Above — Bé at nine weeks, with our Danté (one year old, at right) and Danté's mother Emma (Ch. Khalsa's Windsong at Gleneire)

The standard poodle is an incredible dog with an amazing range of features to recommend them as family pets, but as with most things in life, there are sometimes some subtle downsides to even the most positive things. Our poodles are a constant source of joy to us, but at the same time, we recognize that not everyone has a life or lifestyle suited to this dog’s incredible potential. And while we don’t want to try to talk anyone out of owning a member of this incredible breed, we take the health and welfare of our dogs seriously when we consider where to place them, and we take seriously our responsibility to helping you make the best-informed decision you can as to whether a standard poodle is the right dog for you.

Following are the four characteristics that most strongly define the standard poodle’s uniqueness for us, and some thoughts on what each might mean in the long term to you as a standard poodle owner.

THE POODLE COAT

Poodles are one of a small number of dogs whose coat consists of a human-like hair rather than traditional fur. As a result, poodles don’t shed in the same way that most dogs do, as (like people) their hair simply gets longer rather than falling out to be replaced at a constant length. It’s a myth that poodles are totally non-shedding (as a quick glance at a white carpet where any black poodle has recently lain will tell you), and the small amount of hair that they do shed tends to be extremely wiry, and can be even more difficult to get out of carpets, clothing, and (in our house for some inexplicable reason) the fridge than the hair of other dogs.

This much-reduced shedding means that poodles are known as one of the rare hypoallergenic dog breeds (though as no one in our family is allergic, we’ve never been able to put this to the test; if you are allergic and are considering a poodle for that reason, try to spend some time with people who have one, or consult your allergist). But the price paid for this no-shed hypoallergenic coat is, of course, the grooming it takes to keep it looking respectable. Even in a short coat, an average standard poodle can take upwards of three hours a week to properly brush, bathe, and groom, not counting the time and expense of a bi-monthly clip at a professional groomer’s (and if you’re planning on learning how to clip and groom your poodle yourself, count on spending less money but more time in the end).

A poodle left uncombed for more than a week (especially one who plays outdoors a lot) will almost always begin to tangle and knot, an uncomfortable state for the dog that can quickly become a mess of mats, ripe for insect infestation and too thick to be combed out (and requiring the dog to be shaved to the skin in the most extreme circumstances). As well, because poodles have been selectively bred over generations for the luxuriousness of their coats, their amazing ability to grow hair has some unexpected side effects, from the way that some males (if not clipped very short along the abdomen) will amaze you with their ability to somehow always manage to pee on themselves, to the way that all standard poodles need to have the copious and ever-growing hair plucked from the inside of their ears (either by a groomer, a vet, or you) to prevent plugs and infection.

A SMART DOG

Dogmatique Micah Jacobé with owners Ed and Wendy

The standard poodle routinely rates at or near the top of the rankings of the most intelligent breeds of dogs (often only beaten out by the border collie). And while there’s no mistaking the incredible gleam of insight in a standard poodle’s eyes, that same intelligence can make for a very demanding relationship. Standard poodles are very observant and thoughtful animals, acutely aware of the routine of what goes on around them—and of changes to that routine. With some breeds, skipping the daily walk because you’re under the weather will maybe get you a raised eyebrow where your dog lies on the couch trying to remember who you are. Miss a regularly scheduled walk with a standard poodle, though, and you may have a canine insurrection on your hands.

Because of their intelligence, standard poodles are very easy dogs to train, but that same intelligence can give some standards a sense of willfulness which makes them push the envelope of what they know they can and can’t get away with. Along with this intelligence comes a need to be constantly challenged — poodles crave new things, new experiences, new people, new toys. And if a standard poodle doesn’t get the challenges it needs from you, an otherwise impeccably behaved dog might just start to make its own — by seeing how deep it can dig into your back yard, perhaps, or by ranking your collection of hardcover books by how they taste. And if ignored once too often, even the sweetest standard poodle will very quickly figure out exactly what types of behavior (which is to say, the bad types) are best at getting your attention.

PHYSICAL NEEDS

Dogmatique Ebony Rose Béatrice

Standard poodles tend to be a little quieter than their smaller cousins the miniature and toy poodles, and if your experiences with those dogs have led you to think of poodles as being a ‘yappy’ breed, a standard will probably be a pleasant surprise. As a larger breed, though, standard poodles will generally have a more expensive upkeep than smaller dogs (most noticeably in the amount of food they can eat) and will require a proportionally larger amount of exercise.

In their native Germany (trivia fact — poodles were first popularized in France, but they were an import), poodles were originally bred as water retrievers for hunting (the name ‘poodle’ comes from the same Germanic root as ‘puddle’). The poodle’s closest cousins (the Irish water spaniel and the Portuguese water dog) are still bred as working water dogs, and though it’s been a lot of generations since most poodles had to actually earn their keep with physical labor, the standard poodle needs exercise — a lot of it. Long walks, jogging (once a dog is well past the puppy stage), fetching, and racing around a large back yard are all essential parts of a standard poodle’s daily routine.

THE SOCIAL ANIMAL

Standard poodles are incredibly friendly and loving dogs, and the relationships they’ll develop with you and your family can be as strong as any human friendship. But the downside of this incredible degree of socialization is... well, an incredible degree of socialization. Because no matter how important your standard poodle becomes to you, in the end, you’ll always be more important to it, and being the center of this incredibly intelligent and forthright animal’s world can be a daunting task sometimes.

Standard poodles are an incredibly people-oriented breed, and without the kind of socialization that their intelligence and energy demand, behavior problems can too-easily result. There are a lot of great dogs in the world (including some of the smaller poodles) who will survive quite happily being left alone for much of the day and given only hit-and-miss excursions to the park when the weather’s good. There are many great dogs who are happy to take their exercise alone in a fenced-in back yard or an enclosed run while their owners are elsewhere. There are any number of breeds which will live quite happily in a world consisting of little more than the path between the couch, the kitchen, and your bed. For better or for worse, though, standard poodles aren’t one of them.

THE DECISION

Owning a standard poodle is as close to buying a best friend as most people will ever come. Owning a standard poodle is an endless pledge to try to prove that this creature you’ve given your life and your house over to is actually a dog and not just some really crafty person in a poodle suit. Owning a standard poodle is a commitment to a level of frenzied activity on a daily basis that’ll turn every canine/person playtime into a grudge-match challenge to see which of you will collapse from exhaustion first.

Virtually anyone who’s ever owned a standard poodle will tell you how rewarding an experience it is, but virtually everyone who’s ever owned a standard will tell you also how much work and commitment is involved, and how there’s no really effective way to be able to cut back on that commitment without hurting both the dog and you in the end. As a result, single people with busy schedules, couples or roommates who both work outside the home for much of the day, or a family who have commitments within the home which prevent them from spending the kind of quality time with a dog that the poodle’s degree of socialization demands should think long and hard about how well their lives and the life of a standard poodle will mesh.