Poodles, like this Standard poodle may be the national dog of France and look stylish and pompadour in their curly attire, but that's not where they actually originated and don't be fooled by their clownish looks. Poodles were actually bred in Germany in which they were once exquisite water retrievers. In fact, the German word "pudelin" means to wade around. Though when the breed reached France in the 1400's, it was bye bye bird dog, hello bright lights. Since then, the Poodle still remains one of the most popular dogs around, changing their resumes from guide dogs to joining the circus. The poodle's curly hair originally to protect their bodies and internal organs from cold freezing waters in which they retrieved ducks and other birds are still fashionably being clipped today and were clipped to match the clown's pom-poms.