[Elaramarie]

Hello everyone, I am wanting a toy or miniature poodle and I don’t know where else to go. I’m wanting to do agility and obedience

I have looked on the AKC website, have messaged the breeder referrals on said website and have messaged a couple of states poodle clubs.

I am so terrified of getting scammed by a BYB that I have to seek advice. I know what I should look for in a good breeder but with all of the non sense out there I’m still worried I’ll get sucked in unknowingly.

Can any of you help me with recommendations please? I am in Tennessee but I don’t mind traveling whatsoever to find the right poodle and breeder. What I’m looking for is a silver, blue or black toy or mini. There must be a health guarantee, a detailed pedigree, OFA, CERF or CAER and PRCD. Would also prefer champion bloodlines.

Thank you everyone!

 

[townferret]

Your best resource is your local kennel club. Start going to shows. Also keep an eye out for local groomers who are doing a lot of poodle grooming, my groomers are all poodle owners- one is
starting out showing her girl AKC.

I would highly recommend UKC because they are all owners who breed and show and are usually friendly to a local member who is going to develop the dog. It will also put you in a good position of knowing spectacular lines that interest you.

My advice is to stay local, I know how many forums like to pile BYB into one barrel and I want to suggest that you recognize how by breeding practices in the purebred world, dobermans are near extinction. It is wonderful to get a puppy from a thoughtful breeding, but it is not insurance against diseases that occur in nature. When you breed out certain traits, you are also breeding out beneficial traits you can't know about. It is very important to maintain diversity in the breed and since what you are looking to compete in is inherent in the breed as a whole, you want to find the most active, robust, and ready to work juvenile that you can.

Some breeders have a knack for developing healthy stock of competition ready pups without all the bells and whistles of a professional breeder. For your competitions, only the pedigree is necessary- their conformation to the breed is not.

Depending on how much you want to spend, I can tell you of a trainer in Atlanta whom I have great appreciation and interest in. They will locate and fully train your puppy for you. They have some great videos.
I'm considering purchasing from them when I am ready to add on.

Dog Trainer | Native K9 Training | Atlanta, Ga

Beautiful Trained Puppies for Sale.

www.nativek9training.com

Be patient, it is so easy to fall in love with puppies that may not be developed for the trials you seek to compete in.
(I really want Moose- he comes from a breeder in E Tennessee)

 

[Johanna]

Are you in western Tennessee? If so, check out Dulcinea toy poodles. The owner is Sue Talkington - her web site is www.dulcineapoodles.com

Here are some more toy and mini breeders in the general area:

Dbara, Barbara Conley, 440 Doak Mason Rd., Jackson, TN 38305, 386-212-4573, [email protected], Toys

DeBrock, Mark & Christine Waldrop, 9686 Bowen Trail, Ooltewah, TN 37363, 706-270-4265, [email protected], Toys

Danube, Timea R Bodi, 12443 Sparta Hwy, Rock Island, TN, 38581, 410-603-4977, [email protected], Minis

Flambeau, Kathy Gilbert, 356 Dixie Manor, Harrodsburg, KY 40330, 859-605-2175, [email protected], Minis

Best wishes,
Johanna

 

[lily cd re]

I think temperament trumps color, size and most other things aside from decent conformation. I don't think you need a specifically performance oriented breeder either. I am going to disagree with the suggestion of sending a puppy away to be trained. Doing that work yourself is really important to developing the bond you will want to be successful in those venues which are as much about teamwork as anything else. Great obedience and great agility are all about having a dance partner kind of relationship.

 

[Raindrops]

My pup is from Danube, and he is a wonderful dog. Timea has been helpful every step of the way and cares greatly about her dogs. We're starting in agility and he really loves it, but I'm just in the sport for fun. One thing you can do if you are looking for a top performance dog is to check the top winning dogs for the breed and check out the breeders they're from. You should be able to see breed rankings. But my dog isn't from a performance breeder and I'm perfectly happy with him. He is from show parents but is a drivey, very fast dog. With minis there isn't a great divide between performance and show dogs. Most of the performance breeders also show. But you do want to make sure your breeder will be good at helping to pair you with a pup that has the temperament you want.

As far as distance, I drove 12 hours to pick Misha up in Tennessee. If you're dealing with a good breeder I don't see any issue with it.

For toys you might check out G8rcreek. I think they're in Georgia. I know they are one of the few performance toy breeders and I've seen good things from them.

 

[Skylar]

I‘m surprised at the suggestion to send your dog out for training. That post reads like a disguised ad to find and train your dog for you. Very odd and not helpful.

You’re the one that needs to develop the relationship with your dog. You will take lessons at a training club where people train for competition. That is where you will learn how to train your dog and make friends with fellow competitors who will help you.

 

[Raindrops]

I agree that you do not want to send your dog out for training if you intend to have any sort of working relationship with it. Sports like obedience and agility mostly aren't about competing, they're about the training journey that you and your dog take together. It is a wonderful thing to watch your puppy learn to read your body language and trust you.

I disagree with conformation not being important. It is extremely important, because you want a physically sound dog if you want them to be an active and healthy partner for many years. You may not care so much about some superficial conformation traits, but the bulk of conformation is about balance and efficiency of movement.

Miniature poodles are a very healthy and relatively genetically diverse breed. Responsible hobby breeders and professional breeders can be distinguished from BYBs because they conduct all recommended health testing and title their parent dogs to prove structural and temperamental soundness. Hobby breeders are my preference because they produce few litters and really seem to give a lot of individual attention to puppies. Find a breeder that you trust, and that you feel very confident in.

Another good breeder that may be within driving distance of you is Eaglehill-South.

 

[The Opera Poodle]

I‘m surprised at the suggestion to send your dog out for training. That post reads like a disguised ad to find and train your dog for you. Very odd and not helpful.

You’re the one that needs to develop the relationship with your dog. You will take lessons at a training club where people train for competition. That is where you will learn how to train your dog and make friends with fellow competitors who will help you.

I personally had two of my dogs sent out for month long board and train and have zero regrets in doing it. I have the soft personality where I cave in. I also am rather ADD and consistency is an uphill battle some days. Both dogs were on the stubborn side and my "work" with them went no where fast. I don't feel either dog was less bonded with me after the experience, in fact, I still have one and she is my lover and is always at my side. I was able to do therapy work with her after she turned two and that was good for both of us as well as kids at Texas Children's Hospital.

As with most things in life, this is an individual choice based on the lifestyle and personality of the owner as well as the dog. My sister-in-law had a nanny and sent her kids to a prep boarding school for high school. She has two amazing kids who love her like no tomorrow. It wouldn't have been my cup of tea. Different strokes......

 

[lily cd re]

Oops duplicate of my earlier post

 

[Skylar]

I personally had two of my dogs sent out for month long board and train and have zero regrets in doing it. I have the soft personality where I cave in. I also am rather ADD and consistency is an uphill battle some days. Both dogs were on the stubborn side and my "work" with them went no where fast. I don't feel either dog was less bonded with me after the experience, in fact, I still have one and she is my lover and is always at my side. I was able to do therapy work with her after she turned two and that was good for both of us as well as kids at Texas Children's Hospital.

As with most things in life, this is an individual choice based on the lifestyle and personality of the owner as well as the dog. My sister-in-law had a nanny and sent her kids to a prep boarding school for high school. She has two amazing kids who love her like no tomorrow. It wouldn't have been my cup of tea. Different strokes......

I‘m glad it worked well for you. I only know one person who did this and it failed, however I do see it can be useful for some people

But this won’t work for training in dog sports which is what Elaramarie asked about. Agility and obedience requires an incredible amount of training. It can take a year of training or more before you are ready to begin competing at the novice level. The training doesn’t end as you refine, proof and train what is needed for higher levels of competition etc. You can’t send a dog away to a trainer for this kind of training. The dog has to learn to read your body language and your cues. You have to understand your dog to optimize the training. This is a hobby; people participate because they enjoy training their dog.

 

[townferret]

I‘m surprised at the suggestion to send your dog out for training. That post reads like a disguised ad to find and train your dog for you. Very odd and not helpful.

You’re the one that needs to develop the relationship with your dog. You will take lessons at a training club where people train for competition. That is where you will learn how to train your dog and make friends with fellow competitors who will help you.

I do not comprehend why you would be surprised at any suggestion, there is not just one way to do things and if someone asks for
advice, they are not necessarily seeking the one idea that everyone wants to justify.

Fourty five years ago I began competing with horses and dogs. My dogs at the time were CH AKC Rottweiler's and I wanted to participate in
schutzhund games so they went off to a trainer for 2 weeks and I joined them for their last week. They did very well and after several years
and several generations, I moved on to golden retrievers.Having already competed, I was able to self train for AKC agility and obedience.
My horses usually had to spend a week or two with a trainer before the show circuit. It is fairly normal. Most athletes spend time with trainers
prior to competition. We are not all Rocky Balboa.

The person was asking for help to begin competing. Her focus was on agility and obedience. If you do not have experience in these trials it is very hard
to hit the ground running with a new dog. She was also looking to locate a new dog.

I gave her several suggestions of how to seek out a puppy- they were exactly the things I do when hunting down my own.
I also made the suggestion of the trainer, mostly because I am considering having him curate my next poodle and train it for 2 weeks before I bring it home.
The dog is not "sent out" for training.. They locate a puppy from akc breeders for your approval and then they
train it for 2 weeks before you take it home. It was a suggestion among several other suggestions, and all the things we do are for personal preference, that is the beauty
of life- we get to choose. Also there is no necessity for her to accept or reject my advice, it is quite an expensive proposition but the videos are fun.

Someone described the training experience as a dance, but it took several months for Noodle to learn the "dance" and I personally would prefer my next dog to already know how to dance-
so we could move on to new dances. (and I will not be competing in a kennel club, if at all.)

The 2 weeks of training provided by what you describe as an "ad" would not disturb any bond a person develops with their dog or horse.

If it is not your thing, that's ok- but being surprised by suggestions, and determining who is helpful and who isn't, really only limits the value of a free exchange of ideas
offered by a poodle forum. I think it is great that you found what works for you, and by all means share- but not as an argument against other voices. Kindness is helpful
and my comments were only meant in kindness to a post that had not been responded to at the time. <3

 

[Peridot]

Hello everyone, I am wanting a toy or miniature poodle and I don’t know where else to go. I’m wanting to do agility and obedience

I have looked on the AKC website, have messaged the breeder referrals on said website and have messaged a couple of states poodle clubs.

I am so terrified of getting scammed by a BYB that I have to seek advice. I know what I should look for in a good breeder but with all of the non sense out there I’m still worried I’ll get sucked in unknowingly.

Can any of you help me with recommendations please? I am in Tennessee but I don’t mind traveling whatsoever to find the right poodle and breeder. What I’m looking for is a silver, blue or black toy or mini. There must be a health guarantee, a detailed pedigree, OFA, CERF or CAER and PRCD. Would also prefer champion bloodlines.

Thank you everyone!

I suggest you contact the Secretary of the Standard Poodle Club of America through the AKC.org site. Also, regarding a "Health Guarantee", I suspect that you will find that not many good breeders provide a "guarantee". Having owned, bred and shown Great Danes for 50 years, my co-breeder and I had OFA's, testing for juvenile cataracts, and screened for cardiomyopathy. But we never offered a "Health Guarantee". Reason? What happens if you (even after a very careful screening process of would be puppy owners), the owner elects to jog the young pup for the owner's daily run of three miles? What happens if the owner is determined that the puppy should be able to climb 14 steps in their house repeatedly during the day? What happens if the owners decides to feed high protein food to a very young puppy? I think you may not be receiving a lot of replies to your "messages" because you are perhaps asking for too much from the breeder. Good luck to you and I hope you find your show quality pup but will also add that first time show owners have a lot to learn about expectations from some very good breeders.

 

[Eclipse]

I do not comprehend why you would be surprised at any suggestion, there is not just one way to do things and if someone asks for
advice, they are not necessarily seeking the one idea that everyone wants to justify.

Fourty five years ago I began competing with horses and dogs. My dogs at the time were CH AKC Rottweiler's and I wanted to participate in
schutzhund games so they went off to a trainer for 2 weeks and I joined them for their last week. They did very well and after several years
and several generations, I moved on to golden retrievers.Having already competed, I was able to self train for AKC agility and obedience.
My horses usually had to spend a week or two with a trainer before the show circuit. It is fairly normal. Most athletes spend time with trainers
prior to competition. We are not all Rocky Balboa.

The person was asking for help to begin competing. Her focus was on agility and obedience. If you do not have experience in these trials it is very hard
to hit the ground running with a new dog. She was also looking to locate a new dog.

I gave her several suggestions of how to seek out a puppy- they were exactly the things I do when hunting down my own.
I also made the suggestion of the trainer, mostly because I am considering having him curate my next poodle and train it for 2 weeks before I bring it home.
The dog is not "sent out" for training.. They locate a puppy from akc breeders for your approval and then they
train it for 2 weeks before you take it home. It was a suggestion among several other suggestions, and all the things we do are for personal preference, that is the beauty
of life- we get to choose. Also there is no necessity for her to accept or reject my advice, it is quite an expensive proposition but the videos are fun.

Someone described the training experience as a dance, but it took several months for Noodle to learn the "dance" and I personally would prefer my next dog to already know how to dance-
so we could move on to new dances. (and I will not be competing in a kennel club, if at all.)

The 2 weeks of training provided by what you describe as an "ad" would not disturb any bond a person develops with their dog or horse.

If it is not your thing, that's ok- but being surprised by suggestions, and determining who is helpful and who isn't, really only limits the value of a free exchange of ideas
offered by a poodle forum. I think it is great that you found what works for you, and by all means share- but not as an argument against other voices. Kindness is helpful
and my comments were only meant in kindness to a post that had not been responded to at the time. <3

2 weeks of training on a puppy, done by someone else no less, isn't even remotely enough to have a consistently well-behaved pet, much less a dog ready to compete in any venue in obedience, rally, agility, etc. As has been noted by others, people serious about competing often spend a year or more training in class at least once, quite often 2 or 3x a week, plus what work they do at home before a dog is ready to trial.....You said you had shown in those venues, so I am confused as to why you would think 2 weeks of training is a viable suggestion to a newcomer.....

Also, I have to believe many responsible breeders are going to be suspicious of some "trainer" working as a middleman to find someone a dog and then take it home to train it for a couple weeks before handing it back over to the "owner".

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I'm honestly just trying to imagine what sort of training they could possibly do in those precious first two weeks. Wouldn't it be better for the puppy to just stay with the breeder a little longer than to have to adjust twice to a new environment?

 

[rock55]

Hello everyone, I am wanting a toy or miniature poodle and I don’t know where else to go. I’m wanting to do agility and obedience

I have looked on the AKC website, have messaged the breeder referrals on said website and have messaged a couple of states poodle clubs.

I am so terrified of getting scammed by a BYB that I have to seek advice. I know what I should look for in a good breeder but with all of the non sense out there I’m still worried I’ll get sucked in unknowingly.

Can any of you help me with recommendations please? I am in Tennessee but I don’t mind traveling whatsoever to find the right poodle and breeder. What I’m looking for is a silver, blue or black toy or mini. There must be a health guarantee, a detailed pedigree, OFA, CERF or CAER and PRCD. Would also prefer champion bloodlines.

Thank you everyone!

Michael Lamb in Delray Beach, FL. Quality lines. Health tested. Show quality. Great temperament. I got my mini from there and he is perfect for agility. Timea in TN is also fantastic breeder and very knowledgeable.

 

[townferret]

I'm honestly just trying to imagine what sort of training they could possibly do in those precious first two weeks. Wouldn't it be better for the puppy to just stay with the breeder a little longer than to have to adjust twice to a new environment?

It is always great to leave a pup with their mother a bit longer, when the breeder is willing.
It would be difficult to explain how precise a skilled trainer can be with a puppy unless you experienced it first hand.
A puppy is easily adaptable to different handlers, conditions, diet, and locations.
If it were not the case, there would be such thing as domesticated dogs.

We had an adolescent rottie female who was getting a little too aggressive when playing with my 11 yr old son,
it wasn't exactly her fault, my son, (to this day is a keeper of gladiator dogs,) wanted to roughhouse and he was
working it.

I called a friend who trains dogs in the USAF and asked him to evaluate this dog. He spent 30 minutes with her.
The only thing I noticed him doing was riling her up and when she went from low play stance to lunge,
he'd grab her up (all 90 pounds of her) and cradle her in his arms upside down with her hind feet up over his shoulders and her head low to his waist.
She didn't struggle, she didn't snap, she just drooled a bit.

That's it.
He said- she's a wonderful dog, just going through a phase.
I said- am I supposed to do that?
He said, Naw- she won't do it again.
huh?!!
seriously?
From that point on, she would get into play stance with my son, and when he lunged towards her, she would just lie down,
tongue out, panting, waiting to see what he wanted to do next.
30 minutes- Not kidding.

I could never have imagined that. I probably will regret sharing it but -
ah well

 

[PeggyTheParti]

That's fascinating. Maybe a little disturbing? But also fascinating. I'm happy to hear it worked for your dog and your family.

But I still just can't imagine what a trainer could accomplish from 8-10 weeks. If you have any specifics, I'd be very interested!

 

[townferret]

Well, when you are talking poodles I would have to agree, it might be pointless.
I'm new to the Poodle-verse and I've trained 2 so far and both were equally challenging.
I picked up my goldens and rotties at 12 weeks and in 2 weeks they were fully trained- (by me) housebroken, off leash, and most of the commands this trainer offers.
So I'm guessing they can do nothing in 8-10 weeks because the standard puppy in the video is 4 months, so they probably just keep them until they are done training.
They don't put a time limit on it, or an age- for special orders, and I have not gone further than to see them at a fair when we evacuated for the hurricane..
(disclaimer: I am not advertising for them, just interested-)

I've been holding on to the idea because I'm doing my best not to purchase this gorgeous silver and white tuxedo from a breeder near me.
I think it is like when you have a colicky baby, you want another maybe, someday, if only....

Oh I wish I didn't write this post because

<3

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Trust me - You are not alone with the puppy fever. ?

 

[townferret]

i need to stop