It may be the national dog of France, but the Poodle actually originated in Germany. The breed name comes from the German word, "pudel" or "pudelin", which means "to splash". In fact, the term "French Poodle" is a misnomer. In France, the breed is called Caniche, French for "duck dog".

Poodles are among a handful of dog breeds that are considered to have hair--not fur. Poodles only have a single layer coat that does not shed (whereas fur only grows to a certain length before it needs to fall off) and their hair can even respond to hormonal changes in the body, like human hair.

Poodles are the only dog breed that comes in three sizes: the Standard Poodle, Miniature Poodle, and Toy Poodle. They are all the same breed, except for their size.

The Poodle was named after splashing in water because it was originally bred to be water retrievers. The dog's job was to bring ducks and other birds back to its master. Their background as duck dogs means centuries of instinctive attraction to water and makes Poodles the perfect canine companion for swimming, whether in the sea, at the lake, or even in whitewater up to class III for the Standard, though a lifejacket is recommended.

It was in French circuses that the breed was selectively bred down in size to create what is now known as the Miniature Poodle. As circus performers the variety was frequently seen performing all manner of tricks including walking tightropes, doing complicated dance routines, and even performing magic and card tricks.

To compete as show dogs, adult Poodles must have one of three hairdos: the Continental Clip, the Modified Continental Clip, or the English Saddle. Puppies in competitions have the official Puppy Clip, which is an even length all over the body.

Poodles are among the smartest dog breeds. In fact, they rank 2nd out of 138 breeds in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, which presents a ranked list of breed intelligence based on a survey of 208 dog obedience judges across North America.

Grover Cleveland had a black French poodle named Hector. John F. Kennedy had a French poodle named Gaullie after French President Charles de Gaulle. And although Vicky the French Poodle technically belonged to Richard Nixon's daughter, she enjoyed taking walks with all members of the First Family.

Research "truffle hunting dogs", and the Lagotto Romagnolo will emerge as the only breed in the world specialized in tracking down this precious fungus, but at one time, Miniature Poodles were the preferred truffle hunters. The thinking was that they did less damage to the expensive delicacy than a larger dog because their small paws were less likely to stomp and damage the fungus before returning it to their owners.

There have only been a handful of Red Poodle champions to date, while there are many Black, Brown, and White champions. In fact, Red Poodles only became an official color in 1980.