[evan]

Hi All. Together with the kids and the wife, we just picked our puppy yesterday and will be getting him in a week! (Miniature)
Just wondering what you folks think of tattooing. Is it worth it? Do you folks do it? I have plenty of questions about our new family member and this would be a start. Please advise.
Thanks!!

 

[thestars]

I do micro-chipping instead of tattooing. Most vet clinic and animal rescues have readers. Find out what's most popular in your area and in areas you travel to.

 

[evan]

Thanks for your reply. It seems the tatooing, at least, is visible. I thought that this may deter thieves?

 

[bigpoodleperson]

Since it is mainly put in the groin or ear flap, and poodles have a lot of hair, it wont be That visible. Most shelters/vets rarely check dogs for tattoos anyways. It would be fine to get one, but i feel much safer with a microchip. It is pretty standard for shelters/vets to scan strays. Plus, depending on your pups skin color, it could blend in easily (plus, i find them hard to read, esp as teh dog gets older). Congrats on your new pup! Pictures when you get them please!

 

[BFF]

I think a microchip would deter thieves more than a tattoo myself. It would be very difficult to remove and you can still update the website to state that the poodle was stolen to alert vets and shelters all around the country. A tattoo can be easily altered and the hair grows over it making it difficult to know it is there. I also don't think as many people are aware of tattooing or know to look for one...even in shelters.

I purchased a marine grade stainless steel heart tag where I engraved my puppies name and the type of microchip she has on the front. On the back, it has my phone and my husbands phone. A would be thief would know that any vet/shelter would contact me. I think it's a lot less painful than a tattoo. I got mine at Sticky Jewelry. They do medical id tags. I just engraved it with the info I wanted.

It's a personal choice. The main thing is that you are concerned to do whatever you can to protect them. Glad you are here.

 

[evan]

Thanks Bigpoodleperson and BFF for shedding light on my question!
I have already committed to a really nice pup. The breeder seem to know what they are doing. I failed to ask for a reference, is this common in purchasing a registered pup?

 

[Poodle Lover]

I agree with previous posters, microchipping is the way to go.
As far as references, it's good to ask, some breeders offer the references without asking. Does your breeder show his/her dogs in confirmation? Does she do the health testing recommended by the Poodle Club?

Oh, we love to see pictures of the puppies, do you have any to share??? And by the way, welcome to the forum.

 

[evan]

I agree with previous posters, microchipping is the way to go.
As far as references, it's good to ask, some breeders offer the references without asking. Does your breeder show his/her dogs in confirmation? Does she do the health testing recommended by the Poodle Club?

Oh, we love to see pictures of the puppies, do you have any to share??? And by the way, welcome to the forum.

Thanks!

It's too bad I already gave them a deposit. The questions should have come first.
The breeder seems respectable though. They do show their dogs and the puppies come from a champion bloodline. There is a two year health guarantee and a six week insurance. It's never too late to ask for references.

Pics will come next week! Stay tuned!

 

[*heather*]

Thanks!

It's too bad I already gave them a deposit. The questions should have come first.
The breeder seems respectable though. They do show their dogs and the puppies come from a champion bloodline. There is a two year health guarantee and a six week insurance. It's never too late to ask for references.

Pics will come next week! Stay tuned!

Can't wait to see the pics!! What color?

 

[mercymoon]

Tattooing a permanent form of identification, I suggest that of micro chipping your dog.

 

[PonkiPoodles]

Tattoo's can be altered by thieves, and as Bpp said most places do not check for tattoos.

With microchipping the chip can migrate under the skin if it's inserted incorrectly.
You need to make sure that the information on it is updated frequently.

Here's some more info on microchipping and myths concerning microchipping:

http://www.healthypet.com/library_view.aspx?ID=78

 

[Bella's Momma]

Thanks!

It's too bad I already gave them a deposit. The questions should have come first.
The breeder seems respectable though. They do show their dogs and the puppies come from a champion bloodline. There is a two year health guarantee and a six week insurance. It's never too late to ask for references.

I found this book to be a great read in the days leading up to picking up our puppy.
http://www.amazon.com/Before-After-Getting-Your-Puppy/dp/1577314557/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249922482&sr=8-1

 

[Bella's Momma]

I'm on the fence about the microchipping also. Because of the variance in readers and because of the migration and someone even told me of cancer at the insertion site. OTOH, I would hate to lose our baby. She is tattoo'd and I did register that with the AKC but I'm not considering it fail-proof. I don't even really know that it's unique or what it means.

 

[SECRETO]

I'm on the fence about the microchipping also. Because of the variance in readers and because of the migration and someone even told me of cancer at the insertion site. OTOH, I would hate to lose our baby. She is tattoo'd and I did register that with the AKC but I'm not considering it fail-proof. I don't even really know that it's unique or what it means.

Both forms are popular amoung the show community. I have seen many tattoo'd dogs myself. For a Poodle, like mentioned earlier, the tattoo isnt as viseable as it is on a shorter coated breeds. So I would go with a micro-chip if I had to decide between the two.

You can always get both. lol

Just for the record, I had a breeder friend that had his female Gr CH American Pitbull Terrier "Sugar" stolen from his yard. She was chipped and found almost 4 years later in Oregon. Thanks to the vets scanning new patent dogs she was found. She had been used for breeding and then sold when she wasnt good for breeding any longer to the new owners that brought her into the vet. Micro-chipping is good thing to have done.

 

[akbritt]

Evan, Congratulations on the new puppy!!!

I also think micro chipping is the way to go...and be sides its less painful and takes minutes to implant.

 

[evan]

I found this book to be a great read in the days leading up to picking up our puppy.
http://www.amazon.com/Before-After-Getting-Your-Puppy/dp/1577314557/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249922482&sr=8-1

Just ordered this book. Should have it before the dog comes!

Thanks y'all for all the responses. Now I am more confused than ever hahah! I will ask the vet for an opinion as well. I am already talking with a couple of vets and need to choose one. Oh yeah what shoud I be looking for in a vet? Cheerios!

 

[dlearyous]

We're required to micro chip in the community we live in. The Vet we use said they switched to Home Again because they don't charge a fee to change your contact info if/when you move.

 

[bigpoodleperson]

I'm on the fence about the microchipping also. Because of the variance in readers and because of the migration and someone even told me of cancer at the insertion site. OTOH, I would hate to lose our baby. She is tattoo'd and I did register that with the AKC but I'm not considering it fail-proof. I don't even really know that it's unique or what it means.

The two most popular brands are AVID and Homeagain. There are universial scanners out there that will pick up most brands of chips. I personally would only use one of these two brands as they have been around the longest, and are the most reconizeable. Our local petstore is chipping their puppies with a chip brand that our scanners cant read. Useless. Make sure your brand can be read by most.
The cancer story is basically a myth. It grew cancer in some lab mice, but lab mice will basically grow cancer to anything. I have not seen or heard of One confirmed case. I havnt even seen any reactions to the chips.
My cats chip has migrated to his side, but it is still readable. Most people who scan the chips realize some migrate, so we try to scan the sides of the pet too. Not just over the neck.
It is a personal decision, but will legally tie you to your pet for life.

 

[Bella's Momma]

The two most popular brands are AVID and Homeagain. There are universial scanners out there that will pick up most brands of chips. I personally would only use one of these two brands as they have been around the longest, and are the most reconizeable. Our local petstore is chipping their puppies with a chip brand that our scanners cant read. Useless. Make sure your brand can be read by most.
The cancer story is basically a myth. It grew cancer in some lab mice, but lab mice will basically grow cancer to anything. I have not seen or heard of One confirmed case. I havnt even seen any reactions to the chips.
My cats chip has migrated to his side, but it is still readable. Most people who scan the chips realize some migrate, so we try to scan the sides of the pet too. Not just over the neck.
It is a personal decision, but will legally tie you to your pet for life.

That's good to know that no dog has actually gotten cancer from it! Our breeder mentioned it and said b/c of that she will no longer microchip b/c she doesn't want to be liable. She did say she chips her own dogs, though. The vet also didn't think it was an issue. I will call around to see what the shelters in our area use when it comes to scanners.

Though, I wonder if someone stole a dog who would ever know? No one scanned my dog when I first brought her in as a new client. Is it mostly just for loss?

 

[evan]

So he finally arrived two days ago and has a tatoo from the breeder! We will leave him with that for now.
It was quite an experience buying a puppy. The breeder turned out to be really good. The dog has champion bloodlines. I will post a pic soon!

We are crate training him. For the last two days he's been good. We would take him out and he would do his bussiness. The only issue is at night he pees in the cage. Not sure what to do at this point. Any suggestions?