There are three sizes of Poodle. The Toy, Miniature and Standard. They all come in a wide range of beautiful solid colours. Solid colours are prefered in the show ring, although Parti (more than one colour) coloured Poodles can be Kennel Club registered they are not favoured & are not very well excepted  in the dog showing world. The Poodles coat does not shed, but needs regular grooming. There are many styles of trimming for the Poodle & even cording your Poodle can be done but this is very time consuming & lots of care needs to be taken to mantain a corded Poodle coat. Most Poodles enjoy grooming & will show their appreciation in the care you take to mantain their looks.
The Poodle has a clown nature and are amusing to watch they will become devoted to there owner if cared for lovingly. They are capable of learning very quickly so care is needed to train & socialise them so all that they learn makes them a sociable & mannered dog. A natural show off and a popular breed to be watched at any dog show.
Poodles are a very old breed of dog and this type of dog can be seen in artefacts way back in history to Egyptian and Roman times depicting scenes of these type dogs helping their human companions bring in game nets, herding a variety of animals and retrieving game from marshes. The three types of Poodles that we know today are said to originate from France & are listed as this is their place of origin but Germany is believed to have been their real place of origin with the breed entering France with German soldiers. In Germany they came from the marshes where they were established as water retrievers. In Germany these dogs were refered to as pudelhund which meant " dog who likes to splash in the water". It was pronouced Poodle so this is how it is thought the name Poodle originates. The French certainly used the dog for retrieving ducks and used the smaller Poodles for sniffing out truffles. The Poodle is extremely versatile and loves obedience and if trained well will excel at this & modern agility competitions. Interest in the breed by the courts of Europe saw the development of the two smaller varieties the Miniature & Toy. The first Poodles exhibited were with corded coats but these were very hard to mantain so grooming & sculpting of the coat with different clips were seen to develop. Clipping of the Poodle before it became a show animal and was used for retrieving was purely done to enable the dog to do its job easier with the coat being clipped to stop it snagging its self on branches and brambles when retrieving and hair being left around its vital organs & leg joints to keep them warm. The rippon tied on the top of its head also originates from its working past so that when in the water retrieving it could easily be seen and identified at a distance. When these dogs became the favourites of the Royal courts of Europe they soon discovered that they could sculpt, clip and dye the Poodles coats into allsorts of different shapes and then the clipping became more about show than function.
The Poodle is a very elegant dog which belies the heart of a lion they are very friendly showing high spirits. They should have a happy nature with sporting and home loving instincts.
Poodles are classed as a Utilty dog for showing. They are not a vunerable breed. The Utility Breed Group consists of miscellaneous breeds of dog of non-sporting origin, including the Bulldog, Dalmation and Japanese Akita. The name "Utility" basically means fit for purpose and this group is a very mixed bunch. Some of the breeds listed in this group are the oldest breeds of dog with most in the past being selectivly bred to perform a specfic function not included in other categories.
Poodles need around an hour at least of good exercise a day. Their coat needs daily grooming & they do not shed their coat so need regular trips to the doggy parlour to be trimmed. The time between trims will depend on how long and shaggy a coat you like but at least every 3 months and some every 4 to 6 weeks. They are suited to life in the town or country and if allowed will run in the mud, water and play as good as any dog. They suit living in a flat, small or large house and because of their size and light footedness lots of their play needs can be done indoors or in a small garden.

A Breed Standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function. Absolute soundness is essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be careful to avoid obvious conditions or exaggerations which would be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed. From time to time certain conditions or exaggerations may be considered to have the potential to affect dogs in some breeds adversly, and judges and breeders are requested to refer to the Kennel Club website for details of any such corrent issues, If a feature or quality is desirable it should only be present in the right measure.
The breed standard for all three breeds of Poodle are the same with only height being the difference between them.

Well balanced, elegant looking with very proud carriage.

Distinguished by a special type clip for show activity and by type of coat which does not moult.

Gay-spirited and good-tempered.

Long and fine with slight peak. Skull not broad, moderate stop. Foreface strong, well chiselled, not falling away under eyes; cheek bones and muscle flat. Lips tight-fitting. Chin well defined but not protruding. Head in proportion to size of dog.

Almond-shaped, dark, not set too close together, full of fire and intelligence. Eye colour see Colour Clause.

Leathers long and wide, set low, hanging close to face.

Jaws strong with perfect, regular complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. A full set of 42 teeth is desirable.

Well proportioned, of good length and strong to admit of the head being carried high and with dignity. Skin fitting tightly at the throat.

Well laid back shoulders, strong and muscular. Legs set straight from shoulders, well muscled.

Chest deep and moderately wide. Ribs well sprung and rounded. Back short, slightly hollowed; loins broad and muscular.

Thighs well develpoed and muscular; well bent stifles, hocks well let down; hindlegs turning neither in nor out.

Tight, proportionately small, oval in shape, turning neither in nor out, toes arched, pads thick and hard, well cushioned. Pasterns strong.

Previously customarily docked.
Docked: Set on rather high, carried at slight angle away from body, never curled or carried over back, thick root.
Undocked: Thick at root, set on rather high, carried away from the body and as straight as possible.

Sound, free and light movement essential with plenty of drive.

Very profuse and dense; of good harsh texture. All short hair close, thick and curly. It is strongly recommended that the traditional lion clip adhered to.

All solid colours. White and creams to have black nose, lips and eye rims, black toenails desirable. Browns to have dark amber eyes, dark liver nose, lips, eye rims and toenails. Apricots and reds to have dark eyes with black points or deep amber eyes with liver points. Blacks, silvers and blues to have black nose, lips, eye rims and toenails. Creams, apricots, reds, browns, silvers and blues may show varying shades of the same colour up to 18 months. Clear colour preferred. Non solid colours are highly undersirable and should be heavily penalised.

Poodles (Toy): height at shoulder should be under 28cms (11 ins).

Poodles (Miniature): height at shoulder should be under 38cms (15ins) but not under 28cms (11ins).

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

The Toy & Miniature Poodles should be healthy, athletic & have good stamina so enjoy walks & lots of interactive play to keep them fit physically & mentally. Please take a look at my page "About The Cavalier". On that page I give tips for general looking after the minor health issue's in Cavaliers which also are applicable to Poodles, so please refer to that page for more indepth explanation. Also on that page I cover the more major health issue's which some of these are found in the Poodle.
Mitral Heart Regurgitation is found in Poodles & in all dog breeds but in the Poodle it is seen as an old age problem which it should be not like in the Cavalier were we find them starting to have occurance of this problem before their first year & by 5 years of age from data research it is shown that 50% of Cavaliers have Mitral Valve Regurgitation.
Syringomyelia has been reported in Toy & Miniature Poodles but to a very small extent. Care must be taken to breed from good size Poodles as size I feel is a big factor in incidence of this problem. Breeding dogs that they call Teacup size is wrong both the Poodle & Cavalier need to be a good robust size with a good size skull that has a shallow to moderate stop which is the space between the eyes.
 Patella Luxation & Hip Dysplasia is also seen on occasion in Toy & Miniature Poodles. If crossing with a bigger breed dog such as a Labrador who have hip problems it is adviseable to have your Poodle hip scored before breeding.
The eye problems in the Toy & Miniature Poodle that are of most concern are Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA). This is a gradual deterioration of the retina of the eye which ultimately leads to blindness. The most common form of PRA in the Toy & Miniature Poodle is Progressive rod-cone degeneration (prcd) & 75% of PRA in Toy & Miniature Poodles is caused by prcd. Toy & Miniature Poodles can now be blood tested to find out if they carry the recessive gene prcd. The test is done by an American company called Optigen & this test can now be recorded with the Kennel Club on the dogs details, so can be checked on.
A Toy & Miniature Poodle should still be annually BVA eye tested as well to check for other forms of PRA that they have not found the gene for yet, also the eye test checks for other eye conditions that they can get like cataracts & other conditions listed on "Heath of Cavaliers" page.
The Toy & Miniature Poodle live from UK research an average of 14 to 14.5 years. From UK research the most common thing that Miniature & Toy Poodles die from is old age with 39% of Miniatures & 25% of Toys dying of old age.
I feel that the crossing of the Cavalier with the Toy or Miniature Poodle has health benefits mainly for the Cavalier who only lives an average of 9 years & its biggest killier is Mitral Valve Regurgitation with nearly all Cavaliers having this problem by the age of 10 if they live that long. Care has to be taken in crossbreeding especially if breeding second, third & so on generations that we breed problems out rather that in. At Poundlane we proceed with care when crossbreeding striving to breed a healthy, happy & confident dog that is a loving family member & companion.