[koko]

I am looking into getting a standard poodle as a new addition to the family, especially for my daughter. She feels so lonely and I feel like getting a family dog will help her. Are poodles affectionate and loving dogs or are they a more independent breed that likes to keep to themselves?

 

[Mischief_Managed]

I have two standards from different breeders. Mine are affectionate (like to lay on my lap when we are sitting on the couch or I am at the computer) but they are not in your face affectionate. They get along with our other dogs (three chihuahuas) and the cats and with other dogs in general. I've had poodles all my life in addition to other dogs. I don't want a slobbering affection. But as most things go it depends on the individual dog.

 

[lily cd re]

Both of my poodles are very affectionate dogs. I can always count on them to give me a pick up when I need one. On their choice they are rarely more than 5 feet away from me, but prefer if they can be in physical contact.

 

[that_poodle_noodle]

I think it depends on the individual dog - Noodle (tpoo) is incredibly affectionate (in fact, it can be a bit much for some people) but I’ve heard other people say their poodles are far more aloof

 

[Click-N-Treat]

If you want a dog that likes to cuddle, choose a puppy that cuddles with you on day one. Noelle introduced herself to me at the breeder's house by sitting in my lap and refusing to leave. Her brothers and sisters bounced on and off of me. Every time I removed Noelle from my lap, she returned and cuddled there like a puzzle piece that found it's spot. I have an extremely cuddly dog because I picked an extremely cuddly puppy.

 

[Basil_the_Spoo]

Yeah, that's a good point to try and pick one based on how they do with you at the breeder.

I picked Basil to be a running partner from the breeder but we haven't ran at all lol. She was the biggest and lankiest puppy.

I have a very limited and biased opinion with my 1st dog ever and 7mo Spoo, Basil. She's a sheep skin blanket on 4 legs and a kiss and cuddle machine. It's never overbearing and just enough to keep your love cup full. Here's my feet warmer from last night as we're winding down:

 

[NaturalPoodle]

A miniature breeder of reds and blacks here in Canada told me that in her experience males are Velcro dogs and females are more independent, like cats. But I know lily cd re has both a (standard) female and male and says above that both are affectionate, so I'm not sure how true the breeder's experience is in general.

 

[Johanna]

Most poodles are very affectionate although a few do not like excessive physical contact. They are usually very aware of your state of mind and respond to it appropriately.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Peggy is affectionate, but also very much her own dog. She's not a teddy bear or cuddly toy. She's not a security blanket. She doles out affection in a rather catlike way.

If affectionate is your #1 priority, I'd probably go with a well-bred Golden Retriever. But if you do decide to go the spoo route, take the above advice and choose your puppy (and breeder!) carefully.

We reinforced Peggy's desire to be close to us by handfeeding some of her kibble, treats, and chews while she lay in our laps. We did this most days when she was a puppy.

I can feel my husband's exhaustion in this photo. Lol.

 

[bluegirl1997]

My two poodles were / are both affectionate but on their own terms. If Blue is standing by me looking at me, and I reach out to pet her, she’ll duck, like shes saying, “dont feel like being touched at the moment”. But when I sit down she is almost always next to me or lays her head on me. But if you want a dog that wants 24/7 contact with you, get a bulldog breed. Oh my goodness they always want to be by you. I have the Boston and the Frenchie on my lap as I type this.


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[Asta's Mom]

Asta is very affectionate, some would call him a velcro dog, but I need to have him watching me in case of some bipolar disorder crisis. That said, he is also affectionate with my husband, but usually this is when all 3 of us are together. He was a very confident puppy and from the start we worked on being by my side was a good thing. So much you can start with puppy to build your bond together. Are poodles affectionate? Mine is.

 

[Dianaleez]

Normie has been velcro since Day One.

We're lapping it up.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Peggy as I type:

That's my elbow she's using as a pillow.

 

[daabor]

My toy poodle is very affectionate. When watching T.V., he sits on the back of the couch, both paws on my shoulder and wants his muzzle in my hand. He follows me EVERYWHERE, lays on my feet while I'm doing anything that requires standing and insistently uses his front paw to pull my hand onto his body when he wants to be petted. Some people may find him a bit too much.

I did not get to choose from a litter, as he was the last puppy left and all his siblings had already gone home. He was a very calm, even keel puppy when I first met him. Confident, not shy, but not overly rambunctious or excited to have visitors in his home. Kind of a bland personality, but, the eye contact he made! He had a steady and intelligent gaze.

It was over a 2 hour drive home and during that time, he must have bonded to me, or was scared being away from his first home. I almost could not put him down for a couple weeks. He is now my velco heart dog. Although he is never left alone for long, he does not exhibit signs of separation anxiety.

All this to say, all dogs are different, but it seems that most poodles are affectionate, in their way. I got exceedingly lucky with Sammy. If I were to get a second poodle, I would not choose the most overly "pushy/fun" puppy, nor would I choose the shy/aloof puppy. I would look for the calm puppy that makes good eye contact, enjoys interacting, doesn't flinch when approached, but also doesn't bowl over it's litter mates to "explore" me. Inate temperament is huge, but I think environment also plays a large part in how your puppy develops his personality.

Good luck to you, if you decide on a poodle. I could not imagine life without mine now!

 

[FloofyPoodle]

As has been said above, it really depends on the Poodle. My Fluffy is a velcro dog that literally darts to me the second I come into the room. Without getting into too much detail, he came into my life at a time when I was younger and very down in the dumps to the point of being unhealthy. It didn't happen immediately, but he eventually sparked that joy in me again with a lot of cuddles and eye gazing and helped me get mostly past a lot of mental issues. It's hard to feel alone when you've got a little fuzzball slapping around the room making booming noises with all of his 2 pounds and asking you to play with him with tiny barks. If you've got a lonely kid, a carefully selected Poodle is very, very good medicine.

 

[Spottytoes]

I’m sure it depends upon the dog. Bobby always wants to be by us, watch us, do stuff with us and often touch us but he definitely is not over the top. He is especially cuddly when he wants something, when it‘s time to eat when we are reunited after a separation, even if it’s just a little bit. Went to the store? It’s like we’ve been gone hours or days! He is very, very affectionate and craves the contact in the ways described above. He loves being with us but he does not suffer separation anxiety and does well with being left at home and being left with others. He has become more and more affectionate as he is maturing. He will be 2 at the end of this month. He is super cuddly in the morning and always cuddles by my side when I have my morning coffee. When we got Bobby as a 9 week old pup I would describe him as middle of the road. He wasn’t pushy nor overly shy. He made immediate eye contact, in a very big way and it has been like this ever since. He is a very, high eye contact dog. I would say the physical, cuddly behavior took a little time to develop as he was a super busy puppy. Anyways affectionate but grew into the cuddly dog that he is now. He is definitely not aloof, at all, except periodically to a stranger he may not be sure of. He is also equally affectionate and cuddly with both my husband and myself. He adores my gown children and their families. He shares his love quite nicely.

 

[cowpony]

I think it varies on the dog. My boy Snarky would happily pretzel himself against the legs of anyone who seemed likely to give him attention. My boy Pogo was more aloof with strangers, but he was very affectionate with his chosen humans. Snarky liked people simply because they were people. Pogo liked people because he could play with them. Pogo had no use for people who didn't want to play training games or throw a tennis ball for him. Both of them would come up to us and rest their heads on our laps.

I think my puppy Galen is going to be somewhere in between. He doesn't have Snarky's instant desire to throw himself into the arms of a stranger. However, unlike Pogo, he does want to stop and watch people. He is delighted when a stranger wants to play ball, but he's less thrilled when a stranger wants to pet him. He is starting to come up to me now at random times to rest his head on my leg the way my previous pair did.

As far as whether a poodle puppy will comfort a lonely girl, well, maybe. Although poodles are exceedingly intelligent, they will never be able to discuss boy bands, giggle at TikTok videos, braid her hair, or share so many other things that girls get from their relationships with each other. However, puppies will always be up for playing a game.

A caution, puppies are needy, selfish, and self-centered. Poodleforum has many threads from shell-shocked puppy owners struggling with their fluffy, wailing, peeing, biting little bundles of destruction. My husband and I referred to Galen as "the little monster" for his first few months, as Galen approached the entire world as something to be explored with his teeth. I knew he'd grow out of this phase, and indeed he mostly has, but boy howdy was it exhausting when we were in the thick of it. I think I would have been really depressed if I hadn't had previous puppy experience.

I don't know your family's dynamics or if puppy blues are something that will faze you. You might want to look for an adult dog, perhaps one from a rescue with a network of good foster families, if you are looking to bypass the destructo-puppy phase. Adult dogs can come with their own quirks, but their emotional maturity tends to make them more ready to immediately get down to the work of relationship building.

 

[Raindrops]

I think you see more variety in poodles than you would in, say, golden retrievers. Some may have that golden-like love but I think many are a bit more subtle in their affection. My dog (though a mini) I would say is very affectionate and does like to snuggle but he would not do so well with young children because he is not the type of dog to put up with rude human behavior. He requires respectful interaction or he will avoid the human. He would be fine with older children that could understand this. I think the most important thing to a child developing a good relationship with a poodle is teaching them how to interact with the dog and having them be involved in training. Dogs bond to those who train them and do things with them. A poodle is capable of an extremely intimate, close relationship with their human.

 

[Oonapup]

I agree with others that poodles vary and that if you want a cuddly dog, try to select a cuddly puppy. In my experience poodles are more cuddly and affectionate on average than, say, a sighthound, who might be aloof with almost everyone except their chosen person/people. The poodles that I've known have mostly been friendly and loving but not all have been snugglers. Even the less snuggly, more playful poodles I've known have enjoyed a little head scratches on the knee during down time.

Oona, who is my own first poodle, is only 14 weeks but is turning out to be the wonderful snuggler I had hoped for. She loves to be near me and in my lap, or rubbing on my legs, and to be scratched, patted, belly rubs, etc, and she prefers to fall asleep nearby or touching me if she has the choice, but when she's had enough, she moves away to sleep or play. She is quite cuddly like this with her immediate family members but so far still a little reserved with strangers. She has gotten to the point of being friendly and accepting pats from others outside our household but doesn't seek out strangers' physical attention yet, and may not wind up that kind of personality. We'll see.

The golden/poodle contrast that others have brought up is a good one - goldens are probably a better bet if affection is your # 1 priority - but I have to say I prefer the style of snuggling I've experienced with poodles - enthusiastic but not overzealous or demanding (Your mileage may vary! I've known several poodles well, but not that many individuals in total). And I can't handle the golden coat. My in-laws' golden retriever will sit right on your feet or in your lap if he can, and request continuous patting, to the point of turning around and staring pointedly at you if you stop the pats, or, my MIL reports that he gently takes her hand and puts it back on him. He will take what affection you offer and ask for more until you tell him to leave you alone. Even the cuddly poodles I've met have not been as much of a bottomless pit for affection. At the same time, he only does this with people he knows indulge him (ahem, who me?), and willingly goes to settle down elsewhere when told to by my FIL.

 

[Charlie's Person]

I am looking into getting a standard poodle as a new addition to the family, especially for my daughter. She feels so lonely and I feel like getting a family dog will help her. Are poodles affectionate and loving dogs or are they a more independent breed that likes to keep to themselves?

Our Charlie (Spoo) is the most loving dog I have owned. He constantly moves from room to room to keep us in sight, without getting underfoot. We had several Standard Schnauzers before him, who were loving but quite aloof in comparison. Yet Charlie is very observant and doesn't harass us for attention when we are busy, just quietly places himself nearby. He is content to wait in the truck, trailer or house if we need to leave him, and delighted to welcome us back. When I have time to play with him, he is endlessly entertaining without being overwhelming.

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