[nagdu] Temperaments

[Jenine Stanley]

Hi Gary and All, 

I've personally worked 3 Labs, 2 Goldens, and 2 Lab crosses, 1 Poodle cross
and my current golden cross

All things being said about individual differences, in my observation,
Poodles seem to be a lot like Shepherds. . They are very observant and
alert, even when mellow. You may not know that a Lab, let's say, is thinking
about 3 things at once, but you do know that a Poodle or Poodle cross is
because you feel him or her doing it. <grin> 

Sometimes Poodles can be very aloof, bonding strongly with one or two people
only. Once they are yours, they are yours forever, but getting them to turn
over can sometimes be tough. 

Although I know we've worked hard at GDF to make sure that suspicion and
shyness are rare, they do tend to be issues with some lines of Poodles, and
hence Poodle crosses. The suspicion translates into barking and growling at
other dogs or certain types of people. 

Poodles do have some health issues, such as epilepsy, but again, careful
breeding lessens the chances of this significantly. 

I'm sure there are Poodles and Poodle crosses out there who like to lie
around the house, but generally, they do like, if not tons of activity,
certainly at least one good walk a day.  

I loved the way my Lab/Poodle worked, extremely smooth in her gait, always
thinking and planning ahead, and very sure in her movements without being
jerky or hauling into the harness. 

On the downside, because she did become suspicious of other dogs, through no
discernable incident we could figure, I had to be alert all the time for
when she might go off. She also became so excited about travel, particularly
by plane, that she'd throw up about an hour or so after landing. I have to
say that my guy now is pretty laid back and it took a while for me as a
handler to gear down and stop being so hyper aware. <grin> 

Like any breed, when you have a sound, mentally balanced dog it's incredible
in terms of what work a Poodle can do. They do tend, imho, to be a tad more
prone to instability than the retrievers though, but your mileage may vary.

Jenine Stanley
jeninems at wowway.com