[Kurt Burke]

We want another dog. I have always had retrievers, but I know she would really like to get a standard poodle. I have never even considered a poodle, not sure why exactly. She suggested a goldendoodle or something similar as a compromise. Nothing against the doodles, but, meh... I am open to trying new things as our Golden, Burt, also needs a friend. Please talk me into the poodle?

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Peggy is an excellent retriever. She has a soft mouth and good drive, but—most importantly—she also has an off switch. Twenty minutes of fetch and she's sprawled on the couch, snoozing soundly. Did I mention she's only 11 months old?

Oh, and poodles are smart. Like, creepy smart. If you have good calm energy, a gentle touch, and a genuine interest in dog behaviour, the sky's the limit for what you can train your poodle to do. Peggy learns tricks in seconds.

Caveat:
Poodles like to be with their humans. This is not the dog for you if you want to pay them a few minutes of attention at the end of a long work day and then go off and do something else. They also require a lot of grooming. But if you keep your poodle clipped short, they're easy-peasy. And—for better or worse—no one will know it's a poodle!

Here's mine. Most people assume she's a doodle or spaniel mix.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

P.S. A golden doodle means neither of you get what you want. My advice? Choose the coat and temperament that's the best fit for your lifestyle—Golden Retriever or Standard Poodle—and go with one from an excellent breeder, from health-tested parents. Otherwise your chances of getting a sick, neurotic, worst-of-both-worlds dog go way up.

Most doodle breeders aren't working with the best parents because reputable breeders want to preserve their beloved breed and won't sell to anyone who would intentionally breed away from that. I've learned a lot about this since joining Poodle Forum, so you've definitely come to the right place.

 

[For Want of Poodle]

I would rather see you get a poodle or a golden from a good breeder that health tests than a doodle.... I like both breeds, not a fan of most of the doodles I know.

I do think my poodle is smarter than her golden friends

But really depends what you want in a dog. If you like the lower energy lines of retrievers, a poodle may not be for you. Mine reminds me more of my aunts hunting line labrador retrievers than my cousins' non hunting line labs.

My standard's breeder used to breed goldens, and switched to poodles, so obviously likes both.

As convincing for poodles- if you like the retriever part, check out Louter Creek and Tuderose poodles to see some in action. If you like the pet side, check out some YouTube videos of poodles in agility, obedience, etc.

 

[Kurt Burke]

Peggy & For Want, yes I am totally OK with the energy level of a poodle vs. a golden. (Although Burt used to get down and dirty on a regular basis in his younger days!)

How often do they want to be groomed, especially in 90+ degree summer days? Burt doesn't seem to mind as long as he can camp out on tile or cool cement or even just a shady spot outdoors

 

[lily cd re]

Poodles are retrievers. Both of mine love retrieving above almost every other play activity they partake of. You will enjoy a standard poodle. They aren't the easiest puppies in the world. They like to try to outsmart us, but they will entertain you even while they are being mischief makers.

 

[Mfmst]

Welcome Burt! I live in Houston and keep Buck in a short clip, year round. He goes to the groomer every 4 weeks, mainly b/c I don’t really have good options for bathing. A lot of our members groom their own dogs. Unless they roll in something or get sprayed by a skunk, they don’t smell and no tufts of fur in corners or on your clothes. They are retrievers, so if you get a poodle your wife won’t have to compromise and your record will be intact. They can do so much more than that because they’re incredibly smart. I hope you get a poodle.

 

[Raindrops]

Welcome! Goldens and poodles are both great breeds and you can't go wrong as long as you go with a really good breeder that breeds for temperament, structure, and health. Most people groom poodles every 4-6 weeks. The ease of maintenance is entirely dependent on the coat clip, but you do have to commit to regular maintenance as it is required. I'm sure your wife is familiar with dealing with the poodle coat.

I would also strongly recommend against a doodle. As others have said, reputable breeders refuse to sell their dogs to doodle breeders, which just about guarantees that doodle breeders aren't using the best quality parents when they breed. That's why many doodles are riddled with health problems. Doodles are also unpredictable in temperament and coat. Some are lovely dogs, while others have very poor temperaments. Some shed and others don't. Non shedding doodles are often 75% poodle anyway, so at that point why not get the real thing? Many doodles also have a coat that mats very easily.

 

[For Want of Poodle]

If kept shaved- very little grooming, just a shave down every 4-6 weeks. If you or your wife succumb to the ' oh but the dog would look so pretty with longer hair and a fancy clip" bug like I did.... more time, an hour+ of combing each day until I get frustrated and shave down the dog and start over again. I am still debating a practical retriever clip like this dog for the summer, but I love the long ear and head look...

 

[Raindrops]

If kept shaved- very little grooming, just a shave down every 4-6 weeks. If you or your wife succumb to the ' oh but the dog would look so pretty with longer hair and a fancy clip" bug like I did.... more time, an hour+ of combing each day until I get frustrated and shave down the dog and start over again. I am still debating a practical retriever clip like this dog for the summer, but I love the long ear and head look...

Yes I love the ease of maintenance with this clip, but I also have let Misha grow out since! But he did look nice.

 

[Dianaleez]

Do you train and hunt with your retrievers? A poodle with a short 'retriever cut' would still be a retriever. I grew up with retrievers and found that they are more self-contained and less people-centric than poodles.

Think of it this way - your retriever is going lie in his bed in your den and look great doing it; your poodle is happiest sitting on the sofa with you.

btw, we keep our mini in a retriever clip and strangers assume that he's a Golden Doodle.

 

[Asta's Mom]

Welcome - Through my childhood we had retrievers and they were worked on hunts. Especially loved one of out our black great Labs - "Wildflower's Cover Girl." Covey went deaf and couldn't hunt anymore and was miserable everytime she had to stay home so I decided even at my young age I would try to teach her hand signals and quite to my Dad's and Uncle's amazement that I had even thought about it. Much Much work - everyday after school and she picked up and was able to go back hunting. Since then I have mostly had springer spaniels - another really good hunting dogs if from field lines, which mine were.
Now that I have a poodle- I couldn't ask for anything better. My Asta is so smart and loving, intuitive and helpful to me more than can be imagined.

 

[Mfmst]

My husband can’t abide the show clips. They AKC requires them, which I think discourages a lot of potential owners. There is a beautiful athlete underneath those grooms. Since you’ve had working dogs and your wife has had poodles, you are miles ahead on training experience. I went from Scottie’s, down in the 60’s on canine IQ scale to the #2... I don’t see any downside in a well bred poodle for you.

 

[cowpony]

Poodles are amazingly athletic dogs. The one that sold my husband on the breed used to come on 10 mile trail rides with us, running next to the horses. The poodle and his Aussie buddy would get a quick drink and request a game of fetch after we got back.

Most people don't realize my boy Pogo (and his late brother Snarky) are poodles. I insisted on undocked tails, so they never had the poodle pom-pom. Additionally, they were spotted, like the pictures of Peggy above, with an additional fun feature of light eyebrows like you'd see on a pinscher or German Shepherd.

I agree about avoiding doodles. The original labradoodles were bred as service dogs. The lab part came from a good service dog line, and the poodle part was selected with care. Unfortunately, that care and lineage is often not what you get with modern doodles. Some of the labradoodles I've met have been amazingly stupid dogs. As in, gets lost in a pasture because it can't find its way to the open gate level of stupid. Likewise, I've met a few goldendoodles with that hyper mindlessly frenetic temperament found in ill-bred Golden retrievers and Irish setters.

 

[sswesey]

standards are amazing athletes and retrievers. We play ball and or frisbee every day. They are super easy to train - just research it and stick with a plan.
They love their people and will be super loyal. They are great with other dogs, cats children and love people. They make a great running partner. They are a proud dog and like to be groomed. We have a miniature, Leo.. my husbands dog - He was not too keen on the idea but did it for me. Leo is a wonderful dog and my husband just loves him..He is very smart. He wonders why he did not buy one before. I bought a standard from an awesome breeder in Florida, Poodle majesty. She was bred for looks and temperament. She is super smart, funny, fun and sweet. If you do not want to spend much time with the dog a poodle would not be your thing. You can groom them short or let their hair grow out. Most people do not know what they are if you don't do the fancy groom which I like.. They need to be combed out daily but they tend to like it. Been the best decision i have mad in a long time. She has been wonderful companion during the last 6 week quarintine.

 

[Liz]

Thank you all for the love letters to poodles. As I sit on the couch early on a cool Saturday morning, cuppa in hand, and aging spoo by my side (having co-opted a throw pillow as a head rest, so that she can better keep an eye on my as I wander back and forth to the kitchen), I'm reminded of past adventures: farms with horses and goats; acres of woods surrounding lakes, rivers and streams; frozen tundra and bounding through knee deep snow; rocky deserts and prickly plants; and friends -- so many friends of all shapes and sizes, and especially the trio of spoo saplings that we spend time with even now during the pandemic. Each looks to her for guidance, checking in with her (not the humans!) on hikes, taking their cues from her even as they run circles around all of us. She can't keep up with them, of course, but she gives me a special smile during these rendezvous that I like to think means more than just "I'm happy," but also "Thank you."

 

[Fenris-wolf]

Welcome!! I don't think I can add to anything that has already been said, but it can be a lot of fun owning a Poodle. Mine likes to have fun and a good time and be included in almost everything.

 

[Kurt Burke]

Welcome - Through my childhood we had retrievers and they were worked on hunts. Especially loved one of out our black great Labs - "Wildflower's Cover Girl." Covey went deaf and couldn't hunt anymore and was miserable everytime she had to stay home so I decided even at my young age I would try to teach her hand signals and quite to my Dad's and Uncle's amazement that I had even thought about it. Much Much work - everyday after school and she picked up and was able to go back hunting. Since then I have mostly had springer spaniels - another really good hunting dogs if from field lines, which mine were.
Now that I have a poodle- I couldn't ask for anything better. My Asta is so smart and loving, intuitive and helpful to me more than can be imagined.

I really like Springers too, what great hunters! Unfortunately, I don't have the free time I once had to be out on a daily basis with the dog(s). The new family addition will be alone with Burt often during days while my wife and I are both at work (3-4 days a week). There will likely be dogsitters involved, neighbors' children are both home from college. Hoping this changing environment isn't too much for any puppy, let alone a poodle.

 

[Kurt Burke]

My husband can’t abide the show clips. They AKC requires them, which I think discourages a lot of potential owners. There is a beautiful athlete underneath those grooms. Since you’ve had working dogs and your wife has had poodles, you are miles ahead on training experience. I went from Scottie’s, down in the 60’s on canine IQ scale to the #2... I don’t see any downside in a well bred poodle for you.

Glad to hear your thoughts. My minor issue is time commitment, but that would be a factor with any dog, no? I'm trying to convince myself.

 

[Raindrops]

Glad to hear your thoughts. My minor issue is time commitment, but that would be a factor with any dog, no? I'm trying to convince myself.

I think any intelligent sporting breed will be a similar time commitment. Poodles have a great off switch as long as you train it in early and make sure they get plenty of outlets for their mind and body. Puppies need more breaks, but after they get to 6 months or so they should be fine with a moderate work schedule. Good communication with a good breeder should ensure you get a pup best suited to your home.