Although France is recognized as the official origin of the Poodle, there has been controversy over where it did actually come from. Germany, Denmark, France and the ancient Piedmont are some of the areas that maintain the Poodle originated from their land. Regardless of this controversy, the Poodle is a direct descendant of the (nearly extinct) French water dog, the Barbet and possible the Hungarian Water Hound. Its use or job, originally, was as a gun dog or retriever. It would retrieve downed fowl in the water. The Poodle was quickly recognized for its intelligence, trainability and showmanship. This is probably why it became such a favorite in circus acts. Today one of the popular poodles is the Miniature Toy Poodle. Many Miniature Poodles are found in the circus.

Today the Poodle comes in three sizes but is considered one breed. The Standard Poodle is the largest of the three. This type must stand at least fifteen inches at the highest point on the shoulders, if it does not, it cannot compete in show competition with other Standard Poodles. The Standard Poodle weighs somewhere between 44 and 60 pounds. This type seems to be less high strung than any of the smaller Poodles including the smaller Miniature Toy Poodle. It is a proud dog that is easily trainable. Exercise is an important need for this dog to keep it calm and healthy.

The next size is referred to as the Miniature Poodle. According to the AKC, this type must be at least ten inches to the highest point on the shoulders but less that fifteen. If outside of this range is not able to compete with other Miniature Poodles. The Miniature Toy Poodle needs a lot of human communication and interaction or it can become very high strung and bark a lot. This is a fun loving, amusing and clever dog. You will often see this dog in circus acts because he trains easily and loves to do tricks.

Included in the three is the Toy Poodle. To qualify as a Toy the dog must be under ten inches tall at the highest point on the shoulders. This dog is very lively and trainable. They love people and make great watch dogs for their size. This dog was bred down from the original Poodle to get its size. This dog, as well as the Miniature Toy Poodle, needs to know that the human is in control. If not, the dog could display bad behavior like growling, snapping, and be untrustworthy, especially around children. Again, this dog requires exercise and human interaction to keep it calm and loving.