# Do toy poodles excel at obedience?



## Chloe08 (Dec 11, 2013)

Hi there
We are going to add a poodle to our family next year but we still haven't decided on a size. My children aged 8 and up want a toy poodle. I am keen to do rally and obedience but have only seen miniature and standards in the ring. I just wondered whether toy poodles are suited to obedience, I know they are intelligent. Thanks for your help.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I don't train to competition level with Poppy, but that is more due to my lack of interest than her lack of ability. If you decide to go for a toy, I would look for a slightly oversized one, that will be able to cope happily with jumping and the other agility equipment if you decide to add Agility to your sports (the seesaw - teeter totter? - can be difficult for very tiny dogs. I think close heeling can be tricky for very small dogs, too - they learn as pups to avoid the danger of being trodden on, and mine prefer to keep a slight distance from my feet. But there is no reason why a toy should not excel in obedience, rally, agility, scent work, etc.


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

My toys do really well for the most part with OB work although I don't compete with them. I have found that they are smart (alec-y) enough to sometimes not do OB the way they've been taught. Bug actually blew a demo I was doing for someone the other day just to be a little smarty pants. Unfortunatly, if I laugh, it seems to encourage bratty behavior like that. 

Mine are oversized toys and have no issues with jumping, climbing, disobeying - I mean obeying.....


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

One of the best Obedience displays I ever saw was a naughty toy poodle at Crufts, televised decades ago. She was a black toy in full Lion trim, so from a distance looked like a ball of black fluff. All went well until they got to an exercise retrieving an unusual object - and out came a big fluffy mophead. By then the dog was flown on the cooing and laughter of the crowd, and the moment the mophead was thrown shot off after it, ran zoomies round the arena with it, shook it, threw it, caught it, and then played a glorious game of keep away with her owner! It was nearly as big as she was, and the more the audience laughed the more she played to the gallery. She didn't win, but is remembered fondly by everyone who saw it!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I have seen some brilliant tpoos in obedience and agility, but agree there are more minis and standards. Here is the one thing I would have a problem with in doing obedience with a tpoo. I am reasonably tall at 5'6" and my mom is even taller than me. Her mini is small and she is having a hard time getting him to keep his nose off the ground while heeling. I taught the class she took a couple of weeks ago at my club and i think it is because there is such a big distance between his face and hers. My mentor at the club (a mini poo person and also tall) agrees. I also have some back and knee issues, so I am very happy not to have to bend down to take dumbbell, scent articles or gloves from Lily when she returns to front.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I don't see why not. I'm going to do agility with Matisse after he's done with conformation. He'll rock! He's the zoomiest little rascal outside, leaps over things, turns on a dime, very enthusiastic, agile and drivey. All he needs is training.

Obedience: it's all about training. Matisse gives me a nice, close heal and pivots on his front. He's just starting so we don't do long durations but for a little ways, lots of turns, varying speed...early in the training at this point. 

toy poodle akc obedience competition - Bing Videos

toy poodle agility competition - Bing Videos


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## PoodlePaws (May 28, 2013)

I have 2 troops that I adore. They are soooo smart.  


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## Minnie (Apr 25, 2011)

To answer the question - 1000% yes!!! Toys are just as smart and trainable as the minis and spoos and for AKC Invitationals (agility) all sizes are in one category - poodles. Some things are more difficult for toys and some things are more difficult for standards. 

However I want to address an issue you did not ask. Toys can be extremely fragile and as you mention children (even 8 an up) can easily hurt a toy - consider it this way a toy can be hurt even when jumping from a couch their bones are so fragile. I would recommend a mini for a busy family - all the poodle brains and awesomeness in a less fragile package


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## Chloe08 (Dec 11, 2013)

Thank you for your responses. I was also wondering whether a toy would be too fragile. We have a cavalier and my kids are gentle and used to small dogs. I think they like the "cute" factor but I am actually leaning towards the standard myself. I have heard the mini's are actually more sensitive and energetic than standards over all, although this would depend on the individual dog I guess. Thanks for your help.


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## myuniquepoodle (Sep 22, 2014)

Hi,
I have a toy poodle and she does extreamly well in obedience and agility. So if you want to compete I would say a toy poodle does just as well as a mini or standard. Good luck in finding a poodle!
~Natalie and Ginger


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

I agree that Toys do well in Obedience. There is one problem that no one has mentioned and pops up often enough that I fell obliged to mention it. Toys are very small and trigger prey drive in many dogs. It is so sad to have to do months of "desensitizing rehab" because a Toy was jumped by a dog in the ring or training yard. It happens often enough that I would be hesitant to let a child handle the Toy for fear of a bad experience. There, I've thrown it out there, an ugly truth. Not the fault of the Toy at all, but something that would worry me to no end.


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