Ten Best Dogs For Families

From The Reader's Digest Illustrated Book of Dogs

The first Poodles were large gun dogs with a special talent for retrieving birds from water. This distinguished past has since been virtually forgotten. The Poodle's French name, Caniche, probably derived from a common word for young ducks and the dogs that hunted them. The similarity of Poodle to the English word 'puddle' and to the German word Pudel (meaning 'one who plays in the water') evokes its former career of water-dog. Now known as Standard Poodles, these were the forerunners of the smaller Miniature and Toy breeds.

Poodles are still sheared in traditional fashion to resemble lions. At one time this practice was eminently sensible: the dogs could swim more easily with their long coats trimmed, and bands of hair left on the legs and forequarters protected joints and vital organs from the cold.

The Poodle appeared in art and literature as early as the thirteenth century, eventually serving as a model for such masters as Botticelli and Rembrandt. Its trainability and sense of fun have made it a favourite with circuses for centuries.

Whatever its size, the Poodle is a bright and amusing pet whose good nature and cleverness have won it enormous popularity throughout most of the world.

Practical information: The animated Poodle adores human company and dislikes solitude. Nonetheless, it is sensitive and nervous and may sometimes develop minor personality problems. The Poodle has a long life expectancy -- often surpassing the age of 15 years -- but frequently suffers in its later years from disorders of the eyes, skin, heart, or cerebro-vascular system. Its diet should be controlled according to the dog's size, It should be brushed several times a week and clipped every month or two. The ears must be cleaned regularly and the hair that grows inside them should be removed. The Poodle puppy's tail is docked at birth to two-thirds its length in Toys and Miniatures and to half its length in Standard dogs. The tail is not docked in corded dogs.

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