Mary Allen
#7 Although some say the Miniature and Toy Poodles arose shortly after the Standard Poodle, many believe it wasn’t until the 1400s that breeders began breeding smaller versions of the Poodle – first the Miniature, then the Toy Poodle – around to please the citizens of Paris.
The toy and miniature varieties were created by breeding tiny little poodles, not smaller breed poodles.
#8 The French use the larger Standard Poodle for duck hunting and the medium-sized Miniature Poodle for sniffing out truffles in the woods.
The tiny toy poodle, on the other hand, served as a companion for the nobility and the wealthy merchant class. Wealthy Renaissance owners often carried their poodles in their large shirt sleeves, earning them the nickname "sleeve dogs."
#9 Gypsies and traveling artists have found that poodles excel at another canine sport, too: as a circus dog.
They taught the poodles tricks, dressed them up and molded their fur into fantastical shapes that enhanced their stage presence. Wealthy patrons noticed this and began trimming, decorating, and even coloring their own poodles.