standard poodles vs labs

[al6517]

I vote Lab's, my buddy's would laugh at me if I owned a poodle of any kind. So many of the thing's that made the Poodle a good dog have long since been bred out of them by the show ring folks as is with any breed they get their hands on. So for a good all round service dog the lab is a hands down best choice, when was the last time you saw a Poodle in a service harness actually working the trade, just sayin.

AL

 

[TMNTCkins]

Poodles are great dogs but we just got a lab puppy and I have to say he is the best dog we have had in a long time. He is smart, funny, great with the kids and the others dogs. Total dork but makes us laugh, but he chews everything.
I vote Lab.

 

[mom'sfolly]

I would just point out that there are two types of labs, as well. There is the hunting type and the show type. The show type is a smaller, blockier and calmer dog, generally, than the hunting type lab. The hunting type, especially the males, can be huge, and their puppy years seem longer. Most backyard breeders are going to that hunting type labs. Show style dogs are broader headed and deeper chested as well. Growing up, we had both types. To me, the hunter type seemed more pig-headed, but it might have been the individual dog.

There is a reason labs have been one of the most popular dogs in America for decades.

 

[gavinandallison]

Both are wonderful breeds - ( Personally I am a German Shepherd Dog person ) -

I have known many Poodles and Labs and I would say go Poodle - they are a lot less work in the training department in my experences . They also are not as driven with birds as Labs can be - poodles are breed as bird dogs but over time the drive is just not as strong . Labs now can be trained to do anything and are as sweet as a apple pie ----- great with kids and other dogs etc...

but again my vote is poodle

 

[patandchickens]

If this is just for a "kinda" service dog, Labs are by far the best choice because you can get excellent ones thru shelters/rescues. In fact I believe that some service-dog training organizations still get significant numbers of dogs that way. (e.t.a. - obviously there are surrendered or rescue poodles as well; but surrender/rescue labs -- good solid healthy sane ones, often partly trained -- outnumber them probably 100:1)

Of course, for a serious high-investment service dog, if you want very very convincing pedigree-and-xray credentials for hips and elbows and eyes, that's not as much of an option (even if you wanted to 'vet' prospective candidates, parentage is generally unknown).

True, miniature poodles are not-infrequently used as household assistance dogs -- like to turn on lights and pick up and fetch things and get the phone and stuff like that. But you see hardly ANY standard poodles used as outdoor/everywhere service dogs, as opposed to labs and goldens being the 'industry standard'. So, I think that you have to ask yourself if perhaps people don't *know* something about it

Certainly lots and lots of breeds, poodles included, have been *tried* as service dogs... and if poodles are rare despite their appealing nonshedding/less-allergenic qualities, it is probably on good grounds.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[FireTigeris]

Quote:
I'm telling you why- they (poodles) can't be guides for most schools (too obedient, too hard to maintain) Southeastern Guide Dog will or in the past has used hybrid Poodle/Lab or Poodle/Retriever and uses 'goldadors' now (all mutts are fixed at 6 months, all pure dogs are 'potential breeders' and left intact unless they go to the finishing training - they only become breeders or finish training after hip/elbow hart confirmation)

Most 'other service' dogs come as failed guide dogs, either as:

police
arson
hearing
mobility (quadriplegic helpers)
balance
search
cadaver
wheelchair (paraplegic helpers)
bomb detection
drug detection
medication
seizure alert
blood sugar alert
'paws for patriots' (soldiers with severe post traumatic stress can qualify for a real service dog opposed to a companion dog)
or therapy in a pet home.

.. If they can't make the grade they become 'pet only'

Therapy dogs are not protected by the ADA.

Poodles ~always~ wash out of the guide dog school and it cost about $10,000 each dog to train/vet/feed.

But if you want a dog that it ~too~ obedient after you get over its stubbornness Poodle, if you want a dog that learn what you need it to do ... Lab.

 

[RiverOtter]

Quote:
Ok, there is a big difference between guide dogs (for the blind - very specific) and service dogs.
Standard poodles may not do the selective disobedience thing reliably as a breed (though there are individuals that do) but for most types of service dogs you really don't want that.

Speaking as someone in the *know* I can tell you it's the coat. If they didn't need clipped down every 6 weeks they would likely be the most common service (mot guide, but service) dog around. There is nothing that a dog can be trained to do that you can't train a Standard poodle to do. I even used to groom one that worked cattle better then the owner's other dogs (ACDs).
They make awesome household assistance dogs. So if you can be sure that every 6 weeks for the dog's life you can have it clipped and you like a poodle/have allergy issues, then Standards are great.

Whichever breed you pick, be sure to get it from lines that are good, working lines. A downside of Labs being so popular is it can be hard to find those that aren't "scatter bred" A grandparent was a Field Champion, another was a show Champ, this one was just a nice pet, this one some other sport was done with. Well, are you going to get the hyper personality of a field dog, the more dominant/independent personality that catches the show judge's eyes, what? It's not like mixing paint where red and white make pink, it's more like rolling dice, some traits will pop up
You want one that has the same thing over and over in the pedigree. OTCH, OTCH, OTCH, OTCH - then you know this line has been bred to be biddable.

Since Standards are more rare, they have fewer lines so less variance across the breed. Although I'd stay away from the "colored" ones like Parti and Phantom as there are plenty of those who have been bred solely for color (always a bad idea, regardless of breed or species) There are one or two show lines that don't have a great temperament and can be snappish, but anything with CGC and OTCH in the pedigree won't be that bloodline.

Good Luck!

 

[FireTigeris]

Quote:
This is the same reason rough coated collies are being selected against.

You are right on all points too- guide dogs (opposed to other working dogs) are very special .

 

[patandchickens]

You are right on all points too- guide dogs (opposed to other working dogs) are very special .

The original poster just asked about "service dogs". Without more information as to what she means by that, I do not think it makes sense to restrict replies only to guide dogs (which are just one type of service dog)


Pat​

 

[FireTigeris]

Quote:
The original poster just asked about "service dogs". Without more information as to what she means by that, I do not think it makes sense to restrict replies only to guide dogs (which are just one type of service dog)


Pat

I answered for a whole list of services but was specific about guides because of the one difference. *shrug*