The standard sized Poodle, not the kind that has been popularized in main stream culture, is a fairly large dog, and definitely is not a “push over” as the myth goes.

In addition to that they are among some of the most intelligent dogs in the world.  But myths are difficult to dispel.

As legend goes miniature Poodle puppies were created in England when the standard Poodle was mixed with certain breeds of Terriers.  But the question is why would the English breeders want to do that exactly?

Well, truffle hunting was (and still is to some degree) a popular hobby/sport in England and it was thought that a smaller Poodle, which is an excellent truffle hunter, would do less damage to the precious truffles because when they stepped upon them they wouldn’t split open.

Now, is this factually accurate?  Nobody really knows, but it is a likely story and there is some documentation to back it up, it’s probably true.

Even though the Poodle is associated with France it is originally a German dog, in fact.  It was however imported into France about two hundred years ago and standardized by the breeders there, making it somewhat appear that it is a natural French breed.

Poodles were not originally truffle hunters though, nope, there primary use was actually as retrievers, they are so called “gun dogs”.  Again, this goes against the myth that this is somehow a wimpy breed of dog.  Originally Poodles helped the men folk with the hunt, imagine that naysayers.

As with pretty much all gun dogs were bred to do particularly well in water and to have a water repellent coat.  In fact, the word Poodle is derived from a German word meaning “to splash in water”.  Now there’s a fun fact for all, don’t you feel smarter now?

Miniature Poodles, sometimes erroneously called teacups, are just one size of Poodle, there are actually four sizes in all, there’s the Miniature, the Toy, the Medium, and the Standard sized.  Often time’s people who use the word miniature are actually speaking about the toy breed, which is the smallest.

It’s these small and intelligent show dogs which have given Poodles the world over a bit of a bad name as being somehow wimpy, prissy even.  Maybe it’s the hairstyles in those show?  Probably.

The fact is they are no less timid than other breeds; it’s simply a case of sour grapes by some because they are such a great show dog, truly they are that.

You can find Miniature Poodle puppies for sale a lot of different places, they are fairly common dogs, but they are also in high demand making them fairly expensive as well.

The best way to locate a great puppy is by finding a truly professional breeder that is close to home, networking with other owners that you trust is a great way to do that.