Poodle akc standard: appearance
For the Standard, Miniature and Toy Poodle, the standard is the same for all indicators, except height. The Poodle is a very active, alert and graceful breed, with good body proportions and athletic movements that display a confident posture. Trimmed and carefully groomed in the traditional manner, the Poodle displays an innate, unique and dignified temperament.
Poodle akc standard: body proportions
Standard.
Over 15 inches (38 cm) tall at the shoulder. Any type of Standard Poodle that is taller or smaller than 15 inches at the shoulder will be eliminated from the competition.
Miniature.
Greater or less than 15 inches (38 cm) tall at the shoulder and 10 inches (28 cm) taller. Any type of Miniature Poodle over 15 inches or equal to less than 10 inches will be eliminated from competition.
Toy type.
Higher or less than 10 inches (28 cm) at the shoulder. Any type of Toy Poodle over 10 inches will be eliminated from competition.
The body is well proportioned and satisfactory proportions should be such that the length of the point from the sternum to the tail approximates the height of the highest point of the shoulder to the ground. The bones and muscles of both the front and hind legs should conform to the dog’s full body proportions.
Poodle akc standard: Head
Eyes: Very dark, oval in shape, with witty eyes that become the focus of intelligent expression.
Main defects: Eyes round, prominent, large or too light.
Ears: Drooping ears close to the head, with the root of the ears positioned at or below the level of the eyes, with a long, wide ear, covered by a dense coat on the surface. However, the ears should not be excessively long.
Head: Small and round, with a slight protrusion. The nose, cheek bones and muscles are smooth, and the length from the occipital bone to the bridge of the nose is equal to the length of the muzzle.
Mouth and nose: long, straight and slender, with no drooping of the lips. Slightly concave under the eyes. The lower jaw is moderately sized, well defined and not pointed. Major flaw: The lower jaw is inconspicuous.
Teeth: White, strong, with a clipped bite.
Major defects: protruding lower jaw or protruding upper jaw, unevenly shaped teeth.
Poodle akc standard: Backline
The neck is well-proportioned, strong and slender. It is sufficient to support the head and reveal its noble and dignified quality. The fur of the throat is soft and the fur of the neck is thick. Connected by smooth muscles to the head and shoulders.
Main defects: ewe neck.
The dorsal line is horizontal, neither inclined nor arched from the highest point of the scapula to the root of the tail. There is only a tiny depression behind the shoulders.
Poodle akc Standard: Torso
The chest is broad and spacious, with an elastic rib cage, a short, wide loin, strong, robust and well-muscled. The tail is straight, high and upward. The length of the tail after trimming is sufficient to support the overall balance.
Main defects: low, curly and too far back.
Poodle akc standard: front and hindquarters
Strong, with smooth, firm muscles in the shoulders. The shoulder blades are fully closed and approximate in length to the upper forelegs.
Major defects: uneven and prominent shoulders.
The forelimbs are straight and parallel when viewed from the front. When viewed from the side, the forelimbs are located directly below the shoulder. The ankles are sturdy and the wolf toes may be clipped. The feet are small and ovate in shape, with toes arranged in a fox-like pattern. The fleshy pads on the feet are thick and sturdy. Toes are short, but visible. The feet are oriented neither inward nor outward.
Major defects: soft, separated toes.
Balanced in the front half of the body. Hind limbs are straight, parallel from behind. Muscles are broad and thick. Hind knees are strong, sturdy and properly curved; femur and tibia of equal length; hock to heel distance is short and perpendicular to the ground. When standing, the hind toes are slightly beyond the tail.
Major Defects: cow style hocks
Poodle akc standard: coat
Coarse coat: natural rough texture with very dense coat
Soft coat: compact, smoothly drooping and of varying length It is relatively long on the chest, body, head and ears. Relatively short and fluffy coat in the joint area.
Poodle akc standard: Color
The coat color is uniform and consistent. Poodles come in greenish gray, gray, silvery white, brown, coffee, apricot and cream, and the same color can vary in shade. It is usually the ears and neck that are darker, and the same color throughout is the best, but natural shades in the coat are not considered a defect.
Brown and coffee colored poodles usually have a liver brown nose, eye sockets, lips, dark toenails and dark amber eyes. Black, greenish-gray, gray, silvery-white, cream and white Poodles usually have black noses, eye sockets and lips, black or native toenails and dark eyes. The apricot colored dog has all of these colors mentioned above is not bad. A liver brown nose, eye sockets, lips and amber eyes would be fine, but is no longer the top quality.
Major defects: inconsistent nose, lips and eye sockets; or the color of these parts does not harmonize with the dog’s overall color. Mixed color dogs are eliminated from the competition. The so-called mixed color means that the color of the coat on its body is not uniform and consistent, but consists of two or more colors.
Poodle akc standard: scoring criteria
Overall appearance, temperament, posture and condition: 30 points
Head, expression, ears, eyes and teeth: 20 points
Body, neck, limbs, feet and tail: 20 points
Gait: 20 points
Fur, color and texture of coat: 10 points
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