Question 1

How much do Toy and Miniature Poodle puppies cost from a reputable breeder?

Accepted Answer

Toy and Miniature Poodle puppies from reputable, health-tested Indiana breeders typically run $1,500 to $3,000. Toy Poodles tend to price slightly higher than Miniatures of comparable quality, largely due to smaller litter sizes. Parti-color and rare-color Poodles may also be listed for a premium price.

You may find listings on other sites ranging from $650 to $900, but those prices almost never reflect the same level of genetic testing, OFA clearances, and documented health history that Posh Puppies Indiana offers. Puppies at the lower end of the market are generally from parents with no published OFA results, no DNA panel testing, and no AKC Registration,  which matters considerably in a breed with known heritable conditions.

At Posh Puppies Indiana, our Toy and Miniature Poodle puppies come from parents with verified OFA and DNA health testing, and we're happy to walk you through exactly what testing was done on the parents of any available litter.

Question 2

What are the different Poodle sizes, and what's the difference between Toy, Miniature, and "teacup"?

Accepted Answer

The AKC officially recognizes three sizes for the Poodle breed: Toy, Miniature, and Standard. However, you may have also heard of Moyen and Teacup Poodles, so we'll cover all five size categories.

The Toy Poodle is smaller than the Mini Poodle. Toy Poodles stand 10 inches or under at the shoulder and typically weigh 4 to 6 pounds full grown. This is the smallest AKC-recognized Poodle type. T

he Miniature Poodle stands between 10 and 15 inches at the shoulder and weighs 10 to 15 pounds. Slightly sturdier than the Toy, the Miniature is an excellent fit for families with children, active households, or anyone who wants the Poodle personality without quite as much fragility.

The Moyen Poodle is also called a Medium Poodle or Klein Poodle. Moyen is the French word for "medium," and this size is recognized by the FCI (the International Kennel Federation) as a fourth official variety.  These dogs fall between 15 and 20 inches tall and weigh 20 to 30 pounds. Moyen Poodles are purebred Poodles that simply fall in the gap between Miniature and Standard.

The Standard Poodle is the original Poodle size. These pups stand over 15 inches (typically 18 to 24 inches) and weigh 40 to 70 pounds.

Regarding "teacup" Poodles: the term typically refers to Toy Poodles on the very small end of the spectrum — usually under 4-5 pounds as adults. Teacups are not officially recognized as their own size class. They have grown in popularity and are typically available at higher price points because of the higher demand and extra requirements to breed them safely.

Question 3

Are Poodles intelligent, and does this make them easier or harder to train?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Poodles are considered one of the more intelligent dog breeds, and this intelligence is consistent across all sizes. There is even scientific research to support this claim. A study by Dr. Stanley Coren, a researcher of canine working and obedience intelligence, involved 199 professional obedience trial judges to test different breeds' intelligence and the Poodle ranked #2 among all breeds. Only the Border Collie placed higher. According to Coren's criteria, Poodles can learn a new command in fewer than five repetitions and respond correctly to a known command 95% of the time or better. The average dog requires 25 to 40 repetitions and obeys about 50% of the time.

This is great news for someone interested in becoming a new Poodle puppy owner. Training a Poodle is one of the easier experiences in dog ownership, thus making it one of the more enjoyable parts of raising a Poodle puppy. They pick up commands quickly, retain them long-term, and read their owners' cues and moods with unusual accuracy. Since they thrive on mental stimulation, they may get bored quickly if you don't give them something worth doing. A Poodle that isn't mentally stimulated will find ways to entertain itself, and as a puppy, that usually means getting into things you don't want. Puzzle toys, obedience work, agility, trick training, and even scent games are wonderful stimuli for Poodles because these dogs thrive on having a job.

Poodles also possess a noticeable emotional intelligence. They are are sensitive, attuned dogs who pick up on tension and tone of voice and adjust accordingly. Harsh corrections are not recommended. Positive reinforcement does a better job at redirecting and correcting behaviors.The intelligence is consistent across all sizes. A Toy Poodle is no less sharp than a Standard. The brain didn't shrink with the body.

Question 4

What are the grooming requirements for a Toy or Miniature Poodle, and what are the different cuts?

Accepted Answer

Frequent grooming is extremely important and is a commitment you should be be aware of before bringing a Poodle puppy home. Their have a single-layer of continuously growing hair (not fur) that doesn't shed in the same way that people are used to other breeds shedding.

The little bit of hair they shed typically stays trapped in the curls. Without regular brushing and professional grooming, it mats. Mats pull on the skin, trap bacteria, and can become both a health issue and a cosmetic one.

We recommend you schedule a professional grooming appointment every 1-3 months, and every four weeks during the first year while the puppy coat transitions to adult coat. At home, you should three to four times per week, or daily for longer styles.

Having the right tools matter.
A slicker brush is your primary tool: the fine wire bristles penetrate the curl and break apart tangles before they become mats, particularly behind the ears, under the collar, in the armpit area, and around the base of the legs. These are the four spots that usually mat first on Poodles. 
A pin brush (wider-spaced tipped metal pins) works well on longer styles to lift and separate the coat without pulling.
A metal comb with wide-set teeth should be run through after brushing to check for hidden tangles close to the skin — if the comb moves freely from root to tip, you're actually tangle-free. If it catches, the slicker missed something.

As cut styles, here are the most common:
The Teddy Bear Cut is the most popular pet cut. The coat is trimmed to a consistent medium length throughout. The face is left fuller and rounded, and the muzzle and cheeks are soft and circular around the muzzle and cheeks, creating the stuffed-animal look that have made Poodles and Doodles so beloved on social media. This style requires professional grooming every five to six weeks, and is manageable at home with regular brushing. The Puppy Cut is clean and lower maintenance, easy to brush, and ideal for active dogs or hot  summers. Despite the name, it works beautifully on adult Poodles.
The Continental Clip and English Saddle Clip are the two AKC-sanctioned show cuts. These are the prestigious haircuts that most people think about when they imagine what a Poodle looks like, although not many know the actual names of the cuts (now you do!). The Continental features shaved hindquarters, sculpted pom-poms on the hips and tail, and bracelets of hair left at the ankles. The English Saddle is a variation with a different pattern on the rear. These cuts are exclusively for show competition and require a larger commitment and a larger budget, so you will almost never see them on a pet Poodle, and they require an experienced show groomer to execute.
The Kennel Cut (also called the Utility or Summer Clip) is a short, practical all-over trim slightly longer on the head and tail. The Lamb Cut leaves the body close but keeps the legs, head, and tail fuller. Both are easy-maintenance options well suited to active or outdoor dogs. 
One note for new owners: ear hair grows inside the ear canal in Poodles. This needs to be removed periodically — either plucked or trimmed — to maintain airflow and prevent moisture buildup and infection.

Question 5

Are Toy and Miniature Poodles hypoallergenic — and what colors do they come in?

Accepted Answer

Poodles are as close to hypoallergenic as a dog can be, although there is no breed that is fully hypoallergenic. The reason Poodles work well for allergy sufferers has to do with their single-layer coat. They produce the same proteins that trigger allergic reactions (primarily Can f 1 in saliva and dander), but because their shed hair stays trapped in the curl rather than becoming airborne, significantly less dander circulates in the environment. People with mild to moderate dog allergies often do quite well with Poodles. If you have a known severe dog allergy, spending time with the specific puppy or parent dogs before committing is a responsible step.

Poodles are bred in a broadest spectrum of colors. The AKC recognizes the following solid colors: apricot, black, blue, brown (chocolate), café au lait, cream, gray, red, silver, silver beige, and white. In addition, the AKC recognizes several pattern types including parti (white base with patches of a second color), phantom (a specific two-color pattern with defined markings above each eye, on the muzzle, throat, chest, lower legs, and under the tail), sable (dark-tipped hairs over a lighter base), abstract (small white markings on a solid dog), and brindle.

A few notes that buyers often find helpful: apricot and red are among the most popular colors in Toy and Miniature Poodles and can results in higher prices. Silver and silver beige Poodles are born dark (black or brown) and "clear" (lighten) to their mature color over the first one to two years. Parti-color Poodles are not permitted in AKC conformation show competition under breed standard but are fully AKC-registerable and genetically purebred. Blue Poodles are not blue in the literal sense — they are a dilute black that has a distinctly bluish cast in certain light.

Question 6

What health issues do Toy and Miniature Poodles have, and what health testing should I ask a breeder about?

Accepted Answer

Poodles are a generally healthy breed and have longer lifespans than most breeds (14 to 18 years for Toys, 13 to 15 years for Miniatures). That said, there are specific heritable conditions in both varieties that a responsible breeder screens for through the OFA before breeding.

What most people don't realize is that OFA testing is not a single test — it's a umbrella of two distinct types of health screening, both submitted to the OFA database.

The first type is OFA phenotype evaluations: physical exams and radiographs performed by licensed veterinarians or board-certified specialists, then submitted to OFA for independent review and grading. For Poodles, these include the OFA hip dysplasia radiograph (Miniatures only, minimum age 24 months), OFA patellar luxation evaluation (minimum age 12 months), and OFA Legg-Calvé-Perthes clearance — which is issued automatically alongside the hip radiograph at no additional cost, an important benefit for a breed where this hip joint disorder appears in both Toy and Miniature lines. Annual CAER eye exams performed by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist are also registered with OFA.     The second type is DNA tests from OFA-approved laboratories — genetic panels run by labs like Paw Print Genetics or Embark that are recognized by OFA and can submit results directly to the OFA public database. For Toy and Miniature Poodles, the key DNA tests include prcd-Progressive Retinal Atrophy (prcd-PRA), the most common hereditary cause of blindness in the breed; Von Willebrand's Disease, an inherited bleeding disorder; autoimmune thyroiditis, a heritable thyroid condition affecting all Poodle varieties; and for Miniature Poodles specifically, Osteochondrodysplasia — a DNA test for the dwarfism mutation that the PCA Foundation estimates affects roughly 10% of Miniature Poodle carriers. That last one is not yet required for CHIC certification but is strongly recommended by the Poodle Club of America Foundation, and a responsible breeder should be testing for it.

At Posh Puppies Indiana, our Toy and Miniature Poodle parents are OFA health tested, and we're happy to walk you through the specific results on the parents of any available litter before you commit to anything.

Question 7

Are Toy and Miniature Poodles good family dogs, and how long do they typically live?

Accepted Answer

Poodles of all sizes are excellent family dogs, although the smaller types have some honest nuance worth knowing upfront. Miniature Poodles are the slightly larger, sturdier of the two and tend to tolerate the energy of children more comfortably. At 10 to 15 pounds, they are active, playful, and ready for nearly anything — walks, fetch, agility, trick training, or simply being the center of attention at the dinner table. They form strong bonds with every member of the household, not just one person. They do well in any living situation, from single-family houses to apartments, provided they get daily exercise and mental engagement.

Toy Poodles are everything the Miniature is, in a 4-to-6-pound body. They are a better fit for households with older children or adults who know how to handle a small dog. n the right environment, they are joyful, alert, deeply loyal dogs with a surprising amount of personality per pound. Both varieties are sensitive to tone and environment. They don't do well in high-conflict or chaotic households, and they are prone to separation anxiety if not conditioned to alone time from puppyhood. This isn't unusual behavior for a breed that spent centuries as a close human companion — it's the natural consequence of a dog that was built to be near people. On lifespan: Toy Poodles are among the longest-lived breeds in existence, commonly reaching 14 to 18 years with proper care. Miniature Poodles typically live 13 to 15 years. When you bring a Poodle home, you are making a long commitment — and that is genuinely one of the great things about the breed.

At Posh Puppies Indiana, our Toy and Miniature Poodle puppies are raised with family, health-tested parents, and early socialization built into the program. If you're ready to learn more about available puppies or upcoming litters, we'd love to hear from you.

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