How do the fur patterns of a Standard Poodle function?

Question

I mean, the purpose they are/were put to. How does it work?

I heard it briefly on Crufts (tv), and wanted to hear it more fully.

Answer 1

The editor of the Poodle History Project has found that the historically-correct working-Continental is the most practical clip for field-training, hunt tests, and so on: the dog's legs don't cake with heavy mud, yet the hair is long enough in the short parts to protect against brambles (but doesn't pick them up as hitch-hikers), the dog can swim easily, yet has enough hair in the moderate jacket to keep dry and warm at the skin in cold water and brisk wet windy weather. By contrast, the modern Sporting Clip leaves longer hair on the legs where it gathers heavy mud, and, when wet, the shorter hair on the body curls tightly, leaving skin exposed to cold wind.
http://www.poodlehistory.org/PGROOM.HTM

that page has a history of the popular clips of now and then..

Answer 2

Both Miniature and Standard Poodles have a dense, curly coat with a fine, wooly texture. They shed little to no hair (not fur). And they are hypo-allergenic, so people with allergies can own a poodle. Poodles have no dander, fur, or odor.

Answer 3

Poodles were (actually still are) a water retriever . The dense hair in the front traps air which both serves as buoyancy & inslation. The legs hindquarters were clipped bare for fredom on motion (imagine swimming in jeans) but with the little tufts left to inslate the joints in hopes of preventing arthritis in later life

Answer 4

If you are referring to the clipping pattern, poodles were originally working dogs, and the density of the coat was designed to protect and keep the internal organs warm, and protect the legs from undergrowth.

Answer 5

to protect its vital organs since poodles were used for retrieving...

Answer 6

Poodles do not have fur; they have hair. That is why they don't shed and need haircuts the rest of their lives.