The Poodle love swimming and are highly agile, lively, and intelligent, making them easy to train. They are highly trainable and excel in various activities.
Unofficially, they are ranked second in intelligence, just after the Border Collie.
Like Labradors, Poodles have a strong desire to please their owners, making them ideal guide dogs, therapy dogs, and service dogs.
They can perform a wide range of tasks, from opening drawers and fetching keys to turning on lights and even picking up dropped credit cards.
Trainers are continually challenging their intelligence, even teaching them to recognize cue cards without any additional visual or auditory cues, responding to combinations of command words and image symbols. In terms of feeding, Poodles should have a diet rich in protein, with at least 150 grams of meat per day, supplemented with an equal amount of vegetables or biscuits.
They should also have access to fresh, clean water, and their food and bowls should be kept clean. Their coats require daily brushing with a soft wire brush and monthly trimming, as well as regular baths. Their hindquarters should be regularly trimmed, and their teeth and ears should be cleaned regularly.
Puppies are susceptible to illness, so it’s important to pay special attention to their health and hygiene. Daily play and brisk walks are essential to ensure they get enough exercise. It’s important to monitor their mental and physical well-being, including their energy levels, nose moisture, body temperature, appetite, bowel movements, and vocalizations, to ensure they remain healthy.
According to records, Poodles were introduced to England from the West Indies. When Queen Anne saw these dogs, with their little sleeves, dancing in groups to music, she liked them from the bottom of her heart. After that, Poodles of all sizes began to engage in dance performances. Their various expressions in circuses and dog shows were no less impressive than their dancing. They enjoy making people laugh, and people enjoy watching them play. The image of the Poodle gradually became ingrained in people’s minds, and there were more and more literary works reflecting the intelligence, nobility, and mystery of Poodles.
In the 1960s, before winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, the writer John Steinbeck wrote the masterpiece “Travels with Charley,” which brought the reputation of Poodles to its peak. “Travels with Charley” is a travelogue, and Charley is a French Poodle, a vivid character frequently encountered in modern and classical literature. Charley is charming but not frivolous, elegant but not pretentious, and handsome but not arrogant. If grace can make a person, then it is the noble bearing and beautiful appearance that make the Poodle.