Does that dog hunt?

If you’ve seen Poodles only in dog shows, movies, or as a fashion accessory, you might be surprised to learn that they were originally hunting dogs. Royalty and noblemen hunted with Poodles for centuries. As time went by they were bred mostly for companionship. Today the American Kennel Club puts them in the "non-sporting" group, meaning house pets and companions.

But even today with their floppy ears, pompoms, and curly hair, many Poodles are ready for the hunt and have shown themselves to be quite skillful. There are hunters who have used Labrador Retrievers in the past, but have been won over by the intelligence and abilities of the Poodle.

These are hunting Poodles.

A retired game warden from Minocqua, Wisconsin, Gary Scovel, has hunted with Poodles through the years but admits that he often gets strange looks from other hunters.

Scovel has owned Poodles as house pets for over thirty years but he didn’t start hunting with them until 2001 when he read about a Colorado woman who took two Poodles up to the top ranks of American Kennel Club hunting trials. He started training his Poodle, Beau, and discovered his house pet could be a great bird dog.

I know several women who have wanted Poodles as pets, but their husbands had no interest…until …they told them that Poodles were originally hunting dogs. None of the men actually hunted, but they loved the idea of having a hunting dog.

Chalk it up to one more thing women don’t understand about men.

More on hunting Poodles

See origin of the Poodle clip

Comments

[I was Trailer Trash when Trailer Trash wasn't Cool]

Dang prissy pooduls 'round here can't go huntin' because they refuses to wear the orange vests.

[Sally]

That's funny, orange hunting vests, I'm sure they would wear mauve ones.

[Laura]

Or any color that goes with their eyes.

Actually, that's an interesting tidbit to know about poodles.

[Faith]

That's awesome, I never would have guessed it. This is why I love your blog; I learn new stuff all the time.

[Dirty Butter]

Fascinating information! As smart a dog as they are, it looks like they can be trained to do just about anything. And I love the part about the husband who accepted the poodle once he knew it could be trained as a hunting dog, whether he intended to hunt or not. Macho dog.

[Joan Leslie]

Thats funny, that is how I got my husband to agree to a poodle. now he is her total slave and they never go hunting.

[jackie]

i knew they were hunting dogs...read that someplace...people keep telling me how smart they are..but i have never seen anything but a tiny yapping shrill snapping dog...i like my pittibulls

[jillbryant]

My pitbull's favorite playmate is a poodle. It is a standard black with an intense poodle cut because her owner is a groomer. And that poodle runs like a rabbit - she's incredible to watch, not least because she looks like she's just come back from a high-end cocktail party and is now slumming. Where Honey usually does a lot of mouthplay when playing with other dogs, these two just run and chase each other in huge circles. Sometimes Honey will be tired from spending a full day at daycare when we run into Phoebe. I"ll let Honey loose to run a little but Phoebe will soon start barking at Honey because she's too slow and then is upset she can't play as long....

[J. Condray]

Looking for a breeder that specializes in "hunting" poodles. I live in Portland Oregon.

[S. Romack]

what do yuor poodles hunt for? I have a standard poodle. She's my third in like two to three years. I have heard that their mouths are made for hunting birds but thats it.

[Gary Scovel]

The picture above was taken by the outdoor writer for the Sioux Falls, SD Argus Leader newspaper, Nov. '07. He did an article on 3 of us doing an all Poodle pheasant hunt, which was very successful. Both Beau and Scout pictured are AKC titled Senior Hunters and UKC titled Seasoned Hunters. Scout needs one more Finished Pass in UKC to be a Hunting Retriever Champion.

[Roman]

Yes!I used poodles as the
hunting dogs... More 20 years. To 2006.
Best regards from Russia for like-minded persons!
Links:
http://huntingpoodle.narod.ru/huntingpoodle1.html
Now my hunting dog is CCR:
http://huntingcurly.narod.ru/

[rox wisely]

Funny how poodles' physical appearance deceive people. They just look like those pets that girlie girls want, but they can actually be great help for big guys who are into hunting or anything that requires skills and brains. Always keep in mind that poodles are the second most intelligent dog breed!

[Roman]

Unfortunately St. poodles using as hunting bird's dog are wery-wery rare in Russia. I knew only 2 black femails (1985-2006):