More 16th-Century Poodles with Jobs

huntingpoodleHuetPoodles were originally bred as water retrievers. My first poodle of blessed memory, whose name was Payroll, was always trying to lure me to the creek because her favorite thing was to make a big, splashy jump into the water to retrieve a Coke can. She could do it all day.

Payroll in Action

Payroll in Action

The silly haircut so iconic to a poodle was originally designed for hunting. The dense, water-repellant coat could get caught in the brush, so it was clipped short except over the chest organs and joints, such as knees, ankles, and hips. This was to give those important areas protection from the cold water.

The tail was docked and left with a distinctive pompom on the end to help the animal be more easily sighted in dense brush or water. I have read that when a tail is docked and clipped correctly, it will stand up from the water like a flag. I’d have to see that.

 

falconBut this was before the invention of guns, so how was the bird brought down that the retriever was retrieving? With a falcon, of course.

A medieval manuscript exists that gives you detailed instructions on how to train your falcon and your dog. One reason that noblemen (and women) carried their birds with them everywhere (including church) was to “imprint” them. The falcon is a wild bird and remains a wild bird. It was never a pet. But it could be programmed to see the human as the source of its food, forgetting that it could eat the prey it brought down. The falcon and the dog were paired together in a partnership that rewarded them both.

The falcon learned that the dog flushed the birds. The falcon was slipped and, if it were a peregrine, perhaps it performed its “stoop,” a downward dive of 200+ miles per hour, making it the fastest creature alive. Then, in an amazing act that defied more than one of its natural instincts, the falcon released the downed prey to the dog, who returned it to the man. After which, everyone had a nice snack together.

Deaux Rey of Deaux Rey Standard Poodles

Deaux Rey of Deaux Rey Standard Poodles

The love of birds still exists in poodles today. My little toy poodle, Traveler, hates water, but she adores birds. She once brought in a decomposed goldfinch and scattered feathers all over the sunroom. And that was the end of the dog door. In a pet store, she ignores the mice, kittens, and ferrets. She wants to stare for hours at the parakeets.

We know of the important role that poodles played in falconry from the medieval tapestries that depict them in action.

 

Here is a much later painting. While the other dogs are being dogs, the poodle is seriously thoughtful.

Falconers Fleming of Barochan, Anderson and Harvey

Falconers Fleming of Barochan, Anderson and Harvey

The word poodle come from the German pudel, meaning puddle, because water was a big part of the life of a working poodle in the 16th century.

1806