Standards are the clowns. Minis are the Energizer Bunnies. Most poodles are reserved with strangers (all 3 sizes) but once they have decided a person is a friend, they are friends for life.


Rather than encourage people who cross-breed varieties, I suggest you look for either a small standard or an oversize mini.

 

I agree with Johanna on everything she said, including looking for a smaller standard or a min that has gone oversize. Inter-variety crosses have some tendency to be disproportioned. Small standards are not hard to find from good breeders who show since judges don't tend to put up very large dogs. Oversized minis can be harder to find since minis tend to be less common than other sizes but since mini breeders are often aiming for being just under 15" you can end up with a very nice 16 or 17 inch dog who had been held back as a show prospect but who got too big.

 

I agree with this post. I would not purchase from someone inter breeding sizes. I don't think it is a good sign of a good breeder. I have a standard, he is about 23 inches I think, haven't really measured and his weight is about 55 lbs. He is only two so he is still full of energy but I see a softer side of him coming through. Presently he does not like strangers. LillyCD I didn't realize this was a trait in poodles. However the other day I had a visitor walk in the house unexpectedly with y husband and he growled and barked at them. He happened to be on his leash as I was combing him out sitting in my living room. When I took him to meet the "stranger" he sniffed backed up and barked, when I told him it was ok and he could say hello he approached sniffed back away then went into his "sit" hoping to be petted but by then the person was scared. But at this point his tail was wagging away. I probably could have taken him out more and allowed him to meet more strangers to avoid this but frankly I like it as there a folks I don't want to get to close to my space when I'm out and about.

 

I don’t have experience with spoos but I can tell you about my mini poo.

He is just under the 15” mark at about 17 lbs. Temperament wise, he too can be timid with people he doesn’t know. While he won’t let them pet him, he’ll drop his fave toy at their feet enticing them to play with him.

When he was a puppy he had boundless energy. Still, at 5 1/2 years old he is ready to play at the drop of a hat. He moves around the room and will errr or lightly yip to gain my attention.

He’s very intelligent and will really work at telling me what he wants. He is super loving, loves to lay on me, and snuggles with me every night when we go to bed.

He is very patient with other dogs, and has never been aggressive.

Although minis are said to be very active, he grew up in my home a gentle and relatively calm boy. I am disabled and can’t take him on regular walks, but rather gets exercise from chasing the ball or kong down the hallway a few times a day.

Other than when he was young, up to about 9 months old, I can’t recall having to scold him for bad behavior.

He grew up to be exactly what I needed and wanted from a dog, and as he continues to mature, gets even more and more loving.

I hope this helps. I’m not sure if he is a typical mini or not, but this is my experience with one.


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My mini is not at all shy or reserved with new people, dogs, cats - you name it. He is extremely outgoing and initiates contact on his own (as far as I permit it) - however he does pay a lot of attention on how he is received and will in no way pester people, dogs or anything if they don't respond in kind. I am very much on alert ever since owning the Dalmatian, who being a big friendly goof would just about rip himself in two trying to make everyone love him (with not enough smarts about him to understand that it would not happen at times). It was kinda cute, but also a liability. Louie on the other hand has taken that task off my shoulders - he will greet politely, but has really great smarts about him in that respect. He is done after the initial 30 seconds with some people - others he will go on and on, never quite understood what his criteria is there. He seems to relish the attention of men more so than of women...and children are a special class - he adjusts all of his behavior to accommodate them.
Energy wise I do agree he is the energizer bunny personified, but he does have an off switch (with some training). If I sit - he sits - however long I may take. You can tire out a mini, even as a puppy (I have my doubts regarding being able to tire out Standards - if they are anything like my big Pointer dogs).

 

I have Tessa (aka Tessa B. aka Tessa my love aka love of my life aka Contessa de al casa). Got her at 8 weeks (with a slight discount- she had a hernia). Let me tell you- I was the big winner on that deal. Her mother was a small brown standard and father a regular black standard. Tessa turned out PERFECT.
She is EXACTLY 15.25" which is the minimum height requirement for a standard. She is THE PERFECT SIZE. I have other standard owners telling me they think tessa is the perfect size.
Her average weight is about 35 pounds.
I love her.

 

My mpoo Jessie is more of a cuddle bug- if she could stay on my lap most of the day, she'd love it. She is content with 60-90 minutes of walking per day, with a couple trips to the small dog park in our neighborhood. But with the dog park, she does two or three quick laps at warp speed, then politely asks to continue our walk. We do play fetch and tug indoors, and give her some challenge games too. She is also reserved with strangers (more just keeping her distance than growling or barking), but is wonderfully sweet with our other pets and anyone she gets to know.

 

The spoo bark sure is scary! Peggy's starts low in her throat and would make anyone think twice about coming in uninvited. But, in most cases, it stops quickly.

My mini mix, on the other hand, had more of a hysterical sounding bark and would struggle to stop once started. Even when she knew all was well, a few more would escape.

The upside was her barks never scared me. They never sounded threatening. Peggy's make me nervous, mostly because I'm so used to a small dog and I don't like her scaring people that don't deserve it.

 

Correction: I DON'T like her scaring people that don't deserve it.

How do you edit in this new format?????

Edit: Finally figured it out with some help

 

I have a large minipoo who is still only 8.5 months, so he will undoubtedly continue to change as he ages. He wasn't volhard tested, but my guess is he would probably have scored 2s and 3s. He is relatively high energy even for a minipoo. He is an extremely confident dog and has only ever encountered maybe three things that genuinely spooked him. He loves strangers, but is more excited to play than to be pet. He is a trickster and has a stubborn streak, but is also very attached to me and loving in his own way. He only ever barks if he is playing. He is high drive, but sometimes that drive can be hard to channel (though he is just a puppy). He needs a good length walk or a trip to the park every day, but is otherwise content with a few sessions of fetch or tug. If I had to sum him up it would be goofy, happy, naughty. He does love to learn and train but he does get bored fairly quickly if I don't keep things interesting. We are training for agility and maybe some other things later on.

He takes after his father's personality. His mother was much more calm and laid back. There seems to be a great diversity in their personalities.