In Praise of Poodles
MobilityDog Founder with her Poodle Mobility Service Dog
What is it that makes Poodles such great mobility dogs? Let’s take a look at the portfolio of perfections that make Poodles the service dog of choice within the MobilityDog community.
Small Brown and White Poodle
Poodles: Size, Strength and Appearance
Poodles come in three convenient sizes:
Standard: The full-size model, 15 inches or taller at the shoulder, with most in the 22 – 28-inch range
Miniature: The mid-sized version, more than 10 inches but not above 15 inches at the shoulder, with most in the 13 – 15-inch range
Toy: The compact Poodle, 10 inches and smaller at the shoulder.
Across the Poodle population, Standard Poodles, of course, make the best mobility dogs. They are not only large (typically weighing between 40 and 85 pounds); they are also strong, owing at least in part to their history as hunting dogs. That’s right – despite their stately stance and stylish updos, Poodles were bred to work as sporting dogs. The breed originated in Germany some 400 years ago to assist with duck hunting (their name comes from the German word for “puddling” or splashing in water). Capable swimmers, their inherent strength serves them (and their handlers) well.
The Intelligence and Behavior of the Poodle
All dog owners think their pooches are smart, and they’re right. One canine researcher puts dogs’ intelligence roughly on par with that of 2-year-old humans. To their credit, dogs throw far fewer tantrums.
Poodle Service Dog in Training
Poodle owners know for sure that their pets are near the top of the doggie IQ pyramid. A Poodle is the Sherlock Holmes of the canine world, inclined to observe evidence and make deductions about the world around him. Studies of canine intelligence have shown that dogs bred for relatively complex tasks, such as herding and cooperative hunting (retrievers, pointers and setters) achieve consistently high scores on the intelligence elements that contribute to trainability. As a retriever, the Poodle falls into the brainy group.
The basis of the Poodle’s intellect is its relatively high encephalization (the relationship between brain size and body size). Humans are at the peak of the mammalian heap, of course, with an encephalization quotient (EQ) of more than 7. Dolphins and monkeys score 5.3 and 4.8, respectively. Among dogs, Standard Poodles are in the top dog group (with an EQ of 2.2), along with Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds, Labs, Golden Retrievers and Border Collies.
Little wonder, then, that Poodles do so well at learning the complicated and nuanced jobs that make them great providers of mobility assistance.
Compared with intelligence, the bundle of elements that make up a dog’s behavior is trickier to link with intentional breeding. Recent genetic analysis suggests, in fact, that behavioral traits are not consistently specific to breeds. Behavior is complicated, involving dozens (and perhaps hundreds) of genes that have evolved over the millennia of human-dog interaction. Hence, socialization and training are better strategies than breed selection for developing a tractable animal. Here again, the Poodle’s high trainability makes her ideal for absorbing both the task requirements and the behavioral requisites for excellence as a mobility dog.
Colorful Coats, Perfect for Sculpting
This German water dog comes in an expansive palette of colors, ranging from solid blacks and whites to black and white combinations, as well as brown, cream, apricot, silver, gray and red. Those interested in a truly chic appearance may want to consider a Poodle in a delicious café-au-lait hue.
Poodles of All Ages, Sizes and Colors
Poodles shed less than many other breeds, which is a boon to their handlers. Less shedding means less time picking hair off clothes and unclogging vacuum cleaners (talk to any owner of a German Shepherd).
Minimal shedding also means less dander released into the air. Dander is what causes allergic reactions (as opposed to the hair itself). Doctors estimate that between 10 and 20 percent of the world’s population has allergies to dander from dogs, cats or both. Research continues into the degree to which various dog breeds can claim hypoallergenic status.** But one thing is clear: a Poodle’s hair, though it requires periodic trimming, is a benefit of the breed. Poodle hair can be sculpted in endless ways to make the dog a walking piece of canine art.
OK, you say, Poodles are pretty impressive, but can they do the laundry and make pizza? As it turns out, pretty close. They can collect dirty clothes and place them in a front-loading washer for their handlers to start. In the kitchen, they can collect pizza ingredients in a basket and drag it to their handlers.
Size, strength, intelligence, beauty and usefulness around the house – our Poodle pals are indeed the ideal package of canine qualities for work as mobility dogs.
All images are Courtesy of MobilityDog.org.
** For those who want to read an interesting article on this topic, here is the citation:
Doris W. Vredegoor, Ton Willemse, Martin D. Chapman, Dick J.J. Heederik, Esmeralda J.M. Krop, “Can f 1 levels in hair and homes of different dog breeds: Lack of evidence to describe any dog breed as hypoallergenic,” Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Volume 130, Issue 4, October 2012, Pages 904-909.e7