The Case For Buying a Poodle

The Case For Buying a Poodle

As of December 30, 2009, thirty nine percent of U.S. households own at least one dog. In total, there are 77.5 million owned dogs only in USA. That is around 35 times the population of Latvia (a small European country at the coast of the Baltic sea). This just goes to show that dogs are arguably the most popular type of pet out there.

When people decide to become a pet owner – specifically a dog owner – the next logical step is to decide what type of dog to buy. Let me present the case for poodles – a dog at which stereotypical men point and laugh about its stereotypes, or stereotypical housewives adore. There’s more to poodles than stereotypes.

First argument for buying a poodle – they are intelligent. Dogs are intelligent pets to begin with, and poodles are commonly acknowledged to be among the most intelligent canines. A common stereotype is that poodles are a bit of self absorbed “airheads” that spend their time (and their owners’ time) at exhibitions, trying to look good. While it is true, that it may require a lot of attention and devotion from its owner to look exhibition-worthy, it should not be the first thought that comes to your mind, when you think of poodles. Nor should you take away that there is nothing more to them. The reality is that poodles have acute reasoning powers, which makes it a very problem-free dog – a poodle will not cause a ruckus, it will show human-like devotion to its owner and, above all, he will learn. Poodles have great aptitude for learning. If you want to teach your dogs some tricks and games, a poodle will enjoy it a lot and it can be a rewarding experience for both the pet and the owner.

Of course, it is perfectly suited for aforementioned exhibitions and long grooming sessions as well. If that is what you are looking for in a potential pet – even better. Poodles are very showy and, when properly presented, can be excellent crowd pleasers in public shows.

It is true that caring for poodles can be a bit of a hassle – they have long coats with hairs that have the tendency to twist into little cords, if the coat is not kept constantly brushed out. If these cords are not cut short, they will drag along the ground (yes, they can become pretty long) and cause impaired movement and reduced comfort for the poor poodle. It is also hard to keep a poodle groomed for exhibitions as a pet. Their coats must be oiled occasionally to keep the cords supple and they can not be brushed, so the only way to keep the show-poodle clean is to wash it. This is a very laborious process for a corded show-poodle, and the coat can take a long time to dry. Besides, while the coat dries, the poodle is more receptive to health issues – it could catch a cold, for example.

If you want a smart pet that you can enjoy teaching tricks to – and which will enjoy learning them and playing games with its owner – poodle is a great choice. If you want to, you can have it participate in shows and exhibitions as well. However if you want a pet that can be ready for exhibitions around the clock, then that is about the only situation where you might not want to get a poodle, as it might be just too laborious and not enjoyable at all. After all, a pet is supposed to bring joy to the owner (and the owner – to the pet).