Letter From  THE POODLE CLUB OF AMERICA. INC.

 HUNTING CLASSES-FOR STANDARD AND MINIATURE POODLES, CLASS FOR DOG AND BITCHES WHO HAVE EARNED AN AKC JUNIOR, SENIOR OR MASTER'S HUNTING TITLE AT AN AKC HUNTING TEST DOGS AND BITCHES ENTERED IN this CLASS MUST BE IN traditional TRIM AS DESCRIBED UNDER THE BREED STANDARD-PUPPY (IF UNDER ONE YEAR OF AGE) ENGLISH SADDLE OR CONTINENTAL TRIM. HIP POMPONS ARE Optional IN THE CONTINENTAL TRIM. THE MANE COAT MAY BE SHORTENED AND THE TOP KNOT Scissored. NO ENTRY WILL BE ALLOWED TO COMPETE THAT IS NOT IN CORRECT TRIM.

WHEN, DUE IN GREAT PART TO the INPUT FROM THEN president OF THE POODLE CLUB OF AMERICA, DR. JACKY HUNGERLAND, THE AKC ANNOUNCED IN JUNE OF 1998 THAT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAD VOTED TO ALLOW STANDARD POODLES TO COMPETE IN RETRIEVER HUNT TESTS, THERE WERE SOME RAISED EYEBROWS. "ALLOW A BIG HAIRY SISSY DOG TO COMPETE FOR HUNTER, JUNIOR HUNTER, SENIOR HUNTER AND MASTER HUNTER TITLES- WE'LL SEE!" WELL WE HAVE ALL SEEN, AND NOW HAVE BEEN PROPERLY IMPRESSED WITH MANY OF OUR STANDARDS WEARING HUNT titles BEHIND THEIR NAMES--SOME OF THEM BENCH CHAMPIONS.

WHEN THE PROPOSAL WAS MADE THAT AT THE YEAR 2000 POODLE CLUB OF AMERICA national SPECIALTY A CLASS BE OFFERED IN STANDARD POODLE DOGS AND BITCHES FOR "'HUNTING" DOGS MANY PEOPLE LAUGHED FOR WHO IN THE FIELD WAS GOING TO GROW A BIG SHOW COAT ON THEIR HUNTING DOG TO EXHIBIT AT the national SPECIALTY, AND THOSE THAT HAD STANDARDS WITH HUNTING TENDENCIES WERE THEY GOING TO RUN THEIR DOGS IN FIELD AND WATER AND SWAMP WITH A BIG SHOW COAT? MORE TO THE POINT , THE NON-REGULAR HUNTING DOG AND BITCH CLASSES WERE TO BE JUDGED after WINNERS DOG AND WINNERS BITCH, AND THE WINNERS WERE THEN eligible TO COMPETE FOR BEST OF VARIETY -ERGO THEY MUST BE IN conventional TRIM.

WHICH BRINGS ME TO the POINT OF THIS article. THE POODLE DESCRIBED IS IN A regulation TRIM! IT IS A READILY RECOGNIZABLE CONTINENTAL TRIM,  WITHOUT HIP rosettes (WHICH ARE Optional IN THE BREED STANDARD) AND THE TOP KNOT WHICH HAS BEEN SCISSORED INTO A GENTLY ROUNDED SHAPE SO THAT RUBBER BANDS ARE NOT NEEDED (THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL POODLES FINISHED WITH SCISSORED TOPKNOTS OVER THE YEARS), AND the EAR FEATHERING HAS BEEN SHORTENED-NOT CLIPPED. THERE ARE BRACELETS ON ALL FOUR LEGS AND A POM POM ON THE TAIL.

THE PRIMARY DEPARTURE FROM WHAT EVERYONE IS USE TO SEEING, IS THAT THE MANE COAT IS SCISSORED, AND SHORTENED TO A Length THAT SUITS THE particular POODLE BEING PRESENTED. THIS SAME TREATMENT OF THE MANE COAT could BE USED WITH THE ENGLISH SADDLE TRIM AND STILL BE A regulation TRIM. THE BREED STANDARD, After IT HAS GUIDED YOU THROUGH WHAT THE various TRIMS SHOULD LOOK LIKE- THEN SAYS THAT THE BALANCE OF THE COAT SHALL BE LEFT FULL BUT MAY BE SHAPED TO INSURE OVERALL BALANCE. THERE IS NO DESIRED Length mentioned IN THE STANDARD-ACTUALLY WERE THE MANE COAT TO BE IN CORDS (ALSO ALLOWED UNDER THE BREED STANDARD) NO ONE WOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT A "PROPER Length" OF THE CORDS!

YOU, AS A JUDGE OF THIS VERY old BREED, ARE ENCOURAGED TO JUDGE THE POODLE, NO MATTER WHAT THE SIZE, TOY, MINIATURE OR STANDARD AGAINST THE BREED STANDARD, BEARING IN MIND THE explanation OF THE adaptation OF THE traditional, TRIM AS EXPLAINED ABOVE.

YOU will FIND ALL THREE varieties OF POODLE WEARING THIS trim, AS IT IS THE PERFECT ANSWER TO SHOWING A YOUNG DOG, WAITING FOR BODY OR MATURITY , AS WELL AS THE PERFORMANCE DOGS IN OBEDIENCE, THE FIELD AND/OR AGILITY THAT HAVE FOUND A WAY TO COMPETE IN ALL FACETS offered TO-DAY IN OUR GRAND SPORT OF PUREBRED DOGS, THIS TRIM was PROBABLY THE ORIGINAL ONE USED IN THE Fifteen AND SIXTEEN HUNDREDS WHEN THE POODLE WORKED AS A DEPENDABLE water RETRIEVER!