You may never heard about Moyen poodles because the term is a recent introduction to the USA Poodle world. However, the Moyen variety is one of the original varieties from which other smaller varieties were developed. In the USA, the American Kennel Club recognizes all varieties within the breed to be one breed-Poodle.
Individual dogs can be registered according to their adult size as Toy, Miniature, or Standard. AKC doesn’t have a designation for Moyen Poodles, they are registered as Poodles, and at the breeder’s discretion, a variety that suits the closest size can be added to the registration. In FCI - The World Canine Organisation, the breed is split into four varieties -Toy, Miniature, Moyen and Standard. Imported Moyens: Outside of a handful English speaking countries, Moyen variety has always been a part of the breed. Per the FCI breed standard for Poodles, Moyen size is between 13 ¾” and 17 ¼”. If you are familiar with AKC Miniature Poodles, they are between 10” and 15”, most ranging from 13” to 15” tall. What is most interesting is, Miniature Poodles frequently give birth to much taller dogs. These Poodles are too small to compete with Standard Poodles in the show ring, but they are valuable assets to breeding programs overseas.
Breeders with international connections have always worked together and exchanged dogs. Just like taller Miniatures did well abroad, smaller imported Moyens under 15” tall are successful when shown in the miniature show ring in the US. I love the look of European dogs and prefer to work with the lines which are known to produce dogs in 14-18” range. My dogs are either imports, the progeny of imports, or come from old lines which carry “tall” genetics. All of my dogs, imported and bred domestically, test as Small Poodles and do not have Standard poodle bloodlines. Intervariety Moyens: When Poodles were first introduced to the US back in the early 1900s, the breed was separated into two varieties for show purposes only - 15” is Miniature, and over 15” Standard.
At first, the Standard Poodles were small enough to be close to the division line. By the 1950s, larger Standard Poodles became the trend that breeders followed. Over the following decades, Standard Poodles developed into a much larger, genetically distinct variety with modern-day Standards averaging 23-26” tall. Sadly, focusing on the bigger size and use of popular sires led to a significant bottleneck and loss of genetic diversity, which in turn, led to auto-immune health issues. In the early 2000s, dedicated breeders collaborated with scientists and made an effort to rectify the situation. The proposed solution was to breed Standard Poodles with Miniatures to return lost genetic diversity without losing the type. The dogs resulting from the first generation outcross were somewhere in between Standards and Miniatures. The smaller size of “intervariety” Poodles resulting from this crossbreeding has proven to be very popular among pet owners. Many breeders started to breed them to satisfy the demand and dubbed them “Moyen,” as they thought that this was how Moyens were created overseas. At Moonrise Poodles, I do not breed intervariety Poodles.
Individual dogs can be registered according to their adult size as Toy, Miniature, or Standard. AKC doesn’t have a designation for Moyen Poodles, they are registered as Poodles, and at the breeder’s discretion, a variety that suits the closest size can be added to the registration. In FCI - The World Canine Organisation, the breed is split into four varieties -Toy, Miniature, Moyen and Standard. Imported Moyens: Outside of a handful English speaking countries, Moyen variety has always been a part of the breed. Per the FCI breed standard for Poodles, Moyen size is between 13 ¾” and 17 ¼”. If you are familiar with AKC Miniature Poodles, they are between 10” and 15”, most ranging from 13” to 15” tall. What is most interesting is, Miniature Poodles frequently give birth to much taller dogs. These Poodles are too small to compete with Standard Poodles in the show ring, but they are valuable assets to breeding programs overseas.
Breeders with international connections have always worked together and exchanged dogs. Just like taller Miniatures did well abroad, smaller imported Moyens under 15” tall are successful when shown in the miniature show ring in the US. I love the look of European dogs and prefer to work with the lines which are known to produce dogs in 14-18” range. My dogs are either imports, the progeny of imports, or come from old lines which carry “tall” genetics. All of my dogs, imported and bred domestically, test as Small Poodles and do not have Standard poodle bloodlines. Intervariety Moyens: When Poodles were first introduced to the US back in the early 1900s, the breed was separated into two varieties for show purposes only - 15” is Miniature, and over 15” Standard.
At first, the Standard Poodles were small enough to be close to the division line. By the 1950s, larger Standard Poodles became the trend that breeders followed. Over the following decades, Standard Poodles developed into a much larger, genetically distinct variety with modern-day Standards averaging 23-26” tall. Sadly, focusing on the bigger size and use of popular sires led to a significant bottleneck and loss of genetic diversity, which in turn, led to auto-immune health issues. In the early 2000s, dedicated breeders collaborated with scientists and made an effort to rectify the situation. The proposed solution was to breed Standard Poodles with Miniatures to return lost genetic diversity without losing the type. The dogs resulting from the first generation outcross were somewhere in between Standards and Miniatures. The smaller size of “intervariety” Poodles resulting from this crossbreeding has proven to be very popular among pet owners. Many breeders started to breed them to satisfy the demand and dubbed them “Moyen,” as they thought that this was how Moyens were created overseas. At Moonrise Poodles, I do not breed intervariety Poodles.
