Despite their characterization in popular culture as a gorgeous, yet delicate dog breed with more beauty than brawn, the ancestors of today’s poodles (especially standard poodles) were revered for their ability to work. Still well known for their exceptional intelligence, the standard poodle (the oldest poodle variety), was commonly used as a gun dog and water retriever to assist European hunters. Portrayed in drawings and paintings from as early as the 15th century, the standard poodle was eventually bred to smaller breeds in order to create poodles of smaller size. The resulting smaller dogs, which reportedly disliked water, were used for truffle hunting and formed the ancestry of today’s toy and miniature poodle breeds. Though no longer commonly thought of as gun dogs, interest in using standard poodles as hunting dogs has reemerged with some standard poodles experiencing success in AKC and CKC hunting trials since the mid to late 1990’s. Toy and miniature poodles are most commonly recognized today as family-friendly companion dogs. During their path of development, like other purebred dogs, all three commonly recognized varieties of poodles have developed some inherited diseases that can make life challenging. One particular disease of poodles known as progressive retinal ...