The history of the Poodle

El Poodle or poodle It is one of the most popular breeds today, and one of the favorite pets for the whole family. In addition to having a lively character, great intelligence and a lovable appearance, he carries an interesting story behind him, full of curiosities and interesting facts. We briefly summarize it in this post.

Its name comes from the French term "canard", which means "duck". Descend from the old barbet spaniel, imported by Spain and Portugal from North Africa. It arrived in France during the XNUMXth century, thus establishing the origin of the breed. However, the different theories indicate that the Poodle may have its origin in three countries: Germany, France and Russia, presenting different characteristics in each of them.

During the Middle Ages and until the Renaissance, the Poodle was widely used as waterfowl hunting dog like swans, geese or ducks. This is due to its great agility to swim and its resistance to water. However, from the XNUMXth century on, he began to star in circus shows, thanks to his ability to learn tricks and perform pirouettes.

We must clarify that this dog was originally born as a medium size breed. This changed during the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, when breeders began to breed the smallest specimens in order to obtain a miniature breed. This is how the Miniature Poodle and then the Toy Poodle.

It was then that the breed became popular as mascot among high society, spreading throughout Europe and North America thanks to his good character and sympathy. All of this became more important after the Second World War, and especially in the XNUMXs. In fact, during this time he became the faithful companion of great personalities of entertainment, culture and politics, such as Grace Kelly, Sir Winston Churchill, María Callas or Thomas Mann.

Today it continues to be one of the most frequent pets among families, thanks to its intelligence, good character and kindness with children.