Have a Toy Poodle in your life for just a short time and you’ll soon wonder how you ever managed without one!

Elegant, extremely cute and with the darkest of eyes brimming with expression, the Toy Poodle gives years of pleasure to those lucky enough to have one as part of the family.

The Toy Poodle has a good temperament, is intelligent and is a great pet for allergy sufferers and asthmatics who have trouble with dog hair because poodles do not drop hair and the required grooming regime keeps dust and pollen out of their coats.

The Toy is extremely intelligent and likes to please the owner, hence he will pick up commands quickly; he loves the company of humans. Suitable for families, couples and singles, for all age groups. That said, if you’re looking for a dog that’s great with the kids, possibly a larger dog such as Miniature Poodle or a Labrador may be more suitable for romping and playing very happily with children.

The Toy is a convenient size for those looking for a smaller dog. They grow to about 25cm in height and weigh three to four kilograms. Their beautiful coat comes in a range of colours including white, brown, apricot, cream, red, blue, black and silver, with variations of shade in all the colours.

A Toy Poodle puppy does not mature until approximately 18 months old. He is alert, loyal and intelligent and it will adapt to all kinds of circumstances, whether you live in an apartment, a mansion or a campervan. They are an excellent, clean house dog and will be happy if they have your company and receive regular exercise. Their gentle nature means they are more likely to lick an intruder to death rather than guard your property!

Experts strongly recommend early socialisation and training as their intelligence can lead to misbehaviour. While not all Toys are yappy, training can teach those that are to control their bark.

The Toy Poodle coat is composed of individual hairs which never stops growing, similar to human hair. As the puppy grows, so does the coat. Some time between 9 and 16 months of age the coat begins to undergo a change in texture and during the change tends to mat easily; it requires frequent brushing to keep the mats out and the dog comfortable.

Once the coat change is complete the brushing can be decreased to once a week, depending on the activities of the dog and its individual coat type. They need regular haircuts and the kind of clip probably depends on what your dog is being asked to do, be it family pet or champion in the showring. Certainly you need to be aware of the grooming costs and the need to have the Toy Poodle professionally groomed regularly - every 6-10 weeks, depending on the style of trim.

Coat Care

Daily: Brushing your poodle every other day is a must, even if it does not have an exotic clip.

Weekly: Obedience classes will make your puppy into a great companion in no time.

Fortnightly: Baths when necessary

Monthly: Clips are necessary every 6-10 weeks to keep the thick non-shedding coat in good condition.

Regular:
- Ears need to be regularly plucked of hair - your groomer will do this for you.
- This dog was bred to hunt so it benefits from regular exercise which could include agility and obedience training.

Hereditary diseases:
Hip Dysplasia – a painful hip condition that plagues many large breeds. If possible, check the medical records of the dogs parents. The breed can also suffer from some eye problems:
PRA (progressive retinal atrophy) shows up between 3 and 5 years of age and always progresses to blindness; there is a DNA test that can tell you whether your Poodle puppy has inherited the genes for PRA.
Cataracts can appear at any time in a Toy Poodle. If they show up early (from birth to 3 years of age), they're usually going to be more severe, leading to blindness. Cataracts that show up after age 3 are usually milder.

PUPPY OFFICERS

Mrs Beverley Gleeson. Email: beverley_gleeson@hotmail.com. Tel: 0408 218484
Ms Carol Perrymen. Email: cppoodle@hotmail.com. Tel: 042 7284094

POODLE RULES

The Poodle is not allowed in the house.
Okay, the poodle is allowed in the house but only in certain rooms.
The poodles can get on the old furniture only.
Fine, the poodle is allowed on all the furniture, but is not allowed to sleep on the bed.
Okay, the poodle is allowed to sleep on the bed, but only by invitation.
The poodle can sleep on the bed whenever he wants, but not under the covers.
The poodle can sleep under the covers by invitation only.
The poodle can sleep under the covers every night.
Humans must ask permission to sleep under the covers with the poodle.

"Teacup Poodles"

There is no such breed or variety as a Teacup Poodle.

Some unscrupulous breeders use these cutesy, made-up phrases as marketing terms for smaller Toy Poodles.

There is only one Toy Poodle variety of the breed. As long as a Poodle doesn't exceed 28 cm / 11 inches at the shoulder, he is called a Toy Poodle. Some individual dogs are simply smaller or larger than others.

The so-called teacup poodles who weigh less than 2kgs are at great risk for health problems. They need constant protection because they are so fragile. They tend to have difficulty regulating their blood sugar and are vulnerable to hypoglycemic comas; their internal organs are tiny and often not strong enough to survive a normal lifetime.

Responsible Toy Poodle breeders never try to produce these high-risk creatures. If a tiny one pops up in one of their litters, they seek out the best home that can keep it alive, but they try hard not to produce them in the first place.

Irresponsible breeders, on the other hand, deliberately breed these teacup toys because they know they can sell them for absurdly high prices to unsuspecting owners who don't know how fragile they are, or to owners who want one because it's "adorable." Don't be one of these people. If you reward irresponsible breeders by giving them your money, you're just encouraging them to keep producing tiny, fragile, short-lived dogs.