# The Good The Bad and The Ugly



## corybk (Jun 15, 2012)

Hello Everyone,

I am thinking about getting a Standard Poodle. Actually after a bunch of research on every dog known to man we have narrowed it down to a Great Dane and a Standard Poodle. I now know about the Danes inside and out and now it is the Poodles turn.  
I want to know the Pros and Cons. Especially the cons of a Poodle. I want to know what I am getting into. I had a husky once who passed young from a liver disease. I loved the look but had no idea how stubborn and high maintenance she would be. I also am in LOVE with the Teddy Beard cut on a poodle. I like to know if any one has this cut and what it takes to maintain it. I have a five year old so I want to make sure a poodle will work with her. I have read they are great w/kids but I have also heard they are nippers when it comes to kids. I have a 4 foot chain link fence. 
I need to know will poodle jump it and run away like a husky would? Any info is super appreciated. Thanks so much for your time this will help us decide what dog to get to become a part of our family.


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## Ladywolfe (Jan 11, 2012)

Maybe you would want a smaller standard poodle, with a 4 foot fence. My boy doesn't look like he is going to be huge, and I have a 5 foot chainlink fence on a portion of my yard, and wouldn't want anything any shorter with him. He is a real jumper when he is excited and sees something outside the fence, like a cat or a squirrel, chipmunk or rabbit.

Some stanrdard poodles can be escape artists, but not all are. 

Today, I took my three dogs to a contained dog park. They all went into the water and Widget (below) showed them how to go around the fence.............every one of them escaped the contained area and were a real chore to recontain. Widget, the instigator, has his CGC and stopped when told and returned when told. But, my spoo has little training yet, as well as little focus and was very, very hard to catch.


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## Sookster (Apr 11, 2011)

Well, since you are looking for Cons (and can find a whole lot of pros elsewhere on the site) I will give you what I think are the cons of poodles. 

1)GROOMING! I enjoy it, but a lot of people are not capable of keeping up with the grooming requirements. You will need to either visit a pro (generally $60-100 depending on your area and what clip you want, maybe more) or learn to groom yourself (and purchase necessary equipment which will be hundreds $$$) and get the dog groomed a minimum of once every 8 weeks, preferably once every 6 weeks, and I personally prefer once every 4 weeks. 

If you want to keep ANY length on your poodle (ears, face, legs, wherever) this requires daily _combing_ (not brushing) to maintain and prevent matting. 

2) Spring Loaded! I would worry that a standard would easily escape from a 4 ft fence. Like mentioned before, some (not all, obviously) are escape artists. I'm confident that my small 22 inch girl could scale a 4ft fence easily. Poodles are very bouncy and have long, springy legs, so if they are inclined to escape, they could. I have a 6ft privacy fence and haven't had any issues. 

3) Breeders and experienced buyers will be able to tell you more about what health problems to look for, but big ones that pop into my head are (bear in mind I have never purchased a spoo, so I'm not up-to-date on health testing requirements, etc): 

Sebaceous Adenitis
Addison's disease
Hip problems
Bloat

And here's a list of every health problem you can probably think of that standards can have, but this may cause you to be a bit neurotic :afraid: http://www.poodlehealthregistry.org.../docs/Standard/PHRBreed_Listing_Standard.html

4) I would normally say to be aware of how athletic they are and the energy level, but if you have had a husky you can definitely deal with the exercise requirements. 

5) This is a pro and a con: they are super crazy ridiculously smart! Meaning, they can be highly trainable if you can motivate them (some are easier than others), can be stubborn and try to "out think" you, and can figure out lots of creative ways to keep themselves entertained {get themselves into trouble}. 

And my personal opinions on "teddy bear" faces: they are smelly and messy. They're cute, but you will probably soon tire of trying to keep it clean because it quickly turns from cute and fluffy to scraggly, stinky, and messy. And whatever you do, if you get a puppy, I highly recommend face-shaving for at least the first couple months. This is the age to habituate them to it so that they tolerate it at later ages. You may eventually decide you want a clean face, and if your pup wasn't desensitized to face shaving at an early age, it will be a royal pain in the you know what to do when the dog is older.


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## corybk (Jun 15, 2012)

Sookster, What makes the teddy bear face smelly? The jumping the fence and running is a big draw back for me. . I hated chasing my husky around for hours. I dont want that again. It is a super bummer. I talked to some breeders and they told me that they would not run because they like to be around you. It almost seems like it could go either way however it would probably go the way of the Poodle running. lol


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## Sookster (Apr 11, 2011)

The main thing that makes it smelly is food, saliva, and debris from the ground or wherever they stick their nose. Poodle hair is kind of like a sponge: it soaks up everything! But there are a lot of people that do keep longer faces and tolerate it. Maybe they will chime in with how they deal with that issue. 

I don't know if they would run once they were out of the fence (probably just depends on the individual dog). I'm sure they aren't as inclined to run as a husky or a hound, but it would worry me. But then, probably any large dog (dane included) could get out of a 4 ft fence if they were really set on doing so. There are measures you can take to keep this sort of thing from happening, though, so I wouldn't let that be the reason that kept you from getting one. 

For example, I have heard of people setting up in electric fence (wired or the wireless kind) inside the perimeter of their regular fence. I have also seen these: 










and 










which may help. Located here: Fence Dog Extension - Fence Extension Arm although you could probably rig your own up for less cash.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

You can easily put lattice and chicken wire along the top of your 4 foot fence. That is what we did in our dog run.


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## corybk (Jun 15, 2012)

Would you have a pic I could see of your fence?


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## LEUllman (Feb 1, 2010)

As far as running away goes, I think it really depends on the poodle. Beau is such a Velcro dog, if he did get out, I think he'd soon be scratching at the door to get back inside. Ditto for jumping -- Beau is an oversize mini (16.5"), and he can jump when he wants to. He just doesn't want to! Other poodles seem to have pogo sticks for legs.


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## lrkellly (Jan 6, 2012)

We keep Sprout in a teddy bear face, and its true, sometimes it gets stinky... but this normally happens when it gets longer. I don't keep it too long. 

Right now his face is stinky and I need to give him a trim. I'm also thinking of trying 'nature's miracle' dog wipes to see if that helps....but I haven't tried it yet so the jury is still out .

You could also consider getting a mini if you don't want to extend your fence.... there must be some threads in here on mini vs standard... Minis can be quite athletic and energetic, they are just as smart and they are a bit easier to maneuver (since you can pick them up) ...


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## peppersb (Jun 5, 2011)

I have a small standard who is just over a year old as well as an 11 year old standard. I have a 5 foot fence, but I think my dogs would be just fine with a 4 foot fence. As LEUllman said, poodles like to be with their people. In the summer, I keep the back door open so the dogs can go outside when they want. Most of the time, they are wherever I am. If I left my young girl outside unattended and she got bored, or if there was something she wanted on the other side of the fence, she might find a way to get over a 4 foot fence. But my dogs don't want to be outside by themselves, so I think a 4 foot fence would be fine. 

One of the cons with poodles is that they do not do well if they are left alone for long periods of time. They are not the best breed for a person who is away all day at work, IMO. Poodles need mental stimulation as well as physical exercise. They are also very sensitive to human emotions. They do well in families where there is a lot of activity, but do not do well in families where there is a lot of tension, arguing and anger. (I guess no one does well in that kind of family!)

There is someone who comes to my dog park who keeps his poodle's face fuzzy. I don't thnk he has any problems with it being dirty or smelly. Just a matter of personal preference, IMO. 

Given your requirements--a child and a 4 foot fence--you might want to make an extra effort to find a poodle with a calm temperament. Look for a dog from therapy dog lines, not from agility lines. Ask breeders about the temperaments of the parents. I've definitely seen poodles that are very calm and also poodles that are extremely active.


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## Poodle Lover (Mar 24, 2008)

I have two standards and our fence is a 6 foot privacy fence, but even if it was a 4 ft chain link, my guys would't jump it. Could they if they wanted to, sure. Would they, nope! Poodles are very much the velcro dogs and would rather be with you then without you. Huskies on the other hand are very independent and have wonder lust, which poodles don't. That's why you would chace your Husky for hours. I don't see you having that problem with a poodle.


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## Tonjad (Mar 12, 2012)

Hi ! 
Good for you --researching first ! Ive had great danes for the past 10 yrs --spoos for past 5 mons 
Cons---GROOMING !!!! OMG !! I researched too ! I guess it isn't so much brushing with mine yet but the bathing.....admittingly I live in the country and they have 1.5 acres fenced pasture to run and play in but boy to they get dirty !I think I have already bathed them more than the danes their whole life !!
Pros -- I love the poodle hair !! so soft ,curly ,snuggly and mine have such sweet ,happy personailities --very complaint even thru all that brushing and bathing.
I love my danes but I needed to downsize my critters to make them more portable and I needed to have some that were more people and animal friendly (most danes are but mine weren't) . 
You probably couldnt' go wrong with either but if you don't mind grooming I think the poodles make a better all around pet .


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

I am sorry. I went out and took photos so you could see and have tried to load them five times and they will not work. I even tried some of my old photos and today, they are not working either. I will keep looking.


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## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

I am also going to chime in on the grooming. Unless you keep your spoo very short, it is something to really consider. I know some people say grooming is every 8 weeks minimum, but I can't even imagine going that long with my poodle, he would be a mess. I groom my mini every 4 weeks (I do the grooming myself) and he gets a bath and blow-dry every 2 weeks. This is my bare minimum, if I had more free time, I will bathe and blow-dry him weekly. 

I actually don't have to brush my poodle much because he is bathed and blow-dried every other week. The longer you go in between baths, the more you need to brush and comb. I can't tell you how many pet poodles I see around town that are matted and scraggly looking. Their owners don't brush them properly or keep them well-groomed and it's sad. 

Grooming can be very expensive or very time consuming. Professional grooming is expensive and doing it yourself (like I do) is a big investment in time (there is also a big investment of money initially to buy your own equipment). There are many days that I am tired or busy and just don't feel like grooming the poodle, but he needs to be groomed and I do it. It can take me 5 hours to bathe, dry, shave the face, feet and tail, trim the nails, clean the ears, and clip and scissor the coat. (I am not a professional groomer, some people are much faster than me.) The main thing to keep in mind is the hair never stpos growing. Not if you are short on cash, or tired, or busy, or on vacation, or it's the holidays. You must be OK with the grooming if you want a poodle.

All that said, if you keep the hair very short, it's much, much easier. Plus, poodle hair is wonderful. Poodles don't shed and they don't smell like dog. I love my poodle's coat and to me the grooming is definitely worth the benefits.

Poodles also need ear care, some more than others. Some people advocate plucking the ear hair to keep the ears free from infection. Some people don't do this. I think it seems to vary from poodle to poodle. My mini has very thick, coarse hair and I pluck it ever three months or so. Some people pluck monthly, some never. Even if you don't pluck, you must clean the ears regularly. For some poodles this might be twice a week, for some weekly, for some (like mine) every other week. It just depends on the poodle. Some poodles are prone to ear infections. This can be an ongoing and difficult thing to treat.


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

I think a con of the Dane is that they don't live as long. They have a "dog " smell that poodles don't have. Dane's eat more, and they shed...
Poodles need much more grooming ! You need to be home with them to keep them out of trouble, more so than with a Dane. I think both breeds would be great with kids if trained and that means the kid more than the dog...


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## cdnchick (Jan 1, 2012)

Someone mentioned temperament earlier and I think that's an excellent point. Even amongst poodles, personalities will differ greatly. 

I think we were fortunate with Finley in that she's a pretty laid back spoo and that fits for us. In fact, our trainer said she was the calmest spoo she had ever worked with. It's funny because I thought all spoos would be like this after Finley but as I've read through countless threads on this forum, I see that that's not actually the case and the temperament can vary immensely. So looking specifically for a calmer spoo might make sense in your case. 

As for running away, I think that will also be largely dependent on the temperament but, as mentioned in another post, poodles are generally velcro dogs when their people are around. If I'm out walking Finley off-leash, she may wander in a 20 foot radius around me at any given point but she'll always check back with me to see if she can go further or make her way back on her own when she has strayed a bit too far. I've also made sure to train her to come to me immediately on command before allowing her these liberties. Knock on wood, but I don't think I'll ever really see her run off on me, unless there's some bizarre, unusual circumstances that prompts her to do so. 

I won't mention grooming as a con because most others have already iterated that point. One thing I can say though is I groom Finley myself with my bf... it will take about 2-4 hours on any given grooming day, but we clip her short so there's very little maintenance until her next grooming session (usually every 4-6 weeks; every 2 weeks for her sanitary area). I can see where more time would need to be spent if she had a longer/complex coat... I like to keep it simple.

This may be a pro/con, depending on your point of view, but gentler training methods are far more effective with poodles than the typical methods seen with GSDs or other "drive-y" dogs. It doesn't take much training to get a poodle to do what you want it to do, with appropriate rewards and consequences. If you get intense with a poodle, it will shut down and will remember for next time, making training much more difficult. Something to keep in mind. 

I hope all the information you amass helps you choose the right breed for you. I love my spoo but you absolutely have to do what will fit in best for your lifestyle and family's needs. Good luck!


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