[WonderPup]

ROFL, now that explains a lot

I think the temperments of the litter really depends on the temperments of the parents. I'm pretty sure it's a myth that different colors have different temperments, a poodle is a poodle.

Ahhh, so thats why I have so many crazy poodles grooms... their parents are crazy. Oh wait, I guess you ment the four legged parents not the two legged ones on the other end of the leash. Black is the most popular poodle color here in standards, Apricot followed closely by black, in minis and toys so here they are the craziest by default. At least amongst my clients.

Come to think of it, I actualy don't even have a standard client who ISN'T black now. I used to have a cream but I think something happened to him. Most of the time these days if client see's Jazz or Saleen it's the first time they've ever even seen a Cream or a Silver in person. I had one chocolate and one silver when I worked at a petsomthing few years ago but other than that they've all been black.

Hummm, most of the poodles in this area are comming from a breeder here in the area, so that might just account for the temperment.

 

[WonderPup]

on a more serious note I don't think temperment is 100% heriditary though it does play a big role in it. I think a puppy can be predisposed to certain traits but some depends too on enviromental factors which together add up to how a puppy's temperment develops. Who is to say that those shy puppies out of such and such line are shy b/c of the way they are raised. Who can say that the ones born outside in other "kennels" are not shy-ish because of how the dam acts? I think puppies do pick up on things by observation as do adult dogs. There is a therory out there with some behaviorist that all behavior is learned, the first bark just happens but every bark after that is a learned behavior based on the first time. A puppies temperment is the base of it's future behaviors so how can one be 100% sure that the tendancy towards certain temperment traits is not also to a slight degree learned?

I think it's such an interesting topic to me, I could sit here and read about stuff like this all night (except I have to get up and judge 4-H exibits in the morning lol)

All that said I do think stupidity gets passed down... we "borrowed" a stud dog from Scotland for a year and every single one of the puppies he sired, I think there are five litter total - we stored him before he left, here in the states is and sorry there is no way to sugar coat it amazingly dumb in that goofy I ment to do that sort of way. They are also get on your nerves sweet. When a fellow breeder was told my another breeder that Gable pups were just well different temperment wise she couldn't beleive it and pested my mother and I for months to explain. At that point we'd only had the one litter out of him and there were two others on the ground from people who had used him. I was at a loss as how to explain it so she could understand. The puppies, every last one of them, is that wiggly and happy and in your lap 24/7 but can't figure out how to jump up on the couch like the other FIVE dogs in the hosuehold. I used to joke that with the bloodline we were working with in tibz that intelligence skipped a generation. The father of our foundation stud super smart, Ike our first boy - not so much, Howie his son Super smart, Howie puppies Not so much, (with the exception maybe of Mr. Wonderful? Jury is still out on him). We did a line breeding several years ago for a specific purpose and used one "not so much" generation bred back to another "not so much" We got Super Puppy, scary smart. Thankgod there was only one in the litter.