Standard Poodle Puppies: Price, Size, Temperament and Care

The Standard Poodle was developed in Germany and France as a water retriever, a gundog sent into cold lakes to bring back shot birds. The famous show clip began as a working trim: hair left over the chest and joints for warmth in cold water, the rest removed so the dog could swim freely.

Underneath that reputation is an athletic, powerful and exceptionally intelligent dog, regularly ranked among the two or three cleverest breeds in the world. People who expect a decorative lapdog are usually surprised. People who expect an energetic, eager-to-learn companion in a curly coat are much closer to the truth.

The Standard is the original Poodle. The Miniature and Toy were bred down from it later, which is why the Standard keeps the most of the breed's sporting build and stamina.

Standard Poodles learn faster than almost any dog. Teaching a sit takes an afternoon. The catch is that they learn things you never meant to teach just as fast: that whining opens the door, that the bin lid lifts, that you give in on the third bark.

They are affectionate, bond deeply with their family and read human moods unusually well. They are also sensitive. Harsh correction makes a Poodle shut down rather than try harder, so reward-based training is the method that works, and it works quickly.

With strangers they tend to be polite and a little reserved until they have made up their minds. That makes them decent watchdogs that will let you know someone is at the door, but they are not guard dogs and should not be bought as one.

What a Standard Poodle needs every day

• One proper walk of 45 minutes or more.
• About ten minutes of mental work: short training sessions, a puzzle feeder or food hidden around a room. With this breed it is not optional. A physically tired Poodle with a bored brain still gets into trouble.
• Company. Standard Poodles do poorly when left alone for long stretches every day.

Standard Poodles come in more colours than most people expect. Colour does not affect health or temperament, and it should not change a fair price.

Reds and apricots commonly lighten over the first two years, so the puppy you bring home may not be the shade of the adult dog. Colours vary from litter to litter, so tell us what you are hoping for and we will tell you honestly what to expect and how long the wait is likely to be.

Standard Poodles are long-lived for a large breed, typically 12 to 15 years. They do carry specific inherited risks, and any breeder worth buying from will discuss them openly.

• Hip dysplasia: an abnormally formed hip joint, a concern in any large, athletic breed. Ask whether the parents' hips were assessed.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA): an inherited condition that leads to blindness. DNA testing of the parents has made it far less common in well-bred lines.
• Addison's disease: a hormonal disorder that Standard Poodles get more often than most breeds. Early signs such as tiredness and poor appetite are easy to miss, so mention the breed to your vet.
• Sebaceous adenitis: an inherited inflammatory skin condition seen in Standard Poodles that causes scaling and patchy hair loss.
• Bloat (gastric dilatation-volvulus): a risk for any deep-chested dog and a genuine emergency. Feed two smaller meals rather than one large one, avoid hard exercise straight after eating, and get to a vet at once if the belly swells or the dog retches without bringing anything up.

Vaccination, deworming and health records

Our puppies go home at eight weeks or older, with a vet health check, their first vaccinations and deworming completed and recorded, and a written schedule for the boosters that follow, so your own vet can carry on without guesswork. Ask us what our parent dogs were screened for and we will show you the paperwork. Nobody can honestly promise that a puppy will never develop a health problem, and we won't; what we can do is breed from healthy, screened parents and tell you plainly what to watch for.

Our Standard Poodle puppies are priced from ₹85,000 to ₹3,00,000. We publish the numbers openly and they are the same for every buyer. What moves the price is lineage, registration and documentation, not colour and not which city you live in.

If you are quoted a price well below these ranges elsewhere, ask why. Very cheap puppies often come without health checks, genuine papers or any way to meet the parents.

What “champion bloodline” actually means

A champion-bloodline puppy has a titled show dog in its documented pedigree. It does not mean the puppy itself is a champion, it does not guarantee show success, and it does not make the dog a better family companion. A pet-quality puppy from the same health-tested parents will be every bit as good to live with. If you are quoted a champion price, ask to see the pedigree and the titles on it.

The cost of keeping one

Food, grooming, vaccinations and routine vet care for a Standard Poodle typically come to about ₹6,000 to ₹12,000 a month, or roughly ₹72,000 to ₹1,44,000 a year. Over a 12 to 15 year life, that is far more than the purchase price, and it is the number most people forget to plan for.

1. Tell us what you are looking for: colour, male or female, pet quality or KCI registered, and when you would like to bring a puppy home.
2. We tell you honestly what we have. That means the current litter if there is one, or when the next is expected. For popular colours there may be a waiting list.
3. Meet the parents: in person at The Royal Paws in Bathinda, or on a live video call.
4. Reserve your puppy once you are sure, and not before. We never ask for a deposit on the first call.
5. Bring your puppy home at eight weeks or older, with its vet check, vaccination and deworming records, care plan and, where applicable, KCI papers. Collect from us in Bathinda, or we deliver by car with a responsible person, after a live video call with you.