lfdio

I am a complete dog newbie and I am hoping to get some concrete advice how to find a standard poodle puppy in my area (San Francisco Bay). I just started the search a few weeks ago; maybe that's not a long enough time, but I am confused and frustrated at this point. On one side of the spectrum I have found "breeders" that sell their dogs online, on the other side there are breeders of national champions (listed on the PCA breeder referral page) which seems a little over the top. They do not talk much about their dogs temperament on their web pages; it's all about looks. Is there anything in between?
What I want: We are looking for a physically and mentally healthy family pet. We have no intention to show, so inconsequential deviations from the standard, like a head that does not have ideal proportions, does not matter to us. We do not want a dog with a "functional" handicap, like underbite, though. Since I am not an expert, I need to be able to trust the breeder to point out "flaws" to me. The main reason we are looking for a puppy from a breeder instead of adopting an adult from a shelter or rescue is that we have children and cats, and I believe chances that all get along are greatest when the puppy is introduced at a young age.
So.... can anybody recommend from first hand experience a down-to-earth, reputable (meaning treats their dogs well) breeder of standard poodles within 200 miles from San Francisco? I know of the PCA breeder list. Are there other honest breeders around who focus on temperament rather than beauty?
Thank you in advance.

neVar

Hey- here's a link to a rough copy of an article i wrote up for a rescue here o fidig a good breeder.
http://www.ravenwoodaussies.com/resp...%20breeder.pdf

brownlikewoah

Look into marquis diamond standard poodles, and desert reef (may be too far out of your way, but her dogs are beautiful!) I got my girl from genteel standard poodles and she is located outside of redding

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TheBigRoo

I definitely recommend Desert Reef Poodles and Divine Standard Poodles. I too live in San Francisco so I'd be looking in the same places. Both our dogs Samson and Luna come from Divine poodles and Samson's father is a Desert Reef dog. They are absolutely wonderful pups with amazing personalities, very healthy so far, and to top it off, they're also both very beautiful. Both Desert Reef and Divine are heavily invested in the health and temperaments of their dogs from what I've experienced. I don't have personal experience with Marquis Diamond, but I hear good things there, too.

lfdio

Thank you for your suggestions, brownlikewoah and TheBigRoo. It is very helpful to hear about others' experiences with particular breeders.
TheBigRoo: I looked up Divine Poodles and found they are near San Diego. Did you pick up your dogs per car, or did you have them flown to you?

TheBigRoo

We picked up our dogs up by car, but at the time, the breeder was located in Aromas which is a little before Carmel. It was a couple hour drive from San Francisco but very pleasant. A drive to the San Diego area would be significantly longer of course, but still very possible. I'm pretty sure Divine will ship puppies too, especially if they're just going upstate.

We like to physically visit the breeder and puppies if we can prior to deciding.

ArreauStandardPoodle

I second the Marquis Diamond suggestion, and Florence Graham of Graphic Poodles is also in CA and she has gorgeous silvers and apricots. She does not have a web site.

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lfdio

Thank you for all the suggestions.I have a good set of places to start at now. Cabernet is also very close to my location. Does anybody have experience with them? Have you checked them out, but decided to get your poodle from somebody else? What is their reputation?
Many thanks in advance!

schnauzerpoodle

Cabernet is really good. I have seen a few Cabernet dogs and I know someone who owns one and only has good thing to say about them. You should definitely call Mary and arrange a visit to her dogs.

spindledreams

I love seeing the photos of the Marquis Diamond puppies and dogs on Facebook. Especially the ones of them at work in the field or learning about wings.