5 Types of Poodles: Different Sizes Of Doodle Dog Breed

Do you have a hard time deciding what types of poodles you are going to buy or adopt? It’s an apparent dilemma since there are several varieties of Poodles. This guide will help you decide what type of Poodle to get. Note that the American Kennel Club (or AKC) recognizes some of the Poodle breeds here, while others are unofficial or unrecognized breeds.

Types of Poodles

1. Standard Poodles

• Lifespan: 12 years
• Height: 18 – 24 inches
• Weight: Males 45 – 70 pounds (20 – 32 kg) and females 45 – 60 pounds (20 – 27 kg)

The Standard Poodle breeds are the biggest among the types of poodles despite them looking like a pampered dogs. A Standard Poodle is an agile, energetic, elegant-looking dog whose jumping skills are excellent. You can often see a Standard Poodle in dog show competitions doing obstacle courses, jumping contests, and retrieving games. Unlike its other Poodle breed kin, this dog still retains its ancestors’ skills.

The Standard Poodle is also good at being an excellent watchdog and can be protective of its human family without being too aggressive. A beautiful thing about the dog is its polite and friendly manner towards people, which can improve via early socialization. Other dogs and cats are no issues with the dog, but they startle easily and do not go along with small kids due to their sensitivity.

Of all dog breeds, the Standard Poodle is smart and easily trainable. The dog needs some mental stimulation to keep it happy. You will not see this breed sitting in the backyard doing nothing. That said, some challenging games, agility classes, and advanced obedience classes could aid in the breed’s mental stimulation. Physical exercises also keep the dog in shape.

Like other dog breeds, various health issues afflict Standard Poodles. Despite those problems, the dog is relatively healthy. The dog breed’s hair requires regular clipping every 4 to 6 weeks. One good thing about the dog’s fur is that it shed little hair and is hypoallergenic. Please don’t forget our list of small dogs that don’t shed.

2. Toy Poodles

• Lifespan: 15 years
• Height: 9.4 – 11 inches
• Weight: Males weigh 45 to 70 pounds, and females weigh 45 to 60 pounds

Like their Standard-type Poodle kin, the Toy Poodle has a similar coat. Unlike their bigger dog kindred, their physical build is a square shape, meaning that their height is equal to their legs regarding length. Despite the physical build differences, the Toy Poodle is athletic, springy in gait, and active.

You can also see a Toy Poodle dog entering dog competitions like jumping, running, and retrieving. Unlike the Standard Poodles, the Toy Poodle is a pet companion and is not suitable for hunting and water game dogs.

Some health issues are affecting the dog, but the most common one is chondrodysplasia. This defect is a deformity in the Toy breeds, and it dramatically affects those dogs that are built lower to the ground. Be careful of handling a Toy breed. Due to their size, a drop from a certain height can injure the dog.

In temperament, the dog is intelligent like any other Poodle breed. The dog’s intelligence is such that it can uncannily anticipate your patterns of what you’re doing next. Additionally, Toy breeds become set in their routines, and any change will confuse them.

Toy Poodles are gentle dogs, so they prefer a household that has harmony and peace. Any roughhousing, conflict or accelerated activity can be upsetting to its mind. A Toy Poodle is sometimes nervous, timid, skittish, or too high-strung. If you don’t train them in socialization, those traits can get worse.

The dog’s coat is non-shedding and comes in several lovely colors. However, every 4 to 6 weeks, you need to groom the dog’s coat to remove mats. The coat hair still requires some clipping.

3. Miniature Poodles

• Lifespan: 15 years
• Height: 11 – 14 inches
• Weight: Males weigh 45 to 70 pounds, and females weigh 45 to 60 pounds

Bigger than Toy Poodles, yet smaller than Standard Poodles, the Miniature Poodle’s size is somewhat suitable for those who want a Poodle that is neither too big nor too small. The dog’s coat is curly and dense, which can easily be trimmed, groomed, or styled. Different hairstyles for the Miniature Poodle’s coat are sporting, Puppy, saddle, Continental, and English. You can see Show Poodles wearing one of these hairstyles in dog shows

As a susceptible dog breed, the Miniature Poodle dedicates itself to a single owner though eventually, it will open up to other dogs, other pets, and children. The breed’s popularity is due to their obedient, lively, smart, playful traits and their eagerness to please their owner.

Like other dogs, the Miniature Poodle requires physical and mental exercise to maintain its well-being. The dog is affected by the general health problems plaguing dog breeds. Patellar luxation, trichiasis, cataract, glaucoma, and duct atresia are some examples of these health problems. The good news is that they are treatable and can be mitigated or removed despite all of these afflictions.

If your Miniature Poodle is just a pet companion, not a show dog, you need only to do daily brushing (for long coats) or weekly brushing (for short coats) on the dog to keep it tidy and unmated. However, if you’re Poodle is a show dog, you will need to trim and style its coat to maintain whatever hairstyle it wears. At best, you should get your dog a pet clip or haircut once every four to six weeks.

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4. Klein Poodles

• Lifespan: 12 – 15 years
• Height: 14 – 18 inches
• Weight: 20-35 pounds (9-13 kg.)

Unlike the previous Poodle breeds mentioned above, the Klein Poodle is not officially recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC), so it’s not viable in some dog shows. This breed is European in origin and is also called “Moyen” or medium by the French. The size of the Klein Poodle puts its somewhere between the Miniature and Standard breeds’ size.

The Klein breed is common in the US today, but they’re only good as home pets due to their small size. The dog cannot compete, much less enter an AKC dog show or competition. The reason is due to their inability to compete against their larger Poodle cousins and is not eligible as a dog breed. The dog can still enter unofficial dog shows, though.

The Klein Poodle has a moderately round skull with a slight stop and a long straight muzzle. The eyes set far apart in the dog’s head are oval and are either brown or black. The ears are long and flat, hanging close to the Poodle’s face. All legs of the dog are in proportion to their size. The feet are oval-shaped and small with arching toes. The coat (corded or curly) of the Klein Poodle comes in a variety of colors like black, Café-Au-Lait, blue, brown, silver, white, gray, red, cream, and apricot.

Like any other Poodle breed, the Klein Poodle is an excellent pet companion due to its cleverness, comical attitude, intelligence, and eagerness to please its owners. Training is not hard for this dog. However, it is necessary. An untrained or ill-trained Klein dog tends to develop the “Small Dog” syndrome where a dog thinks it’s the boss.

The Klein Poodle may not be eligible for competition, but it still needs exercise. A daily walk while on a leash is more than enough for your pet. Be sure to walk with the dog behind you or beside you. This method will further stifle any tendency of the “Small Dog” syndrome. Due to their origins as diving and water retriever dog, they love water.

5. Teacup Poodles

• Lifespan: 15 -20 years
• Height: 9 inches or lower
• Weight: 2, 6, or 12 pounds

Another unofficial type of Poodle by AKC’s standards. Of all Poodle breeds, the Teacup Poodle is the smallest of them all. The word “teacup” in the dog’s name is an obvious clue to the dog’s size: that of a teacup. Teacup Poodle breeds are deliberately bred to be the way they are. This dog is typical in the US, though there is no universal standard for the breed. At best, any small Poodle counts as a Teacup dog breed.

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For a dog of its size, the lifespan of a Teacup is long. However, it still has the common diseases that plague the Poodle breed. But not to worry, they are treatable with the right vet and care. Due to its size, the Teacup Poodle is a house pet and is the perfect apartment life pet. It is an active dog indoors, and even without a yard, it will do just fine. If you do have a backyard, make sure it has an enclosed fence to prevent your dog from wandering out. Daily walks while leashed are suitable for the Teacup Poodle, or you can carry them while going out for a walk.

Popular International Kennel Clubs

A kennel club is an organization that promotes the breeding and showing off dog breeds. These organizations were founded in the 19th century to encourage eugenics concerning dogs. Here is a list of the most famous international kennel clubs. Except for the Klein and Teacup, these kennels clubs officially recognize the mentioned Poodle breeds above.

• American Kennel Club (AKC) – The most well-known of all international kennel clubs. The AKC is a registry for purebred dogs, and it also sanctions and promotes events concerning purebred dogs. Curiously enough, it is not part of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (World Canine Organization), like the other groups below.
• Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC) – This is Australia’s dog club that promotes breeding, trials, obedience, shows, and other stuff about purebred dogs. The main body deals with all those matters indirectly through several representative dog councils on their jurisdiction. It is the only Australian kennel club member of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (World Canine Organization).
• Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) – The group is Canada’s first registry body and is the promoter of obedience trials and conformation shows for purebred dogs in that country. The organization, which is national and non-profitable, is incorporated into the nation’s Animal Pedigree Act of Canada.CKC is one of many groups in Canada, but they are most familiar to Canadian
• The Kennel Club (TKC) – When it comes to acting as a governing body of working trials, dog shows, and dog agility contests for the UK, the Kennel Club steps into that role. The organization is the UK’s oldest and official kennel club handling the registry of pedigree dogs as well as an acting lobbyist for dog-related issues. TKC is 143 years old, making it one of the oldest kennel clubs in the UK.
• Kennel Club of India (KCI) – Unlike the other mentioned clubs above, the Kennel Club of India is the only non-Western group in this section. During the colonization of India by the British, they established several kennel clubs. The KCI is modeled after those clubs, although it was founded in 1978. This group is India’s registry keeper of purebred dogs in addition to sanctioning and promoting events like the Specialty Shows and Annual Dog Shows. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (World Canine Organization) counts the Kennel Club of India as one of its members.

When choosing one of the Types of Poodle dog breeds, be sure to take into consideration several factors: is the dog suitable for your home? Do you intend for your Poodle to be a small pet or a competitive show dog? Can you handle the maintenance of the dog? Is the dog’s personality a bother or otherwise? These are just some factors to cite examples. Just that remember that the right kind of pet you want is the pet that you will love and care for the rest of your life, so choose carefully.