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  • Illustrated Study of the Poodle Breed Standard. Prepared and published by The Poodle Club of America
    There are three varieties of Poodles; Toy, Miniature, and Standard. Terms such as a “Royal Standard”, “Tea Cup Toy" or “Tiny Toy Poodle" are marketing gimmicks, used to promote the sale of animals that are dramatically over or under the norm in size.

    Poodles come in different sizes. Those are the standard, the miniature, and the toy. All the sizes fall under the same breed and are expected to comply with the same breed standard.

    • The Standard Poodle: over 15 inches at the shoulder - most are in the 22-27" range
      Weight: 45- 70 lbs.
    • The Miniature Poodle: over 10 inches and not over 15 inches at the shoulder - most are in the 13-15" range
      Weight: 12-18 lbs.
    • The Toy Poodle: 10 inches and under at the shoulder
      Weight: 4-6 lbs.

    The Poodle: Illustrated Standard

    “What's the difference between hair and fur?” Fur grows up to a certain point and then falls off—what we know as shedding. Hair does not fall out and never stops growing. Poodle hair, like human hair, can respond to hormonal changes in the body. Female Poodles can experience hair thinning or loss after having puppies.

    Poodles are one of the smartest dog breeds. Their intellect and their eagerness to please make them great service dogs. Poodles can work as seeing eye dogs and assistance dogs for people with other physical disabilities.

     

  • Pets & Poisons
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  • How to Calculate a Dog's Age in Dog Years
    How to Calculate Dog Years to Human Years?
    How to Calculate Dog Years to Human Years

    As a general guideline, though, the American Veterinary Medical Association breaks it down like this:

    • 15 human years equals the first year of a medium-sized dog’s life.
    • Year two for a dog equals about nine years for a human.
    • And after that, each human year would be approximately five years for a dog.


       
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  • Activities for You & Your Poodle
    Companion Sports
    Companion Sports

    There’s a reason why the phrase “man’s best friend” exists: It describes how much you and your dog complement each other, the time you spend together and the close relationship you have. That’s the foundation behind Companion Events: To demonstrate the deep companionship between you and your dog. In these events, you and your dog train together to demonstrate the bond that forms between a well-trained dog and his owner.

    Companion events include:

    Agility – In Agility, dogs race against a clock as they navigate an obstacle course. Dogs and owners strive to improve their speed and teamwork Agility is a fun, energizing sport that provides healthy exercise for dogs and a rewarding experience for owners.

    Obedience –Obedience is one of the AKC’s oldest sporting events. The objective is to train your dog to be well-behaved at home or in public places. Whether you are walking on- or off-leash or retrieving and jumping, obedience demonstrates the teamwork between you and your dog.

    AKC Rally® – Think of an AKC Rally® event as any team sport: You and your dog navigate, side-by-side, through a course of 10-20 different signs. The signs indicate a skill for your dog to perform, like sit or down. You and your dog move continuously throughout the course with a clear sense of teamwork. Rally is about working happily together while performing the necessary skills.

    Tracking – Tracking is a non-competitive sport that demonstrates your dog’s natural ability to recognize and follow scent. It is the foundation of canine search and rescue work. In tracking, your dog is completely in charge since only he knows how to find and follow a specific scent. For many, the greatest pleasure of tracking are the hours spent outside, training and interacting with their dogs.

     

    Title Recognition Program
    Title Recognition Program

    There are many reasons to put in the time and resources necessary to earn recognition of your dog’s abilities: You might do it to show off his superior abilities; or you might do it for the personal satisfaction that comes from hard work or both. Regardless, achieving a goal you’ve set out to do is something to be very proud of. To learn about each click on the links below:

     

    Service, Therapy, and Working Dogs

    Therapy dogs are dogs who go with their owners to volunteer in settings such as schools, hospitals, and nursing homes.

    From working with a child who is learning to read to visiting a senior in assisted living, therapy dogs and their owners work together as a team to improve the lives of other people.

    Therapy dogs are not service dogs. Therapy dogs, the dogs who will be earning the AKC Therapy Dog™ title, do not have the same special access as service dogs.

    The moment a volunteer with a therapy dog walks into a room, you can instantly feel a change in mood. All eyes focus on them, as smiles spread across everyone’s faces. Therapy dogs are NOT service dogs. Service dogs are dogs who are specifically trained to perform a task or tasks to assist a person with a disability or impairment. A service dog must be with their person at all times and has special access privileges in public places.

    Therapy Dog is an AKC program which recognizes the necessary therapy work performed by dogs through accepted organizations based on the number of visits. Therapy work involves volunteers who schedule visits to various facilities and locations such a nursing homes, classrooms, libraries, assisted living centers, hospices, funeral homes, schools, shelters even courtrooms. Whether they’re working with a child who is learning to read, visiting a patient in a hospital or a senior in assisted living, therapy dogs and their owners work together as a team to improve the lives of other people. A dog can provide a valuable sense of reassurance, joy, or calmness to people experiencing stressful, lonely or depressing situations or general times in their life.

    Service Dogs

    A service dog is a specifically trained to help people with disabilities. Those disabilities may include visual difficulties, hearing impairments, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), seizures, ambulatory issues, mental illness, diabetes, autism, and more.

    Types of Service Dogs:

    Service dogs are dogs who are specially trained to perform specific tasks to help a person who has a disability. An example of a service dog is a dog who guides an owner who is blind, or a dog who assists someone who has a physical disability. Service dogs stay with their person and have special access privileges in public places such as on planes, restaurants, etc.

    Guide Dog – assists an individual that has vision impairment.

    Mobility Dog – may retrieve items, open doors or even push buttons for its handler. Also, this Service Animal may assist people with disabilities with walking, balance and transferring from place to place.

    Hearing Dog – alert its handler with a hearing loss to sounds. This can be telephone, door bell, smoke alarm, crying baby and more.

    Medical Alert Dog – trained to alert to oncoming medical conditions, or attend its handler in the event of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, epilepsy, etc.

    Autism Service Dog – Assistance Dog that is trained to alert its handler of certain behaviors so that the handler may keep these behaviors to a minimum. This dog provides stability and the dog’s presence offers a calming influence and provides focus. Abstract and concrete thinking advance, focus improves, and the length of attention span increases. The important role of an autism service dog is affording the individual more independence and autonomy, helping those individuals become a viable part of the community.

    Psychiatric Service Dog – works with a handler that has a mental disability. Some types of tasks could be to attend a handler who may need a dog to be able to go out in public (agoraphobic), or a handler who suffers from panic attacks, anxiety attack, PTS (post-traumatic stress) or other mental disorders. These dogs are trained NEVER to leave their handler’s side

    Working Dogs
    Working Dogs  

    A working dog is a canine working animal that learns and performs tasks to assist and/or entertain its human companions. Detection, herding, hunting, search and rescue, police, and military dog are all examples of working dogs.

    • Allergy Alert dogs. Peanut allergies can be life threatening. Stepping up to the job to alleviate parents’ fears when their kids leave the house are a variety of dogs that have the uncanny sense to sniff out even the slightest trace of peanuts. These dogs are trained to detect the allergen and its residue at schools, social events, and everyday activities and alert their owner. Their training is similar to that of a police dog learning to track scents or drugs. Breeds that most commonly work as allergy alert dogs are the Poodle, the Golden Retriever, and the Portuguese Water Dog.

     

  • Brushing Dog's Teeth
    Brushing Dog's Teeth (watch video below)

    We all love a dog with a healthy mouth and sweet breath, and brushing your dog's teeth only takes approximately two minutes a day.

    Introduce toothpaste to your dog by dabbing it on a treat or letting your dog lick off it your finger. Repeat this process for several days to familiarize your dog with the taste. Dab toothpaste on a small toothbrush or finger toothbrush and without brushing, place into your dog's mouth for a few seconds.

    Toothpaste - Only use approved canine toothpaste. Dog toothpaste is flavored. Favorite flavors are usually poultry,
       malt, and seafood. The best toothpastes for dogs contain enzymes, such as glucose oxidase and lactoperoxidase that
       dissolve plaque on the teeth. The best dog toothpastes do not contain sugar or sugar substitutes.
                    o Human toothpaste, while not poisonous, is not meant to be swallowed. Dogs should not have toothpastes with
                       fluoride. Human toothpaste foams because it contains sodium lauryl sulphate.
    • Use toothbrushes designed for your size dog.
    • Brush as much of the tooth surface as possible.
                    o The junction of tooth and gum is the most important area to brush.
                    o Focus on upper and outer molars.
    • Keep introductory sessions short - 5 seconds, and work up to 2 minutes each day.

    Equipment for brushing your dog's teeth

    • Dog toothpaste with enzymes.
    • Small toothbrush or finger cot.

    Steps for brushing your dog's teeth

    1. Initiating the process may be challenging at first, however, the key is to relax and have patience as it may take several
        attempts before successfully brush your dog's teeth. These sessions should be kept short. Do not over-restrain your pet
        during the process. Praise and reassure your pet throughout the entire process.
    2. Get your pet used to you having your hand in his mouth. Dip your finger into beef bouillon for dogs. Rub your soaked
        finger gently over the pet's gum and teeth. Remember to make this session short and positive. Massage or gently
        stroke your dog's cheeks for several seconds every day.
    3. Introduce toothpaste to your dog by dabbing it on a treat or letting your dog lick off it your finger. Repeat this process
        for several days to familiarize your dog with the taste.
    4. Once your dog is comfortable with this process, prep the toothbrush with toothpaste. Lift the lips to expose the outside
        surface of the teeth. Gently scrub the teeth in a circular motion, overlapping the teeth and gums. The most important
        part to brush is the where the gum attaches to the tooth.
    5. Over the next few days gradually increase brushing time to 1 minute on the upper teeth, and 1 minute on the lower
        teeth.