9781422279380

life. The Standard Poodle will generally reach double figures, while Miniatures and Toys usually make it to their early teens, and some may even exceed this. The history of the Poodle When you see a glamorous Poodle in show trim, do not make the mistake of thinking it is an over-the-top fashion statement. It has its roots in the breed’s working origins. The name Poodle comes from the German pudeln , which means “to splash in water.” Poodles worked in the swamps as a water dogs, trained to retrieve fallen birds for hunters. Their coats were dense and waterproof, which meant they could work in cold temperatures, but it could also impede freedom of movement. For this reason, the coat was trimmed from the hind- quarters to keep the dog from getting bogged down in the water, leaving enough to protect vital areas (such as the heart) against the cold and the dense undergrowth of the hunting grounds. While the breed has a German name, its origins are not so straight- forward. The breed may have developed from rugged Asian herding dogs captured by the Berbers in North Africa. They traveled from North Africa to Portugal and Spain with the Moors in the eighth century. But that is just one theory. It may also have developed from the French Barbet, a very old breed of curly-coated water dog. No one knowns for sure. In France, the dog was named chien canard or caniche, meaning it was a duck hunter. There too, his coat was clipped to help him swim, but was left sufficiently long on the chest to keep him warm in cold water. Some believe that puffs of hair on the tail tip and leg joints were also for protection during hunting, but stronger evidence suggests these pompons came into fashion much later, during the dog’s days as a performer. The Standard Poodle appears in European art and literature as

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