Glamour, intelligence and drive as standard

Retrieving birds with pace, energy and undeniable elan, these sporting poodles are winning over even traditional gundog breed enthusiasts

- Janet Menzies

WORKING in the beating line, picking up and even going down the pub after shooting, a standard poodle is suddenly the dog we all want to be seen with. And they are indeed quite a sight, posing romantically in the line or crashing through the cover with curls flying like a supermodel. Such glamour is actually part of the official breed standard, which stresses that every poodle of this variety should possess 'very proud carriage' and be 'gay-spirited and good-tempered' with eyes 'full of fire and intelligence'. It must be big (more than 15 inches at the shoulder) with a 'dense' coat and 'plenty of drive'.

Sandy Vincent, chairman of the Standard Poodle Club, confirms that this is certainly what you should expect from a poodle: "They are a really hard-working, independent dog. It's important to remember that they have high drive and they do need to be trained and have a job they are definitely not couch potatoes. They have great energy, and that is what we love about them. As a breed they were originally water retrievers. Then they became show dogs, which led to the exaggerated trim that many people think is silly but is really just an extreme version of the original working cut: the heavy coat had to be shaved to stop the dogs getting dragged under when working in water but was left on over the kidneys and other areas that needed protecting. People think of them as being a bit frou-frou but in reality they are nothing like that. They are more a dog for a discerning owner - someone looking for a bit of individuality."