Wordless Wednesday - Poodle Makeover
Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 9:09AM 
This is Curlisse right after her trip to the groomer yesterday
Oh, and I lied.
I'm not going to be worldess.
Probably you are not shocked by that.
But there was a poodle related question yesterday and I would not be a good blogger if I just left it hanging out there in cybersapce.
Although, you have to admit, the idea of poodles floating endlessly through space is a funny one.
Q: Do you know how smart your dog is?
A: Yes. We never really did train this dog beyond housebreaking yet somehow she will come and stay and never runs off and knows when it's time to go to the basement. She goes to the basement when we're gone because she's smart enough to get into trash cans and lie on the forbidden furniture while we are out and then go running for her bed when she hears the garage door open.
Truthfully, I don't understand all the "doodle" mixes i.e. Labradoodles, Goldendoodles etc. I don't know why you'd want to mix the poodle with other dogs. They are smart, well-behaved, good with kids and require minimal exercise. They can even be trained to retrieve for hunting. Why mess with a good thing?
What's that you say?
Poodles are slightly ridiculous looking and your husband wouldn't be caught dead walking a huge poodle?
Well, yes. There is that.
But I swear, once you get past the appearance they really are the best dog ever. Only the Standards though. Those little ones are darned cute and just as smart but yippy.
I'm not really a fan of yippy.
Poodle in Wordless Wednesday
Reader Comments (20)
To be completely forthcoming, I did train her a little but it didn't require much time. I taught her to get in her bed on command and sit in about 90 minutes, to heel and walk along side of you rather than run ahead in basically two walks, and she doesn't run off because we had an underground fence for a while and her first experience with running through it was "electrifying" (to her of course). And just to head off any comments about the electric fence, yes I tried it out on myself before I ever put it on the poodle.
In short, she is a very smart dog with a joyful disposition, a wonderful companion to my son, and a great dog that we can truly take anywhere. Only annoying quality she has is that she is a tad bit needy and likes to stealth lick you.
Not true on the Yippy....Sassy never barked. In fact she'd probably run up to a burglar wagging her little stump tail and lick the toes before barking to let us know that Hey a stranger is near the house. You are making me want a Standard now Mindee. I can't afford a husband, future kids, & a dog!
P.S. put the ears in a very loose ponytail on the top. SOOO CUTE!
I'm with you with little, yippy dogs.
And that's why I've got a giant Bullmastiff. Did you know that he's already 67 pounds at six months old? And he isn't really smart either. It isn't that he's dumb... but he's just so dang stubborn.
I love dogs. :)
Marla @ www.asthefarmturns.wordpress.com
I wonder if Labradoodles shed less? Maybe?
@Rich, That's FUNNY about trying the electric fence out on yourself first! Way to go redneck! LMBO! Think it'll work with kids? :)
I can't even believe your dog will pose for a picture. Vogue! Ours would be right up next to me sniffing the camera. She only does close-ups, apparently. ha.
I totally support that - Poodles are super smart! Our Cockapoo knows all of our commands and he usually obeys really well (he can be stubborn too, however). He's great with the baby and even shares his toys yet usually leaves the baby's toys alone. They're definitely smart and cute too!
I have to say I have a teeny tiny poodle and she is the quietest dog ever never barks at all! Guess I got lucky!
"tries to stealth lick you" you have a funny husband, too! Our dog is the same needy type, so I totally got that. But I have to say, I am officially sorry I did not go with my plan of getting a standard poodle. SO, so, sorry. That picture looks like she KNOWS she's posing. Mindee, I love that you think poodle is a funny word, and also that you think the thought of them flying through space is hilarious. Oh, and that yippy is bad. We have so much in common. poodles floating through space and yipping at their plight?
This is your dog singing in that photo, "I'm to sexy for my curls"
Ok sorry couldn't help myself
She looks very sophisticated haha!
Oh my she is beautiful! I love all kinds of dogs, pure breeds, hybrids, and plain ole mutts, they all grow on me.
We've never had poodles...but we've had many others. The barking thing happens with any of them...size or breed...nothing like a barking problem. The yappy ones are definitely annoying and honestly it's probably why we've never had a little dog until our current rescue. Our little dog now has some poodle in her along with a bunch of other breeds. She cannot bark at all. We found her at a shelter and she had been abused. The vet says the no barking thing could be because of an injury or just something she was born with. She has gotten excited while playing before and acted like she was going to bark...almost a coughing sound...but nothing comes out. We love her though.
My understanding of mixes is that either
1) some of the giant sized standards are a little neurotic
2) people loved their labrador/golden retriever but thought they were a little over bred
3) wanted a hypoallergenic dog but not a purebred poodle.
Unfortunately poodle mixes do not generally inherit the poodle's non-shedding, hypoallergenic coat. They get anything from x breed's coat to poodle coat and combinations in between. A lot of poodle mixes end up in animal shelters because of allergy/shedding problems.
We love our poodle, but would have gone with the Portuguese Water Dog if Obama had not announced he was getting one as we were in process. First, we were concerned about the size. Some standards get to be 75 pounds and more and 30 plus inches tall. Also I had heard of the whole neurotic poodle rumors as well. But we needed a medium to large size hypoallegenic dog.
I found Cooper's breeder not far from us. She breeds smaller standards mostly for personality (small non-black or white standards aren't even worth showing). Honestly, at 36 lbs I couldn't ask for a better dog. I did do a lot of obedience training with him. But honestly, he caught on to everything so quickly that I wish they had an accelerated class. He runs with us off-leash sometimes more than 20 miles in a day. We have even had success in preventing him from running off to greet aggressive dogs on the trail. My husband has gotten over the fact that Cooper is a poodle and brings the dog everywhere.
Honestly the hardest part of having a poodle is feeling like you are constantly re-educating everyone. Because our poodle is awesome, and blonde, we regularly surprise people by informing them that he is a purebred. Even poodle owners come ask us about his breeder because he is so much smaller/calmer/happier than their dog.
I don't know if there is a problem with the breed when they come from larger lines (Curlisse is a relatively small standard as well), but I have nothing but love and admiration for mine.
You shouldn't taunt me with the idea of coming and stalking your poodle.
You know I can't resist a good stalk.
Hey! I had that same haircut in 1985.
~ Katie
www.marriageconfessions.com
Your dog could work as a model!
And give you lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
What do you think? And you could share some of your earnings with me, since I'm the one who had this brilliant idea!
Poodle. Poodle poodle poodle. It's just dang fun to say.
I remember, like it was yesterday (which means something because I have a TERRIBLE memory) the first time I saw a standard poodle. I was six, walking to school and this giant white poodle stuck it's head out of a parked car window. I had only ever seen teacup and mini's before that.
I think I thought I had been dreaming. I remember telling my mom, when she asked how big it was, "As big as Big Bird!"
Also, Katie...I had that hair in 1990. My mom had it until 1995. Good lord.
I grew up with a poodle named Topsy and she was the smartest and best dog I ever met, so I believe every word you say!!