# size variation amongst standard poodles



## Poodle73 (Feb 7, 2011)

Hi. I was talking to a breeder and everything sounded really positive. Then, he told me his standard poodles are "just exactly the size they are supposed to be at withers of 19-21 inches and about 40 lbs". I was kind of surprised bc most of the info i've read from other breeder's sites and online, says that standards start at 15" at the withers. So, isnt this particular breeder's poodles on the small side? I definitely dont want a really small dog but I cant honestly picture the size in a realistic way. everything else seemed really sound and concrete wrt this breeder and his practices.
Thanks


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## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

it is a smaller standard- but not that smal. bella is 22"? in NA a lot of breeders breed more in the 24-26+ range our akc/ckc standards have no max. registries in europe do have a max height for standards. many standards here would be over sized


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## NOLA Standards (Apr 11, 2010)

Annie (AKC conformation competition) is 21 inches. 

B (AKC conformation competition) is 22 inches.

Both of my girls are small and feminine.

Carter is 25 - 26 (sire of my new litter and a Multiple Best In Show Winner)

My pet male - a parti - is 29 inches. I love him but would prefer the breeder try to breed a smaller animal.


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

Poodle73 said:


> Hi. I was talking to a breeder and everything sounded really positive. Then, he told me his standard poodles are "just exactly the size they are supposed to be at withers of 19-21 inches and about 40 lbs".


Those would be tiny Standards and certainly not "just exactly" the size they are supposed to be. Most of the show bred bitches I know are 21"-24". The dogs are 24"-26".


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

Just out of curiosity .... do standards on the larger end of the scale do better in the show ring?


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## NOLA Standards (Apr 11, 2010)

Rarely.

There are always exceptions, though.

The sizes Cbrand said are the norm.


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## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

JE-UK said:


> Just out of curiosity .... do standards on the larger end of the scale do better in the show ring?


No, not the same way it is for Minis or Toys. First, a big bitch over 24" ends up looking doggie. A big Standard dog look impressive, but it is a huge job to grow enough hair on them. Plus, you have to weigh the advantages vs. disadvantages of spending time and money showing a really big Standard. In the end, how many people are going to want to use your 28" dog?


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Quincy was bred to European standards where dogs cannot be shown over 24". He is 22 1/2" with a teeny bit more growing to do. Fingers crossed he hits 24".


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## jojo (Jan 15, 2011)

jojo is seven months old, and a small standard at 19 inches tall and 27 lbs.


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## 3dogs (Nov 3, 2010)

My rescue adult standard is 22 1/2" at the withers & weighs in this week at 36.7lbs. We are trying to still put weight on him. He though has gone up from 32.6lbs a month ago so we are working on the weight & muscle. For me personally I love him this size or even smaller & wish more breeders would breed the 18-21" I without fail took him with a bit more size because he has the BEST personality & wouldn't give up that awesome quality for anything.


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## Feathersprings (Jul 15, 2010)

Hoolie at 11mos. Is just a tiny bit under 24"and 46 lbs. I don't know how tall his mother was but she was not big..(not tiny either) and his sire was 27". I don't think Hoolie is going to get a lot bigger than he is.


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## 24953 (Oct 27, 2013)

*that height range the breeder gave seems small to me*



jojo said:


> jojo is seven months old, and a small standard at 19 inches tall and 27 lbs.


That's right I would agree, that is on the small side, my girl is 23" shoulder & 44lbs & 7 months now which I think is normal to slightly bigger for a girl but not a boy, from UK, parents both around 26" so i'd be expecting a similar height for her.

I don't agree with that breeder saying about that small size being normal, from what I see on kennel club websites & dog books etc 21" - 27" is about the normal range depending on gender but mostly 23" - 26" being most common, from what I can get information wise.


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## spindledreams (Aug 7, 2012)

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. 
I am 5'4" Jazz is about 21 inches tall and might be edging up towards 40 pounds. Jazz is the one standing beside me, I think she is just about a perfect size for me. The puppy sitting beside me is much larger now. At one year of age he is about 26 inches tall and over 60 pound probably closer to 65+. He breeder thinks is he pushing the upper limits of the size range she prefers. 


apollo and jazz by spindledreams, on Flickr


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## PoodleRick (Mar 18, 2013)

Poodle73 said:


> Hi. I was talking to a breeder and everything sounded really positive. Then, he told me his standard poodles are "just exactly the size they are supposed to be at withers of 19-21 inches and about 40 lbs". I was kind of surprised bc most of the info i've read from other breeder's sites and online, says that standards start at 15" at the withers. So, isnt this particular breeder's poodles on the small side? I definitely dont want a really small dog but I cant honestly picture the size in a realistic way. everything else seemed really sound and concrete wrt this breeder and his practices.
> Thanks


The Standard is 15 inches or greater. So yeah, 19-21 is the size they're supposed to be. So is 21-24 or 16-19 or 15-28 or 15 to what ever. Kind of a silly statement to make. Most of the Standards I've seen are in the 20-28 range. Females usually on the smaller end of the range but not always. Roxy, my first Spoo was 26 and Beau was about 27, 28ish. Roxy was 58 pounds and Beau was 62.


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## Carrie-e (Oct 23, 2012)

I think the trouble is you can't reliably predict the end size of any variety of poodle. My first standard was 29 inches at the shoulder and weighed 75lb or so,my second one was about 26 at the shoulder and weighed around 65lb and my present boy who is related to my first one is pushing 28 inches now at 16 months and weighs 70lb. 
My miniature female who came from 2 normal sized mini parents is just over 10 inches and weighs about 11lb. She is the same size as the toy poodle I had! 
I would imagine if you have a line of smaller standards they would probably be on the smaller size, to me 21 to 22 inches at the shoulder is a small or moyen standard.
In England I think the show breeders prefer smaller standards than my boy Billy is,as magnificent as he looks,and he does look amazing I don't think he would do well in a show.


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## Lou (Sep 22, 2012)

My 2 standards were 26 inches at 11 months old now they are 18 months old and I haven't measured them (I lost the tape measured in the move LOL)

But I love their size, big enough to be considered a large dog instead of medium and they scare people away even though they are super sweet babies, and I can still carry them if I need to. They are 55-60lbs 
This is Apollo and I









This is them with my mother








This is Lou with my grandpa 









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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

This was originally a two year old thread, but still fun to talk about.

Jazz is 25 inches tall and at the average size I see shown. Some are bigger, but not many males are smaller. Bonnie is just under 22 inches tall and looks a lot smaller than he does. She would be waaaay little in the show ring. Most of the girls seem to be 23/24 inches tall, although I have seen more smaller girls shown than smaller boys. One or two inches seems to make a big difference in how big they look. Jazz is a big dog to me.


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## Lou (Sep 22, 2012)

outwest said:


> This was originally a two year old thread, but still fun to talk about.
> 
> Jazz is 25 inches tall and at the average size I see shown. Some are bigger, but not many males are smaller. Bonnie is just under 22 inches tall and looks a lot smaller than he does. She would be waaaay little in the show ring. Most of the girls seem to be 23/24 inches tall, although I have seen more smaller girls shown than smaller boys. One or two inches seems to make a big difference in how big they look. Jazz is a big dog to me.


2 year old thread? Haha! I never check , if it pops up on the "unread" section I always check it out  and I agree it is a fun to talk 


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## Shootinfishin (Feb 9, 2014)

I'm starting to think my puppy is going to be a giant after reading all these pages!

He's 24" at the moment but not quite 5 months old yet!


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

Shootinfishin said:


> I'm starting to think my puppy is going to be a giant after reading all these pages!
> 
> He's 24" at the moment but not quite 5 months old yet!


If he is truly 24 inches at the shoulder and under 5 months old, he is going to be a big boy.  They get most of their height by 6/7 months old. You can expect maybe another 1-3 inches after that. Jazz was about 21 inches tall at that age and is now 25 inches tall.


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## Shootinfishin (Feb 9, 2014)

Hi out west

Yes my wife measured him for me. (She's a dog groomer)
He will be 5 months old on the 15th of this month.

His mother stands 27 1/2" so big for a bitch so I suppose he is destined for a good height, he is hopefully going to be my gun dog if he isn't too gunshy.


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## Rhett'smom (Sep 23, 2012)

I am blessed with a larger spoo. I have not measured him in a while. But he is a small horse at nearly 80 pounds. His waist is to die for... Better than mine. Lol!! He is just a big goofy snuggle bug!! At 18 months we are still a teenager and all things considered he is doing great!! New pics coming after the boys are groomed on Thursday .


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## Carrie-e (Oct 23, 2012)

I love the big male standards and in my experience the bigger they are the cuddlier they are! Billy spent most of last night laying with his head on my chest,I wasn't feeling too well and he always seems to know and be extra cuddly.


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