The Poodle is a dog breed that is currently considered as a decorative dog or a companion dog. Through a study conducted by Professor Stanley Coren which aimed to rank breeds in intelligence, poodles came out as the second smartest breed on the scale, following the border collies. They are capable of adapting to a variety of climates due to their extensive origins and broad history. .

It is believed that poodles originated in France, but some people name Germany as their country of origin due to the word "poodle" having German etymology, as in the German word the name meaning "splash in water."
It should be noted, however, that in France this breed holds its own meaning called caniche from "cane" – a duck, which validates their origin from French water dogs. In the reconstruction of the breed's history, specialists relied on etymological analysis, written documents, and images of dogs resembling poodles. In German, "pudel" or "pudelin" means "puddle", "swamp", or "splashing in water." English word "poodle" also comes from "puddle." The French word for the breed is "caniche." It comes from "chien canard" which means "a dog for hunting ducks."

Originally, poodles were bred as working dogs in order to hunt small game centuries ago. As time passed, European poodles began transitioning from a life of duck hunting to luxurious royal family pets, forming the beginning of their popularity. In Europe, poodles have been known since 15-16th centuries, and for the longest time they were a breed that was only available to the royals. That is how it got its name – "Royal" Poodle, – not because of its size, as some believe.

The breeds history can date back to ancient Roman and Greek times, as dogs that resemble poodles were founded on ancient Roman and Greek coins along with reliefs in masoleums. Poodle-like dogs are depicted on medieval murals in the Benedictine monastery of Monreale, Sicily and Saint-Remi Abbey in France. Dogs with a lion hair style that is typical for poodles can be found in the works of Flemish and Dutch artists. First written descriptions of poodles are found in European chronicles dating back to the 16th century. They mention different varieties of these dogs, with different sizes and hair colors.

By 18th century poodles had become incredibly popular among French nobility. At the time, the art of hairdressing was booming in Europe. The first grooming salons emerged in France during the reign of Louis XVI. Having mastered the new craft, court coiffeurs started giving the thick-coated pets of their high-born masters cuts in various styles. The king was trying to please his spouse Marie Antoinette who adored poodles and he declared the miniature poodles as the official court breed.

The aesthetics and good temperament of poodles also appealed to creative, artistic, and extravagant side of the public. Great people like George Sand, Thomas Mann, Schopenhauer, and Ludwig van Beethoven owned poodles as pets. They also became the favorite choice of circus artists as their outstanding ability to be trained allows them to perform the most mind- blowing tricks. However, poodles weren't entertaining just the elites/bohemians. Their courage, loyalty and smarts were in demand in the army. These dogs helped to search for the wounded and delivered secret messages.
First standard for poodles was established and published in Great Britain in 1886. Later the standards were created in Germany, France and the selection of the breed went in its own way within each of these countries. This resulted the creation of different types of poodles. The English preferred a lighter, more elegant body structure. In Imperial Germany they were striving for a heavy, massive conformation. It is well known that since the 19th century massive royal poodles were guarding the archives of the Reich Chancellery of the German Empire.

For a long time, breeders in Eastern European countries such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Hungary followed the German standards while in other countries they preferred poodles from the English "dynasty." In the United States at the year of 1911, there were more than 170 standards and miniature champions.

At first, there were 2 poodle varieties in America- the Standard and the Miniature type. The two varieties were considered as the true poodle, originating from England and following the English anatomy principles. Overtime, breeders began to cross one another, gaining a more beautiful offspring in close sized dogs and creating a distinct purity within the breed. The Toy, however, was in the beginning considered as a separate breed that did not belong to the "poodle" at all. They were all small white dogs with curly hair, short legs, rather narrow muzzles, and round eyes. We owe the appearance of the toy poodle to the breeders who began to cross American toys with small-miniature English poodles. As a result, we received dogs of a modern type- long legged with a beautiful elegant head, graceful, dancing "poodle" movements, with a variety of colors, and being small in stature. They were also smart and had a good temperament. Finally, after a long journey of registering the standard and accepting this variation as part of the breed, the Poodle Club of America announced the first show with the variation on May 17, 1947.

I established my breeding program by carefully choosing the top producers both from my own lines and from the leading USA kennels. Studying each dog's lines, I became selective on the mating routes to get the best offspring, oftentimes intertwining European blood with American. By selecting the best representatives of the breed from several European countries such as Ukraine, Russia, Denmark, and Portugal and breeding with dogs from famous American kennels, the outcome results in a mixture of numerous very strong pedigrees that have World Champions within.

In my opinion, you can find the most beautiful toy poodles in Europe. In the FCI system, the toys are allowed to be slightly taller and are able to interbreed with very small miniatures for the purpose of obtaining toys that are in greater anatomical/proportional structure and beautiful movement. The heads of European toy poodles maintain the correct form according to the breed type and thereof reveal a beautiful expression. European breeders also pay a lot of attention not only to the bite but to the presence of all of the teeth, allowing to maintain better dental hygiene and genes of such which can correlate with better head structure and the dogs overall improved health. Due to the European type having more robust toys, the healthy joints of the dog gives it the advantage of not getting injured as easily. Also one of the main points is the great personality and intelligence that makes a small dog to be the greatest companion and provides the ability to create new contacts and journey in an easy way for both parties.

As for the American type, I like the temperament, the top line of their back and the tail set of the dogs. American breeders effort of time and knowledge to maintain the smaller size with correct body structure was done to meet the toy breed size with its name. By combining the best qualities of each type into one dog, I could get a perfect poodle with great health and anatomical correctness, lively temperament, and the ideal height. After 9 years, I can say that my journey is successful.