Standard Poodle.

 I've never owned one, but the ones I have met I was completely smitten with. Smart, playful, good natured. Honestly, if it weren't for the grooming requirements, I would likely own one. But, even speaking as a former groomer, I have no desire for that level of fur upkeep, nor desire to pay someone to do it for me! I really found them to be great dogs though, very very smart dogs too.

All that coat is the down side... shoot, it's even a down side with the toy I have now. And I groom her myself! LOL

The Standard poodels I've known have been great dogs.  Smart, athletic and good temperments.  It's one of the breeds I would love to own.

The Standard Poodle is also a breed I could only dream of owning someday. They are extremely intelligent but not nearly as independent or high strung as a border collie when it comes to brain smarts. The ones I have met have been outstanding and well behaved dogs. The coat is a major drawback but I have met a few who where left in full coat and brushed daily.

Something else you might consider is looking into "oodle" rescues. Poodle mixes are very popular these days and you may be able to find a mix that doesn't require as much upkeep as a full bred. I see many of these mixes in shelters and there are plenty of groups out there who can help you find the right match. The Laberdoodle was originally bred as a service dog so that the person in need would not have to deal with the shedding of a lab yet keep the intelligence of both breeds to get the job done effectively.

Another breed I would recommend if you would rather find a pure breed, is the Portuguese Water Dog. They almost shadow the Standard Poodle in temperament and personality but are often over looked when choosing a breed. Their coat requires some upkeep but not as demanding as a poodle and also shed very little. They are on the intelligent side and easy to train. You may want to ask shamrockmommy about the the breed, her dog Echo is a PWD.

 I also agree you might like a poodle mix...

 We have two in our household, and they are a complete joy to be around.  Both of them were Craigslist dogs that needed to be rehomed; we did not pay any high fees to any breeders for them.  If you keep an eye out on the Craiglist in your area, you will find there are A LOT of good dogs being given away right now because of our tough economy.  Rescues might have pom mixes as well, if your shelter doesn't.

 As for grooming: very little coat requirements for either of them, though I guess if we let them keep growing out their fur, we will have to contend with combing out any tangles.  Barely shedding at all, if any.  Our third dog, a pom mix, in contrast, creates enough tumbleweeds for about five dogs.

 The poodle mixes are both extra sweet, intelligent, with good dispositions (though the tiny female likes to sock it to the larger male, I've noticed, while he is much gentler with her.)  They are also pretty mellow, despite being fairly young (around 1 year), but maybe that's just those two individual dogs.  Our pom mix IS WAAAAY INTENSE in contrast, though that's probably because he was on the streets for a while, and might have some socialization/anxiety issues because of it.

 In any case, any future dogs we have will either be full-blooded poodles or poodle mixes--basically whatever dog is available that needs a home.  Our two have completely won over my husband, who was very anti-poodle before we got them.

 Whoops--I meant rescues might have poodle mixes (not pom mixes...though they have that as well!   Got confused for a second...)

They're REALLY trainable, smart, fun, happy dogs to be around. They do have their share of health issues, like all breeds. They're prone to bloat. They're prone to nasty ears and teeth. I *think* epilepsy is an issue, and I know sebaceous adenitis is a big issue. 

Found the Poodle club's list, when I Googled sebaceous adenitis:)

http://www.poodleclubofamerica.org/health.htm

 

I'd own one, but JUST like a Dobe or GSD, you have to be careful, careful, careful where you get them. There are nasty tempered Poodles out there in all three sizes. For the most part, though, they're awesome, sweet, fun loving dogs.

I've been looking around the web, and there is a Standard Poodle breeder in my area that seems to have some really good feed back on their website from clients who have bought puppies from them.... something to think about maybe.  Although I've always been a huge fan of rescues.. just about all of my dogs come from rescues.

And I'm seeing that some Standards just meet the 15" standard, weighing around 45-50 pounds.. and then some are upwards of 18", weighing 65-70 pounds.... I'm liking the larger ones, as a large dog is what I'm wanting.. but like with GSD or Dobe, is being that large a good thing? Or just a gross exaggeration of the breed? The few I've met, if I recall, weren't very large dogs, though they were obviously larger than a mini or toy.....

Hubby is much more thrilled with the idea of another poodle (no matter the size) than a GSD or a Dobe.....he really likes Sadie and like me, the shedding is an issue.  

And cost wise, they're not appearing to be much more expensive than a well bred GSD or Dobe.

I'm really liking the phantoms.... my Sadie is a silver and blue phantom, but I'm thinking either a chocolate or apricot parti or a chocolate or black phantom.....

mehpenn

I've been looking around the web, and there is a Standard Poodle breeder in my area that seems to have some really good feed back on their website from clients who have bought puppies from them.... something to think about maybe.  Although I've always been a huge fan of rescues.. just about all of my dogs come from rescues.

 

Interesting. It kind of seems like a sales pitch type deal?. Don't get me wrong I have references from puppy people...I just don't slap them on my website, because that is personal info to be discussed with someone who is genuinely interested and approved to purchase a dog from me. I am not trying to impress anyone...it may be nothing, or it may be a red flag. But in general the breeders online that I have found that like to toot their own horns are usually trying to cover up something else off key with their band.

As to the breed, I like them. I would consider one even with the grooming since I am crazy and enjoy using clippers. I really like the dogs shown with UKC because they are in the GUNDOG group there and tend to be a bit more moderate with coat and style and size, and IMO have a more utilitarian appearance. They also allow Parti's there which I prefer personally.

Some lines of standards are a mess right now. SA, thyroid disease, temperament issues, ear infections...  I am familiar with one line that although has been carefully bred, these issues keep popping up.

I love my PWD.  I do have the improper coat; Echo's is like a flat coat retriever. She does shed but it's for a period of about 3 weeks, she sheds like mad, there is hair everywhere and then- no shedding for several more months. 

Her temperament is awesome. She's still in the crazy 9mo old puppy stage, so she can be wild and have poor judgement sometime LOL but she is a solid, wonderful family dog. She's great around other dogs, cats, kids (all ages) and adults.  She has a very soft mouth and has excellent judgement for barking- she'll bark only when needed and then it's a deep sounding voice.  I like having her, she's an excellent watch dog.

She's very versitile.  She can go from house dog- laying around and hanging out to walking buddy, to hiking buddy, to swimming buddy, to kids' playmate to doggy playmate to agility girl to obedience girl. She's always with me although she loves her entire family as well.  She gets very concerned if her human kids get out of her sight and I love that she keeps watch over them, very awesome.

She is a great dog so far, very easy to train, remembers most of what she is taught. She's a star in her agility and obedience classes. 

She's had some puppy head moments but in the 4 months we've had her, I've come to really adore her and would happily get another in the future.  I fancy the wavy as it is less work to groom.  I would probably do the shaved face and then a teddy trim over the rest of the body.  The non-shedding factor is a big BIG plus!  But like I said, even with her flat coat, it's a matter of just a few weeks of heavy shedding and then no shedding for several more months. The curly coat is much like a poodle and I've read that pwd coats grow more slowly than a poodle, so that would cut your grooming frequency also.

Highly recommend a PWD. 

My mom has had 2 standard poodles, both very different in temperment.  She had owned a toy poodle when we were kids and after my dad died, she wanted a house dog with minimal shedding but the voice of a large dog.  Her first one was very athletic, very socialable and very trainable.  She loved to chase balls and even at the ripe old age of 18, we had to make her stop so that she didn't wear herself out to the point of exhaustion.  The dog she has now is very different than Asti.  Sophie is a velcro dog.  She is not one to play and pretty much ignores any toys that are bought for her.  She is very shy of strangers, especially men.  My mom takes her to work with her, both at the doctors office and the church, and she sees men there all the time but she doesn't warm up to them.  Even my husband and my sisters boyfriend are on her "not so sure" list.  She's a good dog, but the two of them are like night and day.  The trainer that I go to also has a standard poodle.  She is very tall and very calm.  She is also extremely well behaved and at one time they competed in rally and obedience. 

Hello

 

I have two Standards myself they are the best dogs I mean Children I have ever had. This is a very tall thing to say as I have had so many other dogs I thought were the best dogs at the time as yoy know how you fall in love with them. My Poodles are so smart and affectionate that they are so much like four legged Children. We spell so many things trying not to let them know what is going on but Dijon I think is learning to spell as he reacts to so many words we spell he seems to know just exactaly what we are saying. They both love riding in the c-a-r and going to the d-o-g p-a-r-k they also love going to dogy daycare going to Petsmart they just like to partisapate in any thing they can do. I do training with them every day I hand feed them this makes my wife mad at me but the love to be hand feed and I enjoy doing it. They like dressing up and going places some people say if they were my dog they would bite me, when I show them just how much they enjoy it and they are enjoying what they are doing my friends tend to change thier minds. We call Tisha "Table Top Tisha" as she get on top of tables wanting to be groomed, now figure that one out. Both Tisha and Dijon do not mind to be groomed by me or the groomer, when Tisha goes to the groomer the first table that is down she jumps on ready for business. We have had Tisha since she was 8 weeks old, we got Dijon when he was 2 years old we had so many Issues with all of his Aggressions I think he may have been abused. After working with Dijon for years he is such a great boy now I would not trade him for anything. Tisha and Dijon are our family they make our home very balanced. When anybody that loves dogs asks about a Poodle I say if you don't mind alot of work grooming I think it is essential to do training on a regular basis and lots of exercise plus feed them a high quality food and no junk food. Yes Tisha and Dijon Are My Best Friends.

How do you know when it is raing Cats and Dogs?

When you step in a Poodle..

 

All Dogs make the best People. Chris the Poodle Daddy

 

 

Maybe, just maybe, think about a Lagotto Romagnolo.  Smaller than a PWD, but the same look.  Rare enough that there aren't the same issues as with Poodles, and some PWD's, with regard to health and temperament.  I find them to be quite lovely, very biddable, and a pleasure to have in class;-) 

 

Hi Well i went to get a SP and landed up with a mini and then got another one. Believe you me it was not a consensus. First i wasn't able to get another Lab through the door because of the shedding, and then a SP was too big... I think the mini population base is greater,they live longer and have less weird diseases. I also really like the mini temperament. Someone forgot to tell them that they are mini. They are a little less consistent and a little less biddable but are the most lovely affectionate dogs . I can never imagine having a household without poodles ever again.

I am not so sure about Lagottos. They seem very variable in temperament to me. I love the looks.

BTW my girl, just one pass away from UD at four is US bred. I can not reccomend her sire more highly.