Contents
History of origin
The poodle is perhaps the only dog breed that boasts such a variety of varieties: a large or royal poodle, small poodle, toy or miniature poodle and toy poodle – they are all height variations of the same dog, similar in structure and appearance, but at the same time same time different behavior and character. Their common ancestor appeared on the planet quite a long time ago – the poodle is considered an ancient breed, images of curly-haired dogs with long hair are found on antique frescoes, as well as in medieval paintings. These dogs were common in Germany, France and Hungary, where they served as assistants in hunting water game.
It is believed that one of the progenitors of the modern poodle were barbets – French water dogs that hunted waterfowl. Even the name “poodle” comes from the German word pudelin – puddle or swamp, in France poodles were called caniche, derived from cane – duck, which also indicates that poodles were originally used in hunting water birds. But gradually these dogs lost their hunting purpose, turning into companions for royalty and the highest nobility. Representatives of this breed of small stature were especially fond of aristocrats – a dwarf or, as it is called today, a miniature poodle.
By the 1886th century, hairdressers specializing in dog haircuts appeared in Europe, and a more fertile model than the pygmy poodle could not be found. A great admirer of these dogs was Queen Marie Antoinette, who kept at her court an incredible number of miniature poodles with a variety of hairstyles, and her husband Louis XVI named the miniature poodle the official royal breed. Wealthy subjects did not lag behind the royal couple, inventing ever more bizarre haircuts for their poodles and decorating their heads and necks with jewels. From the palaces of the nobility, poodles migrated to the homes of ordinary citizens, becoming one of the most popular European dogs. But until the end of the XNUMXth century, the breed developed spontaneously, without an official standard, until in XNUMX the pedantic Englishmen got down to business, creating the first description of the breed in Great Britain.
In France, the first poodle club was opened only at the beginning of the 1936th century, which, however, did not prevent this country from becoming a leader in breeding poodles of all height variations – from the royal poodle to that poodle, and in XNUMX the International Cynological Federation approved the poodle breed standard, created by the French poodle club. The miniature, or dwarf poodle, came to Our Country in the XNUMXth century and fell in love with the aristocracy and intelligentsia. His high learning abilities were also appreciated by the artists of circuses, in which these charming dogs continue to perform with success. The inhabitants of our country have not lost their love for poodles to this day – the poodle remains one of the most popular breeds in Our Country.
Breed description
Harmoniously built dog of medium lines with a curly or corded coat. The head is well sculpted – not too heavy, but not too refined, in proportion to the body. The length of the muzzle is approximately 9/10 of the length of the skull. And the width of the skull is less than half of the length of the head. In profile, the skull is slightly domed, the superciliary ridges are moderately pronounced and covered with hair. The frontal groove, wide between the eyes, narrows towards the occiput – in miniature poodles it is not very pronounced. The transition from the forehead to the muzzle is slightly pronounced. The upper profile of the muzzle is straight. The nose has well-opened nostrils. The color of the nose in black, white and gray poodles is black, in brown poodles it is brown, in apricot and red poodles it is black or brown. The lips are dry, of medium thickness, the upper lip does not overlap the lower one, the corner of the lips is not pronounced. Black, white and gray poodles have black lips, brown poodles have brown lips, and apricot and red poodles have brown or black lips. Teeth strong, scissor bite. The eyes are almond-shaped, set slightly obliquely at the level of the transition from the forehead to the muzzle. The eyes are dark brown or black, and may be dark amber in brown poodles. The rims of the eyelids in black, gray and white poodles are black, in browns they are brown, in apricots and reds they can be brown or black. The ears are long, falling along the cheeks and reach the corners of the lips, the ears are flat, widening towards the bottom, covered with wavy hair. The neck is strong, of medium length – slightly shorter than the length of the head, carries the voice high and proudly. The nape is slightly convex. The suspension is missing. The body is proportional, its length slightly exceeds the height at the withers.
The back is straight, strong, harmonious, withers and croup are approximately at the same height. The loin is muscular, the croup is rounded. The chest with oval ribs reaches to the elbows. The abdomen is tucked up, but without undermining. The tail is set at the level of the loin, it can be long or short. The forelegs are well muscled and boned, straight and set parallel. The shoulder blades are muscular, forming an angle of about 110 degrees with the shoulder. The length of the shoulder is equal to the length of the shoulder blade. Five strong, almost straight on the side. Forelegs small, well closed, oval. Black and gray poodles have black nails, brown poodles have black or brown nails, white poodles have varying pigmentation of the flesh to black or horn, apricot and red poodles have black or brown nails. The hind limbs are muscular with a well-defined knee joint, with well-defined articulation angles of the hip, knee and hock joints. The thighs are strong, muscular, the metatarsus is vertical and strong, there should be no protrusions of the fingers, the paws are small, oval, the fingers are well closed.
The skin is pigmented in the color of the color, in white poodles should tend to a silvery color. Poodles have two types of coat: curly and corded. Curly coat is thin, fluffy, elastic – resists pressure by hand. Should have a good curl, be thick, of uniform length and have proportionate curls. The corded coat is fine, fluffy and dense, must be at least 20 centimeters long and have cords of equal length.
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Character
“A miniature or dwarf poodle is an ideal companion, a universal dog for life with a person: not large, but not tiny, with a stable psyche and an incredibly kind disposition,” says Olga Belitskaya, owner of the Magnificent Poodle poodle kennel. – These are affectionate, sensitive dogs that understand the owner without words. I call miniature or dwarf poodles “anti-stress dog”: if the owner comes home from work, angry, loaded with problems, tired, then it’s not the dog that meets him at the door, but the medicine – it’s enough to see how the poodle rejoices at the meeting, put your hands in his tender silk wool, let the dog show his love, and the problems no longer seem so complicated, the mood instantly rises and the person experiences only positive emotions. And if, after meeting with a loved one, you also go for a walk with him, get some air, then life will seem easy and beautiful. Miniature poodles are great walking companions – they don’t mind spending a lot of time outdoors, they tolerate travel and car trips very well. Dogs of this breed get along perfectly with other pets, and for children they are the most suitable friends who will take part in a fun run and will not show any aggressiveness. Even in the smallest city apartment, miniature poodles will not create additional trouble – their hair does not shed, so they do not leave hairs from their fur coats on sofas and chairs, and there is no allergy to miniature poodles’ hair. Miniature poodles do not have the habit of barking often, there are almost no nervous individuals among them, their devotion to the owner and all family members is simply limitless.
Care and maintenance
“Miniature, or dwarf, poodles are ideal for living with a person, because they easily adopt the lifestyle that the family lives,” says Olga Belitskaya. – If the owners of the dog like long walks, then the pygmy poodle will be happy to spend an hour or two hours outside. But it can easily be limited to hygienic walks for 10-15 minutes. And if a person does not have the opportunity to take the dog outside, then pygmy poodles will calmly do all their business in a diaper, without causing any particular trouble. But to maintain good physical shape, it is useful for a dog to walk in the fresh air for at least an hour a day, to be able to run and play.
The luxurious coat of poodles, which does not shed and does not have the characteristic smell of a dog (dogs of this breed do not have glands that produce this specific odorous secret), will require some care from its owners. You can brush your poodle every day or every two days to keep the coat from matting.
“Miniature or toy poodles need to be washed once a week or two weeks, but at least once a month,” says Olga Belitskaya. – Now there are many specialized shampoos, balms after washing, which will give the poodle coat shine and silkiness. After washing the poodle, you need to “squeeze” it with a few towels until it is almost dry, comb it out well and be sure to dry it with a hairdryer. There are special moisturizing sprays that are useful to apply to the coat of poodles before drying, so that the hairs remain in perfect condition and do not dry out. Poodles are very clean dogs, they understand bath procedures with pleasure, after bathing and drying they walk around the apartment happy and contented, as if admiring themselves. And the very contact of a person with their fluffy and pleasant fur brings rather pleasure to the owners than creates additional troubles.
The coat of poodles grows evenly along its entire length by 1 centimeter per month, so every two months the hair of dogs of this breed must be cut. Some owners have learned to shorten the hair of their pets themselves, producing the so-called hygienic haircut. But in order to maintain a beautiful hairstyle, it is better to turn to professional make-up artists.
“During a haircut, make-up artists not only give the hair of miniature poodles a beautiful shape, but also perform additional care,” explains Olga Belitskaya. – In the process of clipping in the ears of poodles, the hair is plucked out, and the groomers also process the anal glands of dogs, which require additional care. Now there is a native number of haircuts for miniature poodles, and the owner himself can choose the appearance for his dog, but for participation in exhibitions there are three main haircuts that are recognized by the breed standards – “Lion”, Modern “and” English haircut.
How to feed a miniature poodle, of course, is decided by the owner – you can choose natural food or industrial feed. The main thing is that the diet is balanced, a third of it was meat, fish and offal, the menu included vegetables, low-fat cottage cheese and other dairy products once or twice a week. The Miniature Poodle needs to get enough vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids to keep its coat shiny and silky. You can additionally introduce special zoovitamins into the dog’s diet that improve the structure of the hair.
Education and training
A miniature or dwarf poodle is one of the three most intelligent dogs, able not only to learn quickly and perform commands and tricks perfectly, but also to understand human speech, cynologists say that dogs of this breed are able to distinguish more than fifty words. But, of course, like any animal, it needs to be adapted to life with a person and educated.
“Miniature poodles are pack animals, the puppy begins to perceive the human family as his new pack, which means he must take his place in it,” explains Olga Belitskaya. – In the first days of a puppy’s life in the family, it is necessary to begin its socialization and adaptation to new conditions. the baby must understand where his place is, what can be done in the apartment, what cannot be done, begin to respond to the nickname, learn the simplest commands. Gradually, the number of learned commands should increase, preferably if education and initial training take place in the form of games that poodles really like. When the teenage period comes, miniature poodles begin to fight for the leading place in the pack, and here it is important to stop the dog’s attempts to become the leader, to stop his encroachment on the leadership role. Naturally, without physical effort, but with a strict tone, with the right actions. The poodle should eat last – only after people, enter the apartment last, leave it last, his whims should not be encouraged if you want to get a well-mannered dog. In adolescence, when the dog’s psyche is being formed, the dwarf poodle must clearly understand that he has a dog’s place in his family, otherwise problems with obedience may arise, the poodle may remember that he knows how to bite. But if by affection and kindness you let the poodle understand its place in the family hierarchy, teach the rules of good behavior, then a very affectionate, kind and obedient adult dog will grow out of the baby.
Health and disease
Miniature or miniature poodles are a healthy breed with good immunity; if properly maintained, these dogs are able to live up to 16-18 years, maintaining activity and a cheerful disposition even in old age. But there are several diseases that miniature poodles are prone to.
First of all, these are eye diseases. Miniature poodles can experience glaucoma – ischemia of the eye tissues. In order to notice and quickly cure the disease in time, during examinations at the veterinarian, it is necessary to measure the pet’s eye pressure once or twice a year. You also need to regularly carefully examine your dog’s eyes to avoid infectious diseases.
Another problem of miniature poodles is diseases of the cardiovascular system, which can occur due to excessive physical exertion, obesity, and constant stress. All these problems can be avoided by observing the correct mode of life of the dog. The only genetic heart disease that can occur in poodles is a ruptured ductus arteriosus. This disease, unfortunately, cannot be cured, and the dog dies at an early age. To avoid tragedy, before buying a poodle puppy in a kennel, ask the breeders for the results of checking the baby’s cardiovascular system.
With timely vaccinations, anthelmintic therapy, hair treatment from parasites, regular brushing of teeth and proper nutrition, a dwarf or miniature poodle will feel great and delight its owners with their love and affection for a long time.
Popular questions and answers
We asked to answer questions about the content of dwarf poodles zoo engineer, veterinarian Anastasia Kalinina.