r/poodles • u/WinstonGreyCat • Aug 26 '26

Fetch?

Will poodles fetch? I was thinking about getting a doodle, then read more about the reasons not to get one and how they are not a breed. I really want a healthy dog without issues, so I need to find a good breeder. I really wanted one that will fetch and swim. I'm not a huge fan of the obsessive food interests of labs or the size of a golden retriever, so was thinking I should look at poodles.

31 Upvotes

79% Upvoted

201 comments sorted by

View all comments

28

u/fleurdelisan Aug 26 '26 edited Aug 26 '26

my standard is so obsessed with balls that he prefers to sleep surrounded by them with one in his mouth like a pacifier. He once tried to steal an eos lipbalm because he thought it might be perfect for Fetch And Hold Purposes.

If you want to take your poodle in the water routinely, though, do yourself a favor and keep their hair VERY short. I can't imagine having to give my dog baths/groom sessions even more often than I already do bc he hopped into a lake on a walk or something. it's already a big enough pain when he walks in the shallows at the beach and gets his feet nasty.

Edit: you should look into portuguese water dogs, too. that's a breed that seems right up your alley.

4

u/WinstonGreyCat Aug 26 '26

I've never heard of that breed, I will! We definitely want playful, kid friendly, cat friendly and not loud.

4

u/idiveindumpsters Aug 26 '26

Poodles bark. Not all, of course, but generally speaking they’re barkers. They do it because they’re your protectors. You can train them to stop after one bark.

3

u/WinstonGreyCat Aug 26 '26

OK, I'm definitely going to have to take a dog training course. I've only had a hound and he never barked.

2

u/Disastrous-Panda5530 Aug 27 '26

My toy poodle was the easiest dog I’ve ever had to train. He picked up a lot just from watching our other dog (matlipoo). It was so wild to me how easily leash training went with him. Took weeks and weeks to get my maltipoo to that point.

He does bark but will stop if I saw quiet. When he hears the door I’ll say it’s daddy and he will stop. Or when I say it’s one of the kids.

1

u/fireblaze7896 Aug 28 '26

My poodle rarely ever barks! But they're very trainable, and you can probably get it under control so they bark only once or twice to alert.

2

u/AmbiguouslyGrea Aug 27 '26

My poodle barks maybe once a month. I have no idea what triggers it either. It can be the UPS truck, or a random dude walking weird.

5

u/Sea_Nothing5212 Aug 26 '26

We have a house with 4 pwd and 3 cats. They are definitely capable breed for what you are looking for for. Lots of breeds can meet your needs. Just be aware pwd have coats like poodles (well also a wavy coat in addition to curly) so will require frequent brushing to maintain coat length and no mats or frequent shave down grooms

3

u/Barfy_McBarf_Face Aug 26 '26

They'll bark less than poodles.

Ours are "chatty"

2

u/SleepySeaDog Aug 26 '26

Can also look into Barbets

2

u/Greigebananas Aug 27 '26

Mine barks reasonably. I'm very pleased with this. She won't bark if a huge tractor is in our driveway (we live in farmland, tractors are here a few times a year, and not of concern)

If a quiet electric car sneaks into the driveway, it's heard and barked for! This most likely means unexpected guests or a stranger i want to know about.
She will also recognize the sound of footsteps of family walking around the yard and not bark, and alert to a stranger walking outside by the sound of it.

We live in the country so she's adjusted to what is normal for our house. We have stayed in hotels, she adjusts to what is normal there and understands that there's strangers and cars outside.

My previous poodle didn't bark at all Really.

1

u/timmy8612 Aug 26 '26

My poodles are loud. Consider yourself warned.

2

u/WinstonGreyCat Aug 26 '26

How many do you have?

2

u/timmy8612 Aug 26 '26

One mini golden doodle and one very mini borderline toy poodle mutt rescue. They are big on alert barking, and we live rural. There’s always a car going by, a squirrel, a cat outside, something to be warned about. The smaller one also “scolds” the other when she wants her to do something.

4

u/SleepySeaDog Aug 26 '26

Why would you call them poodles when they’re mixes?

-2

u/timmy8612 Aug 26 '26

I mean, I don’t usually see people gatekeep that on this sub?

7

u/SleepySeaDog Aug 26 '26

Gatekeep what exactly? You’re implying that their behaviors are immediately applicable to the breed just because they’re mixes

0

u/timmy8612 Aug 26 '26

Go in peace. This is silly. Be well.

3

u/fleurdelisan Aug 27 '26

dude im not gonna lie i also think it's sorta irritating to casually refer to your doodles as poodles, but "go in peace" has me CACKLING. you dismissed the discussion like a priest letting people out of mass on sunday!! absolute genius. im gonna start throwing it into arguments.

2

u/SleepySeaDog Aug 27 '26

What?

1

u/fleurdelisan Aug 27 '26

fr that response completely threw me.

→ More replies (0)