Things you need to know!
It is important to understand that all Miniature Poodle Breeders are not equal. A dog is a member of your family for up to 16 years. Getting a dog is like entering a marriage, it should be taken seriously...Many people take longer to decide on a TV than on a dog, and they are also willing to pay more for the TV too! You won't have a TV for 15 years in most cases...so choose your dog wisely...rather, choose your Breeder wisely. It's all fun and games till you are faced with a sick, flea covered puppy, full of worms with no registration papers, and with no one to call but the Vet! It does not matter how much you pay for a dog, EVERY SINGLE point below is valid. There is no excuse! If a person breeds a litter of pups they are responsible to take every precaution to breed genetically healthy pups with registration and titles to prove their quality, and charge an appropriate price to reflect that. A lower priced pup (under $1000) WILL NOT be cheap in the long run, nor a higher price pup priced far too high for its lack of accolades, and you will pay for the Breeder's (Sellers) lack of care and effort later. Here are some things you need to know before you hand someone money for a puppy which can result in you paying MANY thousands of dollars more in vet and training bills later.
DO NOT PURCHASE A DOG FROM A BREEDER WHO:
LETS YOU CHOOSE A DOG FROM A PICTURE/VIDEO AT A FEW DAYS OR WEEKS OLD, OR A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS!
It is IMPOSSIBLE to know the pups temperament. One litter yields temperaments from one side of the spectrum to the other...shier pup who will never like crowds, to pups who guard objects, to pups that love everyone but are distracted easily etc. A good Breeder cares to match the right pup to you and not just give you the colour you want because that is the fastest way to get MONEY from you and make the sale, a good breeder would NEVER let you choose this young. They should care enough to match pups to new owners with a forever match in mind.
IS BREEDING A LITTER "JUST THIS ONE TIME" OR FOR "FUN"
These people do not have the knowledge to raise a litter properly. They have no knowledge to help you later when your dog is sick, or you are faced with severe training challenges. These Breeders HAVE NO IDEA about the breeds health, the health of their lines, the temperaments in the lines, how to properly socialize and raise a litter, how to read a pedigree, how to asses structure nor know what should be bred to what to produce pups who are physically and mentally sound. They also probably have done NO genetic health testing. (Not to be confused with a breeder breeding their first litter under the guidance of another long time breeder mentor which is good!). Purchasing a dog from this situation will ensure that you and your dog will pay for their mistakes while incorrectly raising your dog.
SELLS YOU A DOG WITH NO AKC/CKC REGISTRATION PAPERS, ISSUED WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF SALE!
NO good Breeder on the planet would ever dream of not putting registration on their puppies! At a bare minimum, even the "bottom of the barrel' breeders have papers on their dogs! There is a FEDERAL LAW IN CANADA called the Animal Pedigree Act of Canada, it is illegal to not serve new owners papers within 6 months of date of sale on any dog that is sold as "Purebred", without registration the dog is worth virtually nothing, they can not prove they are not cross bred, can not show you the health behind the dog, have no way to prove that the dog is from a high quality line without papers. Non papered dogs can not compete in any events with a reputable canine registry to prove their value. Be carful of fake papers and fake registries!(ie CONTINENTAL KENNEL CLUB and WORLD KENNEL CLUB) Many claimed "purebred" non-registered dogs are actually Miniature Poodle mixes and you may not be able to tell easily by looking at them as pups, but "Breeders" will ask for the same price for these cross as papered dogs. If they are indeed Miniature Poodle to Miniature Poodle and there are no papers to prove pedigree (family tree) the Breeder might be breeding half siblings, siblings, mother daughter and not even know it as they obtained the parents from random people they found in the newspaper or on Kijjiji, from another BYB, and they could be deeply inbred with no way to know or trace it. Do not be tricked into someone telling you that they don't need papers because the Breeder "DNA tested them to prove they were Miniature Poodles", that is NOT an excuse. These dogs should NEVER be bred from. They are low quality and you should never give these Back Yard Breeders a cent!
SELLS YOU A DOG WITH NO MICROCHIP
Dog should be microchipped at the expense of the Breeder, BEFORE the puppy leaves their residence, this is illegal in Canada! There is no way to know that the puppy you are getting is the puppy they are claiming it is, or is even the puppy they claim it is on the papers. You cannot DNA a dog without a microchip. You should be able to verify pups parentage through DNA testing through the AKC registration papers and its microchip.
CHARGES YOU FOR A PUPPY BASED ON COLOUR
Any Breeder who tries to charge you more money for a particular colour or gender, or breeds for certain colour or a "rainbow" of colour is not reputable! It costs the same to raise a pup no matter what the gender or colour. Price should reflect the parents quality, show wins, titles, genetic health testing and the money the breeder puts into raising and socializing the litter/days off work etc. NOT because the pup was born a certain colour. That is a money grab! If a breeders breeding goals are to produce as much colour as possible, they are NOT a good breeder. Breeding and producing dogs because of their colour and not because of their actual quality is not reputable and is a sign of a Back Yard Breeder or a Puppy Mill.
OFFERS A GENETIC GUARANTEE SHORTER THAN 2 YEARS, OR, NOT AT ALL
The guarantee for genetic disease should last at least 3 years as a dog can not be officially tested for Hips and patellas with the OFA till at least two years of age. This health guarantee against genetic illness should be in writing and signed. Do NOT buy from a breeder who does not have a sales contract outlining the sale of the dog, it should specify purchase price, worth of the dog, what genetic health tests are guaranteed and that the parents have been genetically health tested for at least hips, eye certified, patellas and DNA tested. Some breeders only guarantee against the one's you can, DNA test for...that they know the dog can never get...this means NOTHING! What you should see is a guarantee against genetic defects that don't allow the dog to function as a pet such as Hip and patella issues, blindness and other eyes issues.
BREEDS DOGS YOUNGER THAN TWO YEARS OF AGE
Unless there is extenuating circumstances (stud dog on death best or stud leaving the country etc) no dog should be bred younger than two years of age. This is because a dog can not have it's hips and patellascertified free of hip and patella problems by the OFA until that age and no Miniature Poodle should be bred until it passes both hip and patella testing.
CAN NOT PROVIDE YOU WITH PROOF OF MINIATURE POODLE SPECIFIC GENETIC HEALTH TESTING
A normal vet examination is NOT proof enough that a dog is healthy enough to breed. You need actual proof from specialists who have tested that dog for breed specific illnesses. For the MINIATURE POODLE they need HIP AND PATELLA passing certification from the OFA (Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals), an eye exam by a Canine Opthamologist resulting in a clear eye result from CAER, and a DNA test done for:
at minimum through one of the high quality DNA labs.
ALLOWS PUPS TO LEAVE PRIOR TO 8 WEEKS OF AGE
In many places this is straight up ILLEGAL. Pups will miss out on socialization with mother and littermate that will shape that dogs temperament for the rest of it's life. Further their immune systems are weaker and worming protocols are not complete. The longer the pup is left with the dam and littermate the better and will shape the pup for its entire lifetime.
IS SELLING YOU A PUPPY WITH NO VET INSPECTION NOR VACCINATIONS
The dog should have at least one vet inspection and first vaccinations before the dog is handed to you, at their expense. A breeder cannot hear HEART DEFECTS, only a vet can!!! Just because the pup is playing when it arrives does not mean it is healthy at all. They should give you proof, signed by a vet, with a vaccination and worming record with exact dates, medication and amounts. If they do not believe in vaccinations then they still should have proof of a vet examination and a clear bill of health.
TELLS YOU THAT YOU CAN BREED YOUR DOG THAT YOU PURCHASE FROM THEM NO QUESTIONS ASKED
Any Breeder with good lines will never allow just anyone to breed the dogs that they sell without first ensuring that they mentor you for a few years, teach you about the breed standards, how to asses breeding stock, what health screenings need to be completed, teach you how to read pedigrees, complete registration, show and groom the dog, how to whelp a litter, tube feed, bottle feed, make formula and much much more . Learning this takes many years and a good breeder will not sell you a dog for breeding purposes simply because you were willing to pay them more money. They are very picky about who gets to use their lines and whomever does needs to breed them with the utmost respect and with guidance from the breeder so that you do not cause irriplaceable damage to the lines.
SIGNS THAT A BREEDER IS A GOOD BREEDER:
GOOD MINIATURE POODLE BREEDERS ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT YOU, YOUR LIFESTYLE, AND HOME
Good breeders want to know that their pups are going to very good homes. They won't just sell to you simply because you have the money. Good Breeders want to make sure their pups have permanent homes and that they are given the attention, care and training they need. Good Breeders also offer help to their puppy owners for the life of the dog and want updates.
THEY SPEND MORE ON DOG SHOWS TO PROVE THEIR DOGS QUALITY THEN THEY WILL EVER MAKE FROM PUPPY SALES
Good breeders breed to preserve the line and improve on the breed, not to make money. It is VERY expensive to show, health test and care for dogs and that is what the money from puppy sales goes towards. Show campaign bills can run from $10.000 to $100,000 per year for ONE DOG! That is why good breeders can charge what they do for their pups. Bad breeders don't show and attempt to charge the same, undeservingly. Papers do not mean you can charge more. The dogs accolades in the show ring and genetic health are what determines the quality and price of the progeny.
GOOD BREEDERS KNOW THE PEDIGREES BEHIND THEIR DOGS VERY WELL
Not only do they know all the dogs in the pedigrees, what these dogs have won, their temperaments and also the results of their hereditary examinations but they know the breed type of each pedigree and the faults of each dog. Good Miniature Poodle Breeders strive to maintain breed type within they lines and the breed. They take breeding decisions very seriously and will go to all ends of the earth too ensure the dogs are matched to the very best possible stud/dam to create the best pups they possibly can.
THEY RAISE THEIR PUPS THE BEST
Good Miniature Poodle Breeders research non stop how to raise their pups. They are always expanding their knowledge about behaviour and development of pups to ensure that the pups are trained according to their age and socialized in a manner that allows them to be the best dogs they can be both as future show dogs and as family pets. Their development is recorded and Breeders are looking for new ways to be the best. Food and vaccination protocols are researched to ensure that the highest standards are met.
THEY HAVE SPAY/NEUTER AGREEMENTS AND REQUIREMENTS
A good Breeder always sells their dogs as PETS on a non-breeding agreement. The public who buys a dog as a pet must never breed that dog and most of the time must fix that dog by a certain age. This is because good Breeders do not want pet owners to just randomly and loosely start to breed dogs from their lines any which way without having the knowledge to breed dogs properly. It takes years of learning and research and mentorship before one is at a level where they should breed their first litter!
It is IMPOSSIBLE to know the pups temperament. One litter yields temperaments from one side of the spectrum to the other...shier pup who will never like crowds, to pups who guard objects, to pups that love everyone but are distracted easily etc. A good Breeder cares to match the right pup to you and not just give you the colour you want because that is the fastest way to get MONEY from you and make the sale, a good breeder would NEVER let you choose this young. They should care enough to match pups to new owners with a forever match in mind.
IS BREEDING A LITTER "JUST THIS ONE TIME" OR FOR "FUN"
These people do not have the knowledge to raise a litter properly. They have no knowledge to help you later when your dog is sick, or you are faced with severe training challenges. These Breeders HAVE NO IDEA about the breeds health, the health of their lines, the temperaments in the lines, how to properly socialize and raise a litter, how to read a pedigree, how to asses structure nor know what should be bred to what to produce pups who are physically and mentally sound. They also probably have done NO genetic health testing. (Not to be confused with a breeder breeding their first litter under the guidance of another long time breeder mentor which is good!). Purchasing a dog from this situation will ensure that you and your dog will pay for their mistakes while incorrectly raising your dog.
SELLS YOU A DOG WITH NO AKC/CKC REGISTRATION PAPERS, ISSUED WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF SALE!
NO good Breeder on the planet would ever dream of not putting registration on their puppies! At a bare minimum, even the "bottom of the barrel' breeders have papers on their dogs! There is a FEDERAL LAW IN CANADA called the Animal Pedigree Act of Canada, it is illegal to not serve new owners papers within 6 months of date of sale on any dog that is sold as "Purebred", without registration the dog is worth virtually nothing, they can not prove they are not cross bred, can not show you the health behind the dog, have no way to prove that the dog is from a high quality line without papers. Non papered dogs can not compete in any events with a reputable canine registry to prove their value. Be carful of fake papers and fake registries!(ie CONTINENTAL KENNEL CLUB and WORLD KENNEL CLUB) Many claimed "purebred" non-registered dogs are actually Miniature Poodle mixes and you may not be able to tell easily by looking at them as pups, but "Breeders" will ask for the same price for these cross as papered dogs. If they are indeed Miniature Poodle to Miniature Poodle and there are no papers to prove pedigree (family tree) the Breeder might be breeding half siblings, siblings, mother daughter and not even know it as they obtained the parents from random people they found in the newspaper or on Kijjiji, from another BYB, and they could be deeply inbred with no way to know or trace it. Do not be tricked into someone telling you that they don't need papers because the Breeder "DNA tested them to prove they were Miniature Poodles", that is NOT an excuse. These dogs should NEVER be bred from. They are low quality and you should never give these Back Yard Breeders a cent!
SELLS YOU A DOG WITH NO MICROCHIP
Dog should be microchipped at the expense of the Breeder, BEFORE the puppy leaves their residence, this is illegal in Canada! There is no way to know that the puppy you are getting is the puppy they are claiming it is, or is even the puppy they claim it is on the papers. You cannot DNA a dog without a microchip. You should be able to verify pups parentage through DNA testing through the AKC registration papers and its microchip.
CHARGES YOU FOR A PUPPY BASED ON COLOUR
Any Breeder who tries to charge you more money for a particular colour or gender, or breeds for certain colour or a "rainbow" of colour is not reputable! It costs the same to raise a pup no matter what the gender or colour. Price should reflect the parents quality, show wins, titles, genetic health testing and the money the breeder puts into raising and socializing the litter/days off work etc. NOT because the pup was born a certain colour. That is a money grab! If a breeders breeding goals are to produce as much colour as possible, they are NOT a good breeder. Breeding and producing dogs because of their colour and not because of their actual quality is not reputable and is a sign of a Back Yard Breeder or a Puppy Mill.
OFFERS A GENETIC GUARANTEE SHORTER THAN 2 YEARS, OR, NOT AT ALL
The guarantee for genetic disease should last at least 3 years as a dog can not be officially tested for Hips and patellas with the OFA till at least two years of age. This health guarantee against genetic illness should be in writing and signed. Do NOT buy from a breeder who does not have a sales contract outlining the sale of the dog, it should specify purchase price, worth of the dog, what genetic health tests are guaranteed and that the parents have been genetically health tested for at least hips, eye certified, patellas and DNA tested. Some breeders only guarantee against the one's you can, DNA test for...that they know the dog can never get...this means NOTHING! What you should see is a guarantee against genetic defects that don't allow the dog to function as a pet such as Hip and patella issues, blindness and other eyes issues.
BREEDS DOGS YOUNGER THAN TWO YEARS OF AGE
Unless there is extenuating circumstances (stud dog on death best or stud leaving the country etc) no dog should be bred younger than two years of age. This is because a dog can not have it's hips and patellascertified free of hip and patella problems by the OFA until that age and no Miniature Poodle should be bred until it passes both hip and patella testing.
CAN NOT PROVIDE YOU WITH PROOF OF MINIATURE POODLE SPECIFIC GENETIC HEALTH TESTING
A normal vet examination is NOT proof enough that a dog is healthy enough to breed. You need actual proof from specialists who have tested that dog for breed specific illnesses. For the MINIATURE POODLE they need HIP AND PATELLA passing certification from the OFA (Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals), an eye exam by a Canine Opthamologist resulting in a clear eye result from CAER, and a DNA test done for:
- Von Willebrand Disease Type I (VWF)
- Progressive Retinal Atrophy, prcd
- Progressive rod-cone degeneration (PRCD Exon 1)
- Neonatal Encephalopathy with Seizures, NEWS (ATF2)
- Congenital Macrothrombocytopenia
- (TUBB1 Exon 1, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Variant)
- GM2 Gangliosidosis (HEXB, Poodle Variant)
- Osteochondrodysplasia, Skeletal Dwarfism (SLC13A1)
- Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)
at minimum through one of the high quality DNA labs.
ALLOWS PUPS TO LEAVE PRIOR TO 8 WEEKS OF AGE
In many places this is straight up ILLEGAL. Pups will miss out on socialization with mother and littermate that will shape that dogs temperament for the rest of it's life. Further their immune systems are weaker and worming protocols are not complete. The longer the pup is left with the dam and littermate the better and will shape the pup for its entire lifetime.
IS SELLING YOU A PUPPY WITH NO VET INSPECTION NOR VACCINATIONS
The dog should have at least one vet inspection and first vaccinations before the dog is handed to you, at their expense. A breeder cannot hear HEART DEFECTS, only a vet can!!! Just because the pup is playing when it arrives does not mean it is healthy at all. They should give you proof, signed by a vet, with a vaccination and worming record with exact dates, medication and amounts. If they do not believe in vaccinations then they still should have proof of a vet examination and a clear bill of health.
TELLS YOU THAT YOU CAN BREED YOUR DOG THAT YOU PURCHASE FROM THEM NO QUESTIONS ASKED
Any Breeder with good lines will never allow just anyone to breed the dogs that they sell without first ensuring that they mentor you for a few years, teach you about the breed standards, how to asses breeding stock, what health screenings need to be completed, teach you how to read pedigrees, complete registration, show and groom the dog, how to whelp a litter, tube feed, bottle feed, make formula and much much more . Learning this takes many years and a good breeder will not sell you a dog for breeding purposes simply because you were willing to pay them more money. They are very picky about who gets to use their lines and whomever does needs to breed them with the utmost respect and with guidance from the breeder so that you do not cause irriplaceable damage to the lines.
SIGNS THAT A BREEDER IS A GOOD BREEDER:
GOOD MINIATURE POODLE BREEDERS ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT YOU, YOUR LIFESTYLE, AND HOME
Good breeders want to know that their pups are going to very good homes. They won't just sell to you simply because you have the money. Good Breeders want to make sure their pups have permanent homes and that they are given the attention, care and training they need. Good Breeders also offer help to their puppy owners for the life of the dog and want updates.
THEY SPEND MORE ON DOG SHOWS TO PROVE THEIR DOGS QUALITY THEN THEY WILL EVER MAKE FROM PUPPY SALES
Good breeders breed to preserve the line and improve on the breed, not to make money. It is VERY expensive to show, health test and care for dogs and that is what the money from puppy sales goes towards. Show campaign bills can run from $10.000 to $100,000 per year for ONE DOG! That is why good breeders can charge what they do for their pups. Bad breeders don't show and attempt to charge the same, undeservingly. Papers do not mean you can charge more. The dogs accolades in the show ring and genetic health are what determines the quality and price of the progeny.
GOOD BREEDERS KNOW THE PEDIGREES BEHIND THEIR DOGS VERY WELL
Not only do they know all the dogs in the pedigrees, what these dogs have won, their temperaments and also the results of their hereditary examinations but they know the breed type of each pedigree and the faults of each dog. Good Miniature Poodle Breeders strive to maintain breed type within they lines and the breed. They take breeding decisions very seriously and will go to all ends of the earth too ensure the dogs are matched to the very best possible stud/dam to create the best pups they possibly can.
THEY RAISE THEIR PUPS THE BEST
Good Miniature Poodle Breeders research non stop how to raise their pups. They are always expanding their knowledge about behaviour and development of pups to ensure that the pups are trained according to their age and socialized in a manner that allows them to be the best dogs they can be both as future show dogs and as family pets. Their development is recorded and Breeders are looking for new ways to be the best. Food and vaccination protocols are researched to ensure that the highest standards are met.
THEY HAVE SPAY/NEUTER AGREEMENTS AND REQUIREMENTS
A good Breeder always sells their dogs as PETS on a non-breeding agreement. The public who buys a dog as a pet must never breed that dog and most of the time must fix that dog by a certain age. This is because good Breeders do not want pet owners to just randomly and loosely start to breed dogs from their lines any which way without having the knowledge to breed dogs properly. It takes years of learning and research and mentorship before one is at a level where they should breed their first litter!
SOME FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW:
* Just because a breeder shows their dog's and has Champions DOES NOT mean that they are a good breeder! Showing dogs to a Championship title is a very minimal requirement of a good reputable breeder.
* Just because a breeder shows their dog's and has Champions DOES NOT mean that they are a good breeder! Showing dogs to a Championship title is a very minimal requirement of a good reputable breeder.
There are labels for the TWO types of breeders who have less than desirable practices and you will want to COMPLETELY avoid these breeders.
Back Yard Breeders - These Breeders can easily be confused with a Responsible Breeder, they are anything but! They often only breed one litter and take care of them in their homes but many breed multiple litters of one breed or of different breeds. They are still damaging to the breed in that many of these dogs have no papers (some do!) and often times the pups are a result of drastic inbreeding. Since many have no papers, thus NO pedigree (family tree) for the dogs, they have no way of knowing how closely related the dogs are nor a way of knowing if the are breeding from a line of unhealthy or bad tempered dogs, you cannot research a pedigree that does not exist! Much of temperament is GENETIC! They lack the knowledge to know if a dog is not sound structured or tempered, they will breed a shy dog or an unfocused dog as their standards are very low. They will breed a bad tempered dog if it will produce a colour that will sell and they will never tell you. Many of these breeders breed many "RARE COLOURS" that are not actually rare, responsible breeders simply avoid producing them due to the fact that "Parti poodles and Phantom Poodles are not able to be shown under the AKC and CKC rules, if you see any merle poodles they are not a true poodle, poodles do not carry the gene to be merle, the only way you get merle is by crossing a poodle with a dog that does carry the merle gene ie Australian Shepard therefore it is not a purebred poodle. These breeders can't help you when a genetic defect pop up as they probably know nothing about them and the fact that they are preventable with testing. Many do have genetic testing and they run DNA panels on the parents and claim they are "fully health tested" which is NOT true. The parents should also have OFA Hip, Patella, and Eye clearances! You can search the parent dogs registration names on the www.ofa.org website, to see what OFA testing was done on each parent! These pups are often born inside these breeders homes, sometimes even vetted and fed decent food, but that does not make up for anything and is not good enough. Often times you pay as much as a high quality puppy, often times you pay a few hundreds less because they don't have papers, or hundreds more for a poorly bred "rare coloured" dog. These people put very little into the pups, the minimum to charge the most that they can, and are just trying to make money off of them! Often they breed cross breeds or poodle cross mongrels. They often breed dogs that DO have authentic papers, or even worst HAVE FAKE PAPERS from the fraudulent registration bodies such as the WKC (World Kennel Club) or the CKC (Continental Kennel Club (NOT to be confused with the authentic CKC- Canadian Kennel Club)). These Breeders are responsible for many pups found in shelters (all the mix breeds are from BYB) as they sell pups and not only do they not require unwanted pups to be returned, they don't require owners to fix their pups, so those dogs go on to be bred again, and the next generation bred again, irresponsibly by owners who have no idea what they are doing.
Puppy Mills - Breed bitches back to back in lifted tiny cages. They have hundreds of dogs who they breed as much as possible and don't provide proper shelter, food, vet care, training or exercise to those dogs. They sell to pet stores and don't care where the pups they produce end up or whole they are sold to Most of the dogs they produce don't have papers but sometimes they do. They normally breed many different breeds of dogs and cross bred dogs. They market them online with cute pictures and terms such as:"Labradoodle" "Goldendoodle" "MaltiPoo" "YorkiePoo" (All of which are mongrels!) or "teacup yorkie", "silver labradors", "Merle Poodle", "Parti Poodle", "Phantom Poodle" and other such phrases, terms and labels to market the dog and make it sound more appealing so they can get the most money from naive buyers! DON'T fall for it!
Back Yard Breeders - These Breeders can easily be confused with a Responsible Breeder, they are anything but! They often only breed one litter and take care of them in their homes but many breed multiple litters of one breed or of different breeds. They are still damaging to the breed in that many of these dogs have no papers (some do!) and often times the pups are a result of drastic inbreeding. Since many have no papers, thus NO pedigree (family tree) for the dogs, they have no way of knowing how closely related the dogs are nor a way of knowing if the are breeding from a line of unhealthy or bad tempered dogs, you cannot research a pedigree that does not exist! Much of temperament is GENETIC! They lack the knowledge to know if a dog is not sound structured or tempered, they will breed a shy dog or an unfocused dog as their standards are very low. They will breed a bad tempered dog if it will produce a colour that will sell and they will never tell you. Many of these breeders breed many "RARE COLOURS" that are not actually rare, responsible breeders simply avoid producing them due to the fact that "Parti poodles and Phantom Poodles are not able to be shown under the AKC and CKC rules, if you see any merle poodles they are not a true poodle, poodles do not carry the gene to be merle, the only way you get merle is by crossing a poodle with a dog that does carry the merle gene ie Australian Shepard therefore it is not a purebred poodle. These breeders can't help you when a genetic defect pop up as they probably know nothing about them and the fact that they are preventable with testing. Many do have genetic testing and they run DNA panels on the parents and claim they are "fully health tested" which is NOT true. The parents should also have OFA Hip, Patella, and Eye clearances! You can search the parent dogs registration names on the www.ofa.org website, to see what OFA testing was done on each parent! These pups are often born inside these breeders homes, sometimes even vetted and fed decent food, but that does not make up for anything and is not good enough. Often times you pay as much as a high quality puppy, often times you pay a few hundreds less because they don't have papers, or hundreds more for a poorly bred "rare coloured" dog. These people put very little into the pups, the minimum to charge the most that they can, and are just trying to make money off of them! Often they breed cross breeds or poodle cross mongrels. They often breed dogs that DO have authentic papers, or even worst HAVE FAKE PAPERS from the fraudulent registration bodies such as the WKC (World Kennel Club) or the CKC (Continental Kennel Club (NOT to be confused with the authentic CKC- Canadian Kennel Club)). These Breeders are responsible for many pups found in shelters (all the mix breeds are from BYB) as they sell pups and not only do they not require unwanted pups to be returned, they don't require owners to fix their pups, so those dogs go on to be bred again, and the next generation bred again, irresponsibly by owners who have no idea what they are doing.
Puppy Mills - Breed bitches back to back in lifted tiny cages. They have hundreds of dogs who they breed as much as possible and don't provide proper shelter, food, vet care, training or exercise to those dogs. They sell to pet stores and don't care where the pups they produce end up or whole they are sold to Most of the dogs they produce don't have papers but sometimes they do. They normally breed many different breeds of dogs and cross bred dogs. They market them online with cute pictures and terms such as:"Labradoodle" "Goldendoodle" "MaltiPoo" "YorkiePoo" (All of which are mongrels!) or "teacup yorkie", "silver labradors", "Merle Poodle", "Parti Poodle", "Phantom Poodle" and other such phrases, terms and labels to market the dog and make it sound more appealing so they can get the most money from naive buyers! DON'T fall for it!
- ALWAYS PICK UP THE PHONE (after they already have your money!) and help you with your puppy or help you get help with training and medical issues. They should have the knowledge to help with socialization, training, grooming, behavioural issues, and almost anything to do with the dog and the breed.
- HEALTH TEST BOTH PARENTS OF YOUR PUPPY, genetic illness comes 50% from mom and 50% from dad. DO NOT take a breeder just saying to you that they were health tested, they should provide actual papers to you showing this OR send you a link to the official testing websites! One parent passing is NOT GOOD ENOUGH AT ALL, the grand parents tested is also NOT acceptable!!! MANY MANY BREEDERS LIE, or say "Parents health tested" and have only health tested them by running a DNA panel but not testing for hips as well, or vice versa or only getting them checked by a regular vet. This is a scam and in no way is that appropriate genetic health testing.
This is what an OFA hip/eye Certification looks like, anything else is FALSE!! <CLICK HERE>
- CARE ABOUT WHO GETS A PUP FROM THEM. They might ask you many questions and try to get to know you well. They will want to know if you have a job and a stable homes and want to know that everyone in your home agrees. They care that their pups go to good homes for life!
- WILL AGREE TO TAKE THE DOG BACK. In the case you can't keep the dog the Breeder should have in writing that you can return the dog to them if needed. They should never put the dog in a situation where it will end up in a shelter and they should do everything to prevent that!
- WILL PROVIDE VET INSPECTION, VACCINATIONS, DEWORMING AND A MICROCHIP TO EACH PUP. The breeder should provide all of that at their expense before you get your pup. It's part of what should be included with your puppy from a good breeder.
- REGISTER THE LITTER OF PUPS AND THEN HELP YOU REGISTER THE PUP INTO YOUR NAME. Must be either AKC Registered (American Kennel Club) or CKC Registered (Canadian Kennel Club)
- HAVE FED THE PUPS PREMIUM FOOD AND GIVE YOU FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS. They should not leave you in the dark and should try to help you transition the pup smoothly into your home! They should recommend foods that they have tested and tried and used successfully with their dogs.
- PROMISE TO HELP. They should promise to help you when needed, tell you to call them if you need to and be able to be helpful for your dogs WHOLE lifetime!
- THEY SHOULD HAVE A REASON FOR WHY THEY BRED ONE DOG TO THE OTHER. Good breeders breed CAREFULLY, they match parents depending on what kind of structure and temperaments the resulting pups will have. They know the breed standard well and breed for a dog that fits the standard to ensure the pups produced are quality within that breed. They only breed two dogs together who's pedigrees they have studied to ensure that the health and temperament behind the dogs and their parents, grand parents, and even great grand parents are SOUND and healthy and mentally stable! The result is a WELL BRED dog with the greatest chance of being healthy and sound, who is worth its weight in gold and worth a premium price.
- SPAY/NEUTER AGREEMENT. A good breeder always sells their dogs as PETS on a non-breeding agreement. So the public who buys a dog as a pet must never breed that dog and most of the time must fix that dog by a certain age. This is because good breeders do not want pet owners to just randomly and loosely start to breed dogs from their lines any which way without having the knowledge to breed dogs properly. It takes years of learning and research and mentorship before one is at a level where they should breed their first litter!
- PROVING THE QUALITY OF THEIR DOGS. All good Breeders do something to prove the quality of their dogs. Only dogs of the highest quality should be bred as there are so many badly bred dogs in shelters. A good Breeder competes in some sort of venue, event, sport with their dogs which proves the dogs worth. When they compete it costs the breeder THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of dollars a year to do so and that proves that they are not just in it for the money! The invest time and money into their dogs and they don't just breed non stop.
-THEY DON'T BREED FOR MONEY. A good breeder is not worried about making money rather than just trying to attempt to break even so that they can afford to pay all the health testing fees, dog food bills, show entires, show travel expenses, hotel fees, rental car fees, dog toy and treat costs, kennel/runs costs, gas, shampoo, equipment, emergency vet bills, c-sections, stud fees etc.
- HEALTH TEST BOTH PARENTS OF YOUR PUPPY, genetic illness comes 50% from mom and 50% from dad. DO NOT take a breeder just saying to you that they were health tested, they should provide actual papers to you showing this OR send you a link to the official testing websites! One parent passing is NOT GOOD ENOUGH AT ALL, the grand parents tested is also NOT acceptable!!! MANY MANY BREEDERS LIE, or say "Parents health tested" and have only health tested them by running a DNA panel but not testing for hips as well, or vice versa or only getting them checked by a regular vet. This is a scam and in no way is that appropriate genetic health testing.
This is what an OFA hip/eye Certification looks like, anything else is FALSE!! <CLICK HERE>
- CARE ABOUT WHO GETS A PUP FROM THEM. They might ask you many questions and try to get to know you well. They will want to know if you have a job and a stable homes and want to know that everyone in your home agrees. They care that their pups go to good homes for life!
- WILL AGREE TO TAKE THE DOG BACK. In the case you can't keep the dog the Breeder should have in writing that you can return the dog to them if needed. They should never put the dog in a situation where it will end up in a shelter and they should do everything to prevent that!
- WILL PROVIDE VET INSPECTION, VACCINATIONS, DEWORMING AND A MICROCHIP TO EACH PUP. The breeder should provide all of that at their expense before you get your pup. It's part of what should be included with your puppy from a good breeder.
- REGISTER THE LITTER OF PUPS AND THEN HELP YOU REGISTER THE PUP INTO YOUR NAME. Must be either AKC Registered (American Kennel Club) or CKC Registered (Canadian Kennel Club)
- HAVE FED THE PUPS PREMIUM FOOD AND GIVE YOU FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS. They should not leave you in the dark and should try to help you transition the pup smoothly into your home! They should recommend foods that they have tested and tried and used successfully with their dogs.
- PROMISE TO HELP. They should promise to help you when needed, tell you to call them if you need to and be able to be helpful for your dogs WHOLE lifetime!
- THEY SHOULD HAVE A REASON FOR WHY THEY BRED ONE DOG TO THE OTHER. Good breeders breed CAREFULLY, they match parents depending on what kind of structure and temperaments the resulting pups will have. They know the breed standard well and breed for a dog that fits the standard to ensure the pups produced are quality within that breed. They only breed two dogs together who's pedigrees they have studied to ensure that the health and temperament behind the dogs and their parents, grand parents, and even great grand parents are SOUND and healthy and mentally stable! The result is a WELL BRED dog with the greatest chance of being healthy and sound, who is worth its weight in gold and worth a premium price.
- SPAY/NEUTER AGREEMENT. A good breeder always sells their dogs as PETS on a non-breeding agreement. So the public who buys a dog as a pet must never breed that dog and most of the time must fix that dog by a certain age. This is because good breeders do not want pet owners to just randomly and loosely start to breed dogs from their lines any which way without having the knowledge to breed dogs properly. It takes years of learning and research and mentorship before one is at a level where they should breed their first litter!
- PROVING THE QUALITY OF THEIR DOGS. All good Breeders do something to prove the quality of their dogs. Only dogs of the highest quality should be bred as there are so many badly bred dogs in shelters. A good Breeder competes in some sort of venue, event, sport with their dogs which proves the dogs worth. When they compete it costs the breeder THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of dollars a year to do so and that proves that they are not just in it for the money! The invest time and money into their dogs and they don't just breed non stop.
-THEY DON'T BREED FOR MONEY. A good breeder is not worried about making money rather than just trying to attempt to break even so that they can afford to pay all the health testing fees, dog food bills, show entires, show travel expenses, hotel fees, rental car fees, dog toy and treat costs, kennel/runs costs, gas, shampoo, equipment, emergency vet bills, c-sections, stud fees etc.
Read this well written article comparing the differences between a Responsible Professional Breeder versus a Back Yard Breeder. Learn the difference!
<CLICK HERE>
<CLICK HERE>