The Standard Poodle is a graceful, hypoallergenic dog with a cheerful character. The Standard Poodle is the oldest and largest of three Poodle breeds. The Toy Poodle and Miniature Poodle are bred-down versions of the original.

The Poodle’s origins lie in France and Germany, where it was used as a water retrieving dog. Its name is thought to come from the old German word “puddeln”, meaning splashing around in water.

The Standard Poodle is 40 to 60 cm tall and weighs 20 to 32 kg. This long-legged dog has a graceful appearance and moves with flair. Its curly or corded coat comes in all solid colours. Popular Poodle hair styles are the easy short-all-over clip and, particularly for show dogs, the Continental clip or English saddle clip.

The noble Poodle is an intelligent, good-natured dog that is easy to train. It is very sensitive to your tone of voice so gentle, consistent training methods work well. The Standard is calmer and less excitable than the smaller Poodle breeds. Standard Poodles are very good at obedience, retrieving and performing and make excellent watchdogs, service dogs and therapy dogs.

This friendly dog gets on swimmingly with children and all types of pets. The Standard Poodle is a happy, non-aggressive dog that likes to get lots of human attention. While it will adapt to most living situations, the Standard Poodle does need its exercise and loves to play, run, swim and retrieve.

As a non-shedding dog, the Standard Poodle is a good choice for people with allergies. Its coat does need regular maintenance in the form of bathing, combing, brushing and clipping.

A relatively healthy breed, the Standard Poodle is however subject to a range of genetic diseases, including eye problems, skin conditions, ear infections, epilepsy and hip dysplasia. The Standard Poodle’s life expectancy is 12-14 years.