Standard Poodle Origin

The Standard Poodle is one of the oldest pure bred dogs and its origin, while popularly thought to be French, is German. The name poodle along with the breed is believed to have originated in Germany. 

Despite the poodle’s pop-culture reputation as pampered lap dog, poodles come from a line of hard-working sport animals. The name poodle came from the German Pudelhund or Pudel (which in English means “puddle”) meaning “to splash about”, and the word Hund in German means “dog.” The poodle became standardized in France, where it was considered and worked as a water retriever. It was the poodle’s popularity in France which solidified it as the national breed.

No one knows the poodle’s true origins. However, one popular theory holds that the poodle’s early ancestor was an Asian herding dog that traveled west with tribes of Goths to eventually become a German hunting animal; another theory of the breeds origin as it finding its way from Asia to Portugal in the 8th century with the Moors.

What we do know is that the earliest ancestors of the Poodle were said to be curly-coated dogs of central Asia. The poodle’s history has seen rough-coated water dogs claiming to be associated with the poodle’s ancestry. The first dog breed laying claim was a type of curly-coated dog known as the Barbet, which was seen throughout Hungary, France, and Russia. However, it was the German strain of the dog exerted maximum influence on the Poodle we know today.

The Poodles Original Purpose

Poodles are retrievers or “gun dogs,” and are still used by hunters in that role. Their coat is moisture-resistant, which helps their swimming. In France, the dog was also named “chien canard or caniche,” indicating its duck-hunting qualities. While primarily considered a water-retriever, the poodle was and still used as a guide dog, guard dog, military dog, circus performer, and wagon puller for entertainers.

To this day, because the original Poodles were water dogs used for retrieving, their conformation and the pattern and texture of their coats reflect the purposes for which they were bred.