I’ve spoken a bit about how our family troupe of circus-style performers happened to be gifted with a standard poodle and fall so in love with him that we’ve had standard poodles as members of the family - and the troupe - ever since. I’ve even posted about one of our most successful poodle acts, Championship Poodle Wrestling.

But poodles weren’t actually bred to be delightful performers of tricks on command under the big top (or on the Riverwalk). Poodles originally appeared in Germany rather than France, working in the swamps as water dogs trained to retrieve fallen birds for hunters. They may have developed from rugged Asian herding dogs, and still make excellent herders today. Captured by the Berbers of North Africa, they also held a reputation as lion hunters with excellent tracking skills.

In Roman times through the Middle Ages poodles were popular for use in falconry. Acting as a pointer, the dog would indicate a duck in cover, then remain still and silent until the falconer and the bird of prey positioned themselves. At that point the dog would flush the prey and the falcon would do its work.

Poodles’ scenting skills made them good truffle dogs in Italy, Spain and France, and makes them an excellent choice in the modern world as rescue dogs. They can be found along with the more familiar German Shepherds and Labs working in disaster zones seeking possible survivors in collapsed buildings. This ability also has them working with Customs officials in several countries to search for drugs and explosives at airports. I guess we can call these Police Poodles.

Poodles are also popular as guide dogs for the blind, as their great intelligence and memory make them among the most trainable of guide and nurse dogs. When our daughter developed epilepsy a few years ago, our poodle always knew long before she did that she was going to have a seizure, wouldn’t let her near the stairs and would usually whine until she lay down next to him on the carpet. Maybe saved her life!

Perhaps the most famous (or infamous) work that poodles have been put to in recent years is as sled dogs for racing in Alaska and northern Canada. While they do need to wear booties, most mushers outfit their dogs with booties these days to save wear and tear on paws from sharp ice. Their coats, grown long for insulation against the cold, collect ice and snow, so they need some protection during winter storms. But on nice days they have no trouble keeping up with the huskies. I even read about one dedicated musher whose Siberian Husky fell in love with a standard poodle, so he now runs Huskapoods!

You don’t have to work your poodles, of course. You can just show them off, enjoy their company, love them a lot. It’s just nice to know that despite show restrictions on poodles as “non-working” dogs, that doesn’t keep poodles from earning their keep at many different jobs. Besides the job of being your best friend, that is.