The Standard
Poodle is a medium to large-sized, elegant dog with
a profuse, but well groomed and clipped, wiry, curly
coat. It has a long head and muzzle. Its skull is a
bit rounded, with a slight stop. Its wide ears hang
close to the head and its eyes are oval and generally
very dark. The Poodles length from the breastbone to
rump is approximately the same as the height at the
withers. Its topline is level except for a slight depression
behind the withers. It has a rounded croup and its oval
feet are small and compact. Its tail is docked to half
the original length. It may be groomed into three basic
styles: the "pet clip" - relatively short
hair all over the entire body, the "English saddle
clip", and the "Continental clip" - the
rear half of the body is shaved, bracelets left around
the ankles, and pom-poms left on the tail and hips.
The Standard Poodle has a delightful springy gait.