Standard vs Miniature vs Toy Poodle - Dog Breed Comparison

 Poodles are one of the most popular dog breeds of all, mainly thanks to their high intelligence, non-shedding coat, elegance and active character. But did you know that there are three different Poodle types? The Standard, Toy and Miniature. 
First of all, lets explain why we have three different recognized Poodle breeds. The largest – Standard – Poodle is the original one. It is very old breed with its ancestry in Middle Ages and the exact origin is rather unknown. This dog was used mostly in Germany and France as a water retriever.
Later, french circuses discovered the talent and intelligence of Poodles and started using them for the circus shows. They needed slightly smaller dogs and they selectively bred down the Poodle in size to create what is now known as the Miniature Poodle.
The Toy Poodle is the latest variety, developed only in the 20th century. People loved Poodles, but they wanted them in smaller size so they can keep them as home companions. That is why breeders once again selectively bred Miniature and Standard Poodles down in size in order to achieve that. At first, many bad breeders were doing this, which led to unhealthy Toy Poodle dogs with unpropriate temperaments, but later, responsible breeders started breeding Toy Poodles and the Toy Poodle truly became a small replica of the Standard Poodle.
According to official breed standards, all three varieties are basically identical, except for the size. And indeed, the size is definitely the most important difference. You can see the size comparison on the screen right now and as you can see, the difference is very big.
All three Poodle breeds have the same almost non-shedding curly coat that comes in various colors, including white, black, brown, blue, gray, silver, cream or apricot. You can easily find Standard Poodles in all color varieties, but the smaller versions are most often found in white or cream. But all three breeds can be in all the mentioned colors.
Speaking of coat, lets mention grooming as well. As you probably know, Poodles need quite extensive grooming. It is recommended that you have your Poodle professionally groomed at least once every six weeks. But since the smaller Poodle breeds have less coat, their grooming is easier and cheaper. On contrary, grooming of Standard Poodle by professional services can be quite expensive.
BTW, interesting fact about Poodles is, that in the past, it was quite common to find Poodles with corded coats, but this variety is unfortunatelly extremely rare these days.
Now lets compare the temperaments of all three Poodle breeds. In theory, all three breeds should have identical temperament, which can be characterized as intelligent, sociable, energetic, faithful, alert and instinctual. But after speaking to relatively large number of Poodle owners, there were some repetitive answers which imply žý.
The Standard Poodles should in general be the most active and energetic and they are most often used as service dogs. The Miniature Poodle is still very active breed, but not to the extent of Standard Poodle. And logically, the Toy Poodle is the most laid back of these three breeds. So if you are looking for a very active companion, i would choose the Standard or perhaps the Miniature Poodle. If you are looking for a dog, that will be more suited as a typical household companion, i would choose the Toy Poodle.
This can not be said about barking. All three breeds are known to like barking, but it seems the smaller the Poodle is, the bigger barker it is.
This can be said about separation anxiety as well. All three Poodle breeds are known as total velcro dogs. They want to be everywhere with their owners. Sadly, they are also known to have separation anxiety. But this condition is quite rare in Standard Poodle, but you will find it very very often in Toy Poodles.
Last, but not least, lets talk about the health. As you can see on the screen, the Standard Poodle, like most large dogs, tending to be more short-lived in comparison to the smaller Miniature and Toy Poodle. But all three varieties tend to be pretty healthy. All of them can suffer from progressive retinal atrophy, catarats or Addison Disease. Especially the larger dogs can have problems with hip dysplasia or bloating. On the other hand, the Toy Poodles are known to suffer a lot from dental issues.
I would also love to mention, that there is a so called Teacup Poodle variety. This refers to extremely small Poodles, even smaller than Toy Poodles. But i would advice you to stay away from any breed that is called as teacup. Teacup breeding practices prioritize creating the smallest possible dog instead of a healthy dog. This can produce health issues ranging from fragile bones to dental problems to organ failure. Teacup dogs are extremely often unhealthy and by buying teacup dog you are most likely supporting unethical breeder.