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Hello there! I've seen that there are some answers to this already out there, but I wanted to start a new thread.
We will be first time owners, and we have decided to take some time to look for a breeder that is both the right fit personally and with regard to the pedigree and temperament of the parent dogs. We recently worked with a lovely breeder who sadly lost 2 pups and after we took some time we realized that we had some more research to do before we settled on a breeder- although I hold absolutely nothing against this breeder due to the unfortunate loss.
I've spoken with several breeders over the last week, and I'm wondering what everyone thinks of formal, outside temperament testing. I've spoken with 3 long-time (30-40 year) reputable breeders who are members of the Poodle Club of America. 1 does outside testing and 2 do not. They say that after doing things this long they can tell who is going to be more laid back, more of an alpha, etc. innately.
There are also some excellent breeders who I've spoken with on the phone who have been breeding 10-ish years who are not yet members of the Poodle Club of America but are actively working toward membership. Of those, all do outside testing to supplement their own observations; one even does it multiple times if results seem "iffy" on a given day.
All of the breeders who I've spoken with do the minimum, if not above and beyond, amount of health testing. My concern with a "newer" breeder however is that if there are any health issues in their lines, they may not have come up yet. Is this a valid concern? All of the breeders, more or less experienced, have been upfront with any health issues that have occurred.
I have 3 young children and I want to make sure that we are making the best decision for our family.
We will be first time owners, and we have decided to take some time to look for a breeder that is both the right fit personally and with regard to the pedigree and temperament of the parent dogs. We recently worked with a lovely breeder who sadly lost 2 pups and after we took some time we realized that we had some more research to do before we settled on a breeder- although I hold absolutely nothing against this breeder due to the unfortunate loss.
I've spoken with several breeders over the last week, and I'm wondering what everyone thinks of formal, outside temperament testing. I've spoken with 3 long-time (30-40 year) reputable breeders who are members of the Poodle Club of America. 1 does outside testing and 2 do not. They say that after doing things this long they can tell who is going to be more laid back, more of an alpha, etc. innately.
There are also some excellent breeders who I've spoken with on the phone who have been breeding 10-ish years who are not yet members of the Poodle Club of America but are actively working toward membership. Of those, all do outside testing to supplement their own observations; one even does it multiple times if results seem "iffy" on a given day.
All of the breeders who I've spoken with do the minimum, if not above and beyond, amount of health testing. My concern with a "newer" breeder however is that if there are any health issues in their lines, they may not have come up yet. Is this a valid concern? All of the breeders, more or less experienced, have been upfront with any health issues that have occurred.
I have 3 young children and I want to make sure that we are making the best decision for our family.