Are Poodles Good for First-Time Owners? The Honest Answer

Ask a trainer which breed they'd recommend to a thoughtful first-time owner and the poodle comes up more often than you'd expect. Ask a groomer and you'll get a longer pause. Both are right. Here is our version.

What makes them a good first dog

• Trainability. Ranked second of all breeds for working intelligence, and unlike some clever breeds they want to please. A poodle picks up a cue in three repetitions and enjoys the process. For an owner who likes training, it is a joy.
• Temperament. Kind, playful, funny, sociable with people and dogs when socialised, and tuned to their person's mood. Poodles rarely bite and rarely fight.
• Low shedding. The coat sheds very little, so a poodle house has no drifts of hair on the sofa. This is not the same as hypoallergenic, and we'll come to that.
• Three sizes. Toy (2–4 kg), Miniature (5–9 kg) and Standard (20–32 kg) share one temperament, so there is a poodle for a studio flat and a poodle for a farmhouse.
• Health and lifespan. A healthy breed overall. Toys and Miniatures live fourteen to sixteen years; Standards eleven to thirteen.

What makes them a hard first dog

• The coat. It grows continuously, like hair, and mats to the skin where it isn't brushed. That means brushing and combing to the skin several times a week and a professional groom every four to six weeks for life, at a cost most people forget to budget. A matted poodle is a poodle in pain, and neglected coats are the commonest reason the breed ends up in rescue.
• The sensitivity. A poodle takes a raised voice to heart. Harsh handling produces a worried dog who offers less, barks more and hides from the brush. Force-free training isn't a preference with this breed; it is the only method that works.
• Separation anxiety. Poodles are attached. A poodle left for eight hours a day without careful alone-time training is a poodle who howls, and the breed sits near the top of every separation anxiety list.
• Barking. Alert, watchful and vocal, especially the Toy. Manageable with training, but not a silent breed.
• The need for a job. A clever dog with nothing to do invents something, and you won't like it. Daily training, retrieving or scent games are maintenance, not a hobby.
• Size-specific health. Slipping kneecaps, a soft windpipe and crowded teeth in the small sizes; Addison's disease, bloat and a skin condition called sebaceous adenitis in Standards; eye disease and epilepsy in all three. Insurance is not optional.

The hypoallergenic question

No dog is hypoallergenic. The allergen is a protein in dander, saliva and urine, and every poodle makes it. Because the coat sheds so little, less of it ends up around the house, and some allergic people cope well with a poodle. Others don't. The only test is time spent with the actual dog, ideally in your own home. Anyone who sells you a puppy on a guarantee is selling you something they can't deliver.

Which size for a first owner

For most first-time owners the Miniature is the sweet spot: robust enough for a real walk and a family, small enough for a flat, and without the Standard's bloat and Addison's risk. The Standard is a wonderful first dog for someone with space, time and a fence who wants a proper working companion. The Toy is the one to think hardest about: fragile, prone to barking, and a poor match for young children. The size guide goes through all three.

The questions to ask yourself

Will you brush to the skin several times a week and pay a groomer every four to six weeks for fourteen years? Do you enjoy training and want a dog who needs it daily? Is someone home most of the day, or can you build alone time slowly from week one? Can you keep your voice down with a dog who is sensitive? Will you buy from a breeder who tests eyes, clotting, knees or hips rather than one who uses the word hypoallergenic?

Five yeses, and a poodle could be the dog of your life. Two noes, and you will both be happier with a different breed.

If you go ahead

Buy from a breeder who DNA tests for progressive retinal atrophy and von Willebrand's disease, scores hips in Standards, checks patellas in the small sizes, and raises puppies in the house with a brush and a table. Or adopt an adult through a breed rescue, where you can see the coat and the nature. Insure before the first vet visit. Read the grooming guide before the puppy comes home, and start the alone-time ladder on day one.