Standard Poodle

Our book gives the Standard Poodle one line — an elegant, highly intelligent water retriever in a curly low-shedding coat — and a sheet of ratings that reward a careful read.

The temperament sheet

Energy is rated high. In practice that means a household already committed to proper daily outings, in weather good and bad, with the dog included in the family’s plans rather than parked at the edge of them. Tolerance for time alone is moderate — a workable few hours, not a working week of empty rooms.

With children the rating is good, and the first-dog answer is yes. Space is needs-garden: for all its polish, this is a large, active dog that wants ground to move on.

The practical side

Size is large. The coat is the headline: grooming carries our highest rating, so the curls need a standing routine, kept to on schedule, not an occasional tidy. In exchange, shedding is rated low — the hair mostly stays on the dog. Barking is moderate: this dog will comment, but not endlessly.

The dog in front of you

A sheet describes a breed; it cannot describe your dog. Individual dogs outrank their breed sheet, and meeting the dog outranks everything, this annual included.