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50 free Poodle trivia questions with answers — nature quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Poodle trivia quiz covers the curly-coated water dog that Germany calls the Pudel and France the Caniche. Questions run through the disputed origin (Germany for most cynologists, France for the FCI), the 'puddeln' splashing etymology, the waterfowl retrieving that explains the show clip, and the French circuses that bred the Miniature down from the Standard and later the Toy from the Miniature. The breed section covers all four size varieties and their heights, the Continental, English Saddle and Sporting clips, corded coats, parti, phantom and tuxedo colouring, Stanley Coren's second-place intelligence ranking, life expectancy by size and the hereditary diseases that followed the 1960s popularity boom. History and culture questions cover the 1935 Westminster win that made Poodles fashionable in America, the AKC number-one run from 1960 to 1982, Prince Rupert's civil-war poodle Boy, Napoleon's Marengo story, Goethe's Faust, the poodle skirt, Raymond Chandler's Poodle Springs and why 'poodle' became a political insult. Questions run from easy to expert with a difficulty score on each, so it suits a family quiz or a real dog-show buff. Every answer was checked against Wikipedia and breed references and each question carries its citation. Also try our Dogs and Labrador Retriever quizzes.
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Q 01What is the Poodle called in French?
Caniche
Both the French and German names point to the breed's original job retrieving shot game and lost arrows from water.
Q 02Most cynologists believe the Poodle originated in which country?
Germany
The FCI and a minority of experts back France instead, and others have argued for Russia, Piedmont or Northwest Africa.
Q 03The German name Pudel derives from the Low German word 'puddeln', meaning what?
To splash
The Poodle was Germany's water dog, as the Barbet was France's and the Wetterhoun the Netherlands'.
Q 04Which French water dog does the FCI consider the Poodle's ancestor?
Barbet
The word 'bichon' is also thought to derive from 'barbichon', little barbet, tying several curly breeds together.
Q 05Larger Poodles were originally used by hunters to retrieve what?
Waterfowl
They also recovered lost arrows and crossbow bolts that had missed their mark.
Q 06The Miniature Poodle was bred down in size for use where?
French circuses
A smaller dog was easier to handle and transport, and the performers walked tightropes, acted comedies and did card tricks.
Q 07Until 1907, today's Miniature Poodle was known by which size name?
Toy
The true Toy was created early in the 20th century by breeding Miniatures down again, at first with disfigured results.
Q 08Which even smaller Poodle variety was abandoned because of serious genetic abnormalities?
Teacup
The name lives on with unscrupulous sellers, but no kennel club recognises it.
Q 09Which Poodle size variety is recognised by the FCI but not universally by the world's kennel clubs?
Medium
It sits between the Standard and Miniature and may have been created partly to thin out show entries.
Q 10In what year did the American Kennel Club recognise the Poodle?
1886
The UK Kennel Club had recognised it in 1874, soon after that club's own founding.
Q 11Poodles were unpopular in America until which dog won Best in Show at Westminster in 1935?
Nunsoe Duc de la Terrace
Since then Poodles have won Westminster ten times, the second-most of any breed.
Q 12Between which years was the Poodle the AKC's most registered breed?
1960–1982
The boom drove rapid breeding from a few popular bloodlines and left the breed with a genetic bottleneck.
Q 13How many times has a Poodle won Best in Show at Westminster since 1935?
10
Only one breed has won the top prize more often.
As of 2012 the Poodle was the FCI's third most registered breed, behind the Labrador and which other?
Q 21A parti-coloured Poodle with black-and-white markings resembling formal wear is called what?
Tuxedo
A parti-Poodle has patches of any solid colour over a mainly white coat; an abstract Poodle is the reverse.
Q 22A Poodle with a solid main colour and lighter 'eyebrows', muzzle, throat and legs is called what?
Phantom
Phantoms may also carry a full face of the secondary colour, but like all multi-colours they cannot compete in AKC conformation.
Q 23Which of these coat colours shares its name with a milky coffee?
Café au lait
Silver beige, apricot and red are other recognised shades; the AKC allows only solid colours in the show ring.
German Shepherd
The 25 countries surveyed registered 118,653 new Poodles a year between them.
Q 15Under the FCI standard, a Standard Poodle stands between what heights?
45 and 62 cm
The Medium is 35–45 cm, the Miniature 28–35 cm and the Toy 24–28 cm.
Q 16A healthy adult Standard Poodle typically weighs how much?
20–32 kg
A Toy Poodle weighs only 6.5–7.5 kg, and the Miniature 12–14 kg.
Q 17How often can a pet owner expect to have a Poodle groomed?
Every four to eight weeks
The tightly curled coat traps dead hair and dander instead of dropping it, which is why the breed is called hypoallergenic.
Q 18What is the most popular Poodle show clip, with the face and rear clipped close and rosettes on the hips?
Continental
The FCI calls it the Lion clip; a similar cut once kept a swimming retriever light while covering its joints and vital organs.
Q 19Which show clip is recognised by the FCI but not the AKC?
Scandinavian
Both clubs accept the Puppy, Continental, English Saddle and Sporting (Modern) clips.
Q 20A Poodle whose coat is left to form rope-like mats is described as what?
Corded
Once as common as the curly coat, corded Poodles are now rare because the cords are hard to clean and slow to dry.
Q 24Where did Stanley Coren rank the Poodle out of 130 breeds for working and obedience intelligence?
Second
Only the Border Collie placed higher, and shyness or sharpness is treated as a serious fault in the breed.
Q 25A 2024 UK study gave the Poodle what average life expectancy?
14 years
That is well above the 12.7-year purebred average; smaller Poodles tend to outlive Standards.
Q 26Which skin disease, with an estimated 2.7% prevalence, is among the worst hereditary Poodle conditions?
Sebaceous adenitis
It and Addison's disease both became more common after the 1960s popularity boom concentrated breeding on a few bloodlines.
Q 27One study found two average Standard Poodles to be about as closely related as what?
The pups of two full siblings
The Poodle Health Registry lists more than 50 major disorders of the Standard variety.
Q 28A recessive mutation in which gene causes progressive rod-cone degeneration in Poodles?
PRCD
The breed is also predisposed to hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome and a string of skin conditions.
Q 29Despite its hunting history, how did the FCI classify the Poodle as of 2024?
Companion dog
Since the late 1980s some North American breeders have been selecting for bird drive to revive the breed as a hunter.
Q 30Poodles have served as military working dogs since at least which century?
17th
Their hunting background means they can be trained to ignore gunfire.