I'd firstly like to say that I own two toy poodles, and I absolutely love them. I'd like to also mention that this review is regarding toy poodles rather than poodles in general. Alfie is seven and Hugo is two. As a family we had never owned a dog before, as my dad suffers from asthma, however we were pleased to find out that poodles don't shed hair so we decided to buy a poodle as my sister and I had always wanted one.

Colours:

We have two black poodles, however poodles come in a number of colours, for example: apricot; red; cream; white; black; silver (a light grey); blue (a dark grey) and brown.

Size and weight:

Toy poodles are very small, however their size varies slightly, for example one of mine is taller and more stockier than the other. On average they are 10 inches or under at the highest point of their shoulder. Their weight therefore also varies ranging from six to nine pounds.

Temperament:

Poodle's are very happy loyal dogs, so they offer great companionship, they absolutely love cuddles! I'm not just talking about sitting on your lap, they'll rest their head on your shoulder and snuggle into you. Although they are small, they know how to make themselves heard. Alfie has a very high pitched bark and will definitely use that to his advantage when he wants something. However, Hugo has a low bark and only really barks if something scares him. Poodles are very playful dogs, so make sure you have plenty of toys, both of my poodles like to bring a toy to whoever walks in the door, as though they're giving you a gift! Despite being told that poodles will only need a short walk, my dogs love going for long walks and will definitely tell you if they are not ready to go home, for example, my dogs will sit down and turn his head back the way we were walking.

A Dog for Children?

I wouldn't recommend toy poodles for children, simply because of their size which makes them delicate and the rough play that children may engage in with toy poodles, may make them unintentionally aggressive in order to protect themselves.

Grooming:

Toy poodles will need to regularly be groomed, and particular attention will need to be paid to their ears. Both of my dogs have problems with wax in their ears which is common for poodles. Therefore to keep on top of this any hair inside the ear canal should be pulled out, but extra care needs to be taken when doing so.

Overall, toy poodles are very loving dogs with active personalities requiring lots of love and attention.