Standard Poodle

At a glance:

• Height: 22 to 27 inches
• Weight: 45 to 70 lbs
• Color: Cream,cafe’-au-lait, apricot, gray, blue, brown, silver
• Life Expectancy: 12-15 years
• Average litter: 8
• Grooming: Demanding
• Exercise: Medium
• Temperament: Sparky and cheerful

History :

The Standard Poodle is considered to have originated in france and is said to have descended from the Barbet which is a virtually extinct French water dog and the Hungarian water hound. The breed derives its name form the German word Pundel meaning one who plays in water.

The Standard Poodle was originally used in France as well as in Germany to retrieve waterfowls. They were employed as gun dogs by hunters who clipped thier coats leaving fur on the legs and joints in order to provide protection form frigid waters. Their high intelligence and trainability was effectively used by the French for circus performances. The Toy and Miniature varieties of the Poodle were created through the crossing of the Standard Poodle with smaller dogs.

Physical Representation:

The Standard Poodle is an elegant medium to large sized dog, squarely built with a symmetrical body. The wire haired coat is abundant and curls naturally. The rounded skull has a somewhat distinct stop and the mouth closes in a distinct scissors bite. The wide ears hang close to the head and the oval shaped eyes are usually have a dark hue. The feet are small in comparison to the rest of the body but at the same time are very compact. The coat is groomed into three styles known as the Pet clip, English Saddle clip and the Continental clip. In the Pet clip the coat is maintained with short hair all over the body whereas in the Continental and English Saddle clip the rear half of the body is shaved leaving portions of hair around the ankles and pompoms on the hips and tail.

Type of work the breed does:

The Standard Poodle was originally used as a gun dog and for the retrevial of waterfowl. However, today they are bred exclusively as companion pets and show dogs.

Personality and Temperament:

The Standard Poodle has a happy, playful and lively personality. They are inherently good natured with proud and dignified mannerisms. Being highly intelligent they are very easy to train. They are excellent companions for children and readily take to other pets. The Standard Poodle needs companionship and does not like being left alone for prolonged periods of time. This breed is friendly with strangers as well but can also be trained to be good guard dogs.

Care:

This breed requires a lot of maintenance and needs to be groomed extensively. Baths should be given regularly and trimming is necessary every six weeks or so. The ears should be checked regularly for infection and parasites and the teeth need to be scaled once in a while as well. The shed little or no fur.

Living Environment:

The Standard Poodle can easily adapt to apartment life but a small yard for them to run freely about will be ideal.

Electric Dog Containment:

Standard Poodles do need an area to be able to exercise.  The electric dog fence system is a great for exercise and happy play.  In my experience, poodles adapt very well to these systems with the proper fence training.

Do not allow anyone to just shock these loving creatures.  It is not fair or necessary.  Proper dog fence training is the key.

Never, ever put a Standard Poodle puppy or any other puppy on these electric dog containment systems before at least 16 weeks of age.

Oct 14, 2009 | 0 | Dog Breeds, General Pet Info, Non-Sporting Dogs

Yorkshire Terriers

At a glance:

• Breed Group: Toys Group
• Height: 8 – 9 inches
• Weight: 4 – 7 lbs
• Color: They are born black and as adults are blue and tan.
• Life Expectancy: 13-14 years
• Average litter size: 3

History:

The Yorkshire Terrier was originally a product of crossing different small breeds in Yorkshire, England, which is also why the breed has the name it does. The breed was first shown in the beginning part of the 1860’s and that was the start of what we see today. It is believed that many small dogs used in the crossings which resulted in the present day breed came from Scotland with their owners during the mining period in England were the ancestors. However, that is hard to say because no documents were kept and there were no breed standards.

The type of work the breed does: 

Yorkshire Terriers were bred to kill rodents, such as mice or rats and was known as a “ratter” for this reason. They could also be used to some extent for hunting and tracking.  They are quite capable of digging holes in order to track. Today they are extremely popular as a pet, especially in cities and apartments.

Physical Representation:

The Yorkshire Terrier has a long, silky coat and under that coat there is a compactly built dog. The tail and head are held high when walking or doing something.

Personality and Temperament:

Yorkshire Terriers are very dominant, strong willed small dogs. They know no fear and tend to aggressively protect their territory. They are independent, but also need a lot of personal attention and companionship. They are very focused on their owner and show affection. Although they can get along with other pets and children, one has to have either older children or quiet pets, because otherwise the Yorkie will not be a happy dog.

Care:

The Yorkshire Terrier has a silky coat with long hair and you will have to brush through this hair every day. Many let the hair on the head grow long, and then tie it up with some kind of ribbon. However, if your Yorkie is not a show dog, it might be a good idea to have the hair shortened or even cut very short to make the daily grooming times shorter. The eyes and ears have a tendency to get dirty and should be cleaned on a regular basis, and the same goes for their teeth.

Living environment:

Yorkshire Terriers are small dogs and are perfect for those with a small apartment or for older people who cannot take long daily walks. This breed does not require a lot of exercise, but do love playing and attention. They especially love games tugging games where they can measure their power. They can be easily trained, but you might need to be patient because they are known for doing what they want to.

Containment:

The Yorkshire Terrier works well with electronic fencing as long as the trainer understands their temperament.

Mar 04, 2009 | 0 | Dog Breeds, General Pet Info, Toy Group Dogs