From: pastor@prc.unisys.com (Jon Pastor)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Re: Help on choosing a family dog
Date: 11 Sep 92 13:49:01 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: not much...

|> *	STANDARD POODLE.  We hear these are really intelligent and loyal.
|> 	Any comments you might have about the tradeoff between Grooming Hell
|> 	and the benefits of poodle ownership would be appreciated.
Intelligent -- without question, among the most intelligent breeds around. 
This is acknowledged by various kinds of pros, such as Konrad Lorenz (the
animal ethologist) and the leader of the obedience class to which we just took
Katie (when they wanted to demonstrate a new command, they'd almost invariably
pick Katie to demonstrate, knowing that she'd pick it up quickly and put on a
good show).  The down side of this is that they tend to be a little too smart
sometimes (smarter than their owner, sometimes...), and a little neurotic.  

"Grooming Hell" is what you let it be.  If you try to make the dog look like a
show poodle (IMHO, yuck), you'll be brushing and clipping constantly.  If you
leave the dog in what's variously called a puppy or working cut (looks like a
sheep, basically uniform length all around except maybe face, feet, topknot 
and tail), as long as you brush often enough to keep the fur un-tangled it
should be pretty easy to clip.  Note that not all poodles have the same hair
(not fur) characteristics: Fagin, our old one, had fairly coarse, springy hair
that was easy to clip even when matted; Katie has baby-fine hair, and can be
more of a challenge.

I'll address your specific points, and add a few other notes.

|> -	Good with kids 

Fagin was almost unbelievably good with our newborn son when  we brought him
(the child) home.  He would allow Richard to pull his ears and tail, pester him
while he ate, and take toys out of his mouth.  Needless to say, we prevented
this all when we could, but we were totally confident that Richard was safe. 
I think that Fagin was unusual, and Katie is a lot less gentle -- but she's
also about 1-1/2 and still acting like a big puppy.

|> -	Easy to care for fur

Tradeoff is easy to groom vs. easy on your vacuum-cleaner.  Poodles have hair,
not fur, which means that they need to be clipped, but also means that you
aren't wading through ankle-deep fur during high-shedding seasons.  They also
tend to smell less doggy than other breeds, in our experience, unless you let
them get *real* dirty.  Both of ours have tolerated baths pretty well, and
have been positively ecstatic after being cleaned or groomed: they go bounding
around the house, obviously delighted with themselves.

|> -	Responds well to obedience training

As noted, Katie picked up on the exercises in training class almost
immediately.  However, she's smart enough to figure out clever ways to
disobey, and strong-willed enough that she needs to be reminded occasionally
not to pull.  Fagin was docile and well-behaved when we got him as an adult
dog, and remained that way;  Katie is a firebrand, although she's calmed down
as she gets into her second year.

|> -	Doesn't bark too much

Both of ours have barked primarily -- if not exclusively -- when someone comes
to the door.

|> -	Loyal, friendly, good companion.

Yes, yes, and yes.  Again, different dogs are going to act differently.  Fagin
was gentle, and would let a troop of 5-year-olds fawn and fuss over him with
quiet pleasure; Katie wants to boogie with the kids.  Fagin, when we left him
in a kennel, would be a little stand-offish when we picked him up;  Katie
tries to lick your face, hands, and all other exposed parts of your body off,
while running around wagging her tail so hard you're afraid it will fly off. 
Poodles are extremely gregarious and sociable around people; Katie is also
this way around dogs, whereas Fagin could take or leave most dogs.  

------

I think that people tend to think of Poodles as sort of prissy, not "real
dogs".  This could not be farther from the truth.  Fagin, when he was young,
loved to fetch, wrestle with a chew-toy, and act silly.  Katie's middle name
is "act silly", and running is one of her favorite things to do.  She has a
buddy, a black Lab a little bigger and older than she is, and when the two of
them get together they go tearing around the yard, climbing on the play
equipment, and tussling really hard.  She learned pretty quickly to use the
equipment at a local playground -- she *loves* sliding boards, which she'll
run up and slide down; she'll occasionally roll a ball down and chase it.

One thing that I've noticed about both of ours is that they are sort of
indifferent to food, in general.  If they're hungry, they'll eat; otherwise,
they'll leave a bowl of food until it rots.  Of course, they'll eat any amount
of really good stuff, like fish, or liver, but dog food and cookies they'll
eat if they feel like it and otherwise not.  Both will approach a handful of
cookies, sniff them, and either select a particular one or leave them all
alone.  Most dogs, I think, would eat until they burst if allowed to do so.

There is a degree to which generalizations are appropriate, but I want to make
sure that you understand that while there are breed-specific characteristics,
there are also significant individual differences.  Fagin was quiet; Katie
vocalizes a lot -- grunts, growls, whines, and other noises.  Fagin was not
particularly affectionate, although he loved to be the target of affection;
Katie likes affection, but she'd lick your skin right off if you let her --
she's one of the most affectionate and "touch-y" dogs I've met.  Fagin was
incredibly gentle with everyone, all the time;  Katie is a hell-raiser, and
she likes to play rough.  Our son was 7 when we got her, and they went through
a period of establishing dominance where Katie was really pretty pushy, but we
talked Richard through the sorting out of who was top dog, and now they're
great buddies.  Richard didn't play much with Fagin, but he plays all the time
with Katie.

That's about all I can think of at the moment.  Get back to  me with specific
questions if you have any.  I can't think of any other kind of dog I'd rather
own, but tastes are tastes. 

Oh, yes -- both of ours were shelter dogs, and if you put in a request in
advance and are willing to wait, you probably can find a shelter Poodle too. 
We happened upon Fagin, and only had to wait a month for Katie.

Good luck.