Aug 10, 2015)

I love this thread! A lot of what you have said resonates with us and Riley.

Riley has more personality in one paw than a lot of people have in their entire body. My husband and I never laughed as much in the first 3 years of marriage as we have in the 9 months since we brought Riley home. He's so animated and full of life and love. And so much energy! But the great thing is he's motivated to learn new skills. He has the energy and wants to put it to good use!

Smart - so, so smart. I grew up with a toy poodle so I was prepared for the Poodle smarts, but this came as a big surprise for my husband. The way they will problem solve, it is almost like I can see Riley's brain working. He'll keep up a task long after other breeds would have given up, and he'll try different approaches to solve the problem. But smart also comes with drawbacks. My husband taught him to back-up within a day because it was part of their ball game and Riley was motivated to learn. It has been 9 months... ask me how "shake" is going. (spoiler alert: it isn't. Riley dislikes having his front paws touched and therefore refuses to 'learn' this trick, even though we all know he knows what it means).

Routine - Riley is SO routine oriented. Even though he hates having his teeth brushed, he follows me into the bathroom every night before bed to have it done. Every time we walk in from the garage, he waits at the laundry room door to go in and get his paws wiped. After he finishes eating, he comes to find us to get his treat and his mouth wiped. If he hasn't finished eating but doesn't want any more, he'll hover around his bowl looking pathetic. (most of you know one of our biggest struggles with Riley has been getting him to eat and gain weight.) He will stay next to the bowl until we come and release him.

Resilience - This was a big one for us with Riley being a rescue. His ability to bounce back and recover, both mentally and physically, to learn to trust us and show his true personality has been the best part of this last year. I'm sure this is the case for most breeds, not just poodles.

Pure-bred traits - We found it interesting that some of Riley's behaviors and traits are exactly what my tpoo growing up would do. Even my husband would remark "he does that just like Cannelle does!". It is interesting to see that differences in breeds aren't just at the surface level. 

I think it is AMAZING how much Poodles can learn and absorb. They're not the easiest breed to raise, but they definitely make life a whole lot more fun!


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

The joie de vivre of a poodle is infectious. You simply can not live with a standard poodle and be depressed. Its not that they consciously give therapy. They hate depression and negativity. They find ways to combat it and steer their human's thoughts in another direction. Once they break the negative thought processes then they find a suitable diversionary activity to involve their human with. This is a skill they all possess.

Eric


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