Portuguese Water Dog for everyone. Because of their intelligence and working drive, they require regular intensive exercise as well as mental challenges. They are gentle and patient — but not "couch potatoes", and boredom can cause them to become destructive. One theory proposes that some of the dogs left the Asian steppes with the Goths, a confederation of German tribes. Some, (the Ostrogoths), went west and their dogs became the German poodle, called in German the poodle-hund or puddle-dog—that is, water-dog. Others, the Visigoths, went south to fight the Romans, and their dogs became the Lion Dog, groomed in the traditional lion cut.
Poodle crossbreed poodles have been invented, combining syllables or sounds from each breed name to create a portmanteau word. Usually the first syllable of "poodle" is appended to the breed name of the second breed in the cross. Other names are created by adding the sound "-oodle" (from "poodle") or "-doodle" (by analogy with "Labradoodle") to the other breed name. Many crosses can be described by more than one portmanteau word; since they are not breeds, any portmanteau word the owner or breeder wishes may be used. Some of the portmanteau word names that describe poodle crosses have moved into popular usage;