[fjm]

She is top end for a UK toy - close to 11 inches - which would make her oversized for a US toy. She weighs just over 4 kilos, which is just under 9 pounds. It's a good size - small enough to be picked up easily, to fit comfortably into a canvas crate in the back of the car, and to dunk paws in a washing up bowl, but big enough to be reasonably safe out and about. She is an athletic little dog - we have recently got into agility, which she loves, and I would love to try scent work with both of them.

I love my tinies, but I do sometimes crave a larger dog. We met a lovely leggy miniature a few weeks ago - almost a small standard in size - that I really fell in love with.

 

[terrym2442]

Sweet- your dogs are beautiful. So hey, why not get a third? : )

 

[dogdragoness]

I know this is kind of an old thread but I am glad I found this, because I am currently looking at both the poodle and the PWD, and what might make me decide to go PWD is that I have heard from many people (poodle owners included) that poodles can be picky eaters (where PWD owners say their dogs are quite the opposite) and that they have to rotate foods often, I can't do this, since my current boy has a really sensitive stomach, and takes for ever to "get used" to a food, and switching all the time would cause his little tummy to be very upset

Is this true? are all poodles picky? or is this just the smaller varieties?

 

[MiniPoo]

I have had both mini poodles and also Portuguese Water Dogs. Because of my hubby's allergies, we have to have dogs that do not shed. My mini poodle in the 90's was from a backyard breeder and had several health issues and died at 4-1/2 years. So I switched over to PWDs. I have had 3 PWDs since then, currently have 2 PWDs, one curly (Phoenix) and one wavy (Neeka).

Of the 3 PWDs I have had, one has been a picky eater and it turned out that he had Addison's disease. My current two have good appetites although Neeka has a mild case of Addison's.

Because I am older, and 2 out of 3 of my PWDs had Addisons, I wanted a smaller dog. So I switched back to mini poodles but made sure I was very careful to get the dog from a good breeder this time.

My mini poodle Dakota has a very very good appetite and at a little over a year, he is very healthy.

I do not think you can generalize so much about the appetites of either poodles or PWDs. I might say that PWDs have a high incident of Addisons based on my limited experience of 3 PWDs. But I think if you get a poodle from a breeder who does as much testing as possible and does some performance sports (agility, obedience), what you will get is a high energy dog that can easily keep up with your current dogs and will most likely have a very good appetite to go with it.

I would definitely not say all poodles are picky. YOU need to be picky about which breeder you get your dog from.

 

[117267]

Is this true? are all poodles picky? or is this just the smaller varieties?

My poodle is not picky at all! However, she is a very polite eater, not a pushy chowhound like our golden retriever.

 

[JudyD]

Neither of my standards is the least bit picky. They'll eat anything I give them. Cast iron stomachs.

 

[Streetcar]

My oversize Toy has a voracious appetite for anything anytime, well, maybe not for lettuce and celery. But he does like the kitty grass I buy for my cat.

 

[FireStorm]

You know, for the first part of Hans's life I really thought he was picky, but I think the biggest difference is that he just won't overeat. Dogs I've had in the past would eat themselves sick if they had the chance, but Hans stops when he's had enough. If we have a lazy day, or he's had some sort of extra snack, he doesn't eat as much or he skips a meal.

Also, poodles are naturally quite thin, so it's easy to worry that they aren't eating enough. However, my vet keeps assuring me that Hans is a healthy weight, and if he doesn't finish his food every now and then he'll be fine (he's eating a good quality food and has a clean bill of health so it's not an issue with food quality or health problems). So, my experience has been similar to zooeysmom's. It just might be a bit of an adjustment, if you are used to a voracious eater and/or a stockier breed.

I also think it's worth keeping in mind that all the poodles who happily eat what they're fed don't get discussed nearly as much as the picky, difficult ones.

 

[Viking Queen]

You know, for the first part of Hans's life I really thought he was picky, but I think the biggest difference is that he just won't overeat. Dogs I've had in the past would eat themselves sick if they had the chance, but Hans stops when he's had enough. If we have a lazy day, or he's had some sort of extra snack, he doesn't eat as much or he skips a meal.

Also, poodles are naturally quite thin, so it's easy to worry that they aren't eating enough. However, my vet keeps assuring me that Hans is a healthy weight, and if he doesn't finish his food every now and then he'll be fine (he's eating a good quality food and has a clean bill of health so it's not an issue with food quality or health problems). So, my experience has been similar to zooeysmom's. It just might be a bit of an adjustment, if you are used to a voracious eater and/or a stockier breed.

I also think it's worth keeping in mind that all the poodles who happily eat what they're fed don't get discussed nearly as much as the picky, difficult ones.

I would have to agree that Iris is much like Hans. She self regulates on quantity of food and likes good quality food. Not too keen on veggies, but there are some that she will eat. Quite unlike my beagles I have had who will hoover up anything and everything, given a chance......regardless of whether they have had thwir usual meals or not. They would eat themselves sick, given the opportunity. Not my Spoo. I do prefer her more careful eating habits. VQ

 

[Sadie Girl]

Not picky

My 11year old standard isn't the least bit picky about her food. Has a fairly cast iron stomach as well as evidenced by the five partially thawed kielbasa (sausages) that she devoured off the counter. Ive adapted to her counter surfing now. Then there was the pound of Godiva chocolates that she ate one Christmas Eve while I was at church! Someone didn't tell me what was in the presents they had sent. She survived that as well, but chocolates are off limits for both of us.

 

[aasteapots]

I have a toy and a standard and they will eat ANYTHING! I MEAN ANYTHING you give them. Meat,fruit, veggies, kibble, canned food,treats of any kind. The only thing my toy will snub her nose at is the cheap type of dog biscuit( think milk-bone) but the standard will eat them!

 

[Locket]

The three poodles in my life have all been easy feeders, and the fosters I've had have also been easy, though it can take some convincing sometimes.

I think it's more common to "create" a picky eater than it is for a dog to be born a picky eater.

 

[kayla_baxter]

I've had two minis, the first can be a little picky with kibble but that's because she was raw fed initially as a puppy and obviously prefers that to kibble, but a few days of tough love and she was back to normal eating. The second is a garbage disposal. He's raw fed, but gets just as excited if there's plain dry kibble in his bowl. He'll eat anything and his stomach tolerates anything.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dogdragoness]

Thank you all for all the wonderful info, I am sorry if my question might have offended anyone, I assure you all that was not my intention.

My hubby's dog (a rescued cattle dog mix, pictured below in my siggy) is a very picky eater, so I was trying to avoid having two dogs like that in the house, LOL. My boy however is a hoover and will eat anything, I can even put any pills he might have to get into his food and he will hoover them down right along with his food .

Aside from that, training and temperament wise, how to PWD and poodles differ? I have been told (and I mean no offense by this, this is merely with other dog people have said to me) that PWD typically have more drive than poodles, is this true?

Also Addison's disease, I have read that PWD have a higher instance of Addison's than any size of poodle, even spoos. Is this also true?

 

[Locket]

The PWDs I've met and had in daycare are a lot of dog! They're rough, tough, very confident, and have endless energy. They can be really vocal too. I would say that overall PWDs have more drive than poodles, but you can find poodle lines with good drive too.

I find poodles are a bit more "brainy" generally. Not that PWDs aren't smart, I just find they can be more act first, think second. Poodles, at least in my experience, are very calculating, and definitely think things through before just throwing themselves off of something or into to something.
I also think poodles are softer temperamentally.

 

[FireStorm]

I have never had or known any PWD, but I know there's at least one member here who has both (MiniPoo), so hopefully she'll chime in. From what I've heard, the temperaments of the two breeds are pretty similar.

As for poodle drive, I think it varies quite a bit from dog to dog and from bloodline to bloodline. Hans is very high drive because we wanted that...he reminds me a bit of some of the Malinois I've known, but more retriever-y. On the other hand, his littermate is a service dog, and much more mellow. I do think some poodle breeders who are breeding specifically for hunting or performance probably have higher drive dogs overall.

 

[dogdragoness]

I have heard from people who have had PWD, poodles and breeds like aussies, that PWD are more like aussies, only non-shedding. My current dog is like that, he is very rough, tough confident (but friendly), and has endless energy and VERY mouthy even now at 18 months LOL.

Our female OTOH, is very soft, submissive, and low energy and he bullies her to the point where they have to be separated, so I have him in mind as well when looking for next dog as much as myself, I want our next dog to be a god fit for him just as much as me.

 

[MiniPoo]

PWDs are similar in size to a Standard Poodle but they have a longer back like a lab. If you are looking for a smaller dog than a Standard Poodle, then the PWDs are not for you. That is something you will have to decide.

As far as temperament, 2 of my 3 PWDs were laid back and very mild mannered but playful dogs. So when I got my 3rd PWD, I went looking for a smaller PWD (Neeka is about 40 lbs) and I wanted a healthy one. Other than that, I expected Neeka to be the same laid back dog as the first 2 PWDs. I was very very wrong.

The first 2 PWDs came from show breeder who did not do a lot of performance sports (other than swimming, which PWDs are really good for). But Neeka came from a performance breeder who bred drivey dogs. I did not realize that when I got her. She bit my older dogs and was so so energetic that I thought she was too much for us and I wanted to give her back to the breeder. My hubby said he would leave me and take Neeka with him. So I had to make it work. I tethered her to me to keep the other dogs safe. I made her eat last while she watched them eat. We took her to obedience classes. And she got older. By one year of age, she was safe to be loose in the house with the other dogs. She is a sweet, loving dog and I am extremely glad we kept her.

Now for poodles. My first mini poodle was very playful and sweet and never drove me crazy. I had hoped when I got Dakota he would be the same. Wrong again. I had chosen another performance breeder because I felt she had really healthy dogs. Dakota was as drivey as Neeka and all the techniques I learned with Neeka as a puppy I had to re-use for Dakota. Again, at almost one year of age, things improved immensely and he is now pretty safe to be around the older dogs. I still crate him when I leave the house and let the PWDs go free, just as a precaution. Dakota is used to it and doesn't seem to mind.

I would say comparing Dakota to Neeka, both from performance breeders, that Dakota has more drive than Neeka. He is a retrieving maniac, and he was a lot less energetic than his brother that I almost took.

So when comparing PWDs to poodle, decide which size you want. If you want smaller than a standard, then a PWD is probably not right for you. PWDs are very strong dogs as are Standard Poodles. A high energy PWD or Standard Poodle is not for the faint of heart. It is easier to handle a high energy small dog that can't pull you off your feet or head butt you onto the floor.

Then if you WANT a drivey, energetic dog to play with your Aussie, whichever breed you choose, look for a performance breeder. Then expect to have your hands full for the first year.

Also, have baby gates on hand and use a leash if you find the puppy starts to bully your low energy heeler mix. It is just hard for the first 8-10 months and then your puppy will mature enough to be better behaved around Josefina.

I hope this helps.

 

[MiniPoo]

Also Addison's disease, I have read that PWD have a higher instance of Addison's than any size of poodle, even spoos. Is this also true?

It is hard to say if Addison's is more common in PWDs than poodles. Two of my 3 PWDs had Addisons, one with a severe case and the other mild.

On the PF, there are several standard poodles that have been diagnosed with Addison's.

Just from my personal experience, I would say Addison's was high in PWDs.

I went to PWDs after my mini poodle in the 90's had a severe case of epilepsy, which is not a frequent problem in PWDs. But I do love poodles and wanted the smaller sized poodle, so I took a chance again with them and just made sure I was careful about which breeder I chose.

Since generalizations about poodles and PWDs are just that: generalizations. It is the breeder and what type of dogs she breeds that is really important. You need to ask the breeder what type of dogs she produces: laid back or high energy? Does she do performance sports? Has there been any history of Addison's or epilepsy in her dogs?

Both PWDs and poodles are great breeds. So pick your size and then pick a good breeder for what you want.

 

[Lexigirl]

I have had 2 tpoos, one tpoo mix, and one spoo, our current dog, Jade, who is 10. Here are the diffs between tpoo's and spoo's which I have noticed. This is just my experience.

Our spoo is smart as a whip (able to open zipped back packs, extract granola bars, unwrap them and eat them, all in secret), barks at the front door with ferocious fervor, as it is her mission in life to guard the house, and, man, does she go nuts when the UPS man shows up, (she actually starts barking when he turns on to our street and she hears his truck). But she will shut up when told and has never actually been aggressive with a person. She does tend to be leash reactive around other dogs, but I blame myself for that more than her. She is a wonderful dog, but she is the only non-Velcro dog we have ever had. She knows where I am at all times, but doesn't have to be there with me. She rarely seeks out attention from us, and actually dislikes having her head touched, though she isn't aggressive about it, she just turns away. She is very independent, and is aloof with strangers, but not aggressive. She is what I call a utilitarian eater--she eats enough to maintain a healthy weight, but doesn't overeat, even if her food is left down all the time. She was a breeze to housetrain--probably took a week all told. She was 12 weeks old when we got her.

In contrast, our tpoos have always been total Velcro cuddlebugs who want to be with us, on us, near us all the time. They slept in our beds, next to us on the couch, and never at our feet--always touching us. They were all smart, but not the scary smart we saw in Jade, and one tpoo in particular was very, very difficult to housebreak--probably took a year, and then she was only 90% there. All of our tpoos were super people dogs, to the point where I would have neighborhood kids knocking at the door to visit with them. One was a big barker, especially when the doorbell rang, and had to be told to be quiet, repeatedly, after the person came in. But she would eventually shut up, and before long would be on the visitor's lap, soaking up the love. One tpoo was a pig, and would eat pretty much anything and everything she could get her teeth on. The other was a utilitarian eater, like the spoo.

Hope this helps! Again, this is just my experience. Your mileage may vary.