[jcarl]

I got a Bar None standard female just over 3 years ago. She is the best dog, and we decided very quickly we would only have standard poodles from now on. When we got her, my grandmother lived with us and had a maltipoo and a jack russell terrier mix. We also had a blood hound. Those 3 dogs were nothing but headaches-particularly the blood hound and jack russell terrier. My grandmother passed, and her dogs have gone to live with her sister. We lost our blood hound about a month ago. He was a pain in our rears every day of his life, but we loved him. He was Fiona's (my standard) BFF. So, in the past several months, we have gone from 4 dogs to 1. Since Bruno's (bloodhound) been gone, Fiona has not been herself. I've wanted another poodle since we got her, but made an agreement with my husband we would not get another dog while we had Bruno. Now that he is gone, I am itching for another poodle, and I really think Fiona needs a doggie friend.

While I am very happy with my Bar None poodle, my husband does not want to make that drive again. Especially since baby Fiona got car sick the whole way home (7 hours). I am not very picky on colors, but would prefer a reputable breeder within 2 hours of home. We are 2 hours east of Dallas and 1 hour west of Shreveport. My hubby works in Bossier every day. Can anyone recommend a breeder near Dallas, Terrell, Tyler, Lindale, Texarkana, Shreveport, Bossier, Monroe?? Looking to add a puppy in January or February.

 

[Johanna]

Contact Betty Brown (713-305-0120) and ask who she recommends in your area. Betty lives northwest of Houston, but she knows reputable breeders all around Texas and Louisiana.

However . . . right now it's really hard to find a pure-bred dog of any breed due to COVID. People have not been able to travel to breed their females to the stud dog of their choosing. Many just do not want to deal with all the complications that COVID is causing such as veterinarian visits. So you may not be able to find a dog right away, but rest assured that there are some very nice standard poodles in your area of Texas.

 

[cowpony]

Joanna makes a very good point about the Covid situation reducing puppy availability. Being flexible about color, distance, and so forth increases your chances of getting a puppy sooner.

 

[jcarl]

Wow! I had not even thought of that! I called Betty Brown, but got voicemail. I originally wanted one of hers. My husband works in Houston occasionally....maybe he could stop and get me one. Has anyone heard of Poetry Poodles in Terrell, TX?

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Wow! I had not even thought of that! I called Betty Brown, but got voicemail. I originally wanted one of hers. My husband works in Houston occasionally....maybe he could stop and get me one. Has anyone heard of Poetry Poodles in Terrell, TX?

The way things are going with covid, hopefully you can be on a waitlist by Jan/Feb. And you never know - sometimes puppies become unexpectedly available. It might go faster than you think.

I'd not heard of Poetry Poodles, but I'm really liking their Facebook page! The grooming and socializing makes me happy.

 

[scooterscout99]

I saved this list of Texas breeders posted on my favorite's Facebook page. There are many small breeders that aren't mentioned on PF that still may be reliable sources.

 

[Eclipse]

I got a Bar None standard female just over 3 years ago. She is the best dog, and we decided very quickly we would only have standard poodles from now on. When we got her, my grandmother lived with us and had a maltipoo and a jack russell terrier mix. We also had a blood hound. Those 3 dogs were nothing but headaches-particularly the blood hound and jack russell terrier. My grandmother passed, and her dogs have gone to live with her sister. We lost our blood hound about a month ago. He was a pain in our rears every day of his life, but we loved him. He was Fiona's (my standard) BFF. So, in the past several months, we have gone from 4 dogs to 1. Since Bruno's (bloodhound) been gone, Fiona has not been herself. I've wanted another poodle since we got her, but made an agreement with my husband we would not get another dog while we had Bruno. Now that he is gone, I am itching for another poodle, and I really think Fiona needs a doggie friend.

While I am very happy with my Bar None poodle, my husband does not want to make that drive again. Especially since baby Fiona got car sick the whole way home (7 hours). I am not very picky on colors, but would prefer a reputable breeder within 2 hours of home. We are 2 hours east of Dallas and 1 hour west of Shreveport. My hubby works in Bossier every day. Can anyone recommend a breeder near Dallas, Terrell, Tyler, Lindale, Texarkana, Shreveport, Bossier, Monroe?? Looking to add a puppy in January or February.

Truthfully, if you are very happy with your current dog from Bar None and comfortable with the breeder I would not let something like a 7 hour drive stop me. In the grand scheme of things and the amount of time you will spend with your new pup over its lifetime, 14 hours is like.....nothing. Even if your new puppy gets carsick on the way home it would have no bearing on my decision to work again with a breeder I know and trust. Lots of dogs get carsick as pups, especially on their first long car trip.... I fly to get my pups from my breeder (Standards) and bring them home in cabin because I have had wonderful experiences with the dogs I've gotten from her. As long as she is still breeding when I'm ready for my next puppy I will get another from her in a heartbeat and the flight is inconsequential.

If your husband is not willing to make the trip, perhaps you can ask a good friend to come along with you and make the trip yourself. That way you can take turns driving if need be and whoever is not driving is free to help with the puppy if needed. You could even stay overnight the day you pick the puppy up if you are not comfortable making the trip there and back in one day and make the return trip the following day....

 

[Poodles_Rule]

Lots of dogs get carsick as pups, especially on their first long car trip.... I fly to get my pups from my breeder (Standards) and bring them home in cabin because I have had wonderful experiences with the dogs I've gotten from her. As long as she is still breeding when I'm ready for my next puppy I will get another from her in a heartbeat and the flight is inconsequential.

Hello Eclipse! I will be picking up our male Standard Poodle puppy in Medford, OR the first week of January. He will have just turned 9 weeks old.
The plan is to fly up (from San Diego) and then drive back, stopping for one night. Initially, I thought we could fly up AND fly back, but my concern was the puppy would be too big to fit in a carrier that goes underneath the seat. Plus I believe some regulations have changed with certain airlines. Not to mention the whole Covid situation and having to wear masks 24/7, etc. so I thought driving back would be better but did question the long ride for the puppy AND having to stay in a hotel.
My question for you is: What is your experience with the size/age of your Standards that you've brought home in cabin? Anything you can share would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you

 

[Eclipse]

Hello Eclipse! I will be picking up our male Standard Poodle puppy in Medford, OR the first week of January. He will have just turned 9 weeks old.
The plan is to fly up (from San Diego) and then drive back, stopping for one night. Initially, I thought we could fly up AND fly back, but my concern was the puppy would be too big to fit in a carrier that goes underneath the seat. Plus I believe some regulations have changed with certain airlines. Not to mention the whole Covid situation and having to wear masks 24/7, etc. so I thought driving back would be better but did question the long ride for the puppy AND having to stay in a hotel.
My question for you is: What is your experience with the size/age of your Standards that you've brought home in cabin? Anything you can share would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you

Mine were 9 weeks when I brought them home. I have bitches, so perhaps a bit smaller than a male at that age. I had no problems with fitting them "mostly" under the seat in front of me in the carry bag but don't know if they are being stricter than usual in these times. Because I knew we were flying home in cabin, I shipped my carry bag to my breeder a couple weeks prior to pick up and she got my puppy used to it so it was not foreign to her on the day of the flight. I also purchased waterproof liners for the bag to go under the bedding. My second pup actually spent most of the day in the airport because my connecting flight was canceled and instead of the 45-minute layover I had booked for, we wound up spending an extra 5 hours in the airport until I could get on another flight. We went outside several times to potty and she got great exposure to the sights and sounds of a busy airport LOL.... I had taken a knapsack with me to the airport in case of any scenarios so I had a collapsible bowl, plenty of water, a few snacks (didn't want to feed too much of anything pre-flight) some toys, extra bedding, etc. It was a long day, but she was fine. Slept like a trooper on both flights and never made a peep.

It will certainly be harder to fly home now with all the new restrictions. I don't know your comfort level with Covid as well. I take precautions like masking, hand sanitizing, etc. of course, but am not crazed about being out in public and am still going to the stores, dog shows, etc. Others prefer to mostly never leave their home....

As to motels now, again, depends on your comfort level in staying in one in current times as well. I've stayed in them a number of times over the past months for dog shows and have had no problems. I bring Lysol wipes with me and go in masked and disinfect the room before I bring the dogs or my stuff in...wipe down light switches, faucets, phone, TV remote, tabletop surfaces, etc. Then go in and stay in the room and avoid all common hotel areas. I only go out to pick up dinner (dogs come with me). I've stayed in hotels with young puppies without issue. If you drive back, I would suggest asking the breeder to purchase a crate for you that the puppy can travel in while in the car for safety and that way you will also have it for the puppy in the motel. She can get the pup used to being in the crate before travel as well. I don't normally crate my dogs in hotel rooms as they are older (I bring a blanket to put over the hotel bedding because they come up on the bed with me and sleep there overnight and I don't want them to get anything like wet pawprints from walking, etc. on the hotel bedding) but when I have traveled with a young pup I couldn't trust not to chew anything or have accidents on the floor, I crated them at night for their safety and my peace of mind. I always have clean up stuff with me of course, dogs are dogs and can have an accident, unexpected upset stomach, etc. but it's not the norm with grown dogs.

If you fly and drive, I would also highly recommend bringing someone with you. That way they can keep an eye on the puppy while you drive even if in a crate (and split driving time).

 

[Poodles_Rule]

Mine were 9 weeks when I brought them home. I have bitches, so perhaps a bit smaller than a male at that age. I had no problems with fitting them "mostly" under the seat in front of me in the carry bag but don't know if they are being stricter than usual in these times. Because I knew we were flying home in cabin, I shipped my carry bag to my breeder a couple weeks prior to pick up and she got my puppy used to it so it was not foreign to her on the day of the flight. I also purchased waterproof liners for the bag to go under the bedding. My second pup actually spent most of the day in the airport because my connecting flight was canceled and instead of the 45-minute layover I had booked for, we wound up spending an extra 5 hours in the airport until I could get on another flight. We went outside several times to potty and she got great exposure to the sights and sounds of a busy airport LOL.... I had taken a knapsack with me to the airport in case of any scenarios so I had a collapsible bowl, plenty of water, a few snacks (didn't want to feed too much of anything pre-flight) some toys, extra bedding, etc. It was a long day, but she was fine. Slept like a trooper on both flights and never made a peep.

It will certainly be harder to fly home now with all the new restrictions. I don't know your comfort level with Covid as well. I take precautions like masking, hand sanitizing, etc. of course, but am not crazed about being out in public and am still going to the stores, dog shows, etc. Others prefer to mostly never leave their home....

As to motels now, again, depends on your comfort level in staying in one in current times as well. I've stayed in them a number of times over the past months for dog shows and have had no problems. I bring Lysol wipes with me and go in masked and disinfect the room before I bring the dogs or my stuff in...wipe down light switches, faucets, phone, TV remote, tabletop surfaces, etc. Then go in and stay in the room and avoid all common hotel areas. I only go out to pick up dinner (dogs come with me). I've stayed in hotels with young puppies without issue. If you drive back, I would suggest asking the breeder to purchase a crate for you that the puppy can travel in while in the car for safety and that way you will also have it for the puppy in the motel. She can get the pup used to being in the crate before travel as well. I don't normally crate my dogs in hotel rooms as they are older (I bring a blanket to put over the hotel bedding because they come up on the bed with me and sleep there overnight and I don't want them to get anything like wet pawprints from walking, etc. on the hotel bedding) but when I have traveled with a young pup I couldn't trust not to chew anything or have accidents on the floor, I crated them at night for their safety and my peace of mind. I always have clean up stuff with me of course, dogs are dogs and can have an accident, unexpected upset stomach, etc. but it's not the norm with grown dogs.

If you fly and drive, I would also highly recommend bringing someone with you. That way they can keep an eye on the puppy while you drive even if in a crate (and split driving time).

Thank you for such an amazing, detailed reply with priceless information!!! We are a lot alike when it comes to the disinfecting part and not being crazed about being out in public. LOL
At this point, we are definitely driving back. I was going to ship a crate to the breeder beforehand but she said to just borrow one of her puppy crates for the trip home and ship it back to her. I will have someone with me on the trip.

Regarding [pet friendly] motels, should I be concerned about other dogs having been in the room? I've never traveled far to get a puppy before so want to be sure I do everything right when it comes to the health of the puppy. I've read that some people put a pee pad down even outside during stops on the way home- I was wondering if I should do the same thing outside at the motel and/or inside the motel room. I thought maybe I could bring a sheet and lay it on the floor and then put the crate on top of the sheet! We're bringing a Snuggle Puppy with us for the trip home....which I will put in the crate at night...is there anything else other than that and a blanket on top of a pee pad that I should have in there for during the night? Wondering if I will have to get up in the middle of the night and take him out?

Also- I believe I will be bringing food from the breeder with me...I need to figure out the feeding schedule for the drive home as well.

Thank you again!