Poodle Size

The AKC recognizes 3 official sizes of Poodles in the United States.

• Standards should be more than 15" tall at the shoulder.

• Miniatures are 15" or under.

• Toys stand no more than 10 inches.

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The average Standard Poodle in the United States is going to be 40-70 pounds—females being a little smaller and lighter and males being bigger and heavier. Although any poodle over 15" is technically considered a Standard Poodle, the average population of Standard Poodles have not been in the 16-20" size range.  There is a considerable size gap between a common Standard and a Miniature Poodle. In Germany this size gap is filled with an additional category that they call a Klein Poodle. In France it is called a Moyen. There aren't any kennel clubs that officially recognize this medium size poodle in the United States, but breeders have selectively bred for size in an effort to acquire a Poodle in this medium size range that is ideal for many. Know that if you hear the word Moyen, it refers to a small Standard Poodle. You should also know that there is no official standard indicating a precise size for a Moyen poodle, so it's a bit subjective. A "Moyen" Poodle to one person may not be a Moyen to another. It's a good idea to be knowledgeable of the size (height at the shoulder) of the parents and even grandparents of a puppy (of any size) to have a better idea of the size potential in a pairing.

 

So if Moyen isn't an actual term or breed variety, how do breeders select breeding stock to obtain the Moyen sizing? Often it is achieved by an intervariety breeding, which means that a Miniature (usually male) is bred to a Standard female. Puppies resulting from this cross are still 100% poodle and registrable (if the parents are registered), but diversify the gene pool with intention to reduce the size of the offspring from the Standard size. It's not uncommon for potential puppy buyers and sometimes even breeders to estimate that a 50 pound poodle bred to a 20 pound poodle will yield offspring that will mature in the middle at 35 pounds. It is possible, but genetics are just not that simple. The challenge with an intervariety cross is that the offspring will not be uniform in size. Due to the complexity of genetics some puppies will be small like the father, some big like the mother, and some will come in the middle (as intended).

 

In genetics there is a term called "breeding true." Once a trait (such as size) has been identified and selected for, it takes several generations of selective breeding to achieve a genetic line that will breed true—meaning ALL of the offspring will inherit the selected (desired) trait. It takes several generations of selective breeding to reach a stage where the desired trait(s) breeds true. If the goal was to create a genetic pool where all offspring breed true for the desired trait, a process of selection must take place. To continue our example of a medium or Moyen size poodle, after an intervariety cross only the offspring that matured to a given size (let's say 30-35 pounds and 18"-20" in height as an example) should be selected for breeding. Over the next 4-6 generations of selecting only breeding stock that meets the size criteria the gene pool for size will become more precise resulting in a higher percentage of puppies maturing to the desired size. Hopefully you are able to see that this is a process. This doesn't even mention that size is only one of many, many traits to consider in the selection of breeding animals. You do not want a puppy that was only selectively bred for size! 

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What does this mean for you as a potential puppy buyer of a Standard Poodle?...especially if size is important to you. (Which is A-ok if it is.)

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• Size is only one of many traits an educated and ethical breeder is going to consider in the selection of their breeding dogs.

• Moyen is a term used by some breeders and puppy buyers to describe a Standard Poodle on the small side of the breed standard. It is not an official term used by any breed registry in the United States.

  • Fun Fact: it's common for consumers to come up with their own terminology to describe a specific characteristic of a dog. A "teacup" (smaller than a Toy) Poodle or a "Royal" (extra large) Standard Poodle are examples. Other dog breeds have these as well. "Imperial" Shih Tzu's are selectively bred to be extra small. Do you know any others?​

• A puppy selectively bred to mature to a small Standard (or Moyen) size in the United States may have genetics from both a Standard and a small (Miniature) poodle. If you do a genetic test, it will tell you the percentage of small vs Standard Poodle genetics the dog has. 

• An intervariety breeding can produce offspring with a variety of sizes (at maturity) because the genetic pool for size is larger and has more potential for variation.

• A breeding of two similar size poodles could still produce a puppy that is smaller or larger than both parents. Genetic traits are influenced by more than just one generation. Do you know any families who have children that are taller or shorter than their parents? 

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Many breeders will include a clause in their purchase contract that they don't guarantee mature size.  I hope this helps you understand why this may be included in a contract so that you can be educated and align your expectations.

 

What other questions do you have about size in Poodles?

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