Lets Talk Sizes....

(The Actual Size Charts are located at the bottom of the page... 

I tend to get a bit chatty here, sorry.)

SIZE AND GROWTH CHARTS:

I don't hold a lot of stock in size charts, but they can help give you an idea and a starting place.

Interesting Poodle Fact....Did you know? The denominations Standard, Miniature and Toy are used to describe size/height only. All the poodles are 1 breed, governed by the same standard.  In the early poodle days, there were only 1 size of poodles.  They were all big, as they were used for many practical purposes, but mainly bird/water hunting. Later, some one decided that it was a good idea to find the smallest poodles and breed them together to get smaller poodles, they then would breed the smallest of the litters together again, to get even smaller poodles, until the age of the Miniature Poodle was born!! They were much smaller replicas of the much larger poodle... making the big ones the "standard" (normal sized) poodle and the "little" poodles the miniatures, as they were much smaller than the normal "standard" sized ones.  Again, after a time, people got to thinking, if they could breed standard poodles down to create a mini poodle, then the process could be continued, until they had even SMALLER poodles... those were later named "Toy Poodles."  Now, there is some controversy on that topic.  Some say that other "tiny" breeds were introduced to into the mix to "help speed the process" and create the "toy" Poodles.  I have no doubt that a majority of the breeders were conscientious, careful to maintain the best breed traits.  Equally, I have no doubt that there MAY have been some unethical breeders who could have "cheated" using say a maltese or something to hasten the process. Thank goodness for DNA today to keep those unethical breeders in check!!  :)

Toy Poodles are anything up to 10".

Miniature Poodles must be over 10" up to 15".

Standard Poodles are anything OVER 15" but generally much bigger than that.  My average size for standard poodles I have owned would be about 26" at the shoulder.

Other than size, they should have the same basic looks, just different sizes! With that said... lets move onto the size charts chat!!  :)

Poodles grow at various rates, making 'charts' not very accurate. Remember also, there are NO weight restrictions on poodles per the breed standard, only height technically is used to determine the "size" of the poodle. Lately everyone seems to like to go by weight only, when that is not the unit of measurement in sizing a poodle. I am guilty of that too sometimes though. Poodle size is measured in inches from the floor to the withers. There are some times when weight is a valuable tool though in assessing a poodle. For example... I have a miniature poodle who is 10 lbs, and just under 15 inches tall. Without putting my hands or eyes on that dog, I would be able to safely assume he is a very "daintily" built poodle. (Daintily? Is that a word? :) If someone had a toy poodle who was 9 inches tall, but about 12 or more lbs... I would have assume the dog is very heavily built and stocky, or VERY overweight!! Now if we were to go by weight only, some would have probably put the 10 lb poodle in the toy category and the 12+ lb dog in the miniature one. We would be wrong on both counts.

Even though weight isn't considered in the size categories, the breed standard calls for a poodle to have a “square build.” That means they should be relatively the same length (Chest to rear) as they are tall (floor to top of shoulders) and should be well balanced and have an athletic appearance. I'd have to assume a toy poodle 9 inches tall and 12 lbs is not well balanced or athletic looking, right??  (unless it was a body builder poodle??!)

Dogs grow and mature based on their total adult size... for example: A Saint Bernard will continue to grow until it is at least 2 years old. They do the majority of their growth that first year to year and a half, but after that, they WILL continue to grow and "fill out" for another year or more. Where as a tiny chihuahua or toy poodle who will mature at, say, 7 inches tall and 3 lbs. They will do the majority of their growth that first 3-4 months, then slow way down. They will usually be their adult size by 6 months. Another example: A miniature poodle who will be 14 inches tall, and 10 lbs at full grown, will do the majority of their growth by 7-9 months and be fully grown before 1 year. Big standard poodles, 28 inches and 70 lbs will often grow until they are 1 1/2 -2 years, even though they do the majority of their growing in the first 12 months.

Another example: I recently had a litter of 3 puppies. They all were extremely close to the same size, from birth to about 2 weeks of age, only fractions of an ounce difference. Now, at this point, going by the charts all three would be expected to be exactly the same size when full grown, right? After 2 weeks, 2 of the puppies continued to be similar in size, while the 3rd starting slowing WAY down. She was still gaining, and healthy and playful as can be, but her growth advancements were less than 1/2 of that of her two litter mates!! The 2 bigger pups ended up being about 8 lbs, while the 3rd one ended up being less than 3 lbs!! When considering tiny dogs, that 5 pounds difference is significant! So, as you can see, it could be complicated estimating! The estimations do become more and more accurate the older the puppy is. But early on, it is almost impossible to be accurate!

Another thing: Terms such as "tiny toy,” "teacup," “imperial,”and "royal” are NOT official terms. Those terms are only are referring to dogs who are smaller than average for their breed/category, except  “Royal” implies bigger than average. It is easy to fall for these marketing schemes/gimmicks... especially when they are thrown around all over the place anymore! These “breeds” of dogs simply do not exist. They are only made up “descriptions” merely for the purpose to get people to buy!  Some people throw them around like they are an entirely different breed! “I don't have a 'poodle'... I have a “TEACUP Toy poodle.” ?? They are only marketing terms. Truth is, any poodle under 10” at the shoulder is simply a “Toy Poodle.” Period. There are some who are on the smaller end, some on the bigger. But all said and done, they are all “Toy Poodles.”  

ALSO, BUYER BEWARE: “Teacup” is a term created and used by some to try to set apart the “extremely tiny” dogs that they were advertising. There are a LOT of “breeders” out there who “claim” to be selling “Teacup” dogs and they simply aren't even small! As a dog groomer, you'd be surprised how often I groom a "Teacup" toy poodle who isn't even a TOY, let alone a teacup!! Some are even over sized for a Miniature!!!   These people bought the "lie" and believed what the "breeder" was saying....  they were duped.  (I use the term 'breeder' loosely here...)  Seems almost daily I hear an owner speaking of their “Teacup Yorkie,” (or some other breed) only the dog is like 15+ lbs and HUGE!! FYI: The Yorkshire Terrier aka Yorkie DOES have a weight limit, and should NEVER exceed 7 lbs! So, this “teacup” isn't just bigger than average, it is even bigger than the breed standard allows!! And yet the “breeder” sold it as a “teacup!” Surely they knew when they were breeding 2 oversized dogs, that they were likely to get “oversized” puppies. The other day I groomed a “teacup” toy poodle, according to his owners. I swear he was 14 or more inches tall, and about 15 lbs. THAT dog was a hefty miniature, definitely not even a toy, let alone a “teacup” anything! :) I hope this is of help to some of you.  

 This chart is using the same theory or "rule of thumb" as the 5 rule.  If they are 5" or under at 5 weeks, they "should" be a toy as an adult, if they were 6" or smaller by 8 weeks, they should be a toy as an adult.... and so on.  


AGE IN WEEKS
HEIGHT IN INCHES
5 WEEKS
5 INCHES

8 WEEKS

6 INCHES
12 WEEKS

7 INCHES
16 WEEKS

8 INCHES

20 WEEKS

9 INCHES

24 WEEKS

10 INCHES

 This one says 
Toy poodles are usually finished growing in height at 6-7 months although it may take them a bit longer to fill out, I find that the smaller ones finish even sooner.  My 3 lb 7 1/2" male toy poodle was full grown at 3 1/2-4 months.

Here is another height chart for toy poodles using the same philosophy as the one above, but with different figures.

AGE IN WEEKS
HEIGHT IN INCHES
8 WEEKS
5 3/4 INCHES
12 WEEKS
6 3/4 INCHES
6 MONTHS
9 3/4 INCHES

HEIGHT CHART FOR MINIATURE POODLES

AGE IN MONTHS
HEIGHT IN INCHES
8 WEEKS
8 - 8.5 INCHES
3 MONTHS
10 - 10.5 INCHES
4 MONTHS
11 - 11.5 INCHES
6 MONTHS
13.5 - 14 INCHES

Some miniature poodles will take up to 12 months to finish growing.  Some will finish growing in height around 6-7 months but may take a bit longer to fill out.

HEIGHT CHART FOR STANDARD POODLES

AGE IN MONTHS
HEIGHT IN INCHES
8 WEEKS
12 - 13 INCHES
3 MONTHS
14 INCHES
4 MONTHS
18-19 INCHES
6 MONTHS
21+ INCHES
FULL GROWN (USUALLY 24 MONTHS)
24-27 INCHES

Standard poodles can take up to 2 years to finish growing and filling out.

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