What is your history of this breed and how did you gain your knowledge of them?
I worked as a pet stylist for over 10 years, and during that time, I completely fell in love with my Poodle clients. My favorite Poodle client, Gigi, stole my heart. She went swimming, hiking, biking, and everywhere in between with her owner. I enjoyed hearing about their adventures in between her grooming appointments and knew I wanted a dog just like her. One that could keep up with my family’s busy adventures, yet relax and enjoy our downtime, too. Poodles were the perfect fit. My very first Poodle joined our family seven years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
Why do you breed?
I breed first and foremost for myself. Each litter is carefully planned with the intent of keeping a puppy to continue improving my program or placing one in a responsible, ethical purebred Poodle program. My focus is on advancing the quality of multi-colored Standard Poodles, with thoughtful attention to temperament, health, structure, and versatility. While all of our puppies go to wonderful pet homes, we have many who shine in scent work, therapy work, service work, Conformation and performance events.
How are they raised?
We use both Puppy Culture and Avidog puppy raising protocols. This includes early scent, introduction, early neurological stimulation, barrier challenges, daily handling, temperament, testing, grooming and more. All of our puppies are raised in our home. For more information about how we raise puppies click HERE
How many puppies have you produced that have become successful service dogs?
**We are no longer accepting applications for our service dog waitlist** A few puppies from each of our litters have gone on to become Service Dogs in Training (SDITs), and they’re thriving in their roles with their owners.
Because the wash rate in service work is high, we require that our families work with a qualified trainer to help guide both them and their puppy through the process.
While we cannot guarantee that any puppy will successfully complete service dog training, we do our best to evaluate and identify those with the right potential. We’re always happy to collaborate with your trainer to help match you with the most suitable puppy for your goals.
What temperaments and structures do you strive for?
We typically try for medium drive and energy, however there are instances of some puppies that are higher energy and drive. Along with our daily interactions with each puppy, we do temperament test puppies at seven weeks. This helps us determine which home and lifestyle might be the best for each puppy and our future families. Structure wise, we try to produce puppies that are functional, an improvement in the faults of their parents, and can perform a variety of tasks.
How are your dogs with cats/prey animals and even farm animals? Do you socialize puppies to them?
Most of our breeding Poodles do have some level of prey drive, and many of our puppies inherit that trait as well. We make an effort to safely introduce our litters to livestock near our home and at a friend’s farm to expose them to different sights, sounds, and smells. We also have Chickens that we introduce to puppies as well. The puppies are usually curious, but more often than not, they’d rather play with each other or snack on horse or chicken poop!
Poodles were originally bred as water retrievers and bird dogs, so it’s natural for them to have some degree of prey drive. Working with and channeling that instinct through training, enrichment, and structured activities helps bring out the best in them while maintaining balance and focus.
What health testing is done to ensure healthy dogs?
All of our breeding dogs are health tested to OFA chic requirements, (Hips, eyes, Heart, genetic testing, diversity testing etc) and are tested beyond those requirements. Results are posted publicly on OFA.org, and each of our poodles have links on their profile page that can take you directly to their OFA page. To go to each of our poodles pages, click HERE
How do you implement socialization?
Early socialization is one of the most important parts of raising confident, well-rounded puppies. From birth until they go home, every experience is carefully planned to help each puppy grow into a dog that can handle the world with curiosity and confidence.
In the first few weeks, we focus on gentle handling, daily touch, and exposure to different sounds and textures. As the puppies grow, we gradually introduce new environments, people, and a bunch of different noises.
Around four to five weeks, we start outdoor adventures (weather permitting). Puppies get to explore new surfaces like grass, gravel, and concrete, and they begin short car rides and visits tfor exposure to livestock and new smells.
We also begin confidence building exercises, such as tunnels, wobble boards, problem-solving games, one on one training and playing and early crate and grooming experiences. These help them develop adaptability and trust in people.
By the time our puppies are ready to go home, they’ve been introduced to a variety of sights, sounds, textures, and handling experiences, setting a strong foundation for continued training and socialization with their new families.
How do you pick a puppy for the right person/family?
Our goal is to match each puppy with the family or individual whose lifestyle, goals, and experience best fit that puppy’s personality. Every litter is raised with close observation from day one. We’re taking notes on each puppy’s temperament, confidence, energy level, and how they respond to new situations.
As the puppies grow, we use structured temperament evaluations along with what we’ve seen in daily interactions to understand each puppy’s strengths and tendencies. This helps us identify which puppies are best suited for active families, performance homes, or more relaxed companion roles.
We also take the time to really get to know our applicants , their routines, goals, family dynamics, and what they’re hoping for in a Poodle. The more we learn about your lifestyle, the better we can help make the perfect match.
While families can share their preferences, final placements are made by us to ensure the best fit for both the puppy and the family. This thoughtful matching process gives our puppies the best chance to thrive in their new homes and helps families find their ideal lifelong companion.
When do you require puppies to be spayed/neutered after going home?
We require that our homes wait until their puppy is at least 12 months, but we encourage them to wait longer if possible as closer to 2 is preferred.
What does the puppy come home with?
Puppies will have a signed contract from both myself and their future home, vaccine records, deworming records, microchip information, health insurance information. They will also come with a treat, puppy blanket that smells like siblings, and a toy. The treats and toys may be different litter to litter.
Will puppies be up to date on vaccines and will they go home with all health records?
Puppies are dewormed at 4,6,8, 10 weeks of age and pet homes are recommended to ask their vet when they should deworm next while in their care.
Vaccines are administered by our veterinarian, and puppies receive their first vaccine at 6 weeks, 9 weeks and 12 weeks .
Will I be signing a contract?
Yes, all of our puppies are sold on a spay and neuter contract. Our contract can be found HERE
Is there a health guarantee/what is it?
We only guarantee what we can test for. Our contract which lists everything can be found HERE
What titles do your dogs have/what titles do you require your dogs to have before you breed them?
Our dogs are shown and titled in both AKC and/or UKC conformation, We also do canine good citizen through advanced, and a variety of other events in both AKC and UKC.
Conformation, Barn Hunt, NASDA, Dock Diving, canine good citizen, 4H Junior Showmanship to name a few.
What litters are planned for next year/have you thought that far ahead yet? If so, when are those puppies expected to be born?
For breeding announcements, please click HERE
How much is the deposit?
The waitlist deposit is $250, which is credited towards the total amount of the puppy. The deposit is non-refundable. The only time that the deposit will be refundable or transferable, is if the litter did not take or we did not have the right puppy available.
When is payment due and what if any payment plans do you offer?
The total amount of the puppy is due at time of pickup. We can discuss payment plans, but the puppy would need to be paid in full by the time the puppy is 9 weeks of age and goes home.
Kvali Standard Poodles 