About Us - Continued

My current breeding program is a mix of out-crossing and line-breeding. This produces consistency in conformation and temperament while adding genetic diversity which has been shown in recent studies to improve the health of our dogs. My pet puppy prices are on the higher-end because:

I show my dogs to get continuous approval on my breeding

I do all the health testing striving for the healthiest puppies possible

I put in extraordinary time, effort and money into my puppies resulting in the best temperaments!!!

While I do everything I can to ensure my puppies are as sound as possible, defective genes that can produce health problems reside in all animals. Any breeder saying their dogs have never produced health/genetic problems is not telling the truth. The important part of breeding is what a breeder does to reduce the risk of problems and what the breeder does when they occur anyway!!!

"Defective genes were not created by breeders. They are due to mutations, bottlenecking and founders effects in the development of breeds." Jerold Bell, D.V.M., Canine Genetic Counselor, Enfield, Conn."

This statement emphasizes that even the best bred dog can get a health disorder. To minimize risks, I choose good dogs to breed. The dam and sire must be compatible for conformation, temperament and health. I research dogs and analyze pedigrees looking at the ancestors of the puppy-to-be and what health concerns there may be.

I run tests for Thyroid; Sebaceous Adenitis skin disease; inheritable eye diseases, hip displaysia and VonWillebrand's bleeding disorder. VWd is the only test that determines if the dog carries the gene. All of my dogs are DNA-clear of this disease so a puppy cannot get it or carry the gene. The other tests are diagnostic and tell you only that the dog does not have the problem at the time of testing -- it does not tell you if the dog carries the genes that can produce them. There are no tests, however, for other disorders that Standard Poodles can get, such as Addison's or Cushing's disease (adrenal gland) or other autoimmune diseases. Again, that's where a good breeder comes into play. I may know that my dog is clear of a problem, but I also want to know the risks when breeding to another dog. Unfortunately, even with good breeding selections and health testing, some puppies will develop a health problem. As a good breeder, I do the best I can and then hope for the best as well. Studies have proven that some autoimmune problems can be triggered by environmental factors as well as genetics, therefore, I cannot guarantee everything!!!

My dogs have never had crippling hip dysplaysia or severe eye problems. There have been few cases of autoimmune diseases -- very few -- because of the testing I do and the breeding decisions I make.

I breed a dog only if I know information for at least four generations and routinely, I know much more.

"Back-yard breeders" and puppy mills both charge very low prices because they produce many, many puppies, don't show their dogs or do health testing. They keep a puppy to breed it whether or not it matures into a worthy specimen of the breed. And, even more unfortunately, they over-breed their dogs -- often until they die from trying to whelp a litter and keep them in poor conditions.

One purpose of showing your dog to a conformation Championship is to determine if it is worthy for breeding.

In contrast, I show most of my breeding dogs. It is not easy to finish a dog and one that has earned an AKC Championship has competed against many dogs to do so. This is different from CKC or UKC championships where they can compete against very few dogs and still become a champion. I have a goal to have at least 85% of my breeding dogs finished to their AKC Championships because then I know I am continuing to breed and select dogs worthy of breeding and continue to have a "good eye" for a good dog.

But, its not just about health. You want a dog you are happy to live with.

While health is extremely important, so is conformation and temperament. Conformation refers to how a dog is put together. There is an AKC breed standard that good breeders strive for -- and good dogs meet as closely as possible in order to achieve championships. Besides providing the dog with beauty, proper conformation provides the dog with correct body structure -- bone, muscling, etc. You can see the difference in how a dog moves. I get comments all the time about how my dogs are so agile and athletic and move with beauty and grace -- that's good conformation at work. And, it makes a difference in how well a dog ages.

And temperament -- I live with several Standard Poodles. They all live in the house with me without tearing it up, soiling in it or being overly rowdy and they all get along (except my stud dogs since they are competitive for the girls!!!). This also starts with good breeding. In my boarding business I see some that have serious temperament issues -- very nervous or timid, hyper or aggressive. None of that is acceptable or necessary and you will never find that here. My puppies are the sweetest, most loving you can find and they are smart. And my dogs are a good all-round poodle - not bred for just one aspect but for all poodle traits -- they are out there hunting, as service and therapy dogs, earning obedience, agility and rally titles as well as conformation championships. I can give you a list of happy owners.

You pay more upfront for one of my puppies but most assuredly far less over time and You get a dog that is a pleasure to live with.

You get a dog bred for Minimized Health risks, Beauty, Brains and a Great Temperament.

What you get from my breeding program is a dog you will ADORE!!!!!