What We Expect
Breed Familiarity. We expect that you have researched the poodle breed, including the Poodle Club of America Breed Standard, have reviewed our website, and are familiar with our breeding philosophy. Standard Poodles are not appropriate for all families and we expect that you have thoroughly considered whether or not this is the breed for you, and whether or not you have the time and energy to raise a puppy, even if you have owned the breed in the past.
The Trip Home. We send all of our puppies home at the same time and we require that buyers personally visit our home and pick up their puppies. We do not ship puppies. If you do not live within driving distance, you can fly into St. Louis, pick up your puppy, and fly home with the puppy underneath the seat in a soft sided carrier.
Socialization. Because the first 16 weeks are so critical to the development of your puppy’s personality, we ask that you not have any vacations or business trips planned during this time. You simply cannot make up for missed opportunities for socialization and training that occur during that time. Please plan to spend as much time as possible during the first 16 weeks creating positive, novel experiences for your pup. They learn best what they learn first.
Training. We require our puppy buyers to commit to completing a Puppy Kindergarten class and continuing with formal, weekly obedience training classes for the first two years of life. We have found that owners who choose to train at home, even if it has worked for them in the past, are not as successful as those who attend regular training classes. In addition, I compete in obedience, rally, and conformation with my dogs, am comfortable teaching the necessary skills, and still choose to attend regular obedience training classes for the first 2-3 years of their life. I expect the same from my puppy families.
Diet. Our dogs are fed a commercial raw diet as well as some high quality dry kibble. We do prefer that our families feed a raw diet, but a super-premium, high quality dry kibble is acceptable
Advocate For Your Pet. We ask that you be your dog’s advocate at the vet. We expect that our owners will partner with their trusted veterinarian to determine appropriate vet care rather allowing the vet to make all decisions. Just as you would do for yourself or your children, inform yourself before allowing any medical treatment. We expect our buyers to titer for Distemper & Parvo and vaccinate only if required rather than automatically vaccinating in adulthood. We expect that Rabies vaccines will be given as legally required.