Toy Poodle: temperament, training and care

At a glance

Temperament

• Bright and affectionate
• Hardly sheds, but needs clipping
• Delicate: careful with jumps

Training tips

Train on the floor and on your lap: small dogs learn best at their level.

Toy Poodles usually pick things up quickly, which also means they learn bad habits quickly. Keep sessions short and varied, and reward the calm behavior you want to see more of.

Start with a marker word, sit, come and leave it. For a puppy, see the puppy training guides.

Exercise and energy

A healthy adult Toy Poodle typically needs around 30 to 45 minutes of activity a day. Mix walks with sniffing and short training games: mental work tires dogs as much as running does. Puppies need much shorter sessions while they grow.

See how much exercise a dog needs and our games and enrichment ideas.

Health to watch

Things the breed is known to be prone to. Ask your vet what to check for your dog.

• Kneecaps. Kneecaps can slip: a skip or hop on a back leg is worth showing the vet. See: Broken Bone or Sprain.
• Teeth. A small mouth crowds the teeth: brush them a few times a week.
• Eyes. Prominent or sensitive eyes: see the vet the same day for squinting or a cloudy eye. See: Eye Injuries.