r/StandardPoodles

My boy (1y 10m, 33lb, intact) has had diarrhea since Sunday. Took him to the vet Monday after he threw up too (and was up in the night with mucus stool). Vitals and fecal sample were clean; doc gave him a nausea shot and recommended keeping him on pro-pectalin tablets and proviable capsule (which I’d been doing since Sunday).

I called back Tuesday cause he hadn’t eaten since Sunday and his stools seemed to be getting worse - now they were red jelly. Vet tech recommended white rice and chicken - I explained he’s on chicken-free diet, so she said white fish. And to mix in some kibble to see if it’ll enticed him to eat. I cooked up rice and tilapia, he loved it, mixed in some kibble, and he ate about half the mixture. Awesome! Poop next morning was more solid. Awesome! Poop in house later in the day and outside in the evening were runny and speckled with red…not awesome.

I call back today, asking if I should leave the kibble out of the mixture to make it more bland (they were going to check with the doc and get back to me on this…never happened), and they recommended their prescription proviable (vs the OTC I was using - fair) and feeding him GI-Biome, which is chicken-based. They knew from Monday that he’s on a chicken-free diet, but if I wanted to try it anyway, that’s what they usually give to treat diarrhea.

Here’s the thing (and what I said on the phone): poodles are prone to chicken allergies, and he’s been on a poultry-free diet since birth. I was told by his breeder to keep him off chicken. I don’t want to add in another variable by feeding him chicken for the first time, and then if he continues to be sick not know if it’s from the original cause or the chicken. They literally didn’t have a none-chicken option to offer. I’m just frustrated and feel like they’re not taking me seriously. Am I not being logical??

Anyway, I decided to just feed him white rice and tilapia tonight and see if that makes his stool better or worse. Any words of wisdom or advice are appreciated! I don’t think he’s had a bout of diarrhea last this long, especially one with blood.

Oh and his regular kibble is Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach Lamb and Oat Meal.

I’ll start with maybe a sillier question! For those who live in areas with unfortunate winters, how do you go about walking? I know I’ll find out when it comes up but since my other questions are in theme, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask. When the snow is plowed/deep for example, where do you let your dog do their business? Like, is it a faux pas when your dog lets out a pee in the middle of the sidewalk? Do you wear headlamps in the early morning and night?

My other questions are more about spoo durability. I’m wanting to do a bit of a Miami cut because despite splurging on a $300 dryer, I still haven’t mastered my efficiency. But would that disturb the natural winter coat in a way where even proper jackets wouldn’t be enough? In either case, I’d love some jacket/layers recommendations, especially since it’s hard to find one with the right proportions. My spoo is very greyhound shaped.

Outdoor temperatures in the winter here average:
-15°C to -25°C (5°F to -13°). It can get down to between -30°C and -40°C (-22 °F to -40 °F). The temps that are far too cold, it will be strictly in and out potty breaks.

Lastly, I know many favour the mushers paw stuff, and I have some for the days where boots may not be necessary, but I keep my dogs feet clean/shaved, and couldn’t imagine it would feel great to have bare palms on the snow. I like the idea of the suspender style boots, so then I don’t have to dry them properly after possible deep snow encounters, and I wanted to hear your suggestions on weather or not you recommended them. I keep seeing the Canada pooch ones on marketplace, and I was wondering if maybe it was because dogs tend to not agree with them?

Anyways thanks for reading! And thank you in advance for your replies :)

EDIT: Just want to add a note that snow for us will come in about two months (bleh), and Im hoping I can get buy some gear before prices are hiked up!!

My sweet 12 year old standard girl is totally blind. She’s doing okay getting around in the common area of the house. She is not able to navigate to the bedrooms or other areas of the house. I want to change out the carpet in my living room. I’m concerned it will be hard for her. She loves lying in one spot by the couch. Do you think changing the carpet will be disorienting to her?

Hey there everyone I’ve been really researching and looking into what breed of dog I want to hopefully get in the future and landed on the poodle, I love a miniature for their size but the standard’s overall temperament and less random bouts of energy is what I’d prefer. So what I’m saying asking is, is there any breeders in the uk that might have smaller lines when it comes to the standard poodle? As currently the RKC doesn’t recognise moyen whereas the FCI does and I don’t think it’s easy getting an ethical moyen from France especially when I know little of the language. I’d ask chat gpt but I know it’d just give me the answers I want

I'm dog sitting for a friend who I've known for years. She got a pair of poodles (ages 2 and 4 I think) who I agreed to watch over while they are away for a week. I went over to their place to talk about the feeding schedule and meet the dogs. Both were sweet, a bit shy, but let me pet them and give them treats. I figured it would be fine.

Flash forward a week, I came over to the house for the first feeding and the two of them began FREAKING OUT. Fleeing upstairs, refusing to eat or go outside, every time they hear me move the barking starts up again. It's been off and on for 3 hours, barking like I'm some kind of intruder. I am not chasing or cornering them, I am not reacting other than talking in the same sweet voice I did before. I offered some treats that they refused, so I left them on the ground and went to sit on the other side of the room. I tried to approach the calmer one at one point so she could sniff me and see I was ok, but she began to growl and whimper, so I immediately backed off and gave them their space.

I've been watching dogs for years now and I've never seen behavior like this last for so long. I know dogs get stressed with their owners not around, but I'm supposed to be here a week. How can I best build my trust with them and not go insane from the barking that's making my ears ring?

My female spoo has been tiny since birth. She is almost 3 yrs old now and the perfect weight for her size appears to be about 29-30lbs. She was between 19-25 pounds for a very long time. She stayed about 12-15 pounds until she was a year and a half, Any bigger and she’d look overweight. I don’t have a height measurement but does anyone else have a small spoo like this? I can track her lineage and know she’s a standard and I love my girl

Her bloodwork is normal as well just to add, she loves to eat, all is normal on those departments

Has anyone heard of Galia Standard Poodles? Would you recommend them?

Hi! We are getting a standard puppy in 2 weeks. My 12yo daughter has a bedroom on the first floor that she does not like sleeping in bc we are all on the second floor. She said she would feel safe sleeping in the bedroom with the dog. So here is my question: should we 1. Put the crate in her room 2. Have a crate in another living space and have the dog sleep on the floor of her room. 3. Something else. ?

I have a smaller hand me down crate to keep up stairs with me while the puppy is younger and will need to go out at night. So this is a question for when the dog is older.

Hello, my almost 4 month old poodle has been having a bout of diarrhea. Here is the whole timeline:
-7 days ago I noticed she had loose stool. I fasted her for 1 day and her stool retuned to normal the next day.
-5 days ago her loose stool returned, she was waking up in the middle of the night to go outside. Squatting multiple times. We gave her pumpkin with her usual kibble she has been on since we brought her home. She was sleeping through the night but her stool was still loose.
-2 days ago, she was up again, squatting multiple times all over the yard during the night. Her poop had mucous in it. At this point I said no more guessing time for vet.
-yesterday I took her to the emergency vet where her vitals were fine, they put her on a universal dewormer and psyllium husk powder to firm her stool. They ran a fecal sample for Giardia, and a standard parvo test. We are still awaiting results from testing. We have been administering meds per the doctor’s orders.
-last night she needed to go out every hour, and vomited multiple times. Throughout she has seemed happy, is still playing, her virals were fine at the vet and she is drinking lots of water and eating.

I’m basically just worried about what to do next. I don’t want to keep playing with her diet, but wondering if I should switch her over to ground lamb and rice for a while? Bring her back to the vet? What do you guys think?

Hello, my spoo has managed to chew a spot on her rump and removed all the hair. She is on a grain free/chicken free feed, but I think my friend has been feeding her a lot of snacks!! How to best proceed from here? I need this healed up asap, please give me your ideas to put a stop to this and heal the spot.

Any insight or shared experience is welcome! My dog is the dog I didn’t know I needed. He is a poodle I rescued 5 years ago. He is 9 years old now and lots of issues began popping up. Within the last year he started exhibiting back end weakness, proprioception deficits, and CKD.

Overall we’ve been managing well- he eats well, responds well to physical rehab. My overall goal is palliative care management of his issues as I cannot afford major surgeries and care for my other pets.

He had an episode last night of intense pain, seemingly out of the blue. After talking to the vet, we put him on crate rest and increased some meds. Overnight he has improved greatly, not quite to his normal self but we’re getting there.

One thing I’m struggling with when to make the hard decision. Like, I see it coming- especially if these episodes become a pattern. And I suppose that is the point- if the bad days become more than good it is time.

He still has that goofy poodle personality most days. I also don’t want to draw out any unnecessary pain for too long. It’s just hard to feel like I’m approaching an edge and I don’t know when it’s coming, but it is inevitable. Always on the back of my mind “is this the official decline?” whenever he has a bad day.

This feels like I was rambling, so I’m sorry. I just have a lot on my mind about this and my husband and sister have heard it all repeatedly. Hoping other dog/poodle people will get it!

TIA

Are poodles known to be nippy? Our girl gets nippy when she is overly excited in the context of reuniting with us when we come home. She'll also jump on us, which I don't mind...it's more so gentle nipping of my hands while overly excited or aroused.

1. Is this normal? My guess is probably, given that she is still developing, but that we should continue to work on training.

2. Any suggestions for training? So far, I've only managed to get her to sit using positive reward (food). She manages to comply after about 30 seconds of jumping and nipping.

Thank you in advance!

I have chosen a breeder I like who is near me. I will be visiting the puppies tomorrow. They are about 6 weeks old right now, and it is a very large litter.

At first, I was sure I wanted a female dog, mostly due to females being smaller than males as adults. However, after speaking with the breeder about the different temperaments and personalities of the puppies, I'm becoming more openminded. I am realizing a puppy is a puppy and even a small standard is still a large dog, and if we can accommodate a smaller female surely we can also accommodate a larger male. This opens up the entire litter, since it was over 10 puppies, and only 2 females.

That being said... how do I best know which puppy is "the one"? I certainly am drawn to one based only on color and looks. He also has an excellent temperament. The other one I was interested in was a female, born the smallest in the litter but growing well and in good health. She also was identified as having an excellent temperament. There are others with good temperaments as well, according to the breeder so I mostly will have a pick since it's early and I am nearby.

I have children, we are an active and social family on the weekends. During the weekdays, we work in an office full-time (yes, we will hire dog sitters/walkers when the puppy is young, and we plan to crate train). I am hoping we both can bring our dog into the office - however, this would only be possible if the dog is extremely well-behaved.

I have lined up a vet check, first groom appointment, and identified a dog trainer for puppy class. I am still anxious about choosing the "right" dog for us!

Do you have any tips for knowing which is the right dog?

hello, my family are considering adopting an 11 month old standard poodle from a rescue. my mum, who is 4’11” and disabled (walks with canes and support, experiences chronic pain, needs a knee replacement) is anxious that it would be too much for her.

my mum will not be the only caregiver. she wants a velcro dog who will lay and cuddle with her.

she’s mostly afraid of it jumping up or jumping on her and it hurting.

i told her poodles are easy to train and very smart so it will be fine, but her anxiety is crushing her.

my dad is a huge nature walker, and wants a dog like a poodle to go on long walks with him in woodlands and on nature trails.

my mum will accompany them on what she calls a buggie, a large, electronic, off-road wheelchair for her, but she won’t join every walk.

i will also be doing walks separately.

we live by the beach as well and plan to do beach walks. we know poodles like to swim so this is exciting for us.

we are also huge on games like fetch after having a dog that wanted ball thrown every second of everyday.

playtime for us is a normal activity to take part in. my mum doesn’t have to be the primary player, either, because we’re all used to doing it.

we’ve had 4 dogs in my lifetime so far, so training is something we can do as well. we just aren’t aware of poodle training as we haven’t had one before.

we’re an allergic family, so a dog like a poodle is perfect. we’ve experienced hypo-allergic dogs before that we were slightly allergic to as well, but curly dogs like poodles don’t cause allergies.

the reason for a standard over a toy is because my dad didn’t enjoy walking small dogs, and i felt anxious walking small dogs (was scared they’d get stolen and i wouldn’t be able to protect them). we want a bigger dog for the walking primarily.

i hope that info helps.

edit: we also have a 16 year old cairn terrier who has loved every poodle/poodle cross she’s met, including my uncles who she has hung out with a bunch. they always give her new life.

I have a 3 months old spoo puppy. Currently healthy and gaining stable 150g/day for past weeks. I try to decide if he is a moyen or a standard actually and project his adult weight. I'm feeding him with 250g/day (2.5 cups) RC Medium Puppy. What were your standard's or moyen's weight at certain week marks? How do you project the following weight chart? Finally, am I feeding the right amount of food each day?

4 weeks — Jun 17 — 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) - Infected with severe Giardia and Coccidia

6 weeks — Jul 1 — 2.8 kg (6.2 lb) - Gastrointestinal diseases healed

7 weeks — Jul 8 — 3.6 kg (7.9 lb)

8 weeks — Jul 15 — 4.2 kg (9.3 lb)

8 wk 3 d — Jul 18 — 4.65 kg (10.3 lb)

9 wk 6 d — Jul 28 — 5.2 kg (11.5 lb)

10 wk 2 d — Jul 31 — 5.5 kg (12.1 lb)

10 wk 5 d — Aug 3 — 6.0 kg (13.2 lb)

11 wk 1 d — Aug 6 — 6.75 kg (14.9 lb)

11 wk 5 d — Aug 10 — 7.1 kg (15.7 lb)

12 wk 1 d — Aug 13 — 7.55 kg (16.7 lb)

I have a 7mo male standard poodle who isn’t neutered yet. He was deep in his rebellious phase last month but I’m happy to report that he is MUCH better now!

Lately I’ve been seeing a new behavior and wanted to see if anyone was experiencing something similar or had any advice.

He has been more fearful and anxious than normal. He’s always been a shy guy and on the timid side, but has always warmed up quickly and made great progress with his confidence. The last week or so, he’s been more anxious than normal. When he’s at home, he will bark at any little sound that’s not on the approved list of sounds (ex. Floor creaking randomly, dishwashing clicking on, cracking my knuckles). He wasn’t this way before.

Even on walks or taking him places, he’s very fearful. Tail tucked, nose dripping, shaking a little… takes him a couple minutes to warm up and he’ll move, but he’s furiously sniffing everything and pulling like crazy, and it’s a lot of stop and go. I let him set the pace, pat his chest and back, and praise when he takes steps forward.

Is this something I should wait out or should I mention this to the vet? Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!

Hello. I am a single mother with a young toddler. I consider myself rather experienced dog owner and since becoming an adult have had two dogs in the past that passed due to old age and went with my partner in the separation. I always had dogs as a child growing up. I do not currently have any pets.

I currently rent an apartment that is spacious enough to accommodate a dog and has outdoor space. I work from home in a position in which I’m not chained to a desk and live an active lifestyle. We often hike in a local well-wooded park, have multiple public parks within walking distance. I plan to stay in this neighborhood and home for at least 2 years before buying a house in a nicer school district for my child. On days when my child is with their father, I hike up to 12 miles a day. I also enjoy camping and going to local events with and without my little one.

My last dog was a poodle mix that came to me as an adult. The previous owners could not handle a doodles high grooming and energy needs. He was a great obedient biddable dog who adapted well to a variety of situations and had a good off-switch. I would love to get an adult dog since I have a young child that also requires a lot of attention, but I have considered that a puppy that I can raise to adapt to my lifestyle may be a good choice as well. A dog that is always up for a long hike but that is also content to settle at home with brisk neighborhood walks and stimulating indoor activity, training, games, puzzles, etc. would be ideal.

I previously groomed my poodle mix mostly myself and kept him short with a topknot, of course brushed him daily, but I would like to learn more advanced techniques from someone with experience.

As stated, I plan to buy a home within the next 2-3 years. I know waitlists can be long and I follow a few breeders that I’m interested in dogs from. I would like to get into conformation and sports as well, although I’m considering that perhaps for my first well-bred purebred dog, I don’t need to go with a confo show prospect so much as a well-bred pet and sport quality dog that will help me get familiar with the breed and show world

I really would like to find community and mentorship resources as well even if it’s not time for me to get a dog, just so I am more familiar with how to make the most of life and ownership with a future standard poodle.

What are everyone’s thoughts? Should I start contacting breeders now to get on waitlists and discuss options? Will a breeder even entertain me since I’m single with a young child and don’t get own a home? I don’t anticipate bringing home a dog anytime soon unless there’s an adult looking for placement that is suitable for my life and vice versa.

Thank you.

I take her to the dog park every day. We go on walks morning and evening, primarily focused on leash training (which also feels like an uphill battle, but we’re making progress). I make her puzzle boxes and other enrichment for when I’m at work. My work hours are generally flexible, so I usually don’t leave her unattended for a full 8 hour workday, but it’s not always possible. I’ve tried puppy proofing so she doesn’t chew anything important, but now she’s chewing the walls. I don’t understand what to do. Is this normal? Will it get better as she gets older? I feel like I’m at my wits end!

Hi! I got my puppy when he was 12 weeks old & now he’s 29 weeks & I can’t believe how much time has passed. As soon as we got him I thought I would get like 4 more bc he was so cute. Now I think I’m one & done lol 😅. This is sooo hard! I have two small children & I think he requires more time honestly it’s been a challenge & sometimes it feels like it’s never gonna end 😭 but I do love him so much :(. Sorry just felt like venting