About Miniature Poodles

What Are Miniature Poodles

​Miniature Poodles are a breed that was first developed in Germany and became the favored dog in France.  They have been around for many years and are an AKC recognized breed.  Mini Poodles are very smart, loyal, are easy to train, and were originally a hunting dog.  They were used to retrieve waterfowl.  Their coats were clipped in a variety of ways to help keep the most important areas of their bodies warm while in the water while keeping the rest of the coat short to help avoid catching on things, collecting burrs, etc, and most importantly, helped to free them up to swim better without being pulled down by all that long hair.  Miniature Poodles were favored for training in the circus because of their keen intellect which helped them to learn many tricks quickly. 

Mini Poodle Size

We only breed the Miniature Poodle size here.  Our smallest girls are 8 pounds and our largest dogs are 15 pounds (AKC states they are 10 - 15 pounds).  They stand up to 14 inches at the top of the shoulders when full grown.  This size is great for families and those that live in apartments or small homes.  They are small enough to still be lap dogs and to be able to carry around if you want, but big enough that they are okay around most children, other pets, and they can still easily go on hikes, runs, and do agility sports.  Poodles also come in standard, moyen, and toy sizes.

Miniature Poodle Temperament

The temperaments of Miniature Poodles can vary.  They can become "velcro" dogs where they want to be with you and will follow you everywhere.  Some of our Mini Poodles are more laid back and prefer to lay on the couch or in their favorite dog bed in the sun, while others are full of energy and like to run and play outside before coming in the house to snooze next to us on the couch.  They make great family dogs and like to play fetch, can hunt, do agility, and even do water retrieving.  They each have their own individual personalities and all of ours are super sweet.  They can be watch dogs and want to bark at everything unless they are socialized well to anything they may come across.  There are plenty of shows you can participate in if you want to go that route with your furry friend whether it's a conformation class or something like agility.  Some even make great service and therapy dogs.  Miniature Poodles LOVE the water and will play in kiddie pools, water bowls, ponds, lakes, or a sprinkler.  Miniature Poodles are an active breed and they do need to be exercised daily.  They also need toys and chews available to give them something to do and help keep them from getting into mischief.

Miniature Poodle Coat Colors/Patterns

​Miniature Poodles come in a wide variety of colors and patterns.  The AKC doesn't allow any pattern other than solid to show in their registry.  There are other registries that do allow the other colors to show in them such as UKC and APRI.  The parti colored Poodle was one of the original colors/patterns in the breed, but it was not favored over the solid colors.  The colors that our Miniature Poodle puppies have come in are red, apricot, cream, black, silver, blue, brown (chocolate), parti, and phantom.  With their coats you can do simple clips or get really creative and do some really artistic designs, add some color, etc.  They can also come in caf-au-lait, silver beige, brindle, and white.

Mini Poodle Grooming

Mini Poodles have a very curly coat that needs to be brushed and clipped regularly.  The longer the coat, the more you need to brush it using both a slicker brush and a metal comb to get clear down to the skin.  Most mats will start down close to the skin and will be hard to see unless a metal comb is used.  Full clips should be done every 6 - 8 weeks with super long coats being done every 3 - 4 weeks.  We keep ours clipped short due to the cockle burrs around our small ranch.  Ear powder is great for drying out the ears after baths and swimming and can be used regularly as a preventative to help ward off ear infections.  Be sure to brush them out well after they get wet or their curls will tighten up as they dry and will cause them to mat faster.  Using a good conditioner and a spray on, leave in detangler can help to make brushing out their coats a little bit easier.  Make sure to use shampoo, conditioner, and other products that are made for dogs as they are PH balanced for them and won't be too harsh or dry out their skin and coats.

Check out our AKC Miniature Poodle puppies in Kansas here:  Mini Poodle Puppies