Seeing that the French bred them for hunting, is this a real surprise?
Not trying to be smart here, but that’s the truth.
I thought they were german dogs to start. ???
I use to work with a guy that was into training labs for hunters. He claimed that he could train any breed to retrieve anything, so long as it was physically capable of carrying the dead bird and able to withstand the elements and terrain. He said he once trained a boxer to point pheasant and a shepherd to retrieve geese. His theory was that all dogs can do it, it’s just that some dogs learn faster. some dogs learn slower. and some dogs learn so slow it’s done merely for the challenge...but it is possible.
My grandfather’s last pheasant dog before he died was a beagle cross chihawa(or however you spell it, the tiny taco bell dog, you know the one). He always claimed it was the best pheasant dog he ever had. No training required...took to it naturally without any effort at all. Of course, by that time he was an old man that didn’t walk very far. So the dog’s size wouldn’t have didn’t hindered his performance any.
Except that it’s very doubtful that the French created them, no.
[the French did, however, use them as police dogs for a long time...quite effectively]
History
Poodles are retrievers or gun dogs, and can still be seen in that role. The poodle’s appearance made it popular as a circus dog and pet for the wealthy. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale lists the country of origin as France, but some experts believe poodles may have originated in Russia or Iberia; Germany is also frequently cited, including by the American Kennel Club, since the breed’s English name has German origins[2]. (The name poodle comes from the German word pudel, short for pudelhund or “splashing dog”, reflecting the breed’s development from a water dog; the word pudel is related to the English word puddle.) However, most sources concur that the French are responsible for developing the modern breed into its current form, and developing the different sizes. The French name for the poodle is caniche, referring to ducks and the poodles’ water dog origins.
Even the little miniature poodle I had as a kid spent her free time in the barn going after vermin.
Silly as it sounds, she was a great bodyguard, too.
10 pounds of fluff couldn’t really inflict much bodily harm but she sincerely gave it all she had.
They are German NOT French!