Miniature Poodle vs Standard Poodle: What’s The Difference?

While these two Poodles were quite the hunters and swimmers, today, they’re mainly just kept as domestic animals

Miniature Poodle vs Standard Poodle Intelligence

Generally, poodles are very intelligent dogs. However, some claim that the standard poodle is the smarter of the two sizes, but that is not necessarily the case. Standard poodles are most often used for hunting and so they may tend to come from lines that are bred for high trainability, whereas miniature poodles are usually bred as strictly companion dogs. However, you will find that miniature poodles are highly intelligent as well, and either size poodle is easy to train when compared with other breeds.

Size Comparison (Height And Weight)

Yes, we get it. There might be a giveaway in the Poodle’s name, but the Standard is larger than the Miniature Poodle. You might be wondering, how big exactly?

As you can see above, there’s quite a big difference in sizes between both Poodles. Because of this, if you’re planning on owning a Standard Poodle, it’s recommended that you only bring them into your home if you have a yard so they can have space to run around and stretch their legs. At the same time, a Miniature Poodle is small enough to fit into an apartment or a flat.

Which Size of Poodle Makes a Better Companion Dog?

• When you’re looking for your next companion, you need to evaluate your lifestyle to determine whether the standard or the miniature is a better fit for you. Both make excellent companions, but they might enjoy slightly different lifestyles. For example, if you like to hunt and want to train your poodle to be a hunting companion, you will want to look for a standard poodle that comes from hunting lines.
• On the other hand, if you have a smaller yard and/or home and you are looking for a poodle that you can bring with you everywhere you go, you’ll want to look for a miniature poodle from parents of calm temperaments. Both sizes of poodle make excellent companions, but your lifestyle will help you determine what size is better for you.

Temperament Comparison

Personality is everything when it comes to owning a dog. A dog’s personality is not a one size fits all type. You might be an owner that’s looking for a shy, cuddly and reserved dog. Yet you also could be someone who’s looking for a naughty, mischievous and energetic dog. To help aid your decision, let’s break down the personality traits in each breed.

Miniature Poodle Temperament

The Miniature Poodle is a friendly dog breed that is full of confidence. Don’t be fooled by its small size, the way it walks it will command your attention. Compared to the Standard Poodle, it has a similar level of intelligence and is also easy to train. Even though they may have a small element of stubbornness in them, this can be overcome if you shower them with affection.

Again, these Poodles have an easy to please personality, and they love to shower their owners with affection. They also have a guard dog nature; however, their bark is a lot quieter than a Standard Poodle.

Standard Poodle Temperament

Standard Poodles are highly intelligent dogs, so smart that they’re very easy to train and learn quickly from a young age. Due to their constant thinking nature, they require lots of attention from their owners and need to be mentally and physically stimulated, so they don’t become bored easily.

The best way to provide them mental stimulation is through agility classes, advanced obedience classes, games like Hide and Seek, or using Kong toys. These dogs are not aggressive; however, they have mild watchdog tendencies, meaning they will stand alert against strangers and any unwelcome guests in your home. 

They’re very polite and eager to please dogs, meaning they will fit in well with other animals or humans in your family. On the contrary, if you work a lot outside your home, this breed can get lonely and develop separation anxiety easily.

Exercise & Living Needs

If you’re planning on owning a dog, you must be willing to dedicate a sufficient amount of time to raise it. In particular, you should provide it with enough exercise each day to live a healthy life. Depending on the dog breeds, the amount of exercise can vary. This is relevant to the Standard and Miniature Poodle, as there are some slight differences.

Miniature Poodle Exercise Requirements

If you don’t have a lot of time on your hands, then owning a Miniature Poodle might be more of an appealing option to you. Generally, a Miniature Poodle will require around 60 minutes of exercise a day which is a lot less than a Standard Poodle. This exercise quota can easily be achieved through a game of fetch or a walk.

While both breeds need a lot of physical exercise, they also require equal mental stimulation. Don’t forget to provide them with brain-teasing games like fetch, hide and seek, and more.

Standard Poodle Exercise Requirements

As Standard Poodles are medium to large sized dogs, they require a lot of exercise to use up their energy and stamina. On average, it’s recommended that you take them out for exercise each day for 60-90 minutes. If you’re planning on walking them, they can walk for around 0.5-3 miles a day.

Standard Poodle Grooming vs Miniature Poodle Grooming

If you’re not familiar with the Poodles coat, it’s soft, curly, or wavy and tends to shed very little. This is because it has a single coat, and it does not shed much between seasons regardless of its size. Because of this, it’s a great dog for people who have allergies as it won’t trigger them much.

Even though they’re hypoallergenic, don’t be deceived by their grooming requirements; for both types of Poodle, they’re a bit demanding and don’t differ much. If you plan on owning either type, you should brush them each day to stop their coat from matting.

If their coat becomes matted, it can cause moisture to enter their fur, increasing the risk of infection and also add sores on their skin. It would help if you also aimed to wash their coat every 4-6 weeks using a special dog shampoo. It’s also a good idea to take them to a vet once a month to have their coat trimmed.

Moreover, this is also a dog breed irrespective of size that needs to have its ears checked frequently. What I mean by this is that all types of Poodle have floppy ears that need to be checked weekly to make sure there is no dirt, bacteria, or moisture in them. The best way to clean their ears is by using cotton tissues to remove them.

Miniature Poodle vs Standard Poodle Lifespan

Wouldn’t it be great if dogs lived as long as humans? I wish this too. Unfortunately, though, dog years are a lot shorter than ours. This can be a major decision-maker when bringing in any breed into your family.

When it comes to the Standard Poodle, their average life expectancy is 12-15 years. On the contrary, a Miniature Poodle’s life expectancy is 13-15 years, which is slightly longer. However, I can’t always guarantee that either type of Poodle will live in that time frame; they could live a lot longer or even less.

While you can’t predict how long they live, you can put preventative measures in place to help extend their life as long as possible. One of which is knowing about all the potential health problems they could face and their side effects.

Standard Poodle Health Problems

Sometimes a Standard Poodle may develop the following health conditions:

• Addison’s disease: A hormonal disease where a Standard Poodles adrenal gland produces too little cortisol. Typical signs of this are increased lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, increased urination, and more. The treatment for this is through medication.
• Hip dysplasia: This is where a dog’s ball and socket don’t grow and fit into place. As a result, they can have a lot of mobility issues. Such signs in a Standard Poodle are limping, and treatment normally involves surgery.
• Cataracts:  A cloud-like film develops in front of the Standard Poodle’s eyes, causing vision difficulties and leading to blindness. Treatment is normally required, which is surgery.

Miniature Poodle Health Problems

Sometimes a Miniature Poodle may develop the following health conditions:

• Epilepsy: A neurological condition that can cause a lot of seizures. The treatment for such seizures usually involves lifelong medication.
• Entropion: This is where their eyelid rolls inwards, causing a lot of pain and irritation.
• Hyperthyroid: This is when a Miniature Poodles body produces too much of the thyroid hormone. As a result, their metabolic rate gets put at a dangerous level and can cause rapid heavy breathing, depression, diarrhea, enlarged thyroid gland, and more. Treatment for this condition usually involves surgery and radiation therapy.

As mentioned earlier, it’s not always guaranteed that these Poodles will get these conditions, but you must be aware of them and take them to the vets twice a year to rule them out.

Standard Poodles vs Miniature Poodles price

• On average, the price of a miniature poodle is slightly higher than the price of a standard poodle. The average price of a miniature poodle is $2560 while the average price of a standard poodle is $2000.
• Note, there is a wide range in the prices of a poodle, irrespective of if it is a miniature poodle or a standard poodle.
• The differences in prices for poodles are usually related to how much health testing was done on the parent dogs and whether or not the parents were show champions or competitors.
• You will usually see different prices for show quality and pet quality poodles. If you plan to rescue a poodle, prices will be similar for a standard and a miniature poodle.

Difference Between Miniature Poodle and Standard Poodle Origin

• There is some controversy over where the standard poodle breed originated, but most agree that the breed first came about in Germany. The poodle breed was originally bred as the standard size, and they were used to retrieve waterfowl.
• The standard poodle is most closely related to what was once Germany’s water spaniel. It was similar to the English Water Spaniel from England, the Barbet from France, and the Irish water spaniel from Ireland. Germany’s water spaniels quickly became known for their intelligence, and then they were taken to France and used to perform in the circus. At this point, they were bred down in size over time so that they could travel more easily. From these breeding practices, we now have a variety of sizes of poodles.

Which Size of Poodle Is Better with Kids?

Both standard and miniature poodles are good with kids, but the standard poodle can be particularly calm and affectionate with children. Miniature poodles can also be great with kids. Some parents might fear that the standard poodle might be too large for little kids and knock them over or otherwise hurt them accidentally. Other parents might be concerned that a miniature poodle puppy would be too fragile for little children to handle.

Which size of Poodle gets Along Better with Other Dogs?

• Both the standard poodle and the miniature poodle get along well with other dogs. A standard poodle might tend to be more playful with other dogs, while a miniature poodle might tend to stick close to its owner, but this is not necessarily the case.
• Again, the way your poodle behaves around other dogs depends more on his temperament and how well you have socialized him than on his size. Whatever size poodle you get, socialize him with other well-behaved dogs early and often if you want to have a poodle that gets along well with other dogs.

Miniature Poodle vs Standard Poodle Popularity

The standard and miniature poodles are both popular, although there might be more standard poodles out there than miniature poodles. For a while, people were interested in owning very tiny poodles, and toy poodles were popular. However, recently poodle buyers are trending back toward a medium size because they seem to be the healthiest. A medium-sized poodle can be a small standard or a larger miniature poodle. Both of these sizes are popular.

Mini Poodle vs Standard Poodle behavior problems

• Miniature and standard poodles are both highly trainable and eager to please, which often means they have fewer behavioral problems than other breeds. That being said, behavioral issues can and do happen in poodles of all sizes.
• Sometimes these issues can stem from temperament, but other times they can stem from the environment. If you rescue a poodle or have a poodle who has been rehomed, you might notice behaviors that stem from your poodle’s previous environment.
• Your poodle might act skittish around people, indicating he may have been mistreated. Your poodle may not know how to behave around people or other dogs, indicating that he may have been left alone too often in his previous home. Keep in mind that these behaviors are not always a result of being mistreated, so be careful about making accusations. There are many reasons poodles might suffer from behavioral issues. The best way to correct these behaviors is to find an animal behaviorist or professional trainer near you.

Which Is Better For You?

So, the big question. Is the Standard Poodle or the Miniature Poodle a better breed to own? Well, the truth is the answer is all down to you! There’s not that much difference in these two breeds apart from their size, life expectancy, and exercise requirements. They tend to have similar personalities and grooming requirements. To help make your mind up, you should visit both breeds in person and see for yourself.

Do you have any preference towards the Standard and Miniature Poodle? Let us know in the comments down below.