My mpoo is pretty calm. Yes, he would prefer a nice long walk daily, but he's not crazy if he doesn't get one. (I don't think he is any more fond of freezing or wet weather than I am, so I think he understands!) However, I should point out that he's 3 years old, so no longer a puppy. A puppy, no matter the breed, will obviously be higher energy.

 

My mpoo is pretty high energy...but she is only 1. I think though she probably isn't going to change too much. Right now she keeps tossing her shredded toy in our faces so we will throw it ( while we are trying to relax lol). Then she will throw it up and catch it with a loud chomp. Such a character. A lot of fun.

I have had problems with her being nippy when she is really worked up (not being mean but playing) but I don't know if that is common or not.

I know Sandy's dad is pretty high energy so it's in her family.

 

My mpoo is a calm, quiet dog for the most part. However, he is five years old. He does get outbursts of energy where he will suddenly race around the living room, zooming back and forth. But that is just occasionally. I take him for a brisk walk daily, usually about 30-40 minutes and he really enjoys that. But his favorite hobby seems to be sleeping and figuring out ways to get me to rub his belly, lol.

 

Our year and a half old mini was pretty hyper for the first year or so but in the past few months has become very calm. She gets a daily walk and after that seems quite content to just lie around snoozing in her bed or cuddling up to us while we watch TV.

 

Another satisfied owner of a couch-potato mini poodle here. Beau is not hyper or yappy; as long as I'm around, he's content to hang out and snooze. A 30-40 minute walk per day and he's happy. In fact, our biggest problem is keeping him from gaining too much weight and becoming what our groomer calls a "Sausage Poodle."

There really does seem to be a full spectrum of poodle personalities to choose from, whether you are talking standard, mini, or toy. This is where finding the right breeder is critical, one who can match you to a pup with the right temperament. But as you can see from this thread, it is certainly possible to find a mini who is as perfect for your family as Beau is for ours. Good luck in your search, and keep us posted.

Me, act hyper? Let me sleep on it.

 

My toy gets 2+ hours off leash walking a day, and is pretty relaxed the rest of the time. I share walking with a neighbour, so the dogs all get two good walks a day, and the weather in the UK is rarely so bad as to keep us in for more than a day or two. It also helps that she is with me most of the time, so that the day is punctuated with games and trips into the garden and other interesting stuff. I suspect most hyper adult dogs get insufficient exercise and/or live in busy, slightly chaotic households and have not learned to tune the excitement out. Pups and adolescents are a law unto themselves, of course!

 

Sandy had that same toy she loved it. Also had a squirrel like that. They are both in little tiny pieces. Not sure why she likes to rip into them and take them apart. Guess its fun.

With three kids (6,4,2) our house is kinda crazy so I'm sure it doesn't help sandy:aetsch:.

 

Sandy had that same toy she loved it. Also had a squirrel like that. They are both in little tiny pieces. Not sure why she likes to rip into them and take them apart. Guess its fun.

Yup, Jazz loves her road-kill squirrels and rabbits, too. I think we've bought five in the last couple of months. The first two are shredded and gone, the last three are squeaker-less but still beloved.

 

Some places I read say they're great apartment dogs and aren't too hyper, while other places say it takes a lot to wear them out.

All of this was true of my mini when he was younger. He was a great apartment dog, wasn't hyper, but he did have a lot of energy. That being said, he could burn it doing zoomies in our living room and in our (tiny) courtyard, going on a daily walk, and playing playing playing! He loved to chew, loved to work on kong toys, loved to learn tricks and loved to fetch. He was a very busy guy, but not at all unmanageable and didn't need specific schedules activities to keep him from going bonkers. I think a mini would be a great dog for you as long as you plan to interact with it a lot. They are very playful as young dogs, but mine was not what I would call hyper at all. I have a MUCH harder time wearing out my young spoo. I've never had a toy, so I can't speak to them. I'm sure there are varying energy levels of each size, so I guess it partly depends on the individual dog.

 

My mini is high energy. He requires two walks/hikes a day, with one of those walks preferably being an hour long. I also play a lot of fetch in the yard (he loves to retrieve) and we hit the dog park about once a week. He's 3 years old.

He would be perfectly fine in an apartment as long as his exercise needs were met.

 

It is all about finding out the temperament of the parents and seeing it in the puppy.

My mom was so insistent about finding us the perfect dog when we were kids that it took almost five years before she was happy with the pup. And we did get everything she had searched for and hoped to find as far as temperament.

I wish that I knew all of the tests that she did on the pups we saw, because she hit the temperament spot on. If she had only also found out what to look for in conformation at the same time, my Peaches would have been perfect. But I loved her as if she were, which she was in my eyes.

I will see if she can give me info as what to look for.