Moyen Poodles (Medium Poodles): What are Moyen Poodles?
A Moyen poodle is a medium-sized poodle. This means that a Moyen poodle is smaller than the standard poodle but bigger than the miniature poodle. “Moyen” is a French word that translates to “medium” in English.
Adult Moyen poodles tend to stand 15-20 inches at the withers (38 to 51 cm) and weigh between 20 to 30 pounds (9 to 13 kg). On the other hand, adult standard poodles are between 24 to 27 inches in height, and 50 to 70 pounds in weight. Adult miniature poodles weigh between 10 and 20 pounds (4.5 kg to 9 kg) and stand between 10 to 15 inches tall (25.4 cm to 38.1 cm)
Moyen poodles are usually bred by mating two Moyen poodles together. Moyen poodles can also be bred by mating a standard poodle with a miniature poodle. The American Kennel Club does not officially recognize the Moyen poodle as a size. Rather, a Moyen poodle is registered as either a miniature or standard depending on his height.
However, Moyen poodles are recognized as belonging to a distinct poodle size category in Europe. In Europe, Moyen poodles are also called Klein Poodles, especially in Germany. The word Klein means small, low, or little in German. Remember, the word poodle itself has German origins. The word poodle is from the German word “pud(d)eln” which means “to splash in water” (because the poodle used to be a water-dog that was used to hunt ducks).
Moyen poodles are recognized as a distinct poodle variety by the following dog organizations:
- Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI): Europe-based FCI recognizes the Moyen poodle. The FCI refers to Moyen Poodles as the Medium Poodle. The FCI standard on poodles states that the height of Moyen poodles is over 35 cm up to 45 cm. The FCI accepts the following Moyen poodle colors as legit: Brown, Black, White, Grey, and Fawn
- Dog Registry of America, Inc. (DRA): The DRA recognizes the Moyen poodle. Moyen poodles can be registered with the DRA.
However, the Poodle Club of America (PCA) only recognizes the three poodle sizes: Standard, Miniature, and Toy. The AKC does not recognize the Moyen poodle as a distinct poodle size.
As mentioned, the American Kennel Club (AKC) does not recognize the Moyen poodle as a distinct poodle variety. The AKC recognizes only three poodle varieties: Standard, Minature, Toy. However, you can still register a Moyen poodle with the AKC if you want to. You can register a Moyen poodle as a Standard poodle or as a miniature poodle.
The AKC defines any poodle taller than 15 inches as a standard poodle. Moyen poodles are usually taller than 15 inches. Also, adult standard poodles are usually way taller than 15 inches. Therefore, from the AKC`s viewpoint, a Moyen poodle is practically a standard poodle, a small standard poodle.
Registering a poodle with a dog club is important if you plan to exhibit your poodle in dog shows or if you want your poodle to participate in dog-club sponsored events, or if you plan to breed your poodle. Otherwise, you do not have to worry about which clubs recognize or do not recognize your poodle`s breed.
Cost of Buying a Moyen Poodle Puppy
The price of a Moyen poodle puppy from well-established Moyen poodle breeders ranges from $2 000 to $2 500. A lot of factors contribute to the price of a Moyen poodle puppy. There are:
- The reputation of the Breeder: Breeders that have established the reputation of raising healthy, well-behaved Moyens charge higher for their puppy.
- Color of the Puppy: Moyen poodle puppies with fancy colors such as tri-colored Moyen puppies are sold for more because people are attracted to the cute colors of these puppies.
- Health Tests on Puppy`s Parents: Puppies from parents that have the paperwork that shows that the parents are free from genetic defects are sold for a higher price. This is important because poodle parents not screened for genetic defects can pass genetic defects to their offsprings.
- Pedigree of Puppy: Poodle puppies that came from champion bloodlines are sold for higher. For example, if a puppy has a parent or grandparent that has won awards in dog shows, such a puppy has a claim to fame and will be sold for a higher price.
Factors to Consider when buying a Moyen Poodle puppy
When buying a Moyen poodle puppy, you may have to keep in mind the following:
- Waitlists: You may have to be on a breeder`s waiting list until a puppy is available. Most reputable breeders sell their puppies very quickly. So, plan ahead
- Deposit: You may have to pay a deposit to show that you are a serious buyer when dealing with a breeder. The security deposit on a Moyen poodle puppy can range from $300 to $500. This deposit is usually applied to the final price of the puppy
- Sign Neuter/Spay contract: The breeder may want to ensure that your Moyen puppy will be a pet and not bred to produce more puppies. The breeder may ask you to sign a spay/neuter contract to assure the breeder that you will not breed your Moyen puppy in the future. If you want the rights to breed your puppy, the breeder might charge you up to an extra $2 000 for breeding rights.
Moyen Poodle Size (Weight and Height)
The height of a Moyen poodle ranges from 15 inches to 20 inches. The adult weight of a Moyen poodle ranges from 17 to 55 pounds. The adult size that a Moyen poodle will grow to be will be within these height and weight ranges. To better predict the adult size of a Moyen poodle, you should look at the size of its parents. The adult size of a Moyen poodle will be around the average size of both its parents.
The size of a Moyen poodle varies from one breeder to the next breeder. For example, Moyen poodles from the moyen-poodle.com breeder have a height of 16-19 inches and weigh between 17 and 25 pounds. Whereas, Moyen Poodles from karlaspets.com weigh 25-55 lbs, and Moyen poodles from themoyenpoodle.com have a height between 15-18 inches and weigh about 20 to 30 pounds.
The adult size of your Moyen poodle depends more on his lines than anything else. If you notice that the parents of your Moyen poodle are very different in size, you may not be able to know what size your poodle will be. For example, if your poodle has one parent that is a standard poodle and one parent that is a miniature poodle, it will be difficult to know what size your Moyen will grow to be. Some puppies can grow to be just as large as their largest parent, while others will stay as small as their smallest parent. Others will fall somewhere in between. If your puppies parents are relatively close to one another in size, however, you can be fairly certain that your puppy will grow to be about that size as well.
Moyen Poodle Weight and Height Chart
Below is the weight and height chart of the moyen poodle. As we have discussed earlier, the weight and height of a moyen poodle can vary a lot from one poodle to another. Also, the size of a moyen poodle lies between the size of a standard poodle and the size of the miniature poodle. This can be seen in the chart.
| Age | Weight | Height |
| Birth to 4 Weeks | less than 4 lbs | less than 7 inches |
| 4 weeks to 8 weeks | 2 lbs to 10 lbs | 4 inches to 10 inches |
| 2 months to 4 months | 4 lbs to 22 lbs | 7 inches to 13 inches |
| 4 months to 8 months | 7 lbs to 23 lbs | 9 inches to 19 inches |
| 8 months to 1 year | 11 lbs to 24 lbs | 10 inches to 20 inches |
Moyen Poodle Versus Standard Poodle
The main difference between a moyen poodle and a standard poodle is size. Moyen poodles are a few inches shorter than standard poodles. Moyen poodles also weigh less than standard poodles. Aside from the difference in height and weight, moyen poodles have the same characteristics as the standard poodles.
Moyen Poodle Temperament
Like all the other poodle varieties, Moyen poodles are smart, athletic, and highly trainable.
Moyen poodles are excellent family dogs. They are especially suitable for families with small children. Unlike toy poodles, Moyen poodles can handle the rough handling of little children. Moyen poodles can withstand the occasional tiny accidents that result when kids and dogs play together.
Also, Moyen poodles are excellent pets if you have seniors in your house. Unlike Standard poodles that have big sizes and act big, Moyen poodles are more mellow. A Moyen jump on a senior won`t be as much impact as the jump of a standard poodle.
Furthermore, Moyen poodles will do as well in apartment spaces as in big houses. You do not have to worry too much about physical space limitations with the Moyen poodle.
Moreover, Moyen poodles are energetic and they will enjoy doing outdoor activities together with you: walking, running, hiking, to name a few.
Moyen Poodle Litter Size
The litter size of the Moyen poodle is about 3 to 7 puppies.
Moyen Poodle Lifespan
The average lifespan for a Moyen poodle is 13.5 years. The Moyen poodle`s lifespan range from 12 years to 15 years. Moyen poodles tend to be healthy compared to other dog breeds. However, they are still prone to the same genetic health problems that are present in the poodle breed. However, the chances of health problems in Moyen poodles can be reduced through ethical breeding practices such as genetic testing and OFA certifications.
Moyen Health Issues to Look Out For
Responsible breeders can guard against producing unhealthy Moyen puppies that are prone to health issues. This can be done by screening the future parents of a Moyen poodle puppy for genetic problems and making sure that they are not producing puppies who have genetic diseases, A wise and ethical breeder will only mate poodles that are clear of genetic health problems.
Beyond the genetic screenings, breeders can have their poodle’s hips and elbows evaluated by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals(OFA). A poodle should score “good” or “excellent” on his hips to be considered for a breeding program. Elbows should be normal. Sometimes, a poodle who scores “fair” on his hips can be used for breeding, but only if paired with a female who scored “excellent” and only if all of his other traits are desirable enough to merit breeding.
When purchasing a Moyen poodle, you will want to look at the structure of your puppy. One of the problems with Moyen poodles is that when you breed a small dog to a large dog, the offspring may end up having structural problems.
It is much better to buy a Moyen from a breeder who has bred down in size slowly over generations to produce the Moyen size. If a breeder has simply bred a toy poodle to a standard poodle to produce medium-sized puppies, the offspring may have serious structural issues. For example, their bone structure may not be strong enough to support their weight. They may be more prone to hip or elbow dysplasia than Moyen poodles who were produced by two parents dogs who were closer to one another in size
Are Moyen Poodles Hypoallergenic?
Like other poodle varieties, Moyen poodles shed hair and dander minimally. The curly coat traps in the hair and the dander that trigger allergies in sensitive people. Moyen poodles are suitable for people with allergies.
Conclusions
Moyen poodles are like all the other popular poodle varieties (standard, miniature, and toy). They have the same personality, the same hypoallergenic properties, and so on as standard, miniature, and toy poodles. The main difference between the Moyen poodle and the other poodle varieties is that the Moyen poodle falls in a size class that most American poodle breeders and owners and not familiar with.
Moyen poodles are more widespread in Europe. However, in the USA, most people favor breeding poodles of standard size, of toy size, and of miniature size. Not a lot of breeders breed Moyen poodle in the USA. This is more or less an arbitrary preference. Therefore, the Moyen is not as poodle as the popular poodle varieties.
However, if a Moyen poodle captures your fancy because of its unique and distinct size among all poodles, then go ahead and get yourself one! It is going to be as much fun a ride as owning a toy, a standard, or a miniature poodle.
