# Just bred my poodle for her first time



## Phaz23 (May 31, 2020)

Derekgroves said:


> Hello everyone! My female poodle was just bred a week ago to a beautiful stud. I have started getting things ready for a potential litter prior to her being bred but I just wanted to know what are some of your must have items? And as a puppy buyer what do you wish your breeder included in your puppy pack or what information did you wish you had known? Thanks for any advice the parti poodle is the stud and the apricot is my baby!
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As a buyer, I knew my puppy’s parents were health tested beyond even the recommended test (PRA, hips, patella, eye clearance) but wish I received a comprehensive package of all the parents test results (without asking) for future reference. Also the registration paperwork filled out and signed by the breeder so I can just send it in. And I think food, probiotics, dewormer, and a take home leash and collar would be nice.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Phaz23 said:


> As a buyer, I knew my puppies parents were health tested beyond even the recommended test (PRA, hips, patella, eye clearance) but wish I received a comprehensive package of all the parents test results (without asking) for future reference. Also the registration paperwork filled out and signed by the breeder so I can just send it in. And I think food, probiotics, dewormer, and a take home leash and collar would be nice.


 I also know my puppy's parents were health tested as Phaz mentioned but having physical copies would be nice.

I had a leash and collar with me, but my collar was far too large - the breeder had a new one that I took him home with. She was experienced and prepared for people like me showing up without appropriate sized collar or leash.

What I did like was she gave me his health records including all the details of all vaccines given (labels off the vials) and when he was dewormed so my vet could clearly see what he was given.

My breeder is experienced and shows poodles for conformation in AKC but she was also training her dogs for some other titles - trick dog titles, and the grandmother poodle had her AKC CD title. We had discussed this - and it was nice to see how well behaved her dogs were.

One thing I"m very happy is my dog's tail is docked properly - a nice length with no issues.

What I wished I had gotten was a toy that was full of the mother and siblings odors. I did bring a towel that I was able to rub on his mother and grandmother so he had those scents in the crate going home. OTOH because I already had a friendly welcoming poodle, it eased his way into our household so we didn't have any prolonged crying when he first came home.

Editing to add I also got a weeks worth of puppy food. He was microchipped. He had been bathed and groomed several times.


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## Mel (Apr 4, 2012)

Join Canine: Health Issues, Reproduction & Newborn Care on Facebook. If you have any questions that is a great place to post.



As a puppy buyer I would want to see the testing that has been done on the parents and I would want in writing a signed copy of the health warranty . It protects both new puppy owners and the breeders. I would want the breeder to stand behind the puppy and if it has a gentic health problem a full refund should be issued upon getting a vet report and they should be able to keep their dog if they choose. Even if it’s not in the warranty. Some things that happen you cannot test for but as a breeder you need to stand behind your dogs. I would want to know that the breeder will take them back at any point in time and help rehome them.

When I had a deposit on a puppy the biggest peeve I found was that I got no updates and finally when I did I was sent really bad photos and told hardly any info. When instead I bred my dog instead of buying a puppy ( long story there ) I posted constant photos and details and about how my puppies were developing and learning. I took them on car rides so their trip home would not be traumatic and they would hopefully not develop car sickness (none of mine did).

Another worry that I had when I had a deposit on one was that the tail would be too short so that is something I was very careful about when having mine docked. Tails should not be little nubs and should be at least as long as their foot to hock when held up against their rear (I like a little longer than that but they shouldn’t be shorter).

My one time litter puppy pack consisted of a folder that had each puppies pictures on the outside of them growing up with AKC paperwork (which was prepaid for ), a printed pedigreee from AKC, shots records, health certificate, details on AKC insurance , Microchip info (that was already done for them) , a fuzzy Kong toy and blanket with mom’s and siblings scent on it, small ball, a small 5lb bag of PPP, a puppy Kong with the filler, a bully stick, leash and a collar that fit.

I tried to think of things I would like for my own new puppy (because I kept one) and sent it with the owner because hopefully that will keep them out of the petstore 😊 for a bit to help prevent picking up nasty germs. Puppies were of course freshly clipped ,blowed dried, nails trimmed so they would not need the groomers for awhile.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Things I appreciated getting with the puppy:

Toy scented like mom & litter
A sturdy folder containing vet records, registration information, purchase contract, health guarantee, pedigree
A small bag of the puppy's food along with the brand name
Pictures and video updates
Handling: shaved faces, feet, and sanitary regions. Bathing. Exposure to adults and children of varying ages. Exposure to household commotion, a variety of footing surfaces, and other household pets
First shots done as early as possible, so booster shots can be completed before the puppy goes to puppy play-n-learn classes
I personally see no reason to dock the tail of a parti, as they can't be shown in AKC conformation. However, some people feel equally strongly the other way. Docking is a decision between you and your buyers. If you do choose to dock, make sure the person performing the procedure knows the proper length. It makes me sad to see a little cocker spaniel nub, too small to even have a proper pompom, on an otherwise elegant poodle.


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

Familiarzation with sounds....

Top priority is the recycling/yard waste rolling bin. Then normal stuff like brakes releasing, fireworks, sirens.


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

Nothing to do with what I brought home, tbh, although a sample of food would have been nice and I appreciating getting an item with litter scent and a collar. 

What I was most grateful for was all the time my puppy's breeder had put into the litter. 3-4 face shavings. Many baths. Trips to the grooming salon, the vets, several other places. Socialization with friendly known dogs, kids, old people. Car rides. Already knowing to come when called. Intimately knowing the personality and other attributes of each of the pups. A happy, healthy, confident mother dog. Exposure to the sounds and sights of a normal, loud, active household.

The confident, well socialized, practically bomb proof puppy I recieved was the best possible extra the breeder could have given me.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Be sure to offer the buyers, and their families/guests, to visit the puppies after they are settled in. My breeder offered to let us visit after they were 2 weeks old. I visited once/week. I loved it, the puppies loved it, and with the other buyers doing the same, it helps to socialize them all.


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## Mel (Apr 4, 2012)

I am not sure if this is your first litter or not but one thing that I had wished I had learned/gotten prepared for before the birth was

#1 give dam folic acid
#2 Learn to tube and have tubes ready if they are needed. I’ve seen this recently with a Facebook friend who had littles who needed help and she wasn’t prepared and it didn’t end well.

I had the formula and nipples ready for a puppy in need of help but I wasn’t prepared for a cleft puppy. Fortunately I had a awesome vet that showed me how the next day and I gave that puppy the best chance that I could have.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

I want the breeder of any dog I purchase to have fully heath tested parents and grandparents, according to the poodle club of America and I want to be able to see the results on an official OFA site. . I prefer that the breeder do something with their dogs, water they show in conformation or sport. I want the puppies also health screened by a licensed vet and that the pups have been temperament tested and exposed to different sounds and turfs. When I pick up the puppy after knowing the rest I expect a leash, inexpensive light weight is fine, like a show lead, just something that will keep the pup nearby should I have to let it on the ground. A weeks worth of puppy food the it has been eating, a toy or blanket that has been exposed to the mother and littermate, would be nice. I would expect all paperwork to be available at time of pickup or I'd walk away.


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## PowersPup (Aug 28, 2020)

In addition to the items and information listed in other responses, I loved that my breeder has a Facebook page so I could see photos of the puppy socialization, playtime, photos of the parents, posts of other owners, etc. She set up a sub-page just for people getting pups from the same small litter. I just loved seeing the photos and videos of my puppy as he developed. I can visit her page and even post items if I choose. It's like having a family. 

In addition to a folder with Topper's vet records, the breeder included the results of the puppy aptitude test. I got the microchip number and tag, leash, collar that fit, food, puppy shampoo, disinfectant, enzyme cleaner, a toy and a blanket Best of all she gave me a great puppy!


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## dogsavvy (Mar 6, 2015)

Okay, you'll probably think I'm nuts but I used to breed. I hated it when I was on the Poodle hunt that I had to ask people, "are the parents tested?" They'd say "yes". Then I'd have to ask if they provide a copy of the medical tests (you'd be stunned at those who refused or ignored me... & I did not go further with them). My puppy owners most of the time had a jaw drop moment when they got their puppy package. I thought I did a great job until I got my Giant Schnauzer &... oh my stars her breeder was meticulous. Her book was over 1000 pages, plus a whole envelope of literature, 4 dvds, just... wow. So if I had it all to do over again below is my list of how I would do it. I can not tell you how invaluable all this information has been to me over the years, not just with my Giant Schnauzer but with all my dogs & helping others so... hang on to your hat... here we gooooo...

1) A folder that includes full pedigree (either made for the puppy or a copy of the sire & dam's pedigrees).
- any health tests done on the parents, a copy would be enclosed so there is no question, no need to wonder
if pup is cleared by parentage of something, I would print off the explanation from the test sites website. I also
included definitions of what the tests were for (definitions of the diseases)
- medical record for each puppy that shows complete vaccination & deworming schedule
- info on what (if any) flea/tick/heartworm meds have been used, when next dose is due, what I used & what I recommend.
- a picture of sire, dam, & the litter (if I had grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings related then I'd include those as well)

2) NUTRITION: 
-this one's a doozie. I am a 20 year raw feeder. Started raw feeding over a dog that was a big part of my heart. When I saw the outcome, I moved everyone to raw & my current tribe haven't known what kibble is since coming to me. My Giant is out of many generations of raw fed dogs. So for me, I'm going to give all new owners a how-to on raw feeding.
- what meats to feed (& what NOT to feed)
-what if any grains to use (& what not to use)
-bones what's safe & what's not
-what fruit/veggies to use & what not to.
(I am going to print off a safe for dogs & DANGEROUS for dogs feeding list as well as an info sheet on checking all products for xylitol).
-their diet list will also tell them what things not to feed at one time (liver, eggs, fish do not get fed at the same time)
-I'm going to tell them how I fed their puppies, at what age to change from 3 meals a day to 2.
- If you are a kibble feeder then you give them a baggie of what you're feeding, the brand & variety & when to transition to adult food (& info on HOW to do that). I am stunned at the people who go buy a new brand & BAM.. change & then the pup is miserable with loose stools & everyone is cranky.

Supplements:
- I don't use a ton of stuff but what I do will be outlined in detail. Of course how much & when

GROOMING:
If I were going to breed a litter today it would either be Giant Schnauzers or Standard Poodles & that means grooming is a little more intensive than for my Dobermans. My Giant's breeder gave me an awesome grooming dvd so I would do this for my puppy buyers. I treasure that dvd.
-A tool list
MUST haves & Nice to haves
(Being me I would also include where they can get these things)
I'd do a print out of cuts (like one page worth) that are merely suggestions & probably a list of youtube videos where they could watch some pros do their thing.

TRAINING:
I'm a professional trainer & I get nightmares over some of the stuff I see out there so my puppies would all go home with a basic, how-to for commands showing how to teach sit, heel, recall, down, stay. They'd go home with a dvd & a time line for when I would do certain things. I can't be responsible for what they do in training once they leave me but the puppies would be started on their commands so that their new owners can think they're rockstar trainers & the videos can aid in getting them through until they do a puppy class or further training. (I have more years than I'm going to admit to & have started very young puppies on the art of obedience so this is not something folks should jump into unless they have good hands to handle those wee ones).
-I would do an equipment list & show on the dvd HOW to use the tools & what I don't recommend.
- my dvd would likely show the parents (the dogs I own) working & moving so you can see where your puppy came from.
-Crate training instructions (pups here are already started on this as they're being weaned & forward).
- Training for feeding instructions (I detest dogs getting to be snappy or bullies about food, so I give the details of how to prevent that by never letting it start & using training at feeding time so you will always have relaxed feeding time (& mannerly pup at feeding time).

ACTIVITY Suggestions:
Because people aren't always so good at thinking outside of the box, I would also provide a list of activities that my breed would potentially have fun doing: everything from conformation show, agility, fly ball, barn hunt, etc...
Also ideas for little training, exercise, & mental stimulation activities so that new owners can tire those puppies out safely. (With that goes the warning of no jumping, hard running/jogging, etc... before their joints are ready).
If I have puppies that I know are going to homes with intentions toward agility, protection work, competition agility, etc... I will provide suggestions for gearing their puppy toward those things & that would be on an individual basis.

I would also include a chew toy that was me-approved for the pup to chew on, puppy collar, & travel leash (if the owners didn't bring one). Plus a website listing of suggested reading. 

THIS is how I would do it. Yes, it sounds crazy but when I got my Giant Schnauzer it cut down on many phone calls & emails because I had the info at my finger tips. Now, I did my job by reading everything. Some people are lazy but that's their own fault.


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## dogsavvy (Mar 6, 2015)

cowpony said:


> Things I appreciated getting with the puppy:
> 
> Toy scented like mom & litter
> A sturdy folder containing vet records, registration information, purchase contract, health guarantee, pedigree
> ...


You can show a parti/multi colored in UKC conformation. And if they're AKC registered, you can dual register easily.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

dogsavvy said:


> You can show a parti/multi colored in UKC conformation. And if they're AKC registered, you can dual register easily.


Yes, and UKC conformation allows natural tails. Of course, I'm sure there are judges who won't pin a dog with a natural tail, same as judges who don't care for apricots or browns etc.


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## dogsavvy (Mar 6, 2015)

cowpony said:


> Yes, and UKC conformation allows natural tails. Of course, I'm sure there are judges who won't pin a dog with a natural tail, same as judges who don't care for apricots or browns etc.


I've been talking to UKC competitors, folks at UKC, breeders who are UKC focused & natural tales... from the people I've talked to aren't as likely to get the big win. But neither would an improperly docked tail. 

I wonder if it's because natural tails have a tendency to look like a gay tail?


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