Poodle.....poodle cross

[grannieannie]

At the end of last year I gave up my 2 Bearded Collies because we were going to sell the house and move into a retirement village. Beardies are quite large dogs and we've had a few of them over the last 20 yrs and we love them. Now it turns out we're not selling the house and I really miss having a dog....so I've just about convinced Brian to let me have a small dog, and I'm thinking of a small poodle or poodle cross, mostly because they are...A..small...and B...they don't shed. I'm thinking of looking at a poodle rescue centre. Have any of you had experience with poodles, or can you suggest another small breed that doesn't shed fur.

Thanks. Annie

 

[cris]

Go for a staffy, they are the best small dog IMO. Just make sure its from a good breeder that produces friendly dogs. If you want something smaller get a rat, they are awesome little pets.

 

[grannieannie]

I've had rats and you're right, they are fantastic....mine lived almost 3 years, they were brothers Charlie and Bruce....Charlie lasted the longest. But with the dog, I want one that doesn't drop fur, and not many breeds don't drop. My Beardies didn't drop, but I'm too old for big dogs now...but thanks for your comments.

 

[billiemay]

poodles are good dogs- well mine is anyway

 

[cris]

poodles are good dogs- well mine is anyway

You obviously havnt seen "The Hulk" (with Eric Bana) :lol:

 

[AMY22]

You'll find that most dogs do shed and if you can't find a dog you are particularly interested in that a short haired dog with regular grooming is probably your next best bet. The one thing that bugs me about poodles is they can be a little princessy because a lot of owners pamper them. So if you get a poodle from a shelter it may be a little bit of a diva. Having said that, during one behavioural assessments at the RSPCA there was a poodle cross, nobody knew what it was cross with but it was a medium sized dog. Well this dog was the dopiest thing you ever saw, you would have loved it. It was definitely a lap dog, didn't make a sound, total manners, it just stood there and waited. And it was one of the tidiest looking dogs I've seen. Of course it totally passed the behavioural assessment.

There are so many poodle X's now, so there are a range of sizes avaliable. As long as it's treated like any other dog and not as a lot of fluffies are pampered, they are a nice dog.

 

[SouthSydney]

Lol cris!

Annie, not sure about how involved with infants/small children/grandkids you'll be, but personal experience.... My parents had to get rid of their poodle because it was aggressive towards me when I was born and tried to attack me on many occasions. Evidently, they gave her to a nice lonely old lady who loved her! :lol: kinda ironic, but yeh... I'm sure there are nicer short-haired breeds, atleast out there... What about a chinese crested? lol. they only have hair on their head bottoms of feet and tail, and minimal at that... And they're small... Just an "acquired taste" looks-wise... :lol:

 

[billiemay]

don't listen to the poodle haters... theyre beautiful intelligent dogs. Just don't get one of the really tiny ones- theyre not so intelligent. Also they don't smell much- (mine has stinky breath though) She likes swimming, waits outside my room in the morning and drags my mums slippers onto the bed when shes out.

 

[grannieannie]

Oh guys, thanks so much for your comments. We have very little contact with our family and not little kids involved at all.....so it's just Brian (going on for 74 yrs of age) and me 59 yrs of age. and of course my Barrie (stimmie 2 yrs) I used to groom and clip my larger Bearded Collies so am very experienced in grooming, we also used to show our Bearded Collies several years ago. I'm going to ring a poodle rescue centre in the morning. I don't want to get anything from a back yard breeder, so we'll be careful with our enquiries.