page_title: Poodle
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Poodle / History
context_page_description: The Poodle is a dog breed that comes in three varieties: Standard Poodle, Miniature Poodle, and Toy Poodle. The origin of the breed is still discussed, with a prominent dispute over whether the poodle descends from Germany as a type of water dog, or from the French Barbet.
  Ranked second most intelligent dog breed just behind the Border Collie, the poodle is skillful in many dog sports and activities, including agility, obedience, tracking, herding, circus performance, and assistance dogs. Poodles have taken top honors in many conformation shows, including "Best in Show" at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 1991, 2002, and 2020 and at the World Dog Show in 2007 and 2010. They are recorded as the seventh most popular dog breed in the United States.
  Toy Poodles won "Best in Show" at Crufts in 1966 and 1982. Standard Poodles achieved the award in 1955, 1985, 2002, and 2014. The 2002 winner came from Norway and was the first overseas exhibit to win the Crufts best in show award.
context_section_description: 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.
  It was the principal pet dog of the late 18th century in Spain, as shown by the paintings of the Spanish artist Francisco Goya. France had toy poodles as pampered favorites during the reign of Louis XVI at about the same period, and there are definite records of them being present at Versailles even before Goya was active: Louis XVI's grandfather is recorded as having a favorite dog named Filou, a poodle, and there is potential evidence the Sun King kept them as well  
  The Fédération Cynologique Internationale, the international organization of which both France and Germany's main kennel clubs are members, claims the breed descends from the French Barbet. When the breed was officially recognized by the FCI, in order to avoid any possible dispute between two founding members, Germany recognized the Poodle as a dog originating from France. The progenitor of the breed might have also been crossed with the Hungarian Puli. The French name Caniche comes from the word cane (the female of the duck) since this type of breed was used as a water retriever mainly for duck hunting thanks to its swimming ability.
  The British Kennel Club states that the breed originates in Germany, as do the American Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel Club, stating: "Despite the Poodle’s association with France, the breed originated as a duck hunter in Germany..." The Oxford English Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary both trace the etymology of Poodle to the German Pudel, which itself comes from Pudelhund. The word Pudel in turn comes from Low German pud(d)eln meaning "[to] splash in water," cognate with the English word puddle.
  The poodle has contributed to many other dog breeds, such as the Miniature Schnauzer, Standard Schnauzer, and dogs of the Bichon type in order to either save those breeds from extinction, reduce size, or by dog fanciers to improve their appearance. The Poodle also is believed to be an ancestor or potential ancestor of the Irish Water Spaniel, the Curly Coated Retriever, and the Pudelpointer, all of which are hunters of birds.
caption: A 17th-century engraving of a poodle
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