The Poodle is a formal dog breed that comes in three varieties:  Standard Poodle, Miniature Poodle, and Toy Poodle. The poodle is a breed that has been present in Europe for centuries in some form or another, and it first debuted on the Continent long before heading to the British Isles let alone North America or East Asia or Australia. Drawings by German artist Albrecht Dürer established the popular image of the breed in the 15th and 16th centuries. Further appearances in art are recorded by Rembrandt in a self portrait he created in 1631, with his pet poodle in the foreground. The breed would not have been a dog of the common man, but of the wealthier gentleman or royalty, evidenced by its role as a water spaniel and retriever from early on: these were not the pursuits of peasants and farmers. Unlike most dogs, which have double coats, poodles have a single-layer coat (no undercoat is present) composed of dense, curly fur that sheds minimally. Many breed registries allow only certain clips for poodles shown in conformation.