[vca1992]

I was researching reputable klein/moyen poodle breeders in the US and Karbit Poodles came accross as highly regarded.

I was looking to see where they are located and when searching both Google and this forum, I'm getting mixed results. I see they could be in Reno Nevada or Killeen Texas. Are there two breeders with the same name? If so, which is which? Which is the one that's regarded for their klein/moyen poodles?

Or, is it the same person and they move from Texas to Nevada or Nevada to Texas?

I looked on what I think is their website, it has a Reno phone number but they don't explicitly say where they're at:
Karbit Poodles Website

 

[NaturalPoodle]

I believe they moved from Nevada to Texas and just didn't update their information everywhere, but I may be wrong. The owner Karin Benker is usually good at replying to email in my experience, so a quick message would clear that up.

Unless someone else can confirm what I wrote

 

[cowpony]

I think both are the same person. She has or had another business involving reptiles.

 

[vca1992]

Thanks for this information. Unfortunate for me that they moved to TX, I'm in northern CA, Reno would have been convenient.

 

[cowpony]

I believe Ash's Mystical is located in Las Vegas.

 

[vca1992]

I believe Ash's Mystical is located in Las Vegas.

I'll keep them in mind, there's a few in CA, NV, OR, and WA I came accross for standards and miniatures but, I was mainly looking at Karbit's due to them having 'true' moyen poodles. I was leaning towards a standard poodle but, finding apartments that allow dogs 40lb+ is a lot harder. A moyen would be a nice compromise when I kind of wanted something larger than a miniature but, still not too large where apartments become difficult to find.

 

[NaturalPoodle]

I am in a similar boat. I wanted a standard, being a big dog person, but my condo allows only up to 25lbs. So I looked at moyens as the next best thing. Over time and lots of research however, I've come to look forward to a miniature size which is unusual for me. I only ever pictured myself with bigger dogs, but finding a reputable breeder of minis which are sound in structure and temperament is a lot easier than moyens. Karbits is the only one I would trust here in North America. She may ship if that would be an option for you.

 

[NaturalPoodle]

I like to travel, and some members with minis are able to travel with theirs in flight, which became attractive to me. Plus the ability to have them more tolerated on errands or at my feet at a cafe... Makes a mini more suitable to my lifestyle.
Just some pluses of the miniature size to consider. There are some beautiful ones out there that look like shrunk down standards.

 

[vca1992]

I personally don't like the idea of shipping a dog. If I were to try and find a dog through them, I'd sooner make the ~24hr drive, I don't mind long drives but, it'd be a bit of undertaking driving 2-3 days with a puppy.

I'm not completely opposed to a miniature. I am mainly looking for a hiking/backpacking companion and a miniature would likely keep up even for 15+ miles a day but, I also snowshoe in winter and I wasn't sure how well a shorter dog would do in deep snow.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I personally don't like the idea of shipping a dog. If I were to try and find a dog through them, I'd sooner make the ~24hr drive, I don't mind long drives but, it'd be a bit of undertaking driving 2-3 days with a puppy.

I'm not completely opposed to a miniature. I am mainly looking for a hiking/backpacking companion and a miniature would likely keep up even for 15+ miles a day but, I also snowshoe in winter and I wasn't sure how well a shorter dog would do in deep snow.

You're right - a mini will struggle in deep snow. But where we snowshoe, our 22.5" spoo couldn't manage either. (To be honest, I don't think she'd be comfortable hiking 15+ miles either, but we've purposely not conditioned her to that degree.)

If I needed to stay under a certain weight limit, I would be very hesitant to go above a mini. What if your poodle goes oversize? Eek! That would be such a nightmare.

 

[vca1992]

You're right - a mini will struggle in deep snow. But where we snowshoe, our 22.5" spoo couldn't manage either. (To be honest, I don't think she'd be comfortable hiking 15+ miles either, but we've purposely not conditioned her to that degree.)

If I needed to stay under a certain weight limit, I would be very hesitant to go above a mini. What if your poodle goes oversize? Eek! That would be such a nightmare.

30-40lb would be the cutoff where rental options become limited, at least where I'm at, by all indications the average mini or moyen shouldn't go beyond that? I work from home full time, so If I truly had to relocate, it wouldn't be the end of the world, it'd just be less desireable.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

30-40lb would be the cutoff where rental options become limited, at least where I'm at, by all indications the average mini or moyen shouldn't go beyond that? I work from home full time, so If I truly had to relocate, it wouldn't be the end of the world, it'd just be less desireable.

You'd be fine with a mini, but I can see an American "moyen" going over 30 lbs, especially if they're really breeding small standards (or standards with minis).

Peggy's the exact height and weight we expected, but that's not always the case. That's why I generally tell folks with a maximum height or weight in mind to err on the smaller side and go down a size. My poor aunt and uncle, who have some mobility issues, ended up with a 70 lb doodle they were told would be 30-40 lbs. Of course, doodles are always going to be a roll of the dice.

 

[vca1992]

You'd be fine with a mini, but I can see an American "moyen" going over 30 lbs, especially if they're really breeding small standards (or standards with minis).

Peggy's the exact height and weight we expected, but that's not always the case. That's why I generally tell folks with a maximum height or weight in mind to err on the smaller side and go down a size. My poor aunt and uncle, who have some mobility issues, ended up with a 70 lb doodle they were told would be 30-40 lbs. Of course, doodles are always going to be a roll of the dice.

If I were to go with a moyen, I would go through a place like Karbit, that's putting more thought into it and isn't simply mixing standards with minis. As you mentioned, it'd truly be anyone's guess what you would end up with.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

A Karbit poodle would be wonderful. When Peggy hit 15", I was like, "This is the perfect size." Then she hit 18" and I was like, "No THIS! Perfect!"

And then of course she just kept on going. Lol.

 

[Rose n Poos]

I am mainly looking for a hiking/backpacking companion and a miniature would likely keep up even for 15+ miles a day but, I also snowshoe in winter and I wasn't sure how well a shorter dog would do in deep snow.

Hi and Welcome!

I don't do hiking, backpacking, or snowshoeing but we occasionally have deep snowfalls here and based on those experiences, I'd say a miniature isn't a great choice for extended deep snow jaunts. They'll be belly deep and then some, depending. That's very tiring, I should think. Conditioning after growth plates close at maturity will make a difference, but I don't know if it would be enough for the level of activity you're talking about.

I'm honestly not sure about 15+ miles a day hiking, either.

I hope folks who are much more active than I am will chime in about that part. If it's doable, then an oversize mpoo is a bit less of a unicorn than a medium such as Karbit breeds.

 

[cowpony]

You're right - a mini will struggle in deep snow. But where we snowshoe, our 22.5" spoo couldn't manage either. (To be honest, I don't think she'd be comfortable hiking 15+ miles either, but we've purposely not conditioned her to that degree.)

I think ice balls are a consideration you'll need to deal with. Years ago we used to go cross country skiing with our cocker spaniel and my cousin's setter. Both dogs, the large and the small, struggled in the deep snow and preferred to walk in the ski track. The cocker struggled a bit more, because he got ice balls the entire length of his legs. The setter would get a few, but his fur texture didn't attract ice balls to the same degree. When I got Pogo and Snarky I found they had the same ice ball problem as the cocker. They would happily play outside and charge through snowdrifts. Eventually, however, they would both flop down and start chewing on the ice balls between their toes. Once the chewing started it was game over. The wet hair would attract more ice balls as soon as the dog put his paw down in the snow again. I simply had to take them inside.

 

[For Want of Poodle]

My poodle recently went on a 10 km hike with me. I really struggled, as I seldom walk more than a km or two over city terrain, my poodle had a blast and would cheerfully have done the same the next day., Althouhth she was tired and a bit grumpy in the evening as she had missed her normal daytime naps(dogs need a lot of sleep- she was literally barking at shadows at our campsite). We had both done 6 km the day before. Well conditioned, yes a standard could likely do 15 mile hikes regularly. My girl is 55 lbs.

Annie loves the snow and would do well on a groomed or semigroomed snowshoe or ski trail. All the dogs I have taken cross country skiing on ungroomed trails prefer to walk in my tracks rather than break trail.