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Dog Articles
Past and Present:
Poodle
The Poodle
is admitted to be among the most intelligent of dogs, and why he
should have been specially selected for the clown is hard to
understand; but the fact remains that for hundreds of years it has
been the custom to treat his coat in such a way as to make him
ridiculous.
Either
they clip his face, body, and legs, leaving ruffles about his
paws, tie the hair on top of his head with a ribbon, and send him
out looking like a little girl going to a party, or they partially
clip him and allow the rest of the hair to grow long until it twists
itself into cords which trail on the ground, making it practically
impossible to keep the dog clean and sweet. Some owners tie these
long cords in little bundles over the back to hold them out of the
dirt, but fortunately the great difficulty in keeping the so-called
Corded Poodle fit for exhibition is causing him to become less and
less popular.
Thus the
clever and adaptable Poodle must forever, it seems, be made a clown
when in reality he is one of the cleverest and most teachable of
dogs. Incidentally, he has all the qualities of a first-class
fowling dog: keen scent, good sight, venturous spirit, and an
inveterate love for the water. In many ways, both physical and
temperamental, he resembles the strong and capable old Irish Water
Spaniel, and doubtless they have much in common.
The ‘Caniche’,
as the French rather affectionately call him, is the trick-dog par
excellence. Every dog show or animal act is largely dependent
on him for its best features and the bad dog is almost invariably of
this type.
The
pictures show the three best known variations. In any case,
everybody knows a Poodle, and it is a pity that this humorous
fashion of making him look ridiculous should have the effect of
hiding from most people the truly fine character that these dogs
possess.
Physically
he differs from the Irish Water Spaniel in being taller on his legs
and generally slenderer; the muzzle is a little longer and there is
a strong tendency toward beard and moustache which the clean faced
Spaniel should never show. They may be black, brown, red, tawny, or
white, but must be self-colored. The extravagant growth of woolly
hair is a strange feature of the breed, particularly in the
less-popular corded variety. The toys are governed (though less
strictly) by the same standards as the bigger type. The eye, though
small, is very bright and intelligent, and of all dogs these seem to
enjoy most keenly the performance of tricks and capers taught by
their masters. There is almost no limit to their capacity to learn.
In Europe, heavier and more muscular strains of the breed are used
as draught dogs, and in parts of Germany there is a strain used for
herding sheep.
Source:
National Geographic 1919
Recommended Reading
Dog Training
Mastery - An Owners' Manual
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