One look at the spoiled, well-groomed Standard Poodles making its rounds in the show ring, and you might just lose any respect you had for the breed. Yet if you look past the Westminster primping and pampering, it’s not hard to see that the Standard Poodle is one of the most intelligent breeds in the world. The dogs are considered to have the brain capacity of a three-year old human child — which is saying a lot, if you haven’t spent time with a three-year-old lately!

The look of the Standard Poodle is deceiving. Who knew their original purpose was working in the water? Poodles spent hours fetching ducks and pheasants for hunters. The poodle’s dense coat kept the water off and the heat in, protecting its legs from the chilling lakes and streams. But oh, how far they’ve fallen — since the breed’s rarely used as a working dog today, The American Kennel Club dubs the Standard Poodle a member of the Non-Sporting Group. The dogs weigh between 45 and 70 pounds, standing over 15 inches tall at the shoulder.

Under all of that hair, the Standard Poodle’s body is surprisingly muscular. The long ears fold down close to the head, framing the dark, intelligent eyes. This dog’s docked tail stands erect at all times, and should never curve over the dog’s back like the toy breeds tails do. The Standard Poodle’s coat can be a variety of colors, including apricot, black, cream, red, blue, gray, silver, brown, parti-color and white. Be warned: white and cream-colored Standard Poodles are generally snobbier and more skittish than the others, while the black Standard Poodles are calmer.

A standard poodle in a family setting will do very well; they’ll fall in love with the children. Standard poodles also make great companions for families who already have a dog. But cat lovers take care — and be ready to have your new poodle fly through the house after your feline! Don’t lose your cool, though. When the poodle catches up, he’ll just want to play. Poodles can live comfortably in apartments, but a daily walk or run will be necessary to maintain your dog’s health. Poodles will ultimately thrive in a fenced-in yard, as it offers the most freedom for the dog and some peace of mind for the owner.

Due to its intelligence, this breed enjoys learning and should go to puppy obedience classes. Also, Standard Poodles need socialization as puppies, or they may grow up afraid of all strange dogs. If you’ve established a good bond with your pup, he’ll work hard to please you during classes. If he doesn’t get what you want him to do, he’ll scrunch his brow and try again. If there’s another failure, he may get depressed and frustrated. Should this happen, give him a command he’s already perfected. After he happily obeys, he’ll be ready for another go at the new command. Since training the Standard Poodle is such a pleasure, many poodle/owner combos take on advanced classes to compete in obedience or agility trials.

Thanks to years of overbreeding, the poodle breed has a few common health problems. A good breeder will scan the parents for conditions like Addison’s disease, hip dysplasia, and epilepsy to make sure that the pups will be okay. Even so, there’s hunches and guesswork involved in producing a healthy pup, so a careful breeder will also offer a health guarantee. Also be on the lookout for renal disease, bloat, and skin problems.

To put it lightly, Standard Poodles are big dogs — and they’ve got some big appetites. If you’ve never owned a big dog, be ready for a sizeable increase in the grocery budget. Poodles also need a daily multivitamin to stay healthy. Lastly, ask your vet about giving your poodle a daily vitamin C tablet to decrease the chance of hip dysplasia.

The poodle’s incredibly thick coat can take upwards of an hour to thoroughly brush, and this needs to be done daily. If you don’t want to spend that time, don’t buy a Standard Poodle. Also, you’ll either learn to cut your poodle’s hair or you’ll need to take him to a professional once every six weeks.

If you’ve got the devotion, the Standard Poodle will give you hours upon hours of pleasure. So if you’d rather brush your dog than, say, watch the news, go for the poodle!