# Looking for balance dog



## ellenm (22 d ago)

*I’m looking for an ethical breeder of standard poodles near me in Beaverton Oregon. I want t suitable pup to train as my balance dog, or an adult that would be suitable. I prefer undocked. Any suggestions?*


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## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

Two good places to start looking are the Poodle Club of America's breeder referral PCA National Breeder Referral - The Poodle Club of America and the United Poodle Association's members list Members

Depending on your needs, a SPoo might not be large enough. If you just need light bracing and counter-balancing, then a SPoo might work, but for heavy bracing, and taller and/or heavier dog would do better. One of my friends went from a Doberman Pinscher to a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog for their mobility work.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Cascadia is in Bend, Oregon and does not dock. There was a recent thread where the kennel owner popped in. I believe she has a litter planned for spring 2023, but her web site is currently down. 

Some things to keep in mind:
1) The number of truly ethical and truly high quality poodle breeders isn't as high as one might expect. Frequently it is necessary to travel, wait for a litter to be born, and/or compromise on color & other characteristics to get a suitable dog.
2) There are very very few service dog breeding programs dedicated to poodles, especially compared to the numbers dedicated to Labs and Shepherds. Most poodles in service programs were bred for other purposes. Just because a kennel has had a dog successfully graduate from a service program doesn't mean all dogs from that breeder are suited for service. It's advisable to work with an experienced breeder who tests for temperament and/or is active with dog activities beyond breeding (e.g. sports, showing, etc.)
3) Young poodles can be very energetic and may not settle down until they are close to two years old.


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## ellenm (22 d ago)

TeamHellhound said:


> Two good places to start looking are the Poodle Club of America's breeder referral PCA National Breeder Referral - The Poodle Club of America and the United Poodle Association's members list Members
> 
> Depending on your needs, a SPoo might not be large enough. If you just need light bracing and counter-balancing, then a SPoo might work, but for heavy bracing, and taller and/or heavier dog would do better. One of my friends went from a Doberman Pinscher to a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog for their mobility work.


Thank you! I only need light bracing and counter balancing. There was a Breeder in Washington state, Heritage Service Dogs, using standard poodles, but they aren’t answering phone or email now. I wonder what happened to them. Thanks for the links, I’ll start from there.


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## ellenm (22 d ago)

cowpony said:


> Cascadia is in Bend, Oregon and does not dock. There was a recent thread where the kennel owner popped in. I believe she has a litter planned for spring 2023, but her web site is currently down.
> 
> Some things to keep in mind:
> 1) The number of truly ethical and truly high quality poodle breeders isn't as high as one might expect. Frequently it is necessary to travel, wait for a litter to be born, and/or compromise on color & other characteristics to get a suitable dog.
> ...


Thanks for the advice. I have lots to learn. I’ll see if I can contact Cascadia.


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## Meisha (Sep 21, 2020)

ellenm said:


> Thank you! I only need light bracing and counter balancing. There was a Breeder in Washington state, Heritage Service Dogs, using standard poodles, but they aren’t answering phone or email now. I wonder what happened to them. Thanks for the links, I’ll start from there.


Are they this one, in Oregon? Maybe they moved. http://heritageservicedogs.org/


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Hi and Welcome!

Adding to the good info already offered...

Since you're looking for a dog to help with stability, along with temperament, I'd focus a search on breeders that do the recommended Poodle Club of America health testing for breeding dogs and publish on the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals site. Health and capability of an SD seems a high priority.

This testing is more than just a DNA panel. It includes physical exams for hip dysplasia and more.

Standard Poodle

*Hip Dysplasia* (One of the following)
OFA Evaluation ➚
PennHIP Evaluation
*Eye Examination*
Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist ➚
*Health Elective* (One of the following)
OFA Thyroid evaluation from an approved laboratory ➚
OFA SA Evaluation from an approved dermapathologist ➚
Congenital Cardiac Exam ➚
Advanced Cardiac Exam ➚
Basic Cardiac Exam ➚
The PCA Foundation recommends all three electives for Standard Poodles and also strongly recommends the following DNA tests from an OFA listed lab to easily avoid breeding two mutation carriers to each other and producing affected puppies: DNA Test for Neonatal Encephalopathy with Seizures (NEwS) and DNA Test for vonWillebrand’s Disease (vWD)

I'd also look for a breeder that proves their dogs soundness and structure either in conformation competitions or performance activities.

The PCA breeder referral folks are a good source and if you're not finding a conscientious breeder that suits your needs in the US, Canadian breeders might be an option.

With the smaller-than-one-might-imagine number of conscientious breeders available, expanding your search area might be necessary.

---

Finding breeders that don't dock will be a challenge on the AKC side. UKC breeders are more likely to leave tails undocked, but rarely would any breeder agree to leave a single pup undocked, even if paid in full upfront.

This is because docking is done very early, only a few days post-whelp, but temperament is best assessed at around 7 weeks old.

Not close, but we've had a member or two get poodles from this breeder:
FIGZ SERVICE DOGS - Poodle Puppies * Fully Trained Service Poodles * Train Your Own Service Dog

Another in Illinois
Winters Wind Standard Poodles (winterswindpoodles.com)

APAW breeds occasionally
Welcome to American Poodles At Work - American Poodles At Work

If they can't help, they may also have some recommendations for breeders closer to you.


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## ellenm (22 d ago)

Rose n Poos said:


> Hi and Welcome!
> 
> Adding to the good info already offered...
> 
> ...


Yes that’s the place I was trying to contact, the heritage service dogs link. I haven’t been able to contact. Thanks give all the info. I looked up FIGZ, I wish they were close!


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