Field and Hunting Poodles

I’ve offered quite a lot of information and videos of poodles who have been trained to service jobs - search and rescue, guide dogs, assistant dogs, etc. There is another class of working poodles (in addition to sheep herding and such, which they also do very well). It is the field and/or hunting dog.

Poodles were originally bred as hunters and retrievers, and their water skills led to a whole different poodle-like breed, the Portuguese Water Dog - of which the Obama family’s “Bo” is currently most famous. Their tendency to tolerate gunshots near them without fear also led to them being among the best of war dogs.

The best site I’ve seen out there on the web for all sorts of information about these sporting poodles - and yes, sports like these are indeed work - is the Working Field Poodle section of the Versatility In Poodles site. They offer excellent information about finding the right trainer, what a good training regime should look like, what things must be covered during that training, and it offers great lists of skills to be earned from the beginning through intermediate and advanced training.

But perhaps more important overall is the good information on choosing just the right poodle puppy for this sort of activity. The first criteria is to choose a driven retriever. Which my beautiful black Kenya proved herself a star. This is a pup who’s always got a ball or stick or toy in his or her mouth, and is constantly trying to get you to throw it. Not only do they chase, they also bring it right back so you can throw again. Kenya would retrieve anything, but her best was a snowball I’d throw into a snowbank. Now, THAT is a committed retriever!

Second on the list of inborn traits you’ll want to look for is a love of water. Not just being unafraid of a bath, but ready, willing and able to jump right into water and swim. If the pup hasn’t yet been exposed to water enough to swim in, a pup that plays in their water dish, chases water from a hose or really enjoys a bath is a bood bet.

You’ll want a pup that likes people and isn’t aggressive to other dogs. You want one that doesn’t act skittish or try to hide at any sudden noise. A pup that will confidently walk with you over unfamiliar terrain is good too, try flattened cardboard boxes or creek bridges.

Poodles are such intelligent dogs that it’s not that difficult to evaluate traits early, even at 6 or 7 weeks of age. Some are better suited to certain tasks than others, though almost any well-bred poodle can be trained to do things other dogs only dream about. Go on over to the Versatility in Poodles website and check out some of their good information about all sorts of poodle jobs!

More Search and Rescue Training

In keeping with the SAR Training of two beautiful standard poodles that we’ve followed here since they were mere pups, 15 month old Angelina is shown in this video from searchdogtraining practicing “deep shelter” search, finding a hidden victim by sound clues.

Looks to me like Angelina is going to be a valuable ‘first responder’ in her working life, and perhaps an international star as well!

Introducing: Bo Obama

A website called First Dog Charlie went up on Saturday (April 6) purporting to show the new Presidential First Dog, a Portuguese Water Dog named “Charlie.” It sure looks like the same dog the Obamas were shown getting to know in a photo in the Washington Post on Easter Sunday. Apparently the Obamas wanted to delay the announcement until Tuesday, when the pup is supposed to move into the White House, but the event has generated so much attention worldwide that it was probably inevitable that the news would get ‘broken’ (or… housebroken?) before the due date.

The Post reports that the First Puppy is a gift from water dog-loving Senator Teddy Kennedy of Massachusetts, and that the Obama daughters Sasha and Malia immediately re-named him “Bo.” Not “Beau,” which is a great name for a poodle and my family had just such a giant mutant mountain poodle too, once. Probably sounded too French. Seems that Michelle Obama’s father was known in-house by the fond knickname of “Diddly.” As in… Bo Diddly, get it?

Bo is primarily black, with a white chest, white paws and a white goatee. They call this “tuxedoed,” but basically he looks a lot like a parti poodle. In fact, poodles and Portuguese Water Dogs share an ancestry that dates well back into the time of the Teutonic tribes of northern Germany and rural Russia, when they were famed for their prowess at hunting, retrieving and… you guessed it… riding comfortably on boats of all description. In the provinces the dogs were bred and developed for hunting and in France, for warfare, while in Portugal they took to the sea along with their masters.

The tuxedoed look will no doubt come in handy for Bo in his job of being First Dog and in charge of meet-and-greets of various high level officials, ambassadors and leaders from all over the world.

Here’s to you, Bo! May your life with this lovely family be long and multi-storied.

Poodle News Roundup

In Recent Poodle News we’ve got everything from a clinically depressed (and overmedicated) poodle putting the gnosh on Jacques Chirac to a Best in Show poodle with no name in Detroit. So let’s get started!

Jacques Chirac: Poodle Snack - Former French President Jacques Chirac was rushed to a Paris hospital in February after his poodle Sumo turned on him in a “vicious, unprovoked attack.” Sumo, a white Maltese poodle, had been undergoing treatment for clinical depression. Apparently Prozac for Poodles doesn’t work any better than it does for people. The 76-year old ex-President was treated and released, no word about what Sumo’s condition.

FoxNews

Runway Runaway at Logan - Boston’s Logan Airport experienced flight delays as a toy poodle eluded police and airport officials for 17 long hours this past October. Turns out the poodle, Coochy, was just trying to have some fun. She was finally captured by an offer of treats, after having escaped from her transport crate after a flight from Detroit. Passengers on many of the delayed flights expressed amazement that it took so many men so many hours to catch one poodle. We Poodle People are not surprised. Poodles are some of the best escape artists since Houdini!

Boston Globe

$5 million for False Imprisonment of Fifi - LOS ANGELES: Cassie Hughes was just getting settled into her seat on a United Airlines flight from Denver to Los Angeles when she thought she saw a carrier crate containing her poodle Fifi being loaded onto a different plane. When she asked, she was assured it was someone else’s dog, and when she asked to get off the plane to check, she was plied with booze by the attendant instead. Sure enough, Fifi ended up in Nebraska instead of Los Angeles, so Huges sued United Airlines for false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. UA tried to settle for a $1200 “lost baggage” claim, but Hughes is holding out for the $5 million.

This Is True Archive

Forget the Westminster Sussex! - DETROIT: A white toy poodle who apparently has no name won Best In Show at the 102nd annual Detroit Kennel Club Dog Show on February 28. The poodle his/her/itself hales from Pennsylvania, and while his/her/its owners got their names in the news, nobody at the Detroit News bothered to find out if the dog has a name. Somehow, I don’t think that there’s much glory to be gained by winning a Best In Show trophy without a name on the plate. But since we are all in favor of poodles being perpetual Best In Show (whatever show), we will say Hooray for Him/Her/It!!! Way to go!

Detroit News

Most Prolific Poodle Pair - VANCOUVER PROVINCE: A female standard poodle named Charlie started popping out puppies on St. Patrick’s Day last year and didn’t finish until afternoon the following day. A total of 16 healthy poodle puppies - ten female and six male - round out the family for Charlie and her mate Magnum after a previous record-setting litter of 12. Good job, Charlie!

The Oregonian

Westminster: It’s a… Sussex?

The second day of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show wrapped up last night (February 10), with a 10-year old Sussex Spaniel named “Stump” taking the Best of Show honors. For those like me who never heard of a Sussex Spaniel, it’s a medium-sized, short-legged, longish-haired dog with a saggy face and Prince Valiant ears that looks kind of cool - but not nearly as cool as the dreadlocked Puli, which could have masqueraded as a Wild Mutant Mountain Poodle in desperate need of a haircut…

At any rate, the standard poodle took Best of Breed Monday night in the Non-Sporting group. Ch Randenn Tristar Affirmation, a six-year old white lady-poodle of great grace and charm (not to mention big hairdo) took the gold, beating out the French Bulldog who took silver and Bulldog-bulldog who took bronze.

Here is the Video Link from WKC on the poodle-judging, and there are available videos on the site for all breeds and groups, so do spend some time if you missed the show on television. And while you’re at it, do check out that spectacular Puli. I just might have to consider getting me one of those one of these days. If I ever get really tired of poodle-shaving, that is…

Obamas Narrow ‘First Dog’ Search

Portuguese Water Dog pup

During an interview last weekend with George Sephanopoulos at ABC News, President-Elect Barack Obama confirmed that he and his family had narrowed the field in their search for the ‘First Dog’ down to either a Portuguese Water Dog or a Labradoodle. While I don’t know why the Obamas nixed the idea of a purebred poodle - it can’t be that they just prefer to have a crossbreed ‘mutt’ since the water dog is considered a purebred in the working group - but Labradoodles can be the next best thing if they can find a reputable breeder.

Because the Obamas are also still strongly intent on getting a shelter dog, they will probably have more luck finding a Labradoodle in such circumstances. These dogs are not reliably hypoallergenic, though, because this is not a breed-true situation. In a single litter of pups, whether from Poodle-Labrador parents or two Labradoodles, there will be a range of coat and hair types, only one or two of which (if you’re lucky) will have the poodle coat’s non-shedding and non-allergic properties. Good luck getting a rescue with just the right coat and personality qualities.

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Obedience Training Young Angelina

From the SearchDogPoodle channel at YouTube, here’s a clip of Angelina - a 10-month old white standard undergoing intensive training for her future in the service industry - mastering her obedience skills. Now, we all know that poodles aim to please their beloved masters, so aren’t all that difficult to train even when you’re not doing it in an intensive fashion.

But this young lady is very impressive, and we could learn a few good things from watching how it’s done. At least, I know I could. Enjoy this beauty, and Merry Christmas to All!

Time for A Presidential Poodle!

Barack Obama has been elected to be the next President of the United States! And, as is a standard question for all newly elected Presidents with a lovely wife and children to share the White House with, Obama was asked what kind of puppy he was planning to get for the title of “First Dog.”

And yes, it’s going to have to be a dog, because 10-year old First Daughter Malia has allergies she can’t escape with a cat, but could easily avoid with just the right kind of dog. Plus, as Obama mentioned, the family is going to want a shelter puppy…

“But obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me,” said Obama, in an apparent self-depreciating reference to his mixed race heritage. “So whether we’re going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household.”

Yet a surprising number of shelter dogs are purebreds. We got our beloved giant mutant mountain poodle Beau (pictured at top) at our county’s animal shelter when he was 6 months old, and his pedigree was a whole lot more impressive than mine! A size-large standard poodle with your basic kennel cut would make a delightful First Dog!

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Alternative Supports for Cancer

I have written previously about the sad fact that poodles (and boxers, and some other breeds) are prone to developing cancer. My own family has lost more than one beloved pet to this insidious disease. Most experts believe cancer is triggered primarily by environmental causes in both humans and their pets, though certain genetic weaknesses make it easier to trigger.

Alas, a friend this past week discovered that his beloved dog has lymphoma, a systemic cancer. He is currently out of work (as are millions of others with millions more to come in the current economic crisis), was devastated that he simply cannot afford the expensive chemotherapy his vet suggested. Feeling very depressed about losing his sweet dog in addition to all the other troubles his struggling family is facing, he felt entirely helpless and more than a little bit like a total failure.

So I wrote him a nice little email about my experience with canine cancer, and how that very expensive chemotherapy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Not only does it not gain the dog any arguably high quality time on the planet, it causes many peripheral problems too. Our dear Bob’s beautiful poodle hair fell out, he suddenly gained so much weight he could hardly walk, and time for “The Shot” came right on schedule anyway, he didn’t gain a single day. Even though it cost us $1500 way back in the 1990s, and those costs have doubled or tripled in the years since.

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More Great Doggie Costumes!

Yes, we are now just over two weeks away from Halloween, so those costumes for the kiddies and their canine friends have become a pressing issue. I mentioned last week the best reasons for outfitting the dog (increasing the sugar take, upping the odds on your kids winning the contest at the mall, etc.), and linked a couple of good sites for pre-made costumes.

This week, I’ll share some wonderful photos of dogs in costume, of which the above is just one. They are to be found at the excellent Dog Guide blog, and many of them are imaginative enough to have you laughing out loud. These aren’t all poodles, of course, but they’re good costume ideas for those handy with a needle and thread. It’s not hard to squint your eyes just a bit and imagine your proud and meticulously groomed poodle in these costumes, knowing that even if other entrants in the costume contest sport similar costumes on their various mutts, your dog’s ever so superior breeding will shine forth to make the effect even more laughable.

Of course, my all-time favorite poodle costume was one I’d made originally for my 3-year old grandson, who didn’t stay that size for very long. The next year I simply cut two front leg holes in it and put it on the Pood, which actually managed to triple grandson’s booty that year because the neighbors were so delighted. It was your basic dinosaur costume (Simplicity, if I recall) stuffed with crumpled newspapers to give it a nice round shape. So do go on over to Hounds of Halloween 2008! 45 Incredible Costumed Canines and tickle your funny bone!