Poodle 101: The Miniature Poodle

submitted: Jun 1st 2008 | by: LisaACollins | Total views: 13 | Word Count: 465 | PDF View | Print Article

Could that dog in the shelter be a Miniature Poodle? Recognizing a Poodle type dog is a lot more than just looking at what clip their coat is in. Most Miniature Poodles in shelters or breed rescues are not in the fancy show clips. But there are still ways to recognize a Miniature Poodle.

The Humane League of the United States estimates that twenty-five percent of all abandoned animals are purebreds. So, the odds of that shelter dog being a purebred Miniature Poodle are pretty high.

No Miniature Poodle will fulfill every requirement of the breed standard. If you are not sure what the Miniature Poodle breed standard is, even the one for Standard Poodles (the big guys) will suffice. They are identical except for size. A Miniature Poodle is between eleven and fifteen inches tall at the shoulder. They should ideally weigh from fifteen to seventeen pounds, but the shelter dog will most likely be less or more than that.

The best way to compare the shelter dog and the Miniature Poodle breed standard is to look at the dog's profile. The head should have a rounded or more domes top of the skull than most other breeds of dogs. The muzzle should be lean and somewhat pointed. The teeth should meet in a scissors bite. They eyes should be dark brown, but lighter shades of brown do occur. The ears should be floppy, rounded at the end and stay close to the head.

The breed standard is usually based on looking at a Poodle in profile. In profile, a Miniature Poodle should stand square, have a level topline (spine) and a profile that looks somewhat chiseled and not heavily jowled. The preferred eye color for the show ring is a dark brown, but much lighter eye colors happen often in pet Miniature Poodles. The ears are floppy, with rounded ends and seem to hug the head. They may or may not have dewclaws.

The Miniature Poodle does not naturally grow the outrageous coats seen in the show ring. Their coats do need to be clipped every six to eight weeks or else they take on an evil life of their own. Many owners of pet Miniature Poodles choose the puppy clip, which mimics how the coat looked as a two month old puppy.

All coats of Poodle types are long and curly and are actually hair and not fur. Most Miniature Poodles fall short of their breed standard in many areas, but still can be purebred Miniature Poodles.

Miniature Poodles are a pretty distinctive breed, and usually are easily and accurately identified by even newbie shelter volunteers. Miniature Poodles, no matter what they look like, will make wonderful pets.

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About the Author

Lisa A Collins is an avid lover of the Poodle and owns a popular website where you'll discover how to have a happy, healthy and well behaved Poodle. Among other topics there, you can also learn all about Poodle Puppies plus a whole lot more.


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