AKC Breed Standards for Standard Poodles

There are three types of poodles – standard poodles, miniature poodles, and toy poodles. The only thing that distinguishes one type of poodle from the other is the height at the highest point of the shoulder. For your standard poodle, that height is anything above 15 inches, miniature poodles are from 10 inches up to 15 inches, and toy poodles are anything under 10 inches. In order for your poodle to compete at the standard level for poodles, you need to verify that he’s taller than 15 inches. It is believed that the breed of poodles originated in Germany, and that the English name derived from the German name pudel or pudelin. Originally poodles were bred for and used as retrievers. Poodles are very good swimmers, and were used by hunters for retrieving ducks out of the water.

Your standard poodle comes in a variety of colors, which are as follows: black, grey, silver, red, apricot, white, cream, brown, or blue. In order for standard poodles to compete by AKC standards, their coloring has to be truly one color at the depth of the skin, because any variation of color at that point will mean disqualification. That’s not to say it’s unacceptable to have slight variations in color throughout the length of a poodle's hair. Some darker-colored poodles tend to have slightly different color hair in certain areas, such as at the tips of their ears. Poodles actually have hair, versus fur as with other types of dogs. Poodles can have either curly hair or corded hair, but the curly haired poodle is more prevalent in this day and age. When in competition, there are two types of cuts that are acceptable for poodles, and they are the “English Saddle” or “Continental” clip.