Poodle Puli. The French name "Caniche" comes from the word "cane" (the female of the duck) since this type of breed was used as a water retriever mainly for duck hunting thanks to its swimming ability. The British Kennel Club states that the breed originates in Germany, as do the American Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel Club, stating: "Despite the Poodle’s association with France, the breed originated as a duck hunter in Germany..." The "Oxford English Dictionary" and the "American Heritage Dictionary" both trace the etymology of "Poodle" to the German "Pudel", which itself comes from "Pudelhund". The word "Pudel"
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;