Upon mention of Poodles, one usually associate it with beauty and a
picture of a hairy and beautiful dog with dignified gait appears in
their minds. The Poodle breed is one of the oldest and perhaps one of
the most beautiful breed of dogs. They have been in existence for
several hundred years, used as retrievers or gun dogs. While they do
well on land, Poodles encountered difficulties in the water because of
their extremely dense and curly coat.
Huntsmen
knew that they have to do something with the coat to make Poodles do
well both in land and water. The idea of shaving came to mind and from
then on, Poodles are distinguished from the other breeds because of
their varying hairstyles. To prevent drowning and allow greater freedom
of movement in the water, the huntsmen shaved the rear hindquarters but
pompom-like hair on the hip joints and ankle joints to keep those joints
warm and protected from cold.
