Moyen Poodles: Everything You Need To Know (With Pictures)

There is a myriad of dog breeds in the world, each with its own unique physical and behavioral characteristics. However, It would be difficult to find a more beloved breed than the Poodle due to its tremendous variety and crazy haircuts. Nevertheless, many dog owners are unaware of a coveted, but lesser-known Poodle type called the Moyen Poodle. So what is a Moyen Poodle?

Moyen Poodles are midsized dogs smaller than the miniature but larger than a Standard Poodle.
These poodles are popular with dog enthusiasts due to their smaller size, intelligence, and playful temperaments. While the AKC does not recognize the Moyen Poodle type, these dogs are eligible for breed registration.

Read on to learn all there is to know about this particular type of poodle. By the end of this post, you may be tempted to buy one for yourself! Let’s look into the details of this friendly, mid-size Poodle.

Moyen Poodle Attributes At A Glance

Size	15 – 20 inches
Weight	25 – 30 lbs
Temperament	Friendly, intelligent, loyal, Active, loving
Lifespan	15 – 20 years
Price	$2000 – $2500
Purpose	Retriever
Popularity	High Popularity
Coat Colors	black, white, brown, grey, red
Intelligence	Very High
Hypoallergenic	Yes

Moyen Poodle Origin

The Moyen Poodle has a name that is noticeably different from the names of other types of dog, like a Golden Retriever or a Labrador. This is because Moyen Poodles did not originate from the United States.

The word “Moyen” means “medium” in Fench (referring to the poodle’s size) and the word “poodle” comes from the German word “puddeln” which means “to splash”.

Poodles got their name back in the 1600s from Western Europe, where they were used as water dogs by German hunters. These dogs would jump into ponds and lakes to scare out the birds, which is why their name means “to splash.”

As time went on, poodles were bred to be more than just water dogs. People appreciated their companionship, their intelligence, and their friendly natures. Over the years, poodles were bred to be smaller and smaller to be better house dogs.

Poodles were loved by families, and the nobility alike, they even performed in circuses because of the ease at which they learned to do tricks.

These dogs were so popular, in fact, that Miniature Poodles became the national dog of France. Eventually, these much smaller Poodles (which are less than a third of the size of their original ancestors) became the most favored dog to have in France.

Eventually, Moyen Poodles were bred by mating two Moyen Poodles, or by breeding a Standard Poodle with a Miniature Poodle to obtain a smaller stature.

In some parts of the europe (and by organizations such as the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the Moyen Poodle size is recognized as a distinct division between Standard Poodles and Miniature Poodles.

However, the American Kennel Club (AKC) only recognizes three Poodle types:

• Standard Poodles
• Miniature Poodles
• Toy Poodles

The AKC simply categorizes Moyan Poodles between the Standard and Miniature Poodle types.

Attributes of Moyen Poodles

Moyen Poodle Size

	Moyen Poodles
Height (Inches)	15-20 in.
Weight (Pounds)	25 – 30 lbs.

Poodles range greatly in size across the different classifications, with the largest poodles being about 28 inches in height and weighing around 70 pounds.

On the other end of the spectrum, Toy Poodles measure less than 10 inches in height and only weigh about 5 pounds.

Moyen poodles are in the middle of the spectrum, standing anywhere from 15-20 inches tall and weighing around 25-30 pounds.

Poodles were bred to this size because many people believed this to be the perfect size for a dog. Moyen Poodles aren’t too small and don’t suffer from the fragility problems miniature and toy-sized dogs encounter. Additionally, Moyen Poodles aren’t extremely large, and therefore, don’t require a large amount of space or a great deal of food.

However, Moyen Poodles are large enough to play and be good family companions, and small enough to easily carry or fit comfortably in a car.

Moyen Poodle Lifespan

Moyen Poodles also have a great long lifespan, living for anywhere from 15 to 20 years. Toy poodles, by comparison, live for about 12 years on average.

Moyen Poodle Coat Colors

Moyen poodles come in all of the same colors that other poodles do. A Moyan Poodle may have a solid color coat or he may be multi-colored. However, the actual coat colors tend to be the colors below.

A Moyan Poodle’s coat color(s) may include:

• Black
• White
• Brown
• Grey
• Red
• Silver
• Cream
• Apricot
• Cafe Au Lait
• Silver Beige

Moyen Poodles Have Hypoallergenic Coats

A Moyen Poodle’s coat is also hypoallergenic, meaning their curly coats trap any hair that would otherwise fall to the ground. This can sometimes cause thick matting of their hair, which may need to be brushed to fix it up.

A Moyen Poodle’s coat also benefits its owners by causing less strain on people who have allergies to hair. As a result of these dogs shedding less, Moyen Poodles are a great option for people who suffer from allergies.

Moyen Poodle Intelligence

The advantages you receive from Moyen Poodle ownership are far more than just their small stature and hypoallergenic coats. Poodles are also one of the most intelligent dog breeds in the world!

Moyen Poodles rank number 2 on the list of smartest dogs on earth, right behind the border collie.

This Intelligence makes Moyen Poodles easy dogs to train. In fact, Moyen Poodles learn new tricks more quickly than almost any other dog breed in the world.

This chart shows the top 20 most intelligent dog breeds in the world:

Dog Breed	Intelligence Rank
BORDER COLLIE	1st
MOYEN POODLE	2nd
GERMAN SHEPHERD	3rd
GOLDEN RETRIEVER	4th
DOBERMAN PINSCHER	5th
SHETLAND SHEEPDOG	6th
LABRADOR RETRIEVER	7th
PAPILLON	8th
ROTTWEILER	9th
AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG	10th
BELGIAN TERVUREN	11th
BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOG	12th
BLOODHOUND	13th
PEMBROKE WELSH CORGI	14th
ALASKAN HUSKY	15th
KEESHOND	16th
GERMAN SHORTHAIRED POINTER	17th
FLAT-COATED RETRIEVER	18th
ENGLISH COCKER SPANIEL	19th
STANDARD SCHNAUZER	20th

Moyen Poodle Temperament

Poodles also have a great temperament. They are sociable toward others and very energetic, making them a great dog breed to compete in all sorts of dog sports, from agility courses to tracking sports. However, because of their background as water dogs, these Poodles also handle watersports—like dog surfing—very well once they are accustomed to swimming.

Because of their friendly and loving natures, Moyen Poodles are also great dogs to use as both therapy dogs and emotional support dogs. Along with golden retrievers and labradors, Poodles rank among the most popular dogs, whether they are competing in sports, working alongside humans, or simply being snuggled by a loving family.

Moyen Breeding

Since Moyen Poodles have such a desirable size, among other characteristics, they are valuable dogs to breed. However, several problems can result when breeding Moyen Poodles. For example, to produce Poodles of the right size, some breeders cross Standard Poodles with miniature poodles.

This is both unreliable (as the puppies from a large dog and a small dog could simply take after one parent and be large or small) and sometimes dangerous for both the parents and the puppies.

If a Standard Poodle male mates with a Miniature female, the offspring can sometimes be too large for the female to deliver, requiring a Caesarian Section. Furthermore, the litter could have structural problems including fragile bones and uneven proportions.

To avoid these issues, Moyen Poodles should only be bred with other Moyen Poodles.

Some say the best Moyen Poodles are those imported from Europe. This is because European Moyen Poodles have been bred at relatively the same medium size for generations. These breeders produce the most stable Moyen Poodle lines and have bred these poodles for disease resistance, temperament, intelligence, and a host of other factors.

Carefully examine a Moyen Poodle’s breeding as many Poodle breeders resort to inbreeding to get desired qualities.

One of the major consequences of inbreeding is that dogs can develop autoimmune diseases, personality defects, and other genetic problems from this practice. Wherever you go to purchase a poodle, make a conscious effort to ensure that any potential Poodle comes from a reputable breeder.

Finding a Breeder Or Rescue For Your Moyen Poodle

If you have decided to purchase one of these curly pups, you may be wondering where to go to purchase your new Poodle.

But what is the best way to purchase your dog? What’s the next step?

The next thing for us to do is find you a Moyen poodle.

The best way to find a Moyen Poodle is by looking to:

1. Trusted, good quality breeders
2. Dog Shelters
3. Local Dog Rescues

While I believe rescuing a poodle from a shelter or rescue is preferable to purchasing from a breeder, there are some really great, reputable breeders out there, so whichever makes you feel more comfortable is just fine.

Quality Breeders and Shelters Across the United States

I have compiled this list of breeders and shelters by region to help you find your Moyen Poodle more quickly and easily:

The Northeast

NAME	TYPE	LOCATION	WEBSITE
Magenta Bay Poodles	Breeder	Orange County, NY.	magentabaypoodles.com
Northeast Animal Shelter	Shelter	Salem, MA	northeastanimalshelter.org
Karla’s Pets	Breeder	Conway, NH	karlaspets.com
Poodle Rescue of New England	Rescue	Somerville, MA	poodlerescuene.org

The Southeast

NAME	TYPE	LOCATION	WEBSITE
Poodles of ​Tampa Bay	Breeder	Tampa Bay, FL	oodlesoftampabay.com
Green-Heart Poodles	Breeder	Orange County, NC	greenheartpoodles.com
Florida Poodle Rescue	Rescue	St. Petersburg, FL	floridapoodlerescue.org
Williamson County Animal Shelter	Shelter	Franklin, TN	adoptwcac.org

The Midwest

NAME	TYPE	LOCATION	WEBSITE
Great Lakes Poodle	Breeder	Tawas City, MI	greatlakespoodles.com
Midwest Moyen Poodles	Breeder	Gaylord, MN	moyenpuppies.com
Awesome Paws	Breeder	Poplar Grove, IL	awesomepaws.net
Heartland Small Animal Rescue	Rescue	South Bend, IN	heartlandsmallanimalrescue.org

The Southwest

NAME	TYPE	LOCATION	WEBSITE
Desert Oasis Kennels	Breeder	Gilbert, Az	desertoasiskennels.com
The Moyen Poodle	Breeder	Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas	themoyenpoodle.com
Peggy’s Arizona Red Poodles	Breeder	Phoenix, AZ	peggysarizonaredpoodles.com
Arizona Animal Welfare League	Shelter	Phoenix, AZ	aawl.org

The West

NAME	TYPE	LOCATION	WEBSITE
K. Line Poodles	Breeder	Chewelah, WA	klinepoodles.com
Mountain Meadow Puppies	Breeder	Libby, MT	mountainmeadowpuppies.com
Paws For Life Utah	Shelter	Heber City, UT	pflu.org
Laurel Hills Poodles	Breeder	Arlington WA	laurelhillspoodles.com

How Much Do Moyen Poodles Cost?

Because of the many desirable Poodle traits (especially Moyen poodles), these dogs are very valuable to breeders and potential owners alike. Moyen Poodles are often a little pricey due to the amount of breeding that has been done to obtain their desired size.

So How much do Moyen Poodles Cost?

Moyen poodle puppies cost about $2000 on average when purchased from well-established, reputable breeders. Breeders consider many factors when pricing their Poodles such as color, genetics, and pedigree. Additionally, Moyen Poodles may incur additional expenses, such as grooming, food, and regular vet visits.

	Average	High End
Standard Poodle	$700-1,200	$2,500- 5,000
Moyen Poodle	$2000	$2500 – $3500
Miniature Poodle	$1,000- 1,500	$1,700- 2,200

One of the many factors that influence the price of a moyen poodle is the poodle’s color. Certain coat colors and patterns can be much more desirable than others would. For example, Red Poodles can cost much more than grey or white dogs. Pure black poodles are also much more desirable, and as a result, valuable.

A very interesting coloration seen in black poodles is called “A tuxedo coat”. These dogs have a ‘blanket’ of black over the back and a white undercoat that looks as if they are wearing tuxedos! For unique colorings like these, the price of Poodles will go up.

Poodles are also priced differently depending on their temperament. Poodle puppies that are especially friendly or well-behaved are worth more to a breeder because they are much easier to care for and because they are more desirable to prospective owners.

Moyen Poodles that have been tested for any genetic defects or susceptibilities to diseases are also worth a lot to breeders as a result of the extra costs they incur for this testing.

If you are looking to Purchase a Moyen Poodle puppy, you should know that finding the perfect puppy is not easy. For one thing, many puppies are purchased before they are even born. There are almost always long waiting lists for Moyen Poodle puppies when looking to reputable breeders to find your dog.

Furthermore, to protect a breeder’s market and value, they usually sell puppies on a contract that demands that the puppies be spayed or neutered to prevent you from breeding your own dogs from the puppy that you purchased.

Training Moyen Poodles

If you are a Moyen Poodle owner, or you hope to be one, you’ll probably want to potty train your dog fast to prevent accidents in your home. Luckily, Poodles learn much more quickly than most other dog breeds, so the potty training process should be much easier and require less time to accomplish.

One of the main ways experts measure intelligence in dogs is by recording how many repetitions of any action a dog needs to learn something new.

In his 1994 book called The Intelligence of Dogs, Stanley Coren states that Poodles learn new tasks in as little as 5 repetitions, while many other breeds will require up to 15 repetitions.

Poodles are also very willing to learn and very obedient compared to other breeds of dogs.

Though poodles have the advantage of intelligence when learning new things, they also have a few disadvantages that are common in most canines.

Moyen Poodles will often lose focus while you train them, becoming distracted by the world around them. One of the best things that you can do to help your moyen poodle learn quickly is to minimize distractions. If distractions are eliminated when your Poodle puppy is learning, he will be more able to pay attention to what it is that you would like to teach.

For best results, owners should begin training their poodles while they are still young, beginning at about 2-3 months old. Most poodle owners start with the basics of teaching their poodles housetraining, their name, and how to sit and stay.

While your puppy is young, take the opportunity to introduce him to as many different people and animals as possible. If you fail to allow your dog to meet other people and see that they are friendly, he will often become antisocial. This is not helpful for the dog’s training and can lead to discipline issues down the road.

Additionally, it’s wise to introduce your Moyen puppy to different areas of your neighborhood as well such as a local park, campground, or even a pet store. Providing a more diverse environment will allow your dog to grow more comfortable in social situations throughout their lives.

If you need some help training your poodle, there are plenty of online courses that can assist you as you teach your Moyen Poodle new things.

I found the Brain Training for Dogs online training program to be extremely helpful when training my dog, Angus. I really liked the private member’s area where I was able to connect with other dog owners to get solutions to issues I had with his training. I would highly recommend this course for you too! Check it out here

However, If you don’t want to train your dog yourself, check The Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) website here to locate a certified dog trainer near you.

Moyen Poodles: The Best Breed

Of all of the many different breeds of dogs in the world, Moyen Poodles might just be the best. There are many differing opinions about which dogs are best, but Moyen Poodles have all of the most desirable traits a dog could have; they are obedient, intelligent, and friendly.

Moyen Poodles are long-lived, the perfect size for a house dog, and are resistant to disease and injury.

A Moyen Poodle’s coat doesn’t shed hair and comes in a variety of colors. These dogs serve as great family pets or working dogs and are a great competitive breed for most dog sports. Though some people see Moyen Poodles as timid or pampered, the truth is that they love to run, swim, and do anything every dog likes to do.

All in all, Moyen Poodles are a fantastic dog breed for many reasons. They will make a great addition to your home for years to come.