# He's one of the nicest working poodles



## poolann (Jan 31, 2013)

Do you ever hear comments like this? I've started taking Racer to a competition obedience class with another trainer at our facility. He is way ahead of the class as far as heeling due to us competing in rally & also due to hoards of hind end awareness exercises for agility. This trainer is new to us but has worked for another facility locally for a few years. 

I like that she notices him, I like that he's a stand out in the class, I like how she can watch me & point out quirky things I don't realize I'm doing that affect Racer's heel position. I'm not sure I like hearing "wow, that's one of the best working poodles I've ever seen." I don't think it was meant negatively but I've seen the work ethic of other poodles on this forum & in person. Poodles are a working dog. My perspective is also different as he is my first Poodle. Yes he works differently from my shepherds but I still have the same expectations of him. I never really looked at it in terms of his being a Poodle.

Another comment that I wasn't sure how to take came from a friend who is also in the class, "he's almost a push button dog." To which I replied, "No he's not. This is 3 years of work & he really enjoys it." 

Hopefully we'll all continue to change perceptions one Poodle at a time.


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## DreamAgility (Sep 2, 2013)

Racer does work very well, as does Dreamer. They have a lot of good working background in their breeding, which many people don't believe actually makes a difference. Their father was ditzy at times, as are they, but he also loved working and spending time with his mama. Dreamer and Racer will go far in the obedience world(If I ever get the time with Dreamer, that is)and in agility. 

A lot of people are shocked when I tell them she was able to learn a trick in 5 minutes that a border collie couldn't learn in 2 hours. Poodles aren't drivey in the same ay as border, they have more of a thinking part brain rather than a reacting brain. Dreamer is athletic and talented, and a lot of people want to deny it. Some people have asked if I tried to train her to think she was a border collie, but no, I trained her to be a working poodle. She is shy and timid at times, but when she is working another dog shines through. 

I have been offended when people say things about her, but mostly I just decide they are ignorant to the abilitys of the poodle breed.


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

I get told that "Ari is good for a small dog" and "She has a lot of drive for a poodle" pretty often during classes. Ari is from performance lines on her sire's side. I don't really mind that people are surprised by her abilities, and I certainly feel like she is an ambassador for both smaller dogs in general and poodles in particular.

I don't have enough experience working with different breeds to know the degree to which nature vs nurture affects the final outcome. I raised Ari to be a smart, thinking dog with a desire to work and that's what I got. She, too, can learn complex tricks in 2-3 repetitions using shaping because she knows how to ask me questions about what I am looking for. I don't think this skill is breed-specific, but the way that you teach it might be.

I think that the innate abilities of many breeds are probably similar, but they require different strategies to fit the differing drives and preferences that have been bred in through the generations. My poodles are definitely more emotionally sensitive than the labradors I have trained, which I prefer because my signals to Ari can be nearly invisible (sometimes it looks to an outsider like she is reading my mind!) and her favorite reward is interaction with me. I like being higher on my dog's love list than kibble.


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

I, too, have received the same type comments about my poodles over the years. I have been told they were push button (really? all three?) and that they had to be the exception to the breed because they were not spoiled. As you have said it is time devoted to training... and the relationship. I used to think that anyone could do it. Alas, I have learned that while many people can do what is necessary to attain a well trained dog, not everyone is willing to actually put in the time and effort. I found it both sad and frustrating when clients would bring six month old poodles to obedience class, and then fail to devote even ten minutes a day to training. What a waste of intelligent poodles! These pups would be so eager and willing to learn, but without guidance they would flounder. Even more frustrating to me was the fact that poodle parents were some of the worst about lack of follow through. I guess they expected the poodles to train themselves. So sad.


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

Charmed said:


> I, too, have received the same type comments about my poodles over the years. I have been told they were push button (really? all three?) and that they had to be the exception to the breed because they were not spoiled. As you have said it is time devoted to training... and the relationship. I used to think that anyone could do it. Alas, I have learned that while many people can do what is necessary to attain a well trained dog, not everyone is willing to actually put in the time and effort. I found it both sad and frustrating when clients would bring six month old poodles to obedience class, and then fail to devote even ten minutes a day to training. What a waste of intelligent poodles! These pups would be so eager and willing to learn, but without guidance they would flounder. Even more frustrating to me was the fact that poodle parents were some of the worst about lack of follow through. I guess they expected the poodles to train themselves. So sad.


So very VERY true.
Eric:angel2:


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## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

Interesting thread!

Sugarfoot gets a lot of comments from my Agility crowd. There are three spoos in our area: Sugarfoot, who runs in the 24" class; Belle, a very tall white bitch who also runs 24"; and Maddy, a much smaller white bitch who runs 20". Of those three, Sugarfoot is the most intense (and probably accurate), but interestingly enough they all three have a similar sort of style. As Dream Agility said, Poodles (or at least Standard Poodles) tend to have a less reactionary, more thoughtful or deliberate mode of learning, or at least that's the way I see it. They might not work like a Border Collie or Golden Retriever, but as poolann says, these are working dogs and should be respected as such!

The comments that I hear are, "I *love* to watch him run!" "He has the most amazing presence!" and mostly, "He is such a good jumper!" (That is a really big compliment from Agility people!) And, yes, "He's the best Standard Poodle I've seen!"

But yes, I had to put in the training for all that to happen! 

--Q


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I would like the nice working dog comment. I think it means the person appreciates Racer's willingness to stick with you and do different kinds of activities. But "push button," huh? I've never heard a poodle described that way. They aren't dogs to be drilled on exercises, but they certainly don't do things automatically and reliably. That takes lots of work.

I also don't know why someone would say nice drive for a poodle. Both of mine are very happy to work and have good drives to do so.


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## mvhplank (Dec 5, 2012)

What I've heard is "he's a nice working dog" as opposed to "poodle." I've always understood it to be a compliment, as opposed to being along the line of "look at that pig dance!"

There are people I show with and train with who remember Neely as being very close to out-of-control and entirely distracted. He's an intact male, and eventually got his grown-up brain. It's clear I didn't have a dog who would earn a CD before he was a year old, but dogs are individuals and mature at different rates. 

Now, he is a real pleasure to take into the ring.


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