Collection: Personalised Poodle Gifts

The Poodle is so many things, a family pet, a sharp working dog, a beautifully stylish fashion hound, this breed is one of the most versatile of all dog breeds and subdivided into three types, the Standard which is the largest, the Toy and the Miniature.

There are as many theories about the exact origin of this breed as there are curls in the Poodle’s coat. The fact remains that the Poodle is a tough breed with working heritage but is displayed sometimes as an animal of great beauty and delicacy. In France, they were employed to keep the hands of the wealthy warm and became known as ‘sleeve dogs’.

The Poodle breed has a long and ancient history with representations of the breed seen in Egyptian hieroglyphics dating back to well before BC. The consensus is that this breed originated in Germany even though it is commonly believed to be a French dog. The modern breed has different forms – Standard, Miniature and Toy - but it wasn’t until the 14th century that the toy version was developed.

As an active and trainable dog, Poodles were used for herding livestock and also to retrieve game, particularly from water as their tight coat offered them water repellent abilities. They became popular in travelling shows and circuses throughout the ages due to their trainability and this is when the fashion developed to sculpt their coats into different shapes. The Poodle influence can be seen in other breeds like the Curly Coated Retriever, the Irish Water Spaniel and the Pudelpointer.

After the Second World War, the Poodle was the height of fashion and was the most popular breed in the UK during the 1950s and 60s and is still hugely popular today, particularly as a cross with other breeds like Cocker Spaniels.

Smart and intelligent, the Poodle is trainable and an excellent hunter and unsurprisingly, they excel at dog agility and obedience training. They make a wonderful family pet as they lack the sharp corners associated with some of the working breeds and are happy and loyal companions.