# Babydog Poodles



## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

I’ve not heard of Babydog Poodles, but here’s a list of recommended health tests to help guide your discussions with this or any other breeder:






Toy Testing - Versatility In Poodles, Inc.


Versatility In Poodles, Inc.




vipoodle.org





_“The above tests are considered the minimum testing required for Toy Poodles that will be used for breeding.”_


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## Pumpkin Poodle (Oct 8, 2021)

PeggyTheParti said:


> I’ve not heard of Babydog Poodles, but here’s a list of recommended health tests to help guide your discussions with this or any other breeder:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks PeggytheParti. I’ll try to get more specifics about the testing they do.


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## Poodle2021 (Mar 14, 2021)

Based on a review of their website, this is not a breeder from whom I would purchase a puppy.


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## Fluffy Poodle 4 (Nov 29, 2020)

Sorry for the long reply, but I wanted to share my novice poodle enthusiast opinion on things until someone more experienced chimes in.

For starters, check out this great thread by Rose n Poos about finding a breeder and buying a puppy.
Breeders Listed By Location Thread

Also, this thread by fjm discusses screening breeders.
Buying a puppy safely- the basics

From what I've learned on this forum and what I saw on a quick search of what I think is their website, I personally would go with a different breeder.
1) Lack of titles on their dogs: Conformation showing is one way breeders prove their poodle is what a poodle is supposed to be. They do mention showing and have a few pictures of dogs in the ring, but none of their dogs have a championship or grand championship tied to their name that I could see.
2) Lack of health testing: This is different from genetic testing. The health testing I am talking about is the patella, eyes, etc. that @Peggmentioned earlier. When I looked up Babydog on OFA (the database the vast majority of breeders use) I only came up with 2 dogs, neither of which were poodles. Now this could simply be a lack of the breeder submitting the test results to the database, but it would make me uncomfortable since they don't mention doing this kind of testing on their website either. Health testing is a way to ensure as best as possible that future generations can live long healthy lives free of preventable diseases.
3) No information on puppy-raising practices: I would not feel confident with a breeder who does not mention using Puppy Culture, Rule of 7s, Avidog, or another practice. These are designed to start socialization from an early age and help the puppies have the best chance of being happy pets that can easily adapt to the changes life brings.
4) No temperament testing: The website mentions nothing about temperament testing and the contact page has a question that sounds like it implies buyer picks their puppy. Temperament of a puppy plays a much bigger role in how a puppy fits into a family than color or even sex. A buyer would have a hard time picking up on the quirks of each puppy and the ways each puppy interacts with the world (especially if all the buyer saw was a couple of posed pictures [I don't know what the breeder actually puts out to the public]). Great breeders will temperament test their puppies (often using the Volhard test) to determine what sort of personality each puppy has and thus what sort of family each puppy would do best with. Breeders usually take color and sex into account when deciding which family takes which puppy, but sometimes the right puppy is the "wrong" color. You will find though, that there are many happy poodle owners on this forum who got the "wrong" color puppy and are so happy with the poodle they ended up with.

This is what I noticed. I did not do extensive research or look at the Facebook page which is probably more up to date than the website. Also, the breeder seems to be doing some things right, like attempting to show their dogs and doing the genetic testing (can determine if dog is a carrier for certain diseases). I wouldn't say I have a great eye for conformation, but I thought at least three of their dogs (Garnet [dog], Cedar [dog], and Sunny [bitch]) were really long in the body or short on leg. I have read in other posts that this is a problem in minis and/or toys and should not be bred. I'll drop the link to the website here in case someone else wants to chime in on it. Finally, is anyone else concerned that they are breeding 3 different sizes of poodles and market their standards as moyen/Klein? It seems like a marketing ginmic to me unless they are from European lines (but we have no way of knowing this as far as I can tell).
Babydog Poodles


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Adding a reminder


*Health testing of the breeding parents is a good indicator of a quality, conscientious breeder.* The Breeder List has info on what to look for in the testing for each variety.

_Mentioning health testing on a site is nice but isn't proof. For proof, look for health testing results spelled out on the breeder's site, then verify for yourself by going to the site the results are published on. If you don't find any evidence of testing or can't find the info but the breeder appeals to you, contact them and ask where you might see the testing they do. Accountable breeders put in a lot of effort to make sure they're breeding the healthiest poodles and will be happy to talk about it and provide the info._

*Look for and verify OFA/CHIC level testing at a minimum.*

_*There are also poodle specific DNA panels for other testable genetic conditions. Those are companion tests with the OFA/CHIC testing, not in place of.*_

CHIC Program | Orthopedic Foundation for Animals | Columbia, MO (ofa.org)
Browse By Breed | Orthopedic Foundation for Animals | Columbia, MO (ofa.org)

Look Up A Dog | Orthopedic Foundation for Animals | Columbia, MO (ofa.org)


*A caution that a health "guarantee" on a puppy doesn't have much to back it if *
the sire and dam were not given the testing for breed and variety. "Guarantees" without the testing often favor the breeder, more than the buyer.

*Read thru any contracts that may be listed. *
If they rule out coverage for conditions that the breeding pair should or could have been tested for (see OFA or Breeder List), consider that a caution flag. Otherwise, are the terms clear to you and can you live with them?

Some of the contract terms are very puzzling.


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## Pumpkin Poodle (Oct 8, 2021)

Fluffy Poodle 4 said:


> Sorry for the long reply, but I wanted to share my novice poodle enthusiast opinion on things until someone more experienced chimes in.
> 
> For starters, check out this great thread by Rose n Poos about finding a breeder and buying a puppy.
> Breeders Listed By Location Thread
> ...


@Fluffy Poodle 4, I appreciate your detailed reply. I’ve found the OFA website confusing to search. Maybe I’m overlooking how to search by breeder? Anyway, it did concern me that OFA wasn’t mentioned, but I was going to ask about it. She did mention working on training and said she felt the male puppy might be a better fit temperament wise. She did not mention a specific program or temperament testing. I guess my main concern was just the look of the particular dam. I’ll probably pass because of that. Maybe I just need to trust my own senses more. At least this breeder seems like she’s trying and cares from my initial interaction. Better than a few I’ve come across.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

How to search in OFA.org. Usually the dog's registered name includes the name of the kennel which bred it, although sometimes a breeder will use an abbreviation. (One Fine Cut uses the abbreviation 1FC, for instance.) 

Go to the OFA page and choose Use Advanced Search from the top right corner.









Then type the name of the kennel in the field for part of name. Choose the option to search any part of name. Select poodle from the breed drop down. Then click the orange Begin Search button.









In the case of Clarion, which is an excellent long time breeder, you will get 4 pages of results dating back to the 1980s. Click on the dog you are interested in to see the information.


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