Farm owners and people with large land often wonder if a poodle can be a good farm dog; after all, the poodle is the second most intelligent dog breed on the earth.
Are poodles good farm dogs? It all depends on the poodle as they come in 3 sizes Standard, Miniature, and Toy. Plus, it also depends on how they were raised means good traits such as good temperament, courage, patience, self-control, and trust in their owner make a good farm dog. Because as farm dogs, they have to complete multiple jobs without being distracted.
But things with poodle aren’t as manageable and simple as they appear.
Here’s everything you should grasp if you’re looking to pick a poodle as a farm dog.
Poodles are intelligent, energetic, and adventurous dogs. They learn things quickly and are very loyal with a good temperament.
But every poodle has its own personality to perform certain things. However, the point is which one is most suitable for multi-tasking.
Because as a farm dog, they should be good at several things including, Herding, Helping, and Guarding.
Let’s take a look at some specific poodle subspecies.
Standard Poodle
A standard poodle is a good match for a farm because they are highly trainable, athletic, intelligent, and have exceptional learning ability.
Moreover, they are excellent water-retrievers as well as agile and graceful. Besides this, they are fully energetic to perform many tasks that you gave them.
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), standard poodles enjoy and shine in a mixture of canine sports, including obedience, tracking, and agility.
Plus, they also compete in dock diving and retriever hunt tests, which shows that they are good at multitasks.
With greater size and strength, standard poodles are the best all-around athlete.
Standard poodles are the companion for all reasons and seasons.
On the other hand, Standard Poodles have some downsides as well! If you think of them as farm dogs.
They are soft and sensitive dogs and can be hypersensitive sometimes. And if they get stressed, they will end up sick to their stomach (digestive upsets).
Although they experience separation anxiety and loneliness if left alone for too long.
If you don’t have enough space for your poodles to release their energy and do exciting things, then they will become bored and rude, so be sure about that.
Miniature Poodle
A Miniature poodle might not be a good farm dog because they are small, as the name says.
And people who own a miniature poodle often complain that their poodle has neurotic behavior (Neurosis), ridiculously barks most of the time, and has hyperactivity.
Which I don’t think anyone wants in a farm dog. Of course, they can be a good watchdog!
Plus, miniature poodles are very emotional and sensitive than standard poodles, which means that they are more likely to get sick even under little stress.
They are peaceful, sensitive dogs who need a calm, harmonious life. But they can blend into the stressful environment only if they are raised in that environment from the start (but don’t try to do that).
They also suffer from several health problems, including joint disorders, allergies, eye diseases, and bronchial diseases.
No doubt they have the same quality as standard poodles have, which means they are easily trainable, energetic, and intelligent.
But if your farm has a stressful environment, and you want to adopt a full-grown miniature poodle. I don’t advise you to do that because it will end up making him sick and scared (fearful of everything, even light pop sound)!
Besides this, it is better to go with a standard poodle or poodle mix.
Toy Poodle
Toy Poodle can’t be a working farm dog at any cost because they are not even bigger than a typical farm chicken.
Their intelligence, blended with their urge to please, makes it straightforward to train them for anything in less time.
They can be a good family dog or just a casual pet on the farm, but as a working farm dog, not a chance!
Poodle Crossbreed
This is a Golden Doodle.
They can be helpful farm dogs. But it depends on which poodle crossbreed you have, as there are about 60+ poodle mixes out there. That is typically known as ‘designer breeds.’
The most popular poodle mixes are Cockapoo, Labradoodle, Yorkipoo, Golden Doodle, which you can directly adopt from shelters rather than from (BYB).
Cockapoo and Yorkipoo aren’t good as farm dogs because they are about the same size as a toy poodle.
While Labradoodle and Golden Doodle can be a suitable choice as they have both their parent’s qualities, meaning poodle’s intelligence and golden retriever or labrador’s loving & friendly behavior.
But Labradoodle and Golden Doodle are crossbreeds, so no one can predict their actual behavior because poodle crossbreeds usually don’t have true genetic history.
Therefore, crossbreeds have unpredictable temperaments and could lead to dangerous genetic issues and health problems!
However, most of the breeders often claim that poodle crossbreeds are better and healthier than pure breeds. But unfortunately, breeders never actually had a piece of reliable scientific evidence to back this up.
So, in case you’re thinking of adopting a crossbreed, adopt it from shelters rather than from BackYard Breeder (BYB).
Are Poodles Good For Large Farms Or Small?
If we talk about Standard poodles, they are a suitable choice for both large and small farms.
Plus, (together with one LGD) standard poodles can also work as a herding dog for goats, cattle, ducks, or sheep on large farms if the owner has good knowledge about livestock and herding dogs.
However, American Kennel Club (AKC) and other Kennel Clubs didn’t give poodles a title of HIC (Herding Instinct Certified), while poodles have successfully passed a herding instinct test.
And remember one thing poodles are quick learners. So make sure whatever you teach them, teach in the right way at the first time. Because once they learn, it stays in their mind, whether it’s the right way or wrong.
On the other hand, Miniature poodles aren’t good for large farms. But they can be helpful on a small farm with limited animals.
And same goes with the Poodle Crossbreed. They also are not fit for large farms (that have hundreds of animals) because poodle mixes have an unpredictable temperament, as mentioned above.
Sometimes they can be a good farm dog, and sometimes they can’t be. So it is hard to say whether poodles will work out as a farm dog or not.
Can Poodle Good With All Farm Animals?
All Standard, Miniature, and Toy Poodles have high prey drives. But still, they can get along with any farm animals, including horses, cows, sheep, rabbits, ducks, goats, chickens, and more. Poodles are super intelligent dogs and can be easily trained to control their hunting instincts.
However, it will only work if the owner knows how to train them in the right way.
I have a friend who adopted a 2-month old standard poodle. And he raised him on his farm while giving him the training to socialize with other farm animals.
The training worked pretty well, and now he has a perfect farm poodle that gets along with any farm animals.
Apart from that, poodles are not used as waterfowl dogs anymore. But they still have that retrieving instinct that makes them excited around chickens and ducks.
Which can be troublesome for the poor creatures as poodles will chase them all around the farm.
Of course, not in an aggressive way, but intentionally to play with them.
But once they have learned that chickens and ducks aren’t something you want them to chase, they will never go after them again.
Even if you leave them alone!
How Often Do Farm Poodles Need Grooming?
Well, a farm poodle needs a lot of proper grooming approximately every 3 to 4 weeks at least, more than a random family poodle.
Farm poodles get dirty very quickly, which can cause too many problems if they don’t receive proper grooming.
Their hair will get matted and pose serious skin infections. That can be pretty uncomfortable for your beloved dog.
Additionally, if you don’t know how to groom poodles on your own, that matted hair will cost a lot of money if groomed by a professional groomer.
Therefore learn how to groom a poodle with primary tools ‘at home.’
If somehow you don’t want to spend time grooming your poodle’s grooming, then keep their hair shorter in the summer. Or still better if you keep their hair not more than a quarter inch.
And in the winter season, let their hair grow so that they can stay protected from winters.
Can A Poodle Be Trained As A Perfect Farm Dog?
Yes, you can train them as a good farm dog but not a perfect farm dog for sure because a perfect farm dog is known as (LGD) or (PPD) that is used to protect livestock from predators. And poodles aren’t one of them. Simply because they have friendly nature, you can’t expect a Standard Poodle to fight off seriously aggressive predators.
Let’s take an example here. Imagine if a single poodle stays as a full-time member of the flock. And one day, the flock gets attacked by a group of coyotes! What would you think a poodle can do in this situation?
Of course, he will alert the flock and stand up for himself in this encounter. But he can’t win that fight.
While a livestock guardian dog such as Anatolian Shepherd or Kangal! The most popular LGDs can easily win that fight without even the loss of a single flock member.
No doubt after Border Collies, Poodles are the second most intelligent dog breed.
And sure, a poodle can be trained as a farm dog. But they aren’t one of them, remember that.
