[cash]

To those of you who have had or have now both miniature and standard poodles, could you tell me what you notice to be the biggest differences in personality, temperment, training, and showing (other than confirmation) in the two sizes?

Just having come back from the in-laws with my 3 big dogs, I am feeling that as much as I LOVE my big dogs, it might be nice to have smaller, easier to transport dogs. This will probably be eons away, before I get another dog, but I was just thinking about it... Food for thought I guess...

 

[WonderPup]

I don't have a mini and never have, but we aren't likely to find ourselves with any more standards. Hubby wants a smaller dog, he doesn't like big dogs really but allowed me to have my girls probably because it was easier than hearing me bitch about never being allowed a larger dog. LoL.

He also is under the impression that the smaller versions will make less of a mess in the house when they get all hyper, which may or may not be true. He wants a toy, but I said NOOOOO WAY so mini it is, that or a Bichon.

I've always liked spoos better when they come in for grooming or training but might be just that I'm a big dog person? The spoos seems better behaved for some reason but again I'm sure thats not a fair comparison to look at. While I've never had a yappy spoo in for grooming or training we do get talkative minis and I can say I've only ever had one spoo offer to bite me and it was just an offer so to speak while I've had many a mini latch on without so much as a warning. Again though it's probably because minis are so much more common so of course the bites from them would outnumber the spoos. So perhaps not a fair way to compare.

 

[Purple Poodle]

I have all three sizes and I have to say its easier to keep the Mini and Toy as they are not as big so its less food and grooming.

I love my Standard and all of the Standards I have met but I don't think I will ever own another.

My next Poodle will be a Toy.

 

[Olie]

If I would ever own another dog like15 years from now, it would be a mini. I love the standards SO much but a mini would be nice

Smaller dogs tend to live longer with less health issue but I am not sure if the MP fall in the same category.

 

[Fluffyspoos]

I want to own all of the sizes at one point in time, but for now I just really want a standard. Toys and minis are cute, but standards are just elegant.

 

[flyingduster]

I think the problem comes more that minis (and toys) are much more of a generic popular dog (the spoos never were a really popular breed) and hence there are oodles of the lil poodles that have such dodgy backgrounds and genetics, regardless of their upbringing, that they can all be a bit weird, wired, and not exactly the best example of a poodle.

Now, get yourself a NICELY bred mini, and it shouldn't be much different in temperament than a spoo, except for the usual individual differences ya get anyway.

 

[onlypoodles4me]

I have had one mini, and 7 standards. I have found the standards easier to live with in general. Mind you my particular Mini was a handfull. I do really miss the cuddle factor of a small dog.
Generally I have found Mini's to be a bit more intense, well bred or not.
at least in my grooming experience)
Not to say one day when that we will not do it again.

 

[Marian]

He also is under the impression that the smaller versions will make less of a mess in the house when they get all hyper, which may or may not be true.

Anytime you want to show him a picture of my living room floor, let me know. :doh:

 

[WonderPup]

Anytime you want to show him a picture of my living room floor, let me know. :doh:

ROFL, see I keep telling him it isn't always true but he compares the mini's to the two tibbies. Other than the toys in the middle of the floor from time to time when we just had to two tibs you might not have known we had a dog, assuming you visited shortly after a session with the vacume so the dog hair was at a minimum, tibbies DO shed that's the downside to having one. I can honestly say he REALLY enjoys the fact that the poodles DON'T leave dog hair everywhere they go. Now with the two poodles added in you definitly can't miss the fact we are a dog household because Saleen gets into anything and everything and sadly it's like having a two year old child who is tall enough to reach all the good stuff lol. Jazz is such a lap dog, she doesn't get how big she is, and he is always telling her that it wouldn't be a problem if she was a smaller dog.

 

[Marian]

Teddy loves to shred paper towels and anything made of cardboard. If I absent-mindedly throw a paper towel or cardboard packaging into my trash can next to my desk, he pulls it out and makes confetti all over the floor. It's making me more aware of how I discard things, that's for sure. LOL

 

[WonderPup]

ROFL Marian that reminds me of a few weeks ago when the changing table came for the nursery. It was in a huge cardboard box and hubby put the box out in the backyard because he was going to use it to make a fire in our little fire pit thingy, plus it was easier to burn it than try and stuff it in the trashcan. Weeeeelllllll he forgot about it and it rained the next day so there was nothing to do but wait for it to dry out. Saleen had other ideas and we STILL have little cardboard pieces ALL over the backyard. It's going to take forever to get them all picked up.

 

[thestars]

I have had all three varieties of poos. The smaller minis are more like toys, the larger minis are more like standards in temperament. You just have to find the temperament you want from the parents. Every size can do some serious damage depending on what they get into. My husband likes the small mini/large toy size so they can get around and you don't have to hall them around everywhere with you. I prefer small standards or over-sized Mini. I like mine calmer and not so barky and since I do the grooming it's easier. Also as I get older I prefer grooming lighter dogs then black dogs.

 

[KPoos]

When I looked into the minis, I had a hard time finding quality mini breeders in my immediate area. There are a few but nothing like standard breeders. I also heard from many people that own both that they are very different in temperament and since I already owned a standard was I prepared for the mini personality. I do not like the toy personality (quick to bark) and many lines of minis have this behind them. Some have more toy and some have more standard to get the size of the miniature. From my understanding the minis are pretty active inside the house whereas the standards tend to calm down in the house and need more outdoor activities. That seems to be true for mine anyway. There are minis that are yappers and some that aren't. It's about finding what you like in a breeder and making sure that they breed for what you like. If you don't like that toy snipey muzzle look, look for someone that breeds closer to the standard look. I personally thought a mini would be easier for me and in many ways it would have been but I have so much love for the standards that I just went for another one.

 

[sprngrdn]

I have very 3 small minis and 1 toy. Each has a very different personality. 1 mini is very laid back and very intelligent, 1 is high strung and attached to me, and 1 is very playful and intelligent. The toy is VERY talkative, we are working on "quiet", but also very playful and intelligent. The toy and the third mini are best friends. Play constantly. I am interested in getting a standard because really they are my first love - as a child. The more I read about what all of you have to say about them - the more interested I am.

 

[amerique2]

Can't speak to the differences between the two, but I did have a mini poodle growing up. Cherie was very intelligent, not hyper, and an all-around delight. She lived to the ripe old age of 19. Because of my experience with her I would love to have another mini but would also love to have a standard. So when some handlers at shows tell me they would never have a mini because of their temperament, I reflect on what a wonderful poodle Cherie was. Think you really have to research the lines and spend some time with the parents.

 

[Spencer]

On the subject of minis... why is it so hard to find mini breeders? I've spent quite a bit of time looking at breeders for all of the sizes of poodles (I love to look at the websites, I'm weird), and the mini breeders are few and far between.

 

[KPoos]

On the subject of minis... why is it so hard to find mini breeders? I've spent quite a bit of time looking at breeders for all of the sizes of poodles (I love to look at the websites, I'm weird), and the mini breeders are few and far between.

I don't know but I had the same problems. I think minis just aren't as popular as the toys and standards and because they are right in the middle you can often times get "toys" and "standards" based on their sizes as adults. I hear to watch out on the temperaments of minis because there are more minis with poor temperaments than standards.