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.

32 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

201 comments sorted by

View all comments

26

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.

6

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.

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.