Poodle Breeding "Primer" thread...

[T o d d]

Anyone want to generate a list of commonly asked breeding questions / knowledge and put together a Poodle Breeding Primer for the forum? It will be stickied here so it can be referenced when people ask the common breeding questions, or are interested in breeding

Post up or PM me to discuss.
-Todd

[cbrand]

Some thoughts....

Breeding is a great responsibility. The world already has enough unwanted dogs in it. If someone is going to breed, they should be making an effort to bring exceptionally high quality dogs into the world.

That said, I believe that breeding stock needs to be proven in some way. It is not enough to say, "Fluffy is a wonderful dog". As a breeder, you should have to prove that Fluffy has characteristics that are worthy of being carried on. I believe that this is done through some sort of titling process.

Showing a Poodle in conformation is a way to have a judge independently evaluate structure, movement and to some extent temperament. Conformation showing has to be done in a credible enough venue that it actually means something. In my opinion an AKC Championship or a UKC Grand Championship hold weight, but a regular UKC or and International Championship don't. I know that won't be a very popular opinion with folks who show in UKC, but I have seen very poor quality dogs get a UKC championship in a couple of weekends beating only a couple of dogs.

Showing a dog in Performance is another option. Obedience, agility, Rally, hunt, tracking etc all show that a poodle has good athleticism and a desire to work for and with its people. Again, though, a breeder has something to prove and she should really pursue higher level titles before breeding her poodles. Example... Rally is fun, but a RN title is not something I would breed a dog on.

If someone does not have the time to put titles on their breeding stock, why do they have time to breed and whelp a litter? There are other things to do with bitches than fill their uteruses.

[cbrand]

Next....

If one is going to breed poodles, one needs to be knowledgeable about the breed: what is correct structure and temperament... what health issues do poodles have... what genetic issues come into play.

Recently we had someone post asking what color her puppies will be and what pre-breeding testing she should do. This person is a long way off from being ready to breed. We could tell her that her puppies will most likely be solid black since a black&white parti is genetically black and we can give her a list of tests to run, but this does not begin to scratch the surface of what she needs to know.

There is so much to learn. The best way to go about it is to get a mentor who currently has a successful breeding/training program. I would recommend joining a local poodle club. It helps to read breed specific magazines such as Poodle Variety and Poodle Review. They have many wonderful articles on breeding, genetics, health, training and grooming. I also think anyone interested in breeding should also start hanging around breed and performance shows to see the quality of dog that other people are breeding.

[Cdnjennga]

Hey Todd, this is a good idea, but what about a poodle buying stickie as well? A list of what the first time puppy buyer should be looking for when looking for their poodle? Or questions they should ask any breeder they're considering?