Five on Friday

October seems to be disappearing in a flash, we are already coming to its end.  I have enjoyed the very slow process of the change in seasons, a slight shift rather than the usual full on stormy rains and drop in temperatures.  We are still pottering in the garden albeit for short spells, there still seems so much to do.  I even mowed the front lawn this week, which I imagine will be its last until next Spring.   We have even added a few bulbs here and there so that we have some bright colours to look forward to coming out of the gloom of Winter.

I looked through the pictures on the camera last night to establish what I had been doing all week, it appears that most of my time was spent crafting for Christmas.  I thought I would defer my makes until a little later.  The bulk of the remainder of the photos were of Mickey our standard poodle.  So after doing a little research I thought I would share some facts about standard poodles.  I am as usual joining Amy over at Love Made My Home for the weekly get together. Hope you will pop over and see what the others have been up to.

 

I am just going to wait here until my Mum comes in...

 

One

 

The name poodle comes from the German word 'pudel' which means to splash in water and is believed to have originated in Germany.

 

 

Two

 

Poodles were standardized in France where they were bred as water retrievers and gun dogs.  They went to become the French national dog.

 

 

Three

 

All poodles no matter what their size are considered to be the same breed.  Toy, miniature and standard refer only to the size of the dog.  The standard is the oldest of the three from which the other two were bred down.

 

 

Four

 

As far as intelligence goes the poodle is rated second only to the border collie.  Apparently this means they are easy to train, respond well to commands and house train quickly.

 

 

Five

 

The poodle has a single coat that doesn't appear to shed, it does but gets tangled in the coat instead of falling off.  The coat is a single one unlike most dogs that have double coats.  The fur is often referred to as hair.

 

I will add that they do take a lot of time to keep on top of their grooming, needing brushing on a daily basis and cutting every three to six weeks.  We don't bother to keep a fancy shape anymore as he likes to have a run about in the back field and often comes in covered in mud as this time of year.  He is wonderful with the Grandchildren and loves to be included in their games.  He does sometimes think he is a lap dog and loves to jump on your knee for a cuddle.  He is a joy and great company.

 

Do you have a favourite breed?

 

See you soon.