Poodle

The Poodle, called the in German ( ) and the in French, is a breed of water dog. The breed is divided into four varieties based on size, the Standard Poodle, Medium Poodle, Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle, although the Medium Poodle is not universally recognised. They have a distinctive thick, curly coat that comes in many colours and patterns, with only solid colours recognised by major breed registries. Poodles are active and intelligent, and are particularly able to learn from humans. Poodles tend to live 10–18 years, with smaller varieties tending to live longer than larger ones. The Poodle likely originated in Germany, although the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI, International Canine Federation) and a minority of cynologists believe it originated in France. Similar dogs date back to at least the 17th century. Larger Poodles were originally used by wildfowl hunters to retrieve game from water, while smaller varieties were once commonly used as circus performers. Poodles were recognised by both the Kennel Club of the United Kingdom and the American Kennel Club (AKC) soon after the clubs' founding. Since the mid-20th century, Poodles have enjoyed enormous popularity as pets and show dogs – Poodles were the AKC's most registered breed from 1960 to 1982, and are now the FCI's third most registered breed.…

The Poodle, called the in German ( ) and the in French, is a breed of water dog. The breed is divided into four varieties based on size, the Standard Poodle, Medium Poodle, Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle, although the Medium Poodle is not universally recognised. They have a distinctive thick, curly coat that comes in many colours and patterns, with only solid colours recognised by major breed registries. Poodles are active and intelligent, and are particularly able to learn from humans. Poodles tend to live 10–18 years, with smaller varieties tending to live longer than larger ones. The Poodle likely originated in Germany, although the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI, International Canine Federation) and a minority of cynologists believe it originated in France. Similar dogs date back to at least the 17th century. Larger Poodles were originally used by wildfowl hunters to retrieve game from water, while smaller varieties were once commonly used as circus performers. Poodles were recognised by both the Kennel Club of the United Kingdom and the American Kennel Club (AKC) soon after the clubs' founding. Since the mid-20th century, Poodles have enjoyed enormous popularity as pets and show dogs – Poodles were the AKC's most registered breed from 1960 to 1982, and are now the FCI's third most registered breed. Poodles are also common at dog shows, where they often sport the popularly recognised Continental clip, with face and rear clipped close, and tufts of hair on the hocks and tail tip.

Description

Appearance

The Poodle is an active, athletic breed with the varieties differing mostly by size. The FCI's breed standard states the Standard Poodle stands between , the Medium Poodle between , the Miniature Poodle between and the Toy Poodle . The kennel clubs which do not recognise the Medium Poodle variety typically have the Standard Poodle between and Miniature Poodle between , with the toy variety remaining unchanged. A healthy adult Standard Poodle typically weighs between , a Medium Poodle between , a Miniature Poodle between and a Toy Poodle between . File:Pudel kleinweiss.jpg|White Poodles File:Pudel Klein apricotred.jpg|Apricot and red Poodles File:Freddie (8467901543).jpg|Black Poodle File:Maisiepuppydog.jpg|Brown Standard Poodle at five weeks File:Pudel Zwerg SilberShow.jpg|Mature silver Poodle File:Pudel Zwerg Blackandtan.jpg|Phantom Poodles File:Pudel ZwergHarlekin.jpg|Miniature parti-Poodle File:Cafe-au-lait standard poodle.jpg|Café au Lait Standard Poodle

Work and sport

Poodles were originally bred for waterfowl hunting. Despite this history, they are currently classified as companion dogs by the FCI. Since the late 1980s, some breeders in the United States and Canada have been selecting for dogs with drive for birds in order to revive the breed for hunting, with some success. Poodles are highly trainable dogs that typically excel in obedience training. Historically, they were a popular circus dog. In addition to hunt tests, they do well in agility and rally. They are among the most popular service dog breeds. Poodles have been used as working dogs in the military since at least the 17th century, most likely because of their highly intelligent, trainable nature. Their background as a hunting dog makes them suitable to battlefields, and they can be trained to ignore gunfire. During the English Civil War, Prince Rupert of the Rhine had a famous hunting Poodle who would ride into battle with his master on horseback. Napoleon Bonaparte wrote in his memoirs about the faithfulness of a grenadier's pet Poodle who stayed with the body of his master at the Battle of Marengo.

Cultural references

The perceived passive and obedient nature of the breed has led to use in politics of "poodle" as a political pejorative to assert the sycophancy of a politician who obediently or passively follows the lead of others. It is considered to be equivalent to lackey. The term was used as a label to criticise British Prime Ministers who are perceived to be too close to the United States. During the 2000s, it was used against Tony Blair with regard to his close relationship with George W. Bush and the involvement of the United Kingdom in the Iraq War. The singer George Michael used it in his song "Shoot the Dog" in July 2002, the video of which showed Blair as the "poodle" on the lawn of the White House. Romanian-Israeli politician Colette Avital unsuccessfully tried to have the term's use banned from the Knesset in June 2001. By extension, the phrase "attack poodle" has been used to denote a particularly vociferous but servile defender of a given political leader, party, or faction. It gained popular currency in 2002 when Paul Marsden a member of the British Parliament who ran afoul of the Labour party Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong charged that Prime Minister Tony Blair was setting out "one of his attack poodles" to bring him or her into line. The term was further popularised by the American culture critic James Wolcott in his 2004 book, Attack Poodles and Other Media Mutants.

See also

Cockapoo Goldendoodle Havapoo Labradoodle List of dog breeds

References

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1374503793 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.