Did you know that the very first female to win a Best in Show handled a Standard Poodle when she did it? The year was 1935, and Mrs. Sherman Hoyt handled her Standard Poodle to a BIS, a feat that would not be repeated until 1956.

Poodles have been exhibited virtually every year at Westminster since 1877, but over the years, there have been dogs entered in the Miscellaneous Class described as some kind of Poodle: Spanish, Corded, Spanish Silk, Belgium, Black, Canniche, French, French Grey, Pointer, Wool. If any Poodle folks can explain these various Poodles, we’d love to hear it.

In 1912, the class for Poodles for the first time described entries as either Curly or Corded (and later today, we’ll talk about the corded Poodles). In 1919, the breed (Variety) was called Poodles (Curly) and apparently there would’ve been a separate variety called Poodles (Corded), but there were no Corded entries from 1919-1923. This is further reflected in the fact that the Non-Sporting Group had a slot for a Poodle (Corded) winner, but again, there were no Corded entries from 1924-1927. In 1928, the Variety was again called simply, Poodles.

The terms Standard and Miniature first appear in the Westminster catalog in 1934. Until 1940, one dog was selected simply as “Best Poodle” and that dog advanced into the Non-Sporting Group. In 1940, Best of Variety was awarded for both a Miniature Poodle and a Standard Poodle, and again only one of them was selected to go forward into the Non-Sporting Group.

The Most Group wins (30) belong to the Standard Poodle; the most consecutive Group wins (4) also go to the Standard Poodle (1933-1936), the most Non Sporting Group placements (60) also belongs to the Standard Poodle.

How stunning is a good Poodle in a ring? Check out Ch. Acadia Command Performance handled by Frank Sabella. “Bart” seen here just before winning Best in Show at Westminster 1973.

Image: Poodle by xyom/iStock