Hi
My brother is really interested in adding a poodle to his family (,him and his Labrador)
He met them at discover dogs and he wanted me to ask any owners what is it like rasing them and living with them what are the pros and cons and did you face any difficulty's?
Poodle advice
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Re: Poodle advice
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Re: Poodle advice
A poodle in three words: bouncy, smart, energetic.
If he's used to living with a labrador, the bounciness of the poodle won't be new. When he's in a particularly energetic mood, Delta will run around the house, jumping over absolutely nothing for the fun of it. Depending on the lab and poodle in question, he may find the poodle more difficult to entertain - they're smart as anything and learn super quickly. I'm always on the lookout for new tricks to teach Delta. If your brother's not into dog sports or trick training and doesn't want to start on them, I wouldn't recommend a poodle. They need newness and mental challenges daily to be happy - walks and fetch alone are definitely not enough.
He will also need a sense of humor. Poodles are clowns, but if you can't stand being made to look like a fool, a poodle won't be right for you. Delta is a master of technically doing what I *tell* him to, but not doing what I actually want him to do. Example: I have taught him a "go to the door" cue for going inside. For a few months, he would go to the door, wait til I got about 5 feet away, then do a full-sprint lap of the yard before going inside when I called him again. Another example: If I'm not engaged enough with him in agility and I cue a tunnel, he'll go to a different tunnel or in the wrong end of it - again, technically following my tunnel cue, but not doing what I really wanted. Maybe I'm imagining it, but it really seems like he is having a bit of a laugh at me after these "technically correct" responses. Thankfully, they learn well enough that you can teach them enough words to be specific with your requests. To circumvent the yard-sprinting, for example, I can cue "go to the door" and then "stay." There are more complicated chains I have to use, but I can't recall any at the moment.
His "technically correct" side gets most expressive when someone gets aggressive with him or tries to use punishment to change his behavior. My oldest sister tried to use the "nudge the dog with your knee" to stop him jumping up on her, so instead he started running behind her and nipping her legs. Technically, he's not jumping up! - but it is definitely not the desired response. So if your brother isn't really on-board with R+/P- only, I would again not recommend a poodle.
(Poodle crosses were first considered for guide dog work because true poodles didn't do well in that specific program. I have to wonder if they were using punishment based methods, as poodles are incredibly good learners with R+.)
Poodles will also need a bit more grooming than labs - ear plucking is the less obvious requirement, though a groomer can take care of that. Poodles are more likely than labs to need ear cleaning between grooms - I use ear cleaner and cotton swabs every week for Delta, and pluck his ears about once every 4-6 weeks. If the fur is of any noticeable length (more than 1/2 inch), the dog will need daily or every other day brushing (some coat types may be alright with less brushing, but be prepared for frequent brushing). A bath/blow dry every two or three months is suggested, whether he does it himself or takes the dog to a groomer.
I'm happy to answer any other questions he may have.
If he's used to living with a labrador, the bounciness of the poodle won't be new. When he's in a particularly energetic mood, Delta will run around the house, jumping over absolutely nothing for the fun of it. Depending on the lab and poodle in question, he may find the poodle more difficult to entertain - they're smart as anything and learn super quickly. I'm always on the lookout for new tricks to teach Delta. If your brother's not into dog sports or trick training and doesn't want to start on them, I wouldn't recommend a poodle. They need newness and mental challenges daily to be happy - walks and fetch alone are definitely not enough.
He will also need a sense of humor. Poodles are clowns, but if you can't stand being made to look like a fool, a poodle won't be right for you. Delta is a master of technically doing what I *tell* him to, but not doing what I actually want him to do. Example: I have taught him a "go to the door" cue for going inside. For a few months, he would go to the door, wait til I got about 5 feet away, then do a full-sprint lap of the yard before going inside when I called him again. Another example: If I'm not engaged enough with him in agility and I cue a tunnel, he'll go to a different tunnel or in the wrong end of it - again, technically following my tunnel cue, but not doing what I really wanted. Maybe I'm imagining it, but it really seems like he is having a bit of a laugh at me after these "technically correct" responses. Thankfully, they learn well enough that you can teach them enough words to be specific with your requests. To circumvent the yard-sprinting, for example, I can cue "go to the door" and then "stay." There are more complicated chains I have to use, but I can't recall any at the moment.
His "technically correct" side gets most expressive when someone gets aggressive with him or tries to use punishment to change his behavior. My oldest sister tried to use the "nudge the dog with your knee" to stop him jumping up on her, so instead he started running behind her and nipping her legs. Technically, he's not jumping up! - but it is definitely not the desired response. So if your brother isn't really on-board with R+/P- only, I would again not recommend a poodle.
(Poodle crosses were first considered for guide dog work because true poodles didn't do well in that specific program. I have to wonder if they were using punishment based methods, as poodles are incredibly good learners with R+.)
Poodles will also need a bit more grooming than labs - ear plucking is the less obvious requirement, though a groomer can take care of that. Poodles are more likely than labs to need ear cleaning between grooms - I use ear cleaner and cotton swabs every week for Delta, and pluck his ears about once every 4-6 weeks. If the fur is of any noticeable length (more than 1/2 inch), the dog will need daily or every other day brushing (some coat types may be alright with less brushing, but be prepared for frequent brushing). A bath/blow dry every two or three months is suggested, whether he does it himself or takes the dog to a groomer.
I'm happy to answer any other questions he may have.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14