9 Things you MUST KNOW Before Getting a Poodle!

We all know how elegant, intelligent and active poodles are, but they are not the perfect match for everyone. There are some things that nobody tells you about owning a poodle, and we'll explore those in this video. Minimal shedding, high maintenance. Poodles don't shed much, but their curly hair requires frequent grooming to prevent mats and tangles. While you won't find hair all over your home, maintaining their coat involves regular brushing and professional grooming up to every 6 weeks or even more often. Social butterflies prone to separation anxiety. Poodles crave human interaction and will develop separation anxiety if left alone for extended periods. They thrive when they're surrounded by people, but they will become anxious and destructive when isolated. Ensure they have company or really engaging activities to keep them occupied or expect trouble. Slow to mentally mature. Poodles are so smart, but they can actually be pretty slow to mature mentally. Their puppyhood may extend way longer than other breeds and a lot longer than you expect. While they are playful and fun, this extended puppy phase requires such patience and such consistent training from their owners. Intensive cleaning requirements. Keeping a poodle clean is a continuous, never-ending task. Their ears and eyes need regular grooming to prevent infections as the curly hair traps moisture and debris. Weekly grooming routines including that air cleaning and dental care are actually necessary and if you don't do them you'll end up at the vet and your poodle will be in trouble. Speaking of which, those narrow ear canals will trap moisture and debris making them prone to ear infections and it's really really common for poodles to have stinky ears. Three different sizes, the same energy level. Although poodles do come in those three sizes, standard, miniature and toy, with the standard poodles being large, standing around 15 inches at the shoulder and weighing 40-70 pounds and miniature and toy poodles being a bit smaller, they all require the same level of exercise. Even the smallest miniature or toy poodle requires up to an hour a day of active involved exercise, more than just a walk. High poodle maintenance costs. Poodles are high maintenance, full stop. They will require a monthly budget, quality food, regular grooming and their vet care bills are more expensive than some other breeds. If you neglect the grooming, you will get health issues and discomfort. It is so essential to keep up with all of these maintenance requirements and it doesn't stop over their long lifetime. The puppy biting phase. Poodle puppies bite, there's a full stop after that. New owners are often a little bit surprised when their cute little poodle starts biting. It's a normal developmental phase but all poodle puppies tend to go through it. You've got to be so consistent with your training and so patient and so careful around young children. Speaking of which, poodles are a little bit too friendly, they're just not good guard dogs. Poodles should not be used as guard dogs, full stop. They're too friendly and social to effectively prevent or guard against intruders. While they might alert you with barking, they are so likely to greet strangers with a wagging tail rather than to actually scare them away. Daily exercise needs play such a role to keep them healthy and happy. No matter the size, these are such energetic dogs. So daily walks are at a minimum but you need to think of playtime of both mental and physical playtime and consider things like agility training, scent training, otherwise your poodle will not stay fit and they'll get overweight. Which brings us to the most important point, poodles, even though they're famous for being picky eaters, can develop really really big habits of eating too much. Some poodles do love to eat and if you do have a poodle that is not fussy, it can easily become overweight. It is so important to measure daily food intake and you've got to provide a balanced diet. Regular exercise and that diet are so essential to prevent poodle obesity and attain the overall health. Despite these challenges, poodles are simply wonderful dogs. They are wicked smart, loyal and fantastic companions for the whole family. If you're willing to work a little bit harder to meet their needs and work with their quirks, don't hesitate to welcome a poodle into your home. You will surely fall in love from first bark.