# Might be getting another sports dog: standard poodle



## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

Ok, well sort of. Here's the story:

I was talking to a friend that I know from work today and she was telling me that she recently adopted a 1yo standard poodle from craigslist. She'd like to get the dog into agility, but her plate is pretty full with two kids (2yo and <1yo), a hubby, a house, and a bunch of cats. So...she's looking for someone who is interested in doing agility with her dog. 

My end of the bargain would be picking up the dog (they live within walking distance), taking her to class, and providing treats. I might stop by every few days to do some training. Her end of the bargain would be paying for classes, plus the upkeep of the dog.

Considering my situation, it's not a bad deal for me. There are some very good reasons that I can't get my own second dog right now (I rent, will be moving in a couple of years, and although Kit loves canine company, I think she's best living without another dog, at least until she's older/calmer). But I have the time, I very much look forward to agility class each week, and I'd love to have another dog to train - particularly one as different as a standard poodle would probably be.

I need to talk to my agility instructor about whether she's opening a beginning agility class this summer (I've heard rumors) and whether there's still space. We took beginning agility from a different instructor (far inferior, IMO), so I'd jump at the chance to experience the real deal.


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## Shaina (Oct 28, 2007)

That sounds fun -- standard poodles are really really run dogs, though yeah probably a change from Kit lol


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## LexiPup (Nov 14, 2010)

Sounds like a good fit for you and the poodle. Plus, if it doesn't work out, you don't have to keep it up, right?


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

I went and met the poodle today (finally!). She seems like she'd be fun to train. She's more like Kit than I thought. Within about 1 second of greeting me, she realized that my treat pouch contained something delicious, so she sat for a treat. She and Kit chased each other for a while. Like Kit, she jumps on people occasionally. She likes toys (including tugs) and food, just like Kit, and seemed relatively drivey, at least for a poodle. Like Kit, she doesn't have much fear, and her intelligence is very apparent, which is good. She kinda struck me as Kit without the edge. Although she came from CL, it seems like the previous owner did a good job socializing her to people and dogs, and even did some training classes with her.

All in all, I think she's got a fairly stable personality/temperament, which is good for sports, and her structure and weight are good. I'd like to see her get a set of x-rays (to rule out hip dysplasia) before doing a lot of strenuous activity, but otherwise, I think she's ready to start. Now if I can just find enough time in my summer schedule to do this...


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