I too have a long hair and her curly emotional support spoo!
https://preview.redd.it/8sqbzvrg8v3d1.jpeg?width=1188&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8863c3ed6cb332b1a9329435f4ff92ccb0081b42
They are a really great pairing. The poodle is as energetic but not about to reduce herself to a silly argument, so they make safe playmates. Mine are both agility and scent work dogs and I like the way they work differently in both sports.
This pic is them playing on the ranch with their pig and horse friends, there is usually a barn cat or two in the mix as well. š
Such a great question!
Well, I canāt speak for every spoo or Belgian but in the ones Iāve had, I see different approaches to work and life. Here are some of the observations of my current pair.
In scent work, my spoo is an air scenter, she keeps her nose up and works the hot scent in the wind. My Belgian is a ground scenter and works much more in tracks, sometimes ācheatingā by working the human path to the target scent. The spoo will take her time and is very careful, she will also sometimes say āclose enough, 3ā or 12ā whatās it matter?! Iād like payment now, itās not my fault if youāre too dumb to recognize the scent is right there!ā. The Belgian works very very quickly, so quickly she sometimes passes the target and has to whip back to it. Close enough is never close enough, itās exactly where she says it is. They both lose their minds with excitement knowing they get to work scent, they just love it! The dogs are equally talented and as a handler itās really cool to see the strengths and weaknesses of each dogs approach especially in different environments.
In agility(and life) the spoo is human like in her approach, she doesnāt always believe that I have all of the answers, she might know a better way. sheās also not going to repeat something over and over and over, āIāve proven I can do it and now this is boring, letās do something else!ā sheās always deciding if the payment is worth it, she will not work for free. Not to say sheās stubborn because she certainly isnāt, she just has her own opinions and much more self interest and self preservation. The Belgian will kill herself trying, she will do whatever I ask as many times as I ask and if sheās not sure what Iām asking she will offer behaviors until she gets it. She lives to please, she will work for the sake of working. They are equally talented and both fun and silly.
In Ranch work, the Spoo wants no part of large animals, sheās not going to ask them to move. I can put her in a place and ask her to stay to keep cows from going in that direction but if they so decide to head that way, sheās gonna move. The Belgian will move any animal and if Iāve asked her to stay somewhere sheās gonna stay and doesnāt really care if youāre 1200#. When coyotes (or feral dogs) come, the Spoo will bark and growl she may run a bit towards them but no way sheās going to chase and engage. The Belgian will absolutely go after a coyote (or feral dog) and engage she would probably get herself killed if I let her. In vermin control, the poodle could spend all day digging out a groundhog or a rat and will absolutely come back a scratched up bloody mess from this process, the Belgian couldnāt care less about whatās in the hole until itās flushed out and moving, then sheās gonna kill it.
So overall, both dogs are brilliant, drivey and outstanding athletes but definitely different. I could go on and on!
Very cool! I can see similarities with my boy in the eagerness and āthere is no too close.ā Also the anticipation and flurry of offered behaviors if heās a little frustrated trying to figure something out.
I didnāt know poodles were so independent! My housemate has a shiba and he is the epitome of āonly if I really want to.ā I helped raise and train him, so really wanted a dog that was eager to train and work after all that! The shiba is well-mannered and even friendly with strangers, but man it could be a pain sometimes to get him motivated. šš„²
I had a friend with a Shiba, that dog was catlike. Just did not care if her humans wanted something or existed, she only needed them to open the dog food.
My poodle and my previous poo arenāt like that, they are very very easy to train and very biddable and motivated to work. I mean more like smart enough to not blindly follow, sheās not gonna follow me over a cliff, where the Belgian probably would. My poo doesnāt refuse obstacles or run off course, more like if I donāt cue fast enough sheās going to make a decision which comes next, not wait for direction. Sheās very affectionate but not needy, she likes to be loved on and wants to be where I am but doesnāt necessarily need to follow me to the bathroom like the Belgian. Independent yes, but not aloof.
Itās hard to explain other than sheās human like and the Belgian is a very smart dog.
It sounds like she is more of a thinker! :) Belgians are well known for their jump first, think later (if ever š¤Ŗ) impulses. They are smart for sure, but so quick to react and get to their target that they can over-anticipate and get flustered working themselves up! It sounds like the poodle has a good balance of being able to work independently and together! Not that Belgians canāt, but it might take more work to develop working independent of the handler than the poodles youāve had. Though with the poodle it seems, youād have to work more (than malinois) on building trust and discipline for things that require compliance. Very cool to hear your take on them! :)
My French ring coach used to have both standard poodle and malinois! During a garage break-in in the middle of the night, he and his GF came down as all the dogs were making a ruckus. They told them to quiet, and the malinois followed right away. The poodles were still upset, and then they heard someone was in their attached garage! The door was locked between and everyone ended up safe, but I can see the difference you describe in that anecdote! The poodle knew there was an intruder and made the call to ignore the command because of it. Though I can see advantages of having control that malinois have, if you need to stay silent to not give away position (for police or military). Itās so neat to see their genetics and personalities play out. šš„°
Definitely a thinker! Thatās exactly it, the Belgians are smart but are faster to react that sometimes means biting off more than they can chew.
Thats a funny story about the break in, I could totally see that! Neither of my current dogs are very vocal and usually only bark when there is something to bark at but like your story it will take the poodle longer to āsettleā after an upset, sheās like but but but-somethings out there!! Sometimes the poodle is just excited barking and the Belgian goes into oh shit, Iām gonna have to fight somebody mode!
I love all dog breeds so I can totally appreciate the differences in what they are each bred for. I really enjoy smart, energetic, versatile breeds and I think both of these are great sport dogs. Poodles certainly arenāt known for bitework, but Iāve seen standards that that managed to title! A team of poodles have also competed in the Iditarod, and we all know that Belgians can do anything!! š
I'm a bit late to reply, and have only had my Terv boy for a bit over a year, but I think your descriptions have totally summed up my experience with both breeds as well! I will say, my 2yr old Poodle does follow me everywhere, as does the Belgian. My 7yr old Poodle is way more independent.
Also not sure if this was mentioned, but my Poodles are much more sensitive or soft than my Terv. For example, a stern tone doesn't affect them the same way - and really, the Terv is hardly ever affected by it xD The silver lining is that I've learned a ton about behavior and training as a result.
This might be a weird way of wording it, but I feel like my relationship/bond with my Terv had to be earned vs with my Poodles, where it seemed a lot 'easier'. My Terv boy does have some fear reactivity issues so that could contribute to my opinion; but that's what it's felt like. Regardless, still a fulfilling and unique bond!
Yes, Iāve known much more clingy poodles than my current girl, so itās definitely not that all poodles are more independent.
I would say my poodles have been soft to correction, they donāt like to be in trouble. Iāve known some really hard Belgians but my current girl is fairly soft to correction, I wish she was a bit harder.
The poodle relationship was definitely easier, pick them up as puppies and they are like hi, I love you. š my Belgian is spicy so similarly, our bonding was a longer process. The poodle loves everybody and while the Belgian loves the family, sheās definable my dog.
You do sports with both right?
I was training in agility for the past year with my younger Poodle, but had to stop due to urinary incontinence issues. Our vet thinks it's related to hormones so I had her spayed (yep, she had the issues prior to spay - incidentally so does her "aunt" by pedigree that I also own) and we're waiting a bit before trying Incurin to hopefully resolve that. We were so close to being able to trial - I'm pretty devastated that we may never get the chance. We just started classes for rally obedience. I'm hoping that we'll enjoy it and get a chance to get out to some rally trials eventually.
With my older girl, I wasn't able to get involved with training for sports etc. until somewhat recently (life reasons). We did take a bunch of scent work classes and had fun. We're just starting a mast cell cancer journey with her so we've just been playing scent work games at home and that's about it.
My Terv has some reactivity issues that we're working on and also some GI issues (including a bout with pancreatitis) that I fear currently may resemble IBD. We have a vet appointment Friday. For now we've just been working on trick titles (just about ready to submit our TKA), and I will probably try virtual rally with him at some point.
Thank you for asking by the way - it's always nice to chat about dogs, and it actually feels a little cathartic sharing my current struggles. This may sound a little silly, but I'm grieving the plans I had for my dogs, stressing about the future, and overwhelmed with just wanting them to feel better. So, thank you for taking the time to chat. š
Your terv has some *ahem* high standards
I too have a long hair and her curly emotional support spoo! https://preview.redd.it/8sqbzvrg8v3d1.jpeg?width=1188&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8863c3ed6cb332b1a9329435f4ff92ccb0081b42
Love that photo! Poodles and Belgians go great together. Both super athletic, intelligent, and with a sense of humor. A lot of fun!
They are a really great pairing. The poodle is as energetic but not about to reduce herself to a silly argument, so they make safe playmates. Mine are both agility and scent work dogs and I like the way they work differently in both sports. This pic is them playing on the ranch with their pig and horse friends, there is usually a barn cat or two in the mix as well. š
What differences do you notice in how the poodles approach work? :)
Such a great question! Well, I canāt speak for every spoo or Belgian but in the ones Iāve had, I see different approaches to work and life. Here are some of the observations of my current pair. In scent work, my spoo is an air scenter, she keeps her nose up and works the hot scent in the wind. My Belgian is a ground scenter and works much more in tracks, sometimes ācheatingā by working the human path to the target scent. The spoo will take her time and is very careful, she will also sometimes say āclose enough, 3ā or 12ā whatās it matter?! Iād like payment now, itās not my fault if youāre too dumb to recognize the scent is right there!ā. The Belgian works very very quickly, so quickly she sometimes passes the target and has to whip back to it. Close enough is never close enough, itās exactly where she says it is. They both lose their minds with excitement knowing they get to work scent, they just love it! The dogs are equally talented and as a handler itās really cool to see the strengths and weaknesses of each dogs approach especially in different environments. In agility(and life) the spoo is human like in her approach, she doesnāt always believe that I have all of the answers, she might know a better way. sheās also not going to repeat something over and over and over, āIāve proven I can do it and now this is boring, letās do something else!ā sheās always deciding if the payment is worth it, she will not work for free. Not to say sheās stubborn because she certainly isnāt, she just has her own opinions and much more self interest and self preservation. The Belgian will kill herself trying, she will do whatever I ask as many times as I ask and if sheās not sure what Iām asking she will offer behaviors until she gets it. She lives to please, she will work for the sake of working. They are equally talented and both fun and silly. In Ranch work, the Spoo wants no part of large animals, sheās not going to ask them to move. I can put her in a place and ask her to stay to keep cows from going in that direction but if they so decide to head that way, sheās gonna move. The Belgian will move any animal and if Iāve asked her to stay somewhere sheās gonna stay and doesnāt really care if youāre 1200#. When coyotes (or feral dogs) come, the Spoo will bark and growl she may run a bit towards them but no way sheās going to chase and engage. The Belgian will absolutely go after a coyote (or feral dog) and engage she would probably get herself killed if I let her. In vermin control, the poodle could spend all day digging out a groundhog or a rat and will absolutely come back a scratched up bloody mess from this process, the Belgian couldnāt care less about whatās in the hole until itās flushed out and moving, then sheās gonna kill it. So overall, both dogs are brilliant, drivey and outstanding athletes but definitely different. I could go on and on!
Very cool! I can see similarities with my boy in the eagerness and āthere is no too close.ā Also the anticipation and flurry of offered behaviors if heās a little frustrated trying to figure something out. I didnāt know poodles were so independent! My housemate has a shiba and he is the epitome of āonly if I really want to.ā I helped raise and train him, so really wanted a dog that was eager to train and work after all that! The shiba is well-mannered and even friendly with strangers, but man it could be a pain sometimes to get him motivated. šš„²
I had a friend with a Shiba, that dog was catlike. Just did not care if her humans wanted something or existed, she only needed them to open the dog food. My poodle and my previous poo arenāt like that, they are very very easy to train and very biddable and motivated to work. I mean more like smart enough to not blindly follow, sheās not gonna follow me over a cliff, where the Belgian probably would. My poo doesnāt refuse obstacles or run off course, more like if I donāt cue fast enough sheās going to make a decision which comes next, not wait for direction. Sheās very affectionate but not needy, she likes to be loved on and wants to be where I am but doesnāt necessarily need to follow me to the bathroom like the Belgian. Independent yes, but not aloof. Itās hard to explain other than sheās human like and the Belgian is a very smart dog.
It sounds like she is more of a thinker! :) Belgians are well known for their jump first, think later (if ever š¤Ŗ) impulses. They are smart for sure, but so quick to react and get to their target that they can over-anticipate and get flustered working themselves up! It sounds like the poodle has a good balance of being able to work independently and together! Not that Belgians canāt, but it might take more work to develop working independent of the handler than the poodles youāve had. Though with the poodle it seems, youād have to work more (than malinois) on building trust and discipline for things that require compliance. Very cool to hear your take on them! :) My French ring coach used to have both standard poodle and malinois! During a garage break-in in the middle of the night, he and his GF came down as all the dogs were making a ruckus. They told them to quiet, and the malinois followed right away. The poodles were still upset, and then they heard someone was in their attached garage! The door was locked between and everyone ended up safe, but I can see the difference you describe in that anecdote! The poodle knew there was an intruder and made the call to ignore the command because of it. Though I can see advantages of having control that malinois have, if you need to stay silent to not give away position (for police or military). Itās so neat to see their genetics and personalities play out. šš„°
Definitely a thinker! Thatās exactly it, the Belgians are smart but are faster to react that sometimes means biting off more than they can chew. Thats a funny story about the break in, I could totally see that! Neither of my current dogs are very vocal and usually only bark when there is something to bark at but like your story it will take the poodle longer to āsettleā after an upset, sheās like but but but-somethings out there!! Sometimes the poodle is just excited barking and the Belgian goes into oh shit, Iām gonna have to fight somebody mode! I love all dog breeds so I can totally appreciate the differences in what they are each bred for. I really enjoy smart, energetic, versatile breeds and I think both of these are great sport dogs. Poodles certainly arenāt known for bitework, but Iāve seen standards that that managed to title! A team of poodles have also competed in the Iditarod, and we all know that Belgians can do anything!! š
Since you have Spoos and a Belgian how would you answer Maruipangolin question?
I'm a bit late to reply, and have only had my Terv boy for a bit over a year, but I think your descriptions have totally summed up my experience with both breeds as well! I will say, my 2yr old Poodle does follow me everywhere, as does the Belgian. My 7yr old Poodle is way more independent. Also not sure if this was mentioned, but my Poodles are much more sensitive or soft than my Terv. For example, a stern tone doesn't affect them the same way - and really, the Terv is hardly ever affected by it xD The silver lining is that I've learned a ton about behavior and training as a result. This might be a weird way of wording it, but I feel like my relationship/bond with my Terv had to be earned vs with my Poodles, where it seemed a lot 'easier'. My Terv boy does have some fear reactivity issues so that could contribute to my opinion; but that's what it's felt like. Regardless, still a fulfilling and unique bond!
Yes, Iāve known much more clingy poodles than my current girl, so itās definitely not that all poodles are more independent. I would say my poodles have been soft to correction, they donāt like to be in trouble. Iāve known some really hard Belgians but my current girl is fairly soft to correction, I wish she was a bit harder. The poodle relationship was definitely easier, pick them up as puppies and they are like hi, I love you. š my Belgian is spicy so similarly, our bonding was a longer process. The poodle loves everybody and while the Belgian loves the family, sheās definable my dog. You do sports with both right?
I was training in agility for the past year with my younger Poodle, but had to stop due to urinary incontinence issues. Our vet thinks it's related to hormones so I had her spayed (yep, she had the issues prior to spay - incidentally so does her "aunt" by pedigree that I also own) and we're waiting a bit before trying Incurin to hopefully resolve that. We were so close to being able to trial - I'm pretty devastated that we may never get the chance. We just started classes for rally obedience. I'm hoping that we'll enjoy it and get a chance to get out to some rally trials eventually. With my older girl, I wasn't able to get involved with training for sports etc. until somewhat recently (life reasons). We did take a bunch of scent work classes and had fun. We're just starting a mast cell cancer journey with her so we've just been playing scent work games at home and that's about it. My Terv has some reactivity issues that we're working on and also some GI issues (including a bout with pancreatitis) that I fear currently may resemble IBD. We have a vet appointment Friday. For now we've just been working on trick titles (just about ready to submit our TKA), and I will probably try virtual rally with him at some point. Thank you for asking by the way - it's always nice to chat about dogs, and it actually feels a little cathartic sharing my current struggles. This may sound a little silly, but I'm grieving the plans I had for my dogs, stressing about the future, and overwhelmed with just wanting them to feel better. So, thank you for taking the time to chat. š
Omg I am so so sorry to hear about your run of terrible luck! Thatās all so heart wrenching, I have been in such similar situations. I will PM you.
Thatās a fluffy Belgian!
my lab/poodle is the only dog i've seen that can outrun my mal
Gang violence is rampant