A highly intelligent, athletic water retriever bred in three sizes, famous for its low-shedding curly coat and outstanding trainability. Friendly, eager to please, and excellent for active families.
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Educational only. KinStation content is reviewed by licensed veterinarians but cannot replace an in-person exam. Always consult a licensed veterinarian or board-certified specialist for diagnosis, treatment, or any decision affecting your pet's health.
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From the minimum an animal needs to be kept humanely, up to the ideal setup. Bigger is almost always better — minimums are floors, not targets.
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Minimum
Home with daily structured exercise
Apartment/house + 60 min daily exercise
Medium dogs need at least an hour of varied daily exercise — leashed walks plus off-lead play or training. Apartment living is workable only if exercise commitments are met every day; crate-train and allow supervised free-roam at home.
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Recommended
Home with fenced yard + training time
House + fenced yard + 60–90 min varied exercise
A home with a securely fenced yard, daily walks plus off-lead play, and ongoing training keeps a medium dog mentally satisfied. Add a sport or hobby (fetch, scent games, agility intro) for breeds with extra drive. High-drive working breed — the recommended tier still demands daily structured mental work (training, scent games, herding ball, fetch with rules), not just walks.
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Ideal
Active home with a job or sport
Suburban/rural home + secure yard + canine sport
Originally a water-retrieving gundog (standard) — field work, dock diving, or top-tier obedience suits the temperament; size varies (toy/mini/standard) — scale exercise accordingly. — ideal is acreage or rural property paired with a daily job or canine sport: herding stock, scent detection, agility, protection sport, sledding, gundog field work, or a structured working role. Without that outlet, expect destructive behaviour, reactivity, and welfare-relevant frustration.
Life & growth stages
How this animal changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.
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Newborn
Newborn mammals are nursed on their mother's milk. Many are born helpless — blind, deaf, and sparsely furred (altricial, as in dogs, cats, and rodents) — while others stand and follow within hours (precocial, as in hoofed livestock).
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Juvenile
After weaning, juveniles grow quickly and become increasingly active, playful, and independent. Adult coat, proportions, and (in many species) the permanent teeth come in as they approach full size.
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Adult
Adults reach full body size and sexual maturity, with the species' mature coat and build. Sexual dimorphism — differences in size, mane, horns, or markings — is pronounced in some mammals and subtle in others.
Senior
Senior animals show aging signs such as graying fur, reduced activity, and a greater need for veterinary monitoring of joints, teeth, and organ function. Lifespan and the onset of old age vary widely by species and size.
Color & pattern variants
Natural variants occur in the wild; selectively bred (man-made) variants were developed in captivity.
Adaptable across all sizes. Toys and Miniatures are well suited to apartments; Standards do best with room to move and ideally access to a yard. All variants are athletic and need **30-60+ minutes of daily exercise** plus mental enrichment — walks, swimming, fetch, scent work, or dog sports. A bored Poodle is a mischievous Poodle.
Diet
Feed a complete diet portioned to size and activity level; measure meals to prevent obesity, especially in Toy and Miniature variants. Standard Poodles are deep-chested and **bloat (GDV) prone** — feed measured meals, avoid heavy exercise immediately before/after eating, and discuss prophylactic gastropexy with your vet.
Behavior & temperament
Exceptionally intelligent and one of the most trainable breeds — quick to learn, responsive, and thrives on positive-reinforcement training and a job to do. High energy with good off-switch when exercised. Affectionate and people-oriented; generally good with children and other pets when socialized. Can be reserved or barky with strangers if under-socialized.
Health
Generally healthy but predispositions vary by size. Watch for **hip dysplasia and bloat/GDV in Standards**; **Legg-Calvé-Perthes, patellar luxation, and progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) in Toy/Miniature**. Also seen: sebaceous adenitis, Addison's disease, epilepsy, and von Willebrand disease. Recommended screening: hips, eyes (CERF/OFA), patellas (small variants), DNA tests for PRA and degenerative myelopathy.
Tips, DIY & hacks
The curly, continuously growing coat sheds minimally but is **high-maintenance**: brush several times weekly to prevent matting and schedule professional grooming every 4-6 weeks. Keep ears clean and dry (poodles are prone to ear infections) and pluck/clean as advised. Often described as hypoallergenic, but no dog is truly allergen-free. Channel their intelligence with training and activities to prevent boredom behaviors.
