Hi Carolyn,
Sounds like you're ready for a new furry companion! I wish you all the best on your search. It's gonna be great!
As far as exercise, I can tell you that toy poodles generally are not high maintenance in that regard. We've had six of them to date. We picked the size specifically because we used to live in the city where both indoor and outdoor spaces were limited. I know some breeds really need a good run daily or need to be in a doggy daycare atmosphere to get exhausted - that's not the case with toy poodles. You should be fine with a good 30 min walk daily, maybe even less depending on the dog. Our smallest one, for instance, would be perfectly fine with just playing indoors most days with the occasional outdoor adventure once a week.
That being said, I would stick to a smaller toy poodle, though. We currently have one that is on the larger end of the range at 13 lbs (he's really more like a small Miniature Poodle) and he requires a LOT of exercise. He needs a good run daily (thankfully we live in a farm), hour long weekday walks, and longer hikes on weekends.
When you talk to prospective breeders, please be open about any lifestyle concerns. A good breeder will match you with the right dog based on many considerations, including activity level.
A couple of things I want to point out, though: 1) I'm sure you've read about this by now - poodles are a very intelligent breed. They will need intellectual stimulation via ongoing training, puzzles, etc. 2) I would not recommend the Toy size for a household with young kids. They are simply too delicate for that and they fear fast-moving small humans (they find them unpredictable so it causes stress).
Please feel free to ask additional questions. If you're in Central NJ, please also feel free to stop by our farm and play with the doggies to see if you're comfortable with the breed.
Happy Holidays!
Quote:
Originally Posted by carolynjoy
Thank you so much for your advice, I appreciate it so much! I will definitely reach out to Watchung Mountain Poodle Club. Hopefully we can find a puppy through them that's perfect for us. It's great to get a recommendation like this since you've had experience with the club. I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your poodles...we're learning in the past couple months how hard it is to lose a dog. We definitely lost a big part of our family. Can't wait to love a new dog soon.
It's very encouraging to hear that your mother-in-law can handle being around your poodles despite her allergies! This is definitely a bit stressful to try and find a dog I won't react to but keeping my fingers crossed I'll be fine with the breed.
I hope you don't mind another question but how energetic are your toy poodles? I can definitely give a dog some daily exercise but I won't be able to go for very long walks every single day. I'm hoping they will be a good fit for me.
Thanks again for your help!  |
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