Breed Profile: Poodle

Next to the Border Collie, the Poodle is considered the next most intelligent dog. Like Border Collies, Poodles hate to be left alone and love being around people as much as possible. Poodles generally have a long life expectancy, from thirteen to fifteen years. While they don’t have enormous exercise requirements (certainly nothing compared to the Border Collie), Poodles need company and companionship. They are moderately friendly with other pets, and are very amiable to strangers. Later on in life, many Poodles can suffer from disorders of the eyes, skin and heart. It should be noted that there are some small differences between the Toy Poodle and the standard Poodle. Generally, Toy Poodles require less exercise and are slightly more affectionate. But both can be trained just as easily, and both are considered to be equally as intelligent.