Grace Blair, in 1996 AKC permitted the standard poodle to participate in retriever hunting tests. Largely due to the persistent but gentle prodding of poodle breeder and hunter Dr. In 1986, CKC allowed poodles to partake in their retriever Working Certificate tests. Similarly, the North American Hunting Retriever Association (NAHRA) has always considered the poodle a retriever breed and allows them to participate in their retriever field tests.
Since 1984, when UKC initiated their retriever hunt tests, several standard poodles have earned the highest titles awarded in those tests. In 1938, when CKC recognized the toy poodle, they put both sizes into their non-sporting group.īut the United Kennel Club (UKC) has always considered the poodle a sporting breed. In the 19th century, when the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) were established, CKC classified the poodle as a retriever, but AKC tossed the breed into its non-sporting group. However, the French breed name, caniche, comes from chien canard, or "duck dog," so they have also classified it a retriever. According to Canadian breed historian Emily Cain, Europeans categorized it as a spaniel. They love to be trained, love to entertain and love to please, so they will do anything the boss really wants them to do, whether in the circus ring or duck blind.įrom the Middle Ages, Europeans have always considered the standard poodle a hunting dog.
Truth is, the poodle simply has more talent-more smarts, if you will-than most other breeds, so they can do much more than "just" hunt. Third, poodles have a reputation as circus dogs, trick dogs, great entertainers-dogs that do humiliating things no self-respecting retriever would even consider.
#Doxie poodle skin#
In fact, those who hunt their poodles clip them down pretty close to the skin all over, so all that hair is no problem in either water or cover. I'll admit to getting an occasional few minutes of entertainment listening to some dog show handler who has never hunted in his life explain how those fancy trims protect the dog when retrieving in water. Second, those outlandish dog show coifs that move us to mirth prevent us from visualizing such a dog with all that hair actually hunting anything-except possibly a place on the couch. Granted, some folks do hunt miniatures on smaller birds, but in general when we speak of hunting poodles, we mean only the standard size.
But three factors have long masked the poodle's hunting talents from the general public's view.įirst, although considered a single breed, the poodle has three sizes: standard (over 15 inches at the withers), miniature (10 to 15 inches) and toy (under 10 inches).Even the most gullible hunter cannot picture a toy or even a miniature poodle tangling with an outraged, crippled Canada goose. In the 1930s, the breed staged a comeback that eventually placed the Poodle as the most popular dog in America for decades.So goes the typical hunter's reaction when someone tells him about using this breed in the marshes and meadows. By the late 1920s, Poodles had almost died out in North America. The Poodle became favored by French aristocracy and eventually became the national dog of France. The characteristic clip was accentuated. In the 1900’s, Poodle popularity in America waned. Although some believe the puffs of hair around the leg joints and tail tip were for protection when hunting, other evidence suggests that they arose as decoration during the Poodle’s performing days. The coat was shorn close to facilitate swimming, but left slightly longer on the chest for warmth in cold water. In France, it was known as caniche or chien canard, both referring to duck-hunting abilities. The Poodle was also drawn into service as a military dog, guide dog, guard dog, wagon puller for performers, and eventually, a circus performer. In fact, the word poodle comes from the German word pfudel, meaning puddle or “to splash,” probably reflecting the dog’s water abilities. It is the German version, however, that exerted most influence on the modern Poodle. Perhaps the earliest incarnation of the Poodle was the Barbet, a curly-coated dog distributed in France, Russia, Hungary, and elsewhere. Interwoven in their ancestry are also several rough-coated water dogs. Search Articles: Submit Search Close Search FavoritesĪlthough the Poodle is most often identified with France, its earliest ancestors were probably curly-coated dogs from central Asia that assisted with herding and followed many routes into various parts of Europe.
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