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toy poodle Anonymous asked this question on 5/20/2002: Does anyone have suggestions for a very shy 8lb toy poodle?

beainsc gave this response on 5/21/2002: "The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will will make a fool of himself, too." (Samuel Butler) Obedience training should be viewed as a means of achieving a positive relationship between you and your dog. You want your dog to respond to you out of love and respect, not fear. To this end, the keys to obedience training are patience, persistence and praise. Good methods emphasize repetition and reward, tempered with firmness. Treats have their place, but should not be the primary motivating factor for your dog. While dogs can be trained at any age, the best approach is to begin as early as possible (i.e., as young as 8 weeks) when the dog is most impressionable and before it develops bad habits. A well-trained owner is key to a well-trained dog. A well-trained dog cannot be created overnight. Consistent practice using proper techniques makes all the difference in successful training. Training should be fun for both you and your dog and we strive to make it so. Training together is a great way to bond with your pet. "I can train any dog in five minutes. It's training the owner that takes longer." (Barbara Woodhouse) The poodle is not all he appears to be. He is native to Germany, not France, and he got his start in the swamps as a water dog trained to retrieve fallen birds for hunters. Beyond those facts, his origins are shrouded in mystery. Two theories have been put forth to determine his heritage -- that he was developed from rugged Asian herding dogs captured by the fierce Berbers, a North African Moslem people, and traveled from North Africa to Portugal with the Moors in the 8th Century; and that he is descended from the dogs that left the Asian steppes with the Goths, a federation of German tribes, traveled west with the Ostrogoths and became the pudel, a German water dog. His name is a corruption of the German pudeln, which means "to splash in water." The original poodles were the larger ones, but their intelligence and cheery disposition led to breeding down to miniature and toy sizes for companion dogs for the ladies of the court. Today the poodle comes in four sizes: standard, 15 inches and over; miniature, 10-15 inches; toy, less than 10 inches, and teacup. (All measurements are taken at the withers, the high point of the shoulder. The only difference between the three AKC recognized poodles is size; theoretically, small standards and large miniatures or small miniatures and large toys could come from the same litter.) Historically, the poodle was a water dog, a circus dog, and the pampered pet of royal households in France. The standard poodle was known as early as the 15th Century and was shown in the paintings of German artist Albrecht Durer and the Spanish artist Goya. During the 1800s, he was used to produce the curly coat of the Curly-coated Retriever; was crossed with the English pointer to produce the Pudelpointer, a happy-go-lucky, energetic, and versatile German hunting dog; and played a part in the development of the Irish Water Spaniel (and through the IWS, became an ancestor of the American Water Spaniel). The miniature poodle was crossed with a terrier to produce a truffle hunting dog to sniff out the delicate, flavorful fungus growing just under the soil surface. There is some evidence that the toy poodle and the Maltese dog are related, but it is not certain if the Maltese was used to produce the toy poodle or if the poodle played a part in the development of the small white dog from Malta. Today's poodle The poodle in all its sizes is one of the most popular breeds in the US. For many years it claimed the number one spot in AKC registrations, and for the past two years remained at number three with 78,600 registrations in 1989 and 71,757 registrations in 1990. Only the Cocker Spaniel and the Labrador Retriever had higher numbers. In general appearance, the poodle is elegant and perky, well-proportioned, and squarely built. He carries himself proudly, with an air of distinction and dignity and a springy gait. All three varieties come in a plethora of solid colors including white, silver, blue, grey, brown, apricot, red, cream, and black. Only solid colors are acceptable. As could be expected, the miniature and toy varieties of the breed are much more popular than the larger standard variety. In temperament, the larger dog is more docile, with a regal, ladies-and-gentlemen personality. He is less active on his own but needs a fair amount of exercise, is stable in temperament, sociable with children, a good watch dog, and a passable guard dog. He is highly intelligent, learns quickly, and has strong problem-solving ability. Generally, although the smaller poodles share the standard's intelligence, they are much more active indoors and out; less stable, especially with children; more demanding of attention; and frequently are yappy. Unfortunately, as with all popular breed, puppy mills and backyard breeders are responsible for the proliferation of poorly bred examples of this bright, appealing dog. Puppy mill varieties, often sold through retail outlets, can be high-strung, fearful, aggressive, noisy, demanding, destructive, and neurotic. These problems are perpetuated when bitches are bred on every heat and puppy buyers make matters even worse by breeding a litter or two to get back their investment. So look for a responsible breeder when searching for a poodle. Ask about breed genetic problems such as generalized progressive retinal atrophy, an eye disease that eventually causes blindness, and congenital heart problems. See both parent dogs if possible and assess their temperaments. If they exhibit any of the previously mentioned undesireable traits, be wary of purchasing one of their pups. Watch out as well for folks who crossbreed poodles with another toy breed and advertise Malti-poos, Peke-a-poos, Shih-poos, Yorkie-poos, Cocker-poos, etc. Although these small dogs may be cute beyond belief, they are still mixed breed dogs and frequently exhibit the worst characteristics of their parent breeds. If you decide on one of them, don't pay more than you would for any other crossbred puppy. And don't listen to "breeders" who claim that these -poo dogs are under consideration for acceptance into AKC or any other registry. Other than possible temperament problems, the biggest drawback to owning a poodle is the care necessary to keep its coat in shape. Although the breed has no body odor and does not shed, its coat requires regular care to avoid tangles. Poodles are usually trimmed in one of four styles: Puppy, sporting, English saddle, or continental. Most pet poodles are kept either in the puppy or sporting clip. Similar in appearance, these clips require trimming the coat over most of the body and closely shaving the hair on the feet, tail, and face, and neck. The puppy clip may be left longer and shaped; the sporting clip is no longer than an inch long.Pompons decorate the end of the tail in both. Although the fancy continental and English saddle clips are usually seen only in the show ring, they had advantages for the poddle plying his trade in the marshes. The mane on neck and chest proteced the chest from the cold water and the bare legs gave them freedom to swim. Both these clips maintain a mane or ruff of longer hair around the dog's neck and shoulders, ankle ruffs, shaved front legs, and pompons on the tail. The continental clip has bare hindquarters except for a pom at the hip, and the English saddle puts shaved bands on the coated back legs. When grooming a poodle in preparation for a haircut, it is very important to free all coat tangles so that the hair doesn't mat in the bath. Most poodle owners leave the complexities of grooming to a professional, but this expense must be included in the puppy budget when considering a purchase. Dogs are social creatures genetically designed to operate in a pack for maximum opportunity to survive. Descended from wolves, they maintain highly-evolved patterns of behavior that help them fit into a human or dog family, but those behaviors must be triggered and nurtured in order to fully develop. In the wild, wolf mothers teach their cubs to submit to more powerful pack members and to hunt for food. Cubs leave the den, romp together and with other pack members, and experience extremes of weather and variations of terrain. A wolf’s life involves limited contact with other animals, however; after the hunt, the pack plays and sleeps together, but there is no need for them to cope with interspecies communication and adjust to a broad and expanding set of experiences that confront dogs every day. Therefore, an early period of teaching puppies how to learn and survive in their environment – also known as socialization – is critical to building the bond between human and dog and assuring that the dog becomes comfortable in his surroundings. Thoughtful breeders begin the process by handling puppies from the moment they are born. They weigh each pup in a baby scale, move them gently when cleaning the whelping box, provide blankets of different textures as padding, and make sure every puppy has an equal opportunity to nurse. As the weeks go by and the pups can see, hear, and get around, breeders expose them to normal household sounds, music, different surfaces and temperatures, a variety of toys, and people and accustom them to a daily routine that involves outside exercise time, a bit of grooming on a table, playtime that increases interaction with human family members, short trips in the car, and other experiences. Since dogs are already social animals, we don’t need to teach them to interact with other dogs unless they were denied opportunities to play with littermates and Mom as puppies and have become fearful or aggressive as a result. As social animals, dogs are programmed to interact with people as well, but they also need opportunities to do so as young puppies. Dogs of the guardian and other breeds that are aloof and suspicious of strangers need more such occasions than dogs developed to serve as companions to avoid behavior that is over-protective or aggressive. Terriers and high-drive dogs of a feisty nature can be more difficult to socialize in families with small children and those with a sedate lifestyle. Individual dogs that are shy or fearful also need additional attention to help them adapt to family life. Unless a puppy is very shy or fearful, this introduction to life among humans should suffice as a foundation for a career as a pet, show dog, or working dog. However, it is only a foundation; the puppy buyer must follow-up with more learning opportunities, including broader exposure to the world, introduction of limits on unacceptable behaviors, and training for good manners at home and abroad. Life is different for each dog owner, so the socialization of each dog is an individual matter once the dog goes home. A dog living in a family with small children must learn to cope with the sounds and motions of child play and the visits of other children without fear or over-reaction. A dog living with elderly family members must learn not to get underfoot. A dog with a future as a service dog must be accustomed to the sights, sounds, and confusion of life in the public eye. A dog that will compete in conformation, obedience, or other contests must get along well with other dogs and learn to handle the noise and crowds at indoor and outdoor dog shows. Hints: Puppy buyers can make socialization easier by 1) selecting a puppy from parent dogs that are mentally and physically sound and from a breeder who lays the foundation for learning in the pup’s first seven or eight weeks. 2) waiting until the pup is at least seven weeks old before bringing it home so that it has plenty of opportunity to interact with littermates and learn basic dog-to-dog manners. 3) enrolling in a puppy kindergarten class that provides play time for puppies as well as opportunities to teach basic commands and ask lots of questions

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