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History Of Poodle
By peace | October 2, 2006
Poodles have had many references in art and literature. Bas-reliefs dating from the first century found along the shores of the Mediterranean portray the Poodle much as it is today. Drawings by the German artist Durer establish the breed in the 15th and 16th centuries. In the 18th century, it was the principle pet dog in Spain as shown by the artist Goya. A favorite subject of artists, the Poodle probably appears in more works of art than any other dog.
The poodle has been around for a long time. Ancient Egyptian and Roman artefacts often depict the poodle’s ancestors assisting their owners as they bring in game nets, herd a variety of animals or retrieve selected catches from various marshes.
The Poodle is often thought of as a typically French breed (it is frequently referred to as the “French Poodle”). However, it is an old breed and its region of origin is a matter of contention. Most experts believe the Poodle originated in Central Europe or Russia. However, it may also have come from Iberia. Related breeds are the Portuguese Water Dog and Irish Water Spaniel.
The original Poodles were water dogs used for retrieving. It is believed that their country of origin is Germany. Their conformation and the texture of their coats to this day, reflect the purposes for which they were bred. The traditional Continental or English Saddle clip pattern of the hair you see on Poodles today in the show ring, mirror the historical clips used to assist the Poodle in the water – unusual clips out of occupational necessity. An unshorn poodle’s thick coat could weigh it down in the water. With the bottom half of its body shaved, the animal was more buoyant and could swim more freely. The long mane and hair around the chest were left intact to keep the poodle’s vital organs warm in the cold water, and owners also kept the hair around the joints to protect them from cold and injury and to help prevent rheumatism. Shaving the hair around the face left the poodle’s mouth and eyes free so it could fulfill its retrieving responsibilities, and tying the hair on a poodle’s head into a “top knot” also kept hair out of its eyes. Owners eventually tied these knots with brightly colored ribbons to help them identify their dogs from afar.
Unlike many other breeds of dog that were bred to specific sizes only within recent history, the poodle’s three primary sizes — toy, miniature and standard — have been around for centuries. Aside from companionship, the toy versions and related cross-breeds played a somewhat dubious alternate role whereby they served as hand-warmers within the large sleeves of the nobility and emerging merchant classes around the time of the Renaissance. This practice became so widespread that they and other similarly small dogs became known as “sleeve dogs.”
For centuries, the poodle’s intelligence and personality made it a favorite with gypsies and other travelling performers who trained it to perform all manner of tricks and skits to the delight of paying spectators. Accounts of famous royal command performances along with stories of amazing street shows are littered throughout the historical record. Variety shows featuring poodles dressed in all manner of costumes and displaying amazing feats of intelligence, balance and agility became all the rage in the 19th century.
One of the most misunderstood aspects of poodles is why they are clipped in such an array of seemingly bizarre styles. The fact is that the distinctively shaved areas and tufts of hair – the unique poodle “look” — are a direct result of the poodle’s working and sporting heritage.
In order to protect the poodle’s vital organs and joints from the biting cold of constant water retrieval, certain areas were shaved for added mobility and to lessen the chance of snagging while other key areas were left densely covered for warmth. The ribbon commonly found tied into a poodle’s topknot, is believed to have originally been a means of finding and identifying the dog when it was working in water.
Adding to the clipping cavalcade were travelling gypsy performers who often sheared their performing poodles in fanciful styles much to the delight of their customers. It didn’t take long for the ladies of the court and upper classes to discover that they could clip, dye, and decorate these newfound companions in an almost endless array of styles, adding their own variations on an otherwise utilitarian theme. This reached a peak during the heyday of the French nobility. The French adopted the poodle with a special zeal and brought clipping to the level of high art. Even today, most people associate the poodle with France instead of Germany. That’s just fine with the French who don’t mind putting one over on the Germans and who have subsequently named the poodle, “the national dog of France.”
Poodles have worked in virtually every capacity a dog is capable of filling. From cart-pulling draught animal to parlour-room trickster, from sled dog to assistive guide dog, from warrior to rest-home companion, from truffle-hound to eminently competent bird dog, and from watchdog to show ring master, the poodle excels at everything it sets its mind to.
With such a rich and varied history, the poodle is a master of all trades and one of the finest companions any human could ever hope for.
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