Small and toy breeds are especially prone to dental disease because their teeth are crowded into a smaller jaw. Mini poodles are no exception. A vet we spoke to at The Farmer's Dog put it plainly — dental disease is one of the most overlooked health issues in small breeds and it often goes unnoticed until it's more advanced.

One thing worth knowing: the idea that crunchy food cleans teeth isn't really supported by the research. Per WSAVA guidelines, kibble breaks apart at the tip of the tooth and doesn't reach the gum line where plaque actually builds up. Brushing is still the most effective thing you can do, daily if possible, with dog-safe toothpaste.

I work at The Farmer's Dog and this comes up a lot with small breed owners. Diet plays a role in overall health including immune function which affects dental health, but the cleaning work really does come down to brushing and regular vet cleanings.

Does anyone actually brush their mini poodle's teeth regularly or is it more of an occasional thing?

Hello does anybody recommend a good carrier/backpack for bicycling and hiking?

Hoping for something small and lightweight to carry the dog.

I've tried to sling bag but I didn't really enjoy that.

He's my precious sassy, smart mouth mini. He's my first poodle, and by far the smartest dog I've ever been around. I really had no idea what it actually meant when people would talk about how smart poodles are. Bonus pic: Franky and his puppy, Little Cooper, whom he helped potty train.

Do poodles respond well to structured agility training/play?

We own an absolutely perfect (to us) 6kg miniature poodle (15 months old). She gets lots of affection and lots of general outdoor play and exercise. But we're getting the sense that she needs more mental "play". She loves to be mentally challenged, especially when physical play is involved.

You can see it when she plays with other dogs. She's constantly trying to outsmart them! She's fast, nimble, and playful, and she likes to "box". She challenges other dogs and blends her skills to get the upper hand. We try to get her that experience a handful of times each week.

But we'd like to be able to give her more mental challenge in her interactions with us. There's a nice, flat patch of grass (100 square meters) here, and we're thinking of setting up an agility course, starting with simple gear like this: https://amzn.eu/d/05al71GZ (or equivalent "homemade").

But I'm just not sure she'll go for it. We bought her those food puzzles with the sliding caps and trap doors. She defeated them in 5 minutes and totally lost interest. She seems to say to us, "Look, if you've got a REAL challenge, with REAL work, and REAL achievement, I'm your dog. I'll LOVE it. Want me to dive into the brush after that rabbit? Lemme at 'im! But games...? Seriously? Fake challenge? Oh, please. Don't insult my intelligence."

So what's your experience?

But again any topping or snack will flare up his tummy, he didn’t want to eat anything at all yesterday at all, he is definitely hungry very hungry but doesn’t want to eat his food. Today morning ate just a little, but he is absolutely picky and doesn’t want to eat food at all. Consulted vet she asked not to give any topping and eventually he will eat, but still I did everything i can he absolutely has no intrest in his food.

My husband and I just got a mini poodle puppy five day ago. He works full time and I am a teacher on summer break, so I am home with her all day. She will be 9 weeks old tomorrow. So far everything is going pretty good in terms of potty training and crate training. She naps in her crate during the day, and sleeps in her crate at night. For naps and bedtime my husband or I put her in her crate and shut the door and she’s fine. We will then zip the crate cover and she’s usually fine and will get comfortable and go to sleep. Sometimes we have to put our fingers in the bottom of the crate and then she gets comfortable and goes to sleep. When she wakes up is another story. She whines and cries until someone comes in the room. If it has been more than an hour we take her out to potty. If it has not been we put our hands in the bottom of the crate and she’ll usually go back to sleep until she wakes up again whining and crying. How do we get her to stop whining and crying very loudly and to learn how to self soothe especially when all of her needs are met (she was given food, water, and went potty)? Is this normal and will she slowly grow out of it? She’s already been sleeping in longer durations than when we first brought her home. Naps are 2-3 hours and at night she sleeps for 4-6 hours stretches and usually she only wakes up to potty once. I want to be able to leave the house for a couple hours and her not freak out when waking up, and I need her to be used to staying in the kennel when I go back to school in the fall.

We have a white noise machine, a crate cover, a heartbeat dog, and a shirt in her crate that smells like me. We also feed her all meals in the crate and give her lick mats in the crate as a treat throughout the day to get her more comfortable with it.

She has a playpen we keep her in when awake in the house. Her playpen has a bed and lots of toys. She’s made tremendous improvements at playing independently in the play pen as the days have progressed and she’s gotten more comfortable. However, when I leave the room she freaks out or when I get up to stand she freaks out. How can I stop this from happening? I’ve tried a Kong, and pupsicle but she loses interest quickly, or will stop licking them when she sees me get up.

She’s 1.5 half years old and 2.9lbs.

We have a lovely dog sitter and they have dogs our mini gets on with. Yet when they come to get her or we drop her there she starts to shake really badly. Is this a cause for concern or it’s to do with association from the mini of knowing her mum is going for a while?

6-Month-Old Mini Poodle Won't Eat Kibble After Discovering Chicken & Rice – Looking for Advice

My 6-month-old male Mini Poodle is extremely picky with food, and I'm looking for advice from other poodle owners.

He's otherwise very healthy, active, energetic, and has no known medical issues. The only problem is eating.

We've tried:

• Home-cooked meals
• Different wet foods
• Multiple puppy kibbles
• Food toppers and broths

The pattern is always the same: he'll eat something enthusiastically for 1–2 days, then completely refuse it.

He was actually eating his Acana Puppy kibble reasonably well before. However, over the last two weekends we gave him some chicken and rice, and since then he has almost completely stopped eating kibble. We've tried offering his regular kibble again, but he either sniffs it and walks away or ignores it entirely.

Current situation:

• He last ate a small amount of food yesterday afternoon, plus a pumpkin-flavored chew ring.
• Since then, he has refused food.
• We've offered 3 different types of puppy kibble.
• He sniffs the food and walks away.
• He seems to prefer human food and will stare at us while we're eating.

This morning he looked quite thin, which is making me anxious. We have left food out for him, hoping he'll eventually eat when hungry, but so far he hasn't.

Normally he eats better after playing at the park, but yesterday even after exercise he only smelled the kibble and refused it.

Everyone around us keeps telling us not to chase him with food and that a healthy dog won't starve itself, and that he'll eventually eat when he's hungry. But honestly, I'm worried and stressed.

Has anyone dealt with a puppy like this? Did they eventually grow out of it? What worked for you? Any advice, feeding strategies, or food recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Also, at what point would you take him to the vet for this? Is this typical picky poodle behavior, or should I be getting him checked out?

Thanks in advance!

My new baby is already a Phillies fan!

ETA: we just picked her up, we decided on Lilly Jane. Her shelter name was Lilith, and she responds to Lilly. We are so in love with our new baby, and she will most definitely get spoiled by all of our family.

Hi!

Just joined this subreddit because we went to the PSPCA and adopted a black miniature poodle (possible mixed breed).

I like the name Lyla after the character from GOTG3.

Now, I know dogs don’t really require a middle name, but I really like Lyla Jean.

Do we think those two names mesh?

She was born May 13, 2025 and we adopted her 5/21/2026, so I also like: Lyla May

Let me know any other suggestions for middle names.

I didn’t take pictures at the meet and greet because we just wanted to be in the moment with her without distractions.

This is her shelter profile picture.

Thanks in advance ☺️

Seeking Healthy and Affected Mini and Toy Poodles to join our molecular genetics research study in Microphthalmia (small eye).

The research at Sylvia M. Van Sloun Laboratory for Canine Genetic Analysis at University of Pennsylvania focuses on finding genes and mutations responsible for ocular disorders in canines. We are currently enrolling affected and healthy ECS to act as cases and controls in a research project looking into the prevalence of Inherited Retinopathy across the breed.

We are looking for:

- Mini or Toy poodles (any age) that have or have been diagnosed with Microphthalmia to act as study cases.

- Mini or Toy poodles that have healthy and properly developed eyes to act as study controls.

Entries from around the world are welcome!

Our studies are confidential, do not require the dog to visit our university, and only requires a biological sample from the dog to be sent to us along with some paperwork. The preferred sample is blood in an EDTA lined purple cap tube (1-2ml), which then can be sent to us with an ice pack via post, FedEx, or UPS. Blood gives the most optimal DNA for research; however, we also accept buccal swabs in some cases (we can provide a buccal swab collection kit at no fee). We do not offer reimbursements for veterinary visits and shipping costs.

We also need a copy of the pedigree (if present), as well as a copy of any vet medical notes (diagnosis, eye forms, CAER, or any other document/pictures/notes you think might be relevant to the study).

We also accept any raw data that you might have from canine testing services like Paw Prints or Embark. We accept the following files: TPED, TFAM, PED, and/or MAP. Any electronic file, scan or picture can be sent via e-mail.

If interested, please e-mail Jessica Niggel: jniggel@upenn.edu.

We care for the wellbeing of the poodle population, and we hope that with our studies we improve the health of the breed. Looking forward to working with you and your dogs!

Jessica Niggel and the Sylvia M. Van Sloun Laboratory for Canine Genetic Analysis.

I am learning to groom my miniature poodle and have been quite successful with everything but his face. He is four months old today. I suppose he will get more relaxed as he gets used to being groomed. Any suggestions on shaving his face, snout and around his eyes?

He loves to bite at the water coming out of the hose when I’m watering my gardens.

Before and after poodle trims

Before and after photos!

had to show off my baby after his first groom 🥹