[The_Poodle_Newbie]

Hello, I have been looking over breeds to consider for my first service dog. I have come to the conclusion that a poodle is my best option. I have been looking for a while now with little to no luck. I am wondering if anyone has a suggestion of a breeder who has puppies ready or a younger adult looking for a home.

 

[Gemstorm]

Hi and welcome! I joined for the same reason -- seeking a standard as my next SD.

May I ask either approximately where you're located or just where you're willing to look so the members can give better targeted suggestions? Any dealbreakers for you other than SD potential?

My advice is to contact the breeders you'd be interested in. Do your research, be honest about your needs and intentions, and see if they know any suitable placements from their own programs or those they respect.

It may not be right for you, but I applied for an adolescent started on training from a program in MA called APAW (American Poodles At Work). It's small and going through changes so they may not even accept new applications for this situation (what they call a working candidate) but if it sounds like something you'd like, I found Jillian who runs the program very responsive and open when I was asking before applying myself.

My backup plan was to reach out to a number of selected breeders and do exactly what I suggested you do. Form relationships with people whose judgement you trust and hope that you're able to build a network that way to find the right prospect. I really didn't want an 8 wk old puppy for my personal needs and limitations and was looking for an older pup or young adult if my first choice didn't pan out.

More personally, wishing you all the best. There's a few SD handlers on here and I'm sure we aren't the only two future handlers and it's a hard process even knowing that the end result is worth it

 

[Rose n Poos]

Gemstorm gave great advice. I keep some links handy for folks starting their poodle search and I'll drop those below. It's not specific to service poos, but there's a lot of places to look at, some of which you may have already seen. After the poodle specific health testing, I'd think temperament will be your focus.
One site in particular, PoodlesOnline, lists adults when available as well as puppies.

Search for Local Clubs/Breeders - The Poodle Club of America

Find poodle contacts in your area. DisclamerPCA does not itself sell Poodle puppies, Toy Poodle puppies, Miniature Poodle puppies, or Standard Poodle puppies. PCA does not offer puppies for sale at any time. PCA instead offers Breeder Referral to link prospective Poodle puppy buyers and... Read...

poodleclubofamerica.org

This link should get you to pages which direct you to folks within PCA who can help with breeder referrals for your desired area.

Poodle Puppies For Sale - AKC PuppyFinder

Find Poodle Puppies and Breeders in your area and helpful Poodle information. All Poodle found here are from AKC-Registered parents.

marketplace.akc.org

These are AKC registered breeders but review their websites thoroughly. Look for OFA, CHIC health testing info in the site. If not on the website, ask the breeder to provide all health testing results and links (this will be on the dam and sire fyi). In fact, do that with any breeder you make contact with. A quality breeder will not hesitate to show the health documentation.

"Poodle Breeders" Standard Poodles, Miniature Poodles, Toy Poodles Breeders Directory!

"Poodle Breeders" Standard Poodles, Miniature Poodles, Toy Poodles Breeders Directory!
All the breeders listed here are required to do appropriate health testing in order to list on that site.

Litters From Health Tested Poodles

ANSWER ALL 3 QUESTIONS TO JOIN!!! PLEASE note we do not allow advertisement for litters that do not meet and PASS CHIC minimum testing. Of course the more testing the better. Things not allowed...

www.facebook.com

Breeders here all do appropriate health testing.

Poodle Breeders - Standard, Miniature and Toy Poodle puppies

Standard, Miniature and Toy poodle puppies and adults for sale. Featuring health conscious poodle breeders in the USA and Canada. Many beautiful photos and information about available puppies.

www.poodlebreeders.com

Another site with multiple breeders listed. Use the same caution.

Most of us aren't breeders and don't have poodles for the purpose of showing, they are our loving companions. We are grateful tho to the breeders who believe in their dogs and literally invest the time and spend the money to train, compete, show and health test their dogs without thought of profit, so we can have our healthy and well bred pets.

There is a sub forum Poodle Breeder Directory where you can find or start discussions of breeders recommended, and some, not so much. They're listed at the top of Poodle Talk.

If you use the Search at the top of any page, use Advanced search for breeders in your area.

Contact a few breeders to introduce yourself. Even if they don't have or don't offer what you're looking for, it can be a close knit community. They may know where to refer you.

 

[cowpony]

Didn't you start another thread on the same topic? West coast, medium sized? What is your definition of medium? Toy, mini, standard are the three official size ranges. Mini poodles go up to 15 pounds, which a lot of people think of as small.