Toy Poodles Good Dogs?

I knew a toy poodle growing up.
She was very smart, could do many tricks, but she was also very excitable and had a nervous bladder.
She would also gulp down her entire bowl of water so she could barf it up if she felt she wasn't getting enough attention.
She was a very high strung dog.
Anytime anyone came to the door she'd be barking and piddling.

I had two toys and they were sweet and very obedient and did not go in the house at all. But they were not as good with kids since there were fearful being so small. I also had a miniature Poodle who lived to be 17 years old and grew up with our 8 kids and she was the perfect size and loved the kids and more secure around them. I would recommend that. She was 12 lbs. and they vary in weight, etc. She was the longer legged look so looked just like a standard only smaller. Our toys were 4lbs. and 5 lbs. Too small for kids in my opinion. Also the toys just wanted to sit in your lap, more of a 'lap dog' and the miniature was very loving and would sit in your lap but also more playful and loved to play with the kids. She let them dress her up, take her to the Lake, play ball and just very protective of the baby.

I disagree with what a few of your responses have been. I come from a family of poodle lovers. We have never had a problem with behavior or potty training. I think with any dog you have to put in the time to potty train and if that isnt put in and consistent then you have to deal with it. My miniture poodle was crate trained as a puppy and I think that helped a lot. They are really good with kids and I have never had mine snap at anyone (believe me my husband and friends have given him many reasons to). You should know that they do have a lot of energy and should be walked and played with. I love my poodle and l would not get any other breed because of the sheding that most dogs have.

We have a 6 yr old Toy Poodle. He is the most spoiled dog in the universe. We love him to death. He is smart, he is trained, he has no fear....

He is the youngest of our 3 dogs. We also have a 7 yr old English Cocker and she is the poodles best dog buddy. We also have a 13 yr old American Cocker and he could care less... he just sleeps, eats nad poops.

The poodle is my shadow all day until daughter gets home. He sleeps with daughter too. I can say ____ is on her way home and the poodle will go to the gated area and wait for her. He is quite clever, when we give treats, the other 2 dogs eat immediately. Poodle will purposely hold onto his treat, guard it with his life, sometimes hide it (I've found treats in my closet), and then he will eat in in front of the other 2.

He has no fear. We live on a wooded lot with iron fence backing up to woods with bobcats, coyotes, etc. He love to chase squirrels and rabbits. I always know if something is in the yard due to the "tone" of his bark. I went out last spring when his are barking and he had cornered a snake. He has been face to face with a coyote.

We did spend about $1000 for special fencing so he could no longer get between the iron posts and get into the woods or in the neighborhood.

He's a sweetheart and if we ever get another dog, we will get a toy poodle.

I do keep him away from small children because he has never been around them and he barks at them which scares them. He has never itten anyone but he is very protective.

There is good and bad with all breeds. You just have to weigh the pros and cons. We would never get another American Cocker due to the horrendous shedding. The English cocker does not shed as badly and has been a better overall pet.

Good luck

I have a Miniature Poodle (15 lbs.). It is my first poodle after owning a variety of breeds, mostly recently Jack Russells for over 17 years. If you have kids I agree with the others that a Miniature is a much better size. Small dogs like toy poodles can be too fragile for young kids and generally aren't as good with children. I have not had the problems that other posters have mentioned. My poodle took a little longer to house train than I expected him to (it took a few months), but now he is almost two and he is very well trained. He does NOT pee and poop in the house. He is much better than my JRTs were.

He is also not a one person dog. He is more attached to me than the other family members because I care for him and spend the most time with him. However, he is very loving and affectionate with every member of our family, including my boys (12 and 15). He can be initially hesistant with new people, but warms up quickly. He likes to approach on his own terms. I made sure he was well-socialized as a puppy.

He does need regular exercise. I need to take him on a daily 20 minute walk. The only exception is if another dog is visiting and he gets in some good play time with the other dog. He's been able to keep up to my husband on a 4 mile run.

The only problem we've had with our poodle is "resource guarding," although I think it is particular to him and not a "poodle problem." He likes to protect special food and treats that he thinks are his. He does like to grab things like dirty socks and he likes to shred paper, but we are working with a trainer on these things. Again, I don't think they are poodle issues. My JRTs loved to shred paper too. My mom's Shih-Tzu eats paper.

Our poodle is VERY smart, which can be both good and bad. I did a lot of research before I decided on a poodle. We have allergies in the family. You can send me a PM if you have any specific questions.

ETA: Ironically, I just recieved my digital copy of the most recent AKC Family Dog magazine and the Poodle is the featured breed. I get the magazine because my dog is AKC registered. However, maybe you can access it online.

I think you'll have more luck with a standard poodle.

the only thing I know about poodles is that they pee in the house a lot. When we got our new carpet the company told us that 2 dog breeds keep them in business: poodles and yorkies.

My best friends mom has poodles. One of them is very friendly, one of them is "special needs", seriously, he's friendly but has the strangest behavior I've ever seen in an animal, and one of them only likes grown ups, and she is very possessive of whomever she is next to at any given moment. She will go so far as to try and bite anyone, or either of the other dogs, if they get near her if she is being given attention. I swear she is the reason they call female dogs bitches. She sure does live up to it :) They also all think the floor is their toilet. They bark at anything that moves and anytime a door opens. On the positive side the are hypoallergenic and very loyal.

My friend has had toy poodles for over twenty years and the one drawback is exactly what Jaycee said...they do pee/poop in the house. Her current dog is 12 years old and still isn't housebroken. Poodles are also a one man dog and are very owner loyal.

Wow, I'm astonished to read other poster's expressions that poodles were hard to house break. I have read they're much easier to house break than other breeds and that's been my experience.

I grew up with a miniature poodle who never had accidents in the house and was the smartest dog I'd ever seen (we had numerous dogs, a cat, goats, horses and cows). I swear she knew the English language. She would prefer to jump through a window than go in the house and dis-please us.

I never thought I'd see another dog like her until now . . . after a long period without animals due to allergies, we recently adopted a mini-schnoodle puppy. She is 75% poodle, 25% schnauzer, and her adult size will be between 8-12 pounds. She is 5 months old and is completely house trained already. But we got her at 8 wks, got up in the middle of the night to take her out, etc., so she never learned to go in her crate. Once they learn it's OK to go in their crate, or in the house, then it takes MUCH longer to break this habit. Of course some dogs can develop health issues which cause it too.

Like any small dog poodles can develop "small dog syndrome" - this is mostly blamed on the owner. Small dogs are still dogs, and still need an alpha leader.

As I understand it poodles are the 2nd smartest dogs of all the breeds (collie is first).

I just love our mini-schnoodle, even though I didn't really want to. She is an amazing puppy.

Good luck and I hope you find the perfect doggie for your family!

PS: To answer your question, if I'm not mistaken "toys" are just a smaller version of a mini-poodle. I do think you have to be careful with tiny dogs and little kids. Our schnoodle is the perfect size for us.

I have only had one in my life and that was enough for me! He was the meanest dog I have ever had in my life. He stole our socks, toys, or whatever he could carry in his mouth. He then would guard it and if we tried to get it from him he would bite us. I hated that dog!!!!