OUR GOAL
"Whatever you do, do it well."
"Do it so well that when people see you do it they will want to come back and see you do it again and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do."
~Walt Disney
In order to succeed in what you do you need to know what you are trying to accomplish. A good Miniature Poodle Breeder has the goal of breeding that "perfect" dog and each breeding is done with the hope to get as close to what they feel is as perfect as possible. If you want a certain look and temperament then you need to find a breeder who breeds specifically with those goals in mind.
Structural
I aim to breed a dog that is structurally sound, in size (under 15 inches) and that has lots of miniature poodle breed type. To me this is a dog that is well angulated both in the front and in the rear. A correct poodle has strong, smoothly muscled shoulders. With the shoulder blade well laid back and approximately the same length as the upper forearm. Upper arm is extremely important and something I feel is severely lacking in the breed in North America currently. I want a well proportioned head moderately rounded, with a slight but definite stop. Cheekbones and muscles flat. Length from occiput to stop about the same as length of muzzle. The neck should be well proportioned, strong and long enough to permit the head to be carried high and with dignity. With the skin snug at throat. The neck rises from strong, smoothly muscled shoulders. Miniature Poodles should have a well sprung rib cage. The chest should be about the height of the elbows and the dog should be square, to insure the desirable squarely built appearance, the length of body measured from the breastbone to the point of the rump approximates the height from the highest point of the shoulders to the ground. The topline is level, neither sloping nor roached, from the highest point of the shoulder blade to the base of the tail, with the exception of a slight hollow just behind the shoulder it should not bounce when the dog is moving and movement should be a straightforward trot with light springy action and strong hindquarters drive. Head and tail carried up. Sound effortless movement is essential. The tail set is straight, set on high and carried up, docked of sufficient length to insure a balanced outline. Loin should be short, and muscular. Rear angulation of the hindquarters balances that of the forequarters. Hind legs should be straight and parallel when viewed from the rear. Muscular with width in the region of the stifles which are well bent; femur and tibia are about equal in length; hock to heel short and perpendicular to the ground. When standing, the rear toes are only slightly behind the point of the rump. Pinbone protruding behind and below the set on of tail to give a well-defined buttock. Dog should easily stand four square when free stacked.
Temperament
I aim for a dog that not only carries himself proudly (the Poodle should have an air of distinction and dignity peculiar to himself), is very active, and intelligent, but is also loyal and loves their owners, a dog that makes it's family its first priority. I aim to breed dogs who are not scared of anything and who are not noise sensitive. I aim for a dog that is not people, nor dog aggressive. Most of my dogs go to homes as family pets and as such I want them the thrive in that environment.
Health
We breed only fully health tested dogs from lines that have also been health tested to ensure that my dogs come from many many many generations of dogs who have passed all genetic and physical breed specific testing. In addition I try to breed to lines that have been proven to have long longevity. I know they can't live forever but we strive to make sure our dogs live as long as possible!
Beneath the hair is a dog.
This dog is a moderate dog.
This dog is a square dog (pro sternum to pin bone x point of shoulder to ground)
This dog should have forechest, spring of rib and substance.
This dog is so much more than a fancy haircut.
~Umbra Poodles~
