Miniature Poodle is originated from Germany but Mudi is originated from Hungary. Miniature Poodle may grow 9 cm / 3 inches shorter than Mudi. Miniature Poodle may weigh 6 kg / 13 pounds lesser than Mudi. Both Miniature Poodle and Mudi has almost same life span. Miniature Poodle may have less litter size than Mudi. Both Miniature Poodle and Mudi requires Moderate Maintenance.
The Poodle is no stranger to the dog world and has been a familiar face in Western Europe for hundreds of years. Though they have lived in Europe for centuries, their origins are unsure, with some saying they hail from Germany and others say France.
The Miniature Poodles have been used in both countries as gundogs for water birds.
They have always been admired for their intelligence, and Miniature Poodles are believed to have been bred from Standard Poodles. It is interesting to note the 3 official sizes of the Poodle are Toy, Miniature and Standard – all considered one breed and judged according to the same written standard, just with different size requirements.
Sometime between the 4th and 6th centuries, the Great Migration – a variety of dogs came to live in the Carpathian Mountains on the Great Hungarian Plain. This migration period brought sheepdogs and herders brought by shepherds. These dogs were of two sizes both small and large. The smaller ones were bred together – Pumi, Puli, and Mudi. Because of this, these breeds share the same history, with the Mundi being the oldest of them all.
The Mundi was finally separated from the other breeds about 1930 when Dr. Deszo Fenyesi began to breed them. It was in 1966 when the F.C.I. finally approved the standard for the breed. Still then as today, there were not many breeders developing the Mudi. They are working dogs – farm dogs – herders, guard dogs and ratters. He is also known as a tracker, with the majority of the breed living in Hungary.
As the Mudi was bred separately from the Pumi and the Puli, differences between the breeds became clear. Many Mudi are born with a stump or no tail at all. The Mudi is not a great dog for the first timer. He is stubborn, assertive and needs a lot of socialization and exercise. In 2004 breeders in the United States created the Mudi Club of America to preserve the breed and foster responsible ownership. This is a clever, active and keen breed, very loyal to his family but wary of strangers. The United Kennel Club recognized the breed in 2006.
In Hungary, these are still a breed of herding dogs capable of running 500 sheep at a time. They are versatile, courageous, intelligent and agile. They are great in obedience trials, agility, and flyball. In Finland and the United States, they also work as search and rescue dogs.
With good care the lifespan of the Miniature Poodle is 14 – 16 years of age. This purebreed dog is small, standing at 28 – 38cm in height and weighing 7 – 8kg.
The coat is typically curly, springy and dense. Colors of the coat can be cream, beige, silver, black, brown or apricot. They are low shedding dogs and are regarded as being hypoallergenic. The ears are floppy and the tail is usually docked to give the dog a nice, compact look.
The Miniature Poodle is intelligent and learns easily, so you won’t have any trouble with training him and having him socialized.
He is a lively dog and loves a game and a walk, loving as much time as possible spent with his human family. He gets on well with other pets in the home as well as with children who have been taught to be kind and gentle with animals.
They are not overly-friendly with strangers, and therefore make excellent watchdogs. They’re the kind of dogs who need both physical and mental stimulation though, and he won’t be content to be left and ignored – after all he counts himself as a member of your family! They make wonderful pets, being playful and energetic and loving water, always ready to swim with you.
This is a medium size dog with an almost square profile. They have erect ears on wedge-shaped heads. He is not a strong boned but medium boned. That square profile is based in large part on their very square stance. Their muzzle is about half the length of their head and they have what is considered a “dare devil” expression in their dark, almond-shaped eyes. The color of the eyes is important and must match with the color of the dog or the standard is not met.
Merle fur – brown, brown speckled, blue eyes.
Brown or gray-brown fur – Brown eyes
Gray fur – gray eyes
What is not acceptable is having yellow eyes and black fur; pink eyes and white fur. The lips, eye rims, and nose must all have the same pigmentation. This should be black in all but the brown and brown-grey dogs. These dogs have brown noses, eye rims, and lips. The tail can be almost anything from full to bob. All are considered to be natural lengths for a Mudi.
Their coat is self-cleaning and won’t mat. It is on the long side. In fact, a short, flat, smooth coat is a disqualification from the standard. The color of the coat ranges from white to brown to gray, gray-brown, merle, golden, cream and white. Very little markings of any kind are usual.
When you take a Miniature Poodle into your home and your heart, there are many wonderful positive aspects that come with him.
You won’t have any trouble training him as he is clever and bright. He is such a loving, loyal pet and he takes his job of guarding you seriously too.
Because they aren’t aggressive, they're easy to keep in the city or the countryside, so long as he receives plenty of love, companionship and exercise. Perhaps the only thing that may require a little bit of effort on your part is the fact that his coat will require quite a bit of upkeep to keep it looking good and healthy.
In exchange for looking after him, you’re going to benefit from having a wonderful canine friend and family pet in your life for many years.
Yes, they are great with children and love being a part of a large family or “pack”.
They are extremely versatile and great at herding and guarding.
They are adaptable if you are. They don’t need to live in the country, but they need space to run and play.
They are highly intelligent but a little stubborn. Their ability to learn is high but you have to be the boss.
Dog’s thrive on good nutrition and exercise, and if your Miniature Poodle gets both of these combined with plenty of love, he can live to be up to 16 years of age and even older.
They are robust little dogs, but even so, they can get sick. Ear infections, joint diseases, obesity, dental disease and bloat are common dog diseases to look out for -
This is a life-threatening condition where your pet’s stomach fills with gas. The swollen stomach puts pressure on the diaphragm and the dog battles to breathe. The dog could also vomit, be drooling and lethargic.
The stomach can also twist putting the dog in shock. This bloating can occur with any dog breed and efforts can be made to avoid it by feeding the dog smaller more frequent meals as opposed to one larger meal which he gobbles up.
The dog shouldn’t exercise immediately after a meal either. You also want to avoid obesity at all costs.
When the mitral valve malfunctions, blood isn’t being pumped out of the heart to the rest of the body. If the mitral valve weakens or leaks it can lead to endocarditis.
Quite a number of dogs develop some form of heart disease during their lifetime, with a high percentage being due to mitral valve insufficiency, which is more common in smaller dogs.
Your dog may have a cough, be lethargic and lose weight. The first signs of a leaking mitral valve is a heart murmur. At first MVI doesn’t have obvious clinical signs, but with time the efficiency of the heart is reduced and congestive heart failure develops. Your veterinarian will evaluate your pet and suggest treatment.
A skin problem sounds fairly mild but it can cause havoc in your pet’s life, causing him to be constantly licking and scratching himself. The hair becomes dull and brittle, and breaking the skin from continuous scratching invites bacterial infection. These skin infections will require veterinary intervention.
The Mudi does face several of the problems that medium to large dogs often face and some eye issues as well.
If you opt to keep your Miniature Poodle’s coat long, it will actually require regular brushing – every day in fact, if you want to avoid matting and tangling. Most people don’t like the work this involves and they have their Poodle’s hair cut short all over, then he only needs a brush once or twice a week. Your Miniature Poodle just loves the time you spend with him grooming him. It’s your time to feel for any unusual lumps and to also check for fleas and ticks. Some people take their pet to the doggy parlor to have the coat clipped.
The dog’s nails should also be trimmed regularly, and their ears also need to be checked for wax buildup and debris which can lead to an ear infection.
Teeth need to be checked over too because dental disease won’t only lead to loss of teeth but it could be toxic for important body organs too.
Wipe around your pet’s eyes as tear stains can form under the eyes.
Make sure to feed your pet a top quality diet full of vitamins and minerals. Get to know the foods which can be toxic for your pet and cause stomach upsets. Dogs appreciate simplicity and consistency with their diets, and apart from dry kibble, home-made food such as boiled chicken, brown rice and vegetables can be excellent for your pet.
The Mudi needs a high quality, medium breed puppy dry food and should be fed 3 or 4 times a day for a total of 1 and ½ to 2 cups.
The adult should be fed at least twice a day with an adult medium breed high-quality dry dog food. Don’t overfeed as the breed can have a tendency toward obesity.
They have great stamina and agility.
This is a working dog and like most herding dogs, they need a job and a lot of activity. Long walks every day and either a large yard or visits to a dog park. Involve them in herding activities or Barn Hunt if you can. Playing is their way of working when they are not herding real animals. So, if you want this breed, be sure you have time for playing with them. They are great at agility, flyball, obedience, frisbee trials, tracking and of course herding