Traits of a Purebred Teddy Dog
📝 Summary
The "Teddy" is really a Poodle clipped into a rounded, teddy-bear style rather than a separate breed. You can judge a quality purebred by its coat color, intelligence, and lifespan, and tell a show Teddy from a standard Poodle by its shorter, rounder muzzle.
1 How to Choose a Purebred Teddy
Teddy coats come in many colors, white, gray, apricot, cream, black, and more, and the shade often varies across the body: the ears tend to be darker while the chest is lighter. In the U.S., some breeders cross Poodles of different colors to produce parti-colored dogs. Gray Teddies are generally the most expensive, while white parti-colors are usually the cheapest, largely driven by market supply and demand.
Among all breeds, the Poodle ranks second in intelligence, just behind the Border Collie, and is the smartest of the smaller companion breeds.
A well-kept Poodle typically lives 15 to 20 years, with 14 to 17 years being common under normal care, making it one of the longer-lived breeds.
2 Telling a Teddy from a Poodle
Understand the relationship between the two: “Poodle” refers to the breed, while “Teddy” refers to a specific clip and grooming style. Show Poodles may be groomed in only three accepted styles: Continental, English Saddle, or Sporting.
For the show ring a rounder face is preferred, so Teddy-clipped Poodles are usually given a shorter, rounder muzzle than the AKC standard calls for. That rounded look resembles a teddy bear, but it is penalized in standard conformation events such as those run by the AKC.
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