Are you looking for a good family dog that won’t make your allergies worse? By now, you probably know that Poodles are the best choice when it comes to hypoallergenic dogs.
But with so many Poodle sizes available, how can you know which one is the best for you?
Well, if you’re a person that doesn’t like extremes, maybe you should consider getting a Moyen Poodle.
Yes, you’ve read that correctly – the Moyen Poodle.
What are these unique little dogs, and what makes them different from the rest of this dog breed? Don’t worry – many people don’t know the answer to this straight away.
If this is something that interests you, you’re in the right spot. Here are the answers to the 14 most searched questions about this dog breed.
1. What Is A Moyen Poodle?
The Moyen Poodle is simply a name for a medium-sized Poodle. In fact, moyen is a French word, which means ‘fourth size’ or ‘medium size.
This pooch is smaller than the Standard Poodle but still bigger than the Miniature Poodle – although some people still tend to call them Mini Poodles.
While Poodles are believed to originate from Germany – in fact, their name comes from the German word pfudel, meaning ‘to splash’ – this size is believed to have originated in France, where these dogs were used as water retrievers.
Europe knew of Poodles for centuries, as these dogs can be seen in many drawings by the German artist Albrecht Dürer, who is one of the people responsible for the breed’s popularity.
As time passed, this breed contributed to many other dog breeds, including the Standard Schnauzer, Miniature Schnauzer, and all the dogs that belong to the Bichon type.
French and German hunters used Poodles as gundogs, not just as waterfowl retrievers. Also, they did a great job sniffing out truffles hidden underground within the European woods.
2. What Is A Klein Moyen Poodle?
Klein Poodle is just another name for a Moyen Poodle. This is how the medium Poodle is known in Europe.
In fact, there are several more names for this Poodle. You may have heard of it under one of these names:
• French Poodle
• Kleinpudels
• Caniche
• Barbone
• Chien Canne
• Pudle
All of these names are used for the same water dog breed. It simply depends on what part of Europe you are in.
3. Are Moyen Poodles AKC Approved?
The Poodle is a breed recognized by the American Kennel Club ( AKC ) since 1887, making it one of the oldest dog breeds according to this kennel club. However, according to it, this breed originates from Germany.
The AKC states that Poodles were used as dogs for water retrieval. They have instincts that make them excellent watchdogs, and they excel at competitive obedience, agility, retrieving, and performing tricks.
However, the AKC doesn’t recognize the Moyen size as a standard for these dogs. Instead, Moyen Poodles are usually categorized as Mini Poodles.
According to the breed standard, these dogs are elegant, squarely built, and stay at medium size. They have a moderately rounded skull with a slight stop. The eyes have to be dark and oval in shape, giving them an intelligent expression.
The ears should fold over and stay close to the head, set at eye level – or slightly below it.
Overall, these dogs look just like a small Standard Poodle would, and the biggest difference between these two Poodle breeds is their size.
Moyen Poodles are recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale ( FCI ), the biggest kennel club in France, as well as the United Kennel Club ( UKC ) from the UK.
This fairly new size of Poodles is also recognized by the Dog Registry of America (DRA) – but not by the Poodle Club of America (PCA).
4. How Big Do Mini Poodles Get?
Moyen Poodles are smaller than Standard Poodles, which is why many people consider them to be true Mini Poodles, while Miniature Poodles are confused with Toy Poodles.
The average Moyen size is between 14 and 18 inches, and they rarely weigh more than 30 lbs.
As you can see, these are small to medium-sized dogs that look a bit like overgrown and curly teddy bears.
The size of a Moyen Poodle highly depends on the bloodline. This can be somewhat tricky, as their height is usually the result of breeding a Standard and Toy Poodle.
When you have two parents of different sizes, it can be difficult to determine how big their offspring will be. The same issue is seen with most Doodles, Poodle crossbreeds that usually have a parent very different in size from the Poodle parent.
Sometimes, puppies can grow to be as large as their larger parent, while other times, the offspring might be as small as the smaller parent. Others will stay somewhere in between.
This is one reason why it can be challenging to find a Moyen Poodle breeder in your area.
However, if you breed two Moyen Poodles together, it can be a bit easier to predict how the offspring will look since these dogs are of a similar size.
5. When Do Moyen Poodles Stop Growing?
Most Poodles will reach 90% of their height in the first 6 months. The same goes for Moyen Poodles.
They’ll mostly grow in height until they are 7 to 12 months old. After they are one year old, they are unlikely to grow any more, but they will gain some weight and fill out.
Compared to Moyen Poodles, Standard Poodles can grow until they reach their second year of life, while Toy Poodles stop growing at around 6 months of age.
6. What Is The Moyen Poodle Temperament?
Moyen Poodles aren’t that different from any other Poodle out there when it comes to their temperament.
These are smart, athletic, and highly intelligent dogs that love to please their owners. They make excellent companion dogs and are suitable for families with small children.
In fact, their size is perfect for a small child. They are too small to accidentally harm the child but too large for the child to accidentally harm them. Moyen Poodles can handle the rough play of little kids, as well as those minor accidents that occur when kids and dogs play.
However, their friendly nature makes them unsuitable as guard dogs. They will love everyone, including complete strangers! Still, as they can be considered somewhat yappy, they can still do a good job watching over your house and alerting you of trespassers.
Photo from @apollothepoodlee
They are also excellent for older people. While Standard Poodles tend to ‘act big’ and have a lot more energy, Moyen Poodles tend to be calmer. Not to mention that if a medium-sized Poodle jumps on you, it isn’t as likely to hurt you as if it were a larger dog!
Due to their compact size, Moyen Poodles are suitable for apartment living, as well. They don’t require as much space, and they won’t knock things over by accident.
Keep in mind that, no matter how friendly a dog is, some socialization is still necessary. If you introduce your pup to new people, animals, scents, sounds, and sights at a young age, they are less likely to display behavioral problems later on.
7. How Long Do Mini Poodles Live?
Moyen Poodles have a lifespan ranging from 12 to 15 years.
They are more or less healthy canines, especially compared to many other dog breeds. However, they are still prone to some health issues that plague other Poodles, such as:
• Hip dysplasia
• Entropion
• Cataracts
• Distichiasis
• Glaucoma
• Lacrimal duct atresia
• Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA)
• Epilepsy
• Patellar luxation
And many others.
As you can see, most health problems Poodles have are connected to their eyesight. In fact, Poodles can be prone to blindness. Luckily, most of these health conditions aren’t deadly and, if treated in time, won’t affect the life expectancy of your pup.
One of the things you can do to ensure you’ve gotten a healthy puppy is to look for a reputable breeder who takes their time to create Poodles that are the perfect Moyen size.
A good breeder will understand it can take several generations until they get the Poodles they want.
If they were to simply take a small dog and breed it with the Standard Poodle, they might end up with puppies suffering from severe structural issues. These puppies might not have strong enough bones to hold their height.
A high-quality breeder will always ensure their litter gets the best from both parents.
Another good thing you can do if you want to make sure you have a healthy dog is to get some Poodle mix, such as Labradoodle, Whoodle, or Bernedoodle. Crossbreeds have a hybrid vigor that ensures they are more healthy than their purebred parents.
8. How Many Puppies Can A Mini Poodle Have?
A Moyen Poodle will typically give birth to three to seven puppies, which is pretty standard for a dog of that size.
The exact appearance of all the dogs in the litter can vary greatly, depending on their parents’ traits and size.
9. What Color Can A Moyen Poodle Be?
Moyen Poodles come in any color a Standard Poodle can. In fact, all Poodle types can have the same colors.
According to the FCI, there can be black, white, brown, gray, apricot, and red Moyen Poodles. If they come in a solid color, the shade has to be even all over their body.
Other colors they can come in are shades of blue, gray, silver, brown, apricot, cream, and café-au-laits. In these colors, you may see some different shades depending on the body.
Moyen Poodles can also come in various patterns, such as parti, phantom, tri-color, merle, even brindle!
10. Do Moyen Poodles Shed?
Moyen Poodles have thick and soft curly fur that is usually medium length. Unlike many other dog breeds, they have a single coat rather than a double coat. This means they experience less shedding.
In fact, some dog owners believe that Poodles don’t shed at all. This is because the little fur they do shed gets tangled in the curls instead of flying around. Instead of shedding it the typical way, you will brush it off during grooming.
Despite this, Poodles are considered to be a low maintenance breed. While they require daily brushing and occasional visits to a professional groomer, you won’t have to clean up loose hairs everywhere they go.
11. Are Moyen Poodles Hypoallergenic?
Before we can give the correct answer, we need to explain what hypoallergenic actually means.
Hypoallergenic is a term used on products and animals that don’t cause any allergic reaction, as they don’t have any allergens.
It is incorrectly believed that dog hair is responsible for dog allergies in humans.
In fact, it is the dog’s dander, urine, and saliva that cause issues for allergy sufferers. Every dog will produce these three in a certain amount. This means that a truly hypoallergenic dog doesn’t exist.
However, dander gets stuck in dog hair, and this is how it finds its way inside your eyes, mouth, and nostrils. So, dogs that shed less are indeed better for allergy sufferers up to a certain point.
At the same time, Poodles don’t drool as much as some other dog breeds. Combine this with the low amount of shedding, and you have a dog that is closest to being hypoallergenic as one can get.
12. Are Moyen Poodles Smart?
Poodles are one of the smartest dog breeds. Their intelligence makes them great for learning tricks or even performing in a circus! The same goes for Moyen Poodles.
When it comes to obedience and work intelligence, Poodles hold second place out of 138 breeds. They also have high instinctive intelligence when it comes to water dogs, and they have high adaptive intelligence.
Of course, there is much more to smart dogs than just their IQ. Not to mention that every dog is an individual and has to be seen as such.
However, there is a pattern that shows just how smart Poodles are. They can learn new tricks in a matter of days! Some Poodles can even potty train themselves by looking at other dogs around them.
Poodles make great service dogs as they are excellent at listening to commands. They even have an excellent recall memory!
Their intelligence can sometimes be mixed with stubbornness, as some Poodles love doing things their own way.
Overall, there is no denying how smart these pups are.
13. Do Moyen Poodles Bark A Lot?
Moyen Poodles are considered to be moderate barkers. They will rarely bark for no reason, but there can be certain triggers that will cause them to bark.
While some dog owners might think their Poodles are barking without reason, Moyen Poodles won’t ever bark if they haven’t noticed something that’s triggering them to be loud. Still, their barking is the biggest downside of the breed, according to many.
Luckily, as Poodles are very intelligent, you can easily train them not to bark unless something really upsets them.
14. How Much Do Moyen Poodles Cost?
Moyen Poodles are not an affordable breed.
If you’re looking to get one from a reputable Moyen Poodle breeder, you should be prepared to pay between $2,000 and $2,500.
There are plenty of factors that influence the cost of a Moyen poodle, such as:
The breeder’s reputation – if the breeder is well-established and certified, they’ll raise their price, as their Moyen Poodle puppies are considered to be of high-quality.
Puppies’ color – as we’ve already mentioned, Moyen Poodles come in many colors, but some, such as tri-colored, are much more desirable than standard colors such as the apricot or red Moyen Poodle.
Health tests – if the breeder can show you paperwork proving that the pup’s parents are healthy and free from many genetic defects, the puppy itself will be more expensive. However, you should always go for this option, no matter the higher price.
Pedigree – if the puppies come from a champion bloodline, they’ll cost more.
The Bottom Line
Overall, there aren’t many things that make Moyen Poodles different from Standard Poodles, except for their size.
The Moyen is a fairly new size in Poodles, and many people love it as it’s somewhere in between. These pups aren’t too big or too small – they are perfectly sized to be small enough to live in an apartment but large enough not to be too sensitive or fragile.
Their curly non-shedding fur makes them an excellent choice for allergy sufferers, and their kind nature means they’re perfect family pets.
One thing you need to be careful of is to get your Moyen Poodle from a reputable breeder.
Due to the challenging way in which these dogs are bred, you have to make sure you get them from a reputable breeder. Moyen Poodles can suffer from some genetic issues, especially if they are the result of breeding two Poodles of very different sizes.
If you do your research, a Moyen Poodle can be a wonderful companion for both you and your family.
Read Next: 8 Reputable Poodle Breeders In Colorado
