# My search for a New Puppy - lots of info



## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Wow, I’m not looking for a puppy but this is such precise and wonderful information ! This is very generous of you. Thank you !


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

This is soooooo exciting! You did your homework, narrowed the field down and have put a deposit down one one you liked best. Yay! Congratulations. 



> She does not require a puppy application or references. Joan says, “I talk to my buyers and I know who I want to sell a puppy to.” I actually loved that.


This is what my breeder said. I asked him why he wasn't asking me too many questions. (Of course, I was probably yapping away, telling him all about my dogs and me) But when I asked him about that or applications, he said, "Oh...I know within one or two minutes of a phone conversation if I like the person...I've been doing this for 40 years." LOL. So some of these breeders become experts at reading people through their phone conversations. And yours is the same way. 

So, health testing. What all does she do? What color do you think you'll wind up with? Black or white? Or does it much matter to you? So it will be sometime in September, right? I bet you're ecstatic. So tell me...how long have you been actively pursuing this? When did you start checking out, calling, emailing etc all these breeders? I'm just curious how the process went for you. You certainly made a great post, with all the information there for others to refer to. This should quite possibly be a sticky. Great post.:adore: I'm really happy for you.

Oh my! I just went to look through her website and from what I can tell, this looks like a great breeder. They sure are expensive in that neck of the woods. I wonder what they are around here in western Wa for a mini. Maybe mini's and standards are more. For toys, the going rate when I got mine...from good show breeders was around $1,000 - $1,200 give or take...mostly give. So I wonder if they've all gone up or if it's just minis and standards that tend to be more for some reason. The east coast I guess makes sense if it's more pricey. I think. But who cares, right? If the health testing is done and all the performance, conformation etc etc is done, this is expensive and it shows that these dogs are well bred, carefully bred. And it looks like she raises them nicely...in the home.


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## Nromley (Jan 5, 2019)

Exactly! Joan said the same thing; she's been breeding for over 40 years and knows right away if she wants to sell to a buyer.

I had read lots of posts here since I joined about breeders so had done a little research, but I really started looking Thursday, and made my deposit yesterday (Monday). So, it doesn't need to take forever!

Don't know what color I'll wind up with. A lot depends on what colors this litter produces. I've been thinking about it, and since I have two black dogs now, I think a white may be nice, but it's not a top priority for me. We'll see what happens.

She did say the less restrictions a buyer puts on what they want, the more likely they are to find a puppy in a shorter period of time.

The only poodle I found under $2500 was from this breeder, who was selling for $900:
Home
I did not include them in my list. Nancy was very nice, but this was not what I was looking for. She stated she didn't show in conformation because it was too political, and she didn't charge more because people couldn't afford it.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

I really hate hearing people say that conformation is "too political". In my experience, people who say this have tried to show a dog that is not well-groomed, or is not trained to stack and/or move on a loose lead, or is not in good condition.


Yes, professional handlers win more than non-professional handlers. Its a professional handlers job to condition and train a dog to a high standard. If you want to beat them you must do likewise.


There may be times when judging is "political", but overall, it's just sour grapes when people make that complaint. Losers are not happy people!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I think in the case of that breeder, the sour grapes also comes from not putting into the breeding program in lots of ways...ways that other breeders do. You get what you pay for, as they say. It just looks like your run of the mill, back yard breeding to me. The dogs don't look to have that great of conformation imo. There's nothing there to show for them, nothing to prove they're physically or temperamentally able to do what they were bred to do or are meeting the breed standard in an exemplary way. _Some_ health testing I did see though.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Nromley, I was just looking through some old threads of mine...when I first joined. At that time...first part of June of '13, I was just making up my mind to get a poodle...toy or mini...wasn't sure. But soon decided on a toy and began my search, posting lots of threads for advice and so forth. I looked up the list of my threads and saw where I had just decided on a breeder, about 3 weeks after my search started. Then I saw the thread where I had just gotten them...mid July 2013. (they had to grow up some more from the first time I spoke to the breeder) So really only From the first part of June till the middle of July if I figured that out right. I may have been thinking of a poodle longer, may have looked at mini poodle breeders a little too prior. It's all a little fuzzy now. But yeah...basically a month and a half. BUT...here you are. LOL. 3 _days! _I'm _amazed_.


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## Nromley (Jan 5, 2019)

Maybe it's just a good time of year. I also was willing to travel and didn't much care about sex and color, which helped. Hopefully, the litter I picked will work out. The puppies aren't born yet! If not, I have my notes to go back to.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I had a few color preferences but wasn't adamant. The minute I saw them all, color ceased to matter at all to me. lol. The sex...I wanted a boy for sure. And as it happened, the two litters that my breeder had, Matisse's litter of 4 and Maurice's litter of 2 were ALL boys. LOL. Can you believe it? I didn't care much about too many little details about their temperament...just that they had good ones. And they all did. Wonderful. I have opposites here. One, a very silly, playful, goof ball and one a little more chill. Love the variety. Soooooo...you shouldn't have any trouble at all because you are not particular about color or the sex.


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

carolinek has a light n lively poodle. she is delighted with her. she posts fairly regularly. just fyi.


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## Nromley (Jan 5, 2019)

patk said:


> carolinek has a light n lively poodle. she is delighted with her. she posts fairly regularly. just fyi.


Thank you! I'll have to see if I can find some of her posts.


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## Moni (May 8, 2018)

I also looked at many breeders on your list and will give several two thumbs way up. Most of them have waiting lists and some way or another the timing was not right for me - but I got super lucky with Jalyn Poodles in Louisiana and found my dream Mini in record time just for being in the right place at the right time. She just happened to have a cream boy who was ready to go, who had all the right health tests, the right upbringing and who has brightened every day since for me. Good for you doing your homework and sharing it for others.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Thank you for your post! You did your research and that’s a great list of breeders. I gave up on emails to breeders and called. I found non responsiveness really annoying in my search. I wasn’t expecting an immediate response, but nothing for a qualified buyer who is willing to wait? (I am not surprised Tabitha of NOLA had a nice response. She’s a breed and poodle breeder ambassador!) I know you will get a perfect puppy and can’t wait to see the pictures and hear all the details. Congratulations!


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## Cliff (Oct 10, 2018)

Hi OP, 

If you find yourself still looking for a breeder, try reaching out to the PCA.

https://poodleclubofamerica.org/breeder-referral/

Best of luck !!


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## IdahoLiving (Jun 20, 2013)

VanTan is absolutely fabulous! Local to me and lovely to talk to. If I were to get another Poodle it would be from her. 
Sheilah


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## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

My goodness, I just found your post! As Pat K indicated I have a Light n Lively poodle and couldn’t be happier. Highly recommend a puppy from Joan.

I found Joan on the recommendation of my agility trainer, who is pretty accomplished and has won Westminster masters agility with one of her pups (not a poodle). I think for that reason, and the fact that I spent 15 minutes giving her my “dog resume” without her asking (like PBG), she put me on the “yes” list right away. 

I also know a woman in my agility circle who has one of Joan’s pups and she is very happy.

Gracie is almost 6 months now and is everything I wanted and more. She is black, with a white blaze, which is a fault in the conformation ring, but I will only be doing performance sports with her. Joan said she rarely see this in her pups, but I like it! 

Gracie is out of Ch Light n Lively’s Minnie on the go (Minnie) and Ch Light n Lively’s Moon Walking (Jaxon). This was Minnie’s last litter as she is 7, and will be spayed. Joan is still breeding her daughter, Minuette. 

I met three generations before making a decision, Gracie’s mom, grandmom, and half sister. All had lovely temperaments. What impressed me most was grandma, who was 14 (spayed) and clearly healthy and vibrant. I wouldn’t have guessed she was 14. Joan clearly knows what she is doing. I did a lot of searching, but meeting her and the pups gave me confidence that it was the right decision. 

Gracie is incredible. She is robust, confident, healthy, smart, and so sweet. Energetic for sure, but she has a nice off switch, and is snoozing on my lap right now. 

She is also a born retriever. Joan told me that she liked to retrieve a ball. So at eight weeks of age, I bought her a little ball, and sure enough, she brought it back right away. No training needed. Just recently, I found she loves to swim too, so I will be trying dock diving with her! I’ve started her in agility foundations and she is doing well, but it will be a while before she can compete.

We tried lure coursing this weekend, and she loved that as well. This girl has grit and is full of life, I just love her, she’s going to be a lot of fun. 

She has a great appetite and tolerates any kind of food. Rides well in the car, no puppy car sickness, and has done well with my three dogs. Housebreaking went well, usual expected puppy accidents but she slept through the night with a dry crate in the morning from day 1, at eight weeks of age.

I could go on and on here, as I am head over heels in love with this pup. But I will spare you the rambling- lol. Rest assured though, you can’t go wrong with a Light n Lively pup! 

I attached a couple pics of Gracie, one of her doing lure coursing this past weekend. She looks slightly demonic in that one with the sun glaring down, but you can see her enthusiasm! She also looks enormous in pictures, but she is only ten lbs at 6 months. She had a growth spurt recently but it has leveled off. She was one of the smaller pups in the litter though. Size didn’t really matter to me, but if I get really serious about agility, I might fly with her and I wouldn’t want to put her in cargo, so being on the smaller side works. But if she grows big, that’s fine too. 

Let me know if I can answer any questions, I’m excited for you!


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## Nromley (Jan 5, 2019)

What a beautiful little girl! Her blaze is darling, and really sets her off.

Thank you so much for taking the time to provide so much information. It's really helpful, especially because I put down a deposit without meeting any of the dogs. Nice to hear what lovely dogs they are, but I thought they would be, after speaking with Joan and going over all the pictures and information on the webpage.

It's obvious she's everything you were looking for, and that you're head over heels in love with this little one! I can see why.

I felt good about my choice, but you've helped me feel even more positive. Hopefully, everything works out and my puppy will be as "good" as your Gracie (Grace is my daughter's name, so one of my favorites).

I haven't had such a small dog before. What size crate do you recommend?


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## Yellow (Sep 24, 2018)

*toy poodle*



patk said:


> carolinek has a light n lively poodle. she is delighted with her. she posts fairly regularly. just fyi.


Sounds like you did your homework and found a good breeder. I recognized and have talked to a few of the breeders you have listed. But, my heart says Toy Poodle. I will be looking sometime next year and hope to find a breeder that is concerned where their puppies are going also.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Carolinek said:


> My goodness, I just found your post! As Pat K indicated I have a Light n Lively poodle and couldn’t be happier. Highly recommend a puppy from Joan.
> 
> I found Joan on the recommendation of my agility trainer, who is pretty accomplished and has won Westminster masters agility with one of her pups (not a poodle). I think for that reason, and the fact that I spent 15 minutes giving her my “dog resume” without her asking (like PBG), she put me on the “yes” list right away.
> 
> ...


Now _that's_ the way to provide the low-down on your breeder. I don't even _want_ another dog but you have me wanting one of this breeders's poodles. And I'd want a toy, not a mini if I did want a dog, which I don't. But you make me think, hmmmm....a mini. Now that's an idea! :alberteinstein:
Maybe a mini next time. Then I have to remind myself that no...I don't want another dog.:nono: See what you've done? 

I think your dogs are beautiful Caroline. And I too like that white "blaze." I think Nromley is going to get one very nice poodle (maybe two) haha... and she will feel confident with this breeder. I like it if there's a good longevity in the lines and that they're built for these sports. Terrific!


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## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

Nmromley- Thank you! I used a 24 inch crate in the beginning, she still fits in it but her legs are so long that I now put her in a medium size, 36 inches. She never soiled her crate, she has had typical puppy accidents when out and about in the house, but nothing in the crate. 

PBG, these poodles are addicting aren’t they? We’re up to 4 dogs now, which is working fine. Part of the reason it works so well is because hubby is retired so they’re not home alone much. But it is 4 vet bills, 4 times as much food, etc. But I don’t regret for one moment adding Miss Gracie to the family!


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

What a great list of breeders


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## Nromley (Jan 5, 2019)

Yes, I would have considered a puppy from almost all of them. Some very nice people, along with beautiful dogs.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

Carolinek, I see you have a certified land shark - we always gave that title to our standard poodle when she was a puppy.


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## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

Johanna- the term fits beautifully doesn’t it? I’m not wishing these puppy months away, but I will not miss the land shark.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

We have 4 dogs too, lol Its the vet bills that bite.


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