Happiness is a warm puppy. – Unknown
Make sure you read all the way to the Rose at the bottom of the page, to ensure you see it all.
In our opinion as breeders, this is one of the most important pages on the website. The first question you should be asking is, “Is a Standard Poodle the correct breed for me or my family?” Prior to the decision to purchase a Standard Poodle, please take some time to read this page. Most questions you have will be answered here. These questions are the most often asked questions that we have had throughout our years of breeding.
Once it is decided the answer is yes to purchase a Standard Poodle, there are questions you will need answered. Questions about what you need before the arrival of your new puppy as well as training and grooming. You will be able to read questions and answers about the health issue that are sometime found in the Standard Poodle breed. We address the very confusing and sometime controversial issue of colors. There may be pictures or videos after the answer to the question to confirm or explain it better.
We have answered these questions to the best of our ability. We have based the answers on our own 30 plus years of experiences with our own Standard Poodle family as well as serious research we have done. There are new ideas and information coming out daily about training, genetics and breeding practices. We will try our best to be informed so we can keep you informed. There will be breeders, pet owners and even veterinarians who may have differing opinions, that are just as reliable or factual. We are not vets or geneticists, but we are concerned professional breeders who want to help you make an informed decision about adding a FAMILY AFFAIR STANDARD POODLE to your family. We certainly hope these questions and answers do that.
Each puppy adoption is unique, so if you do not find the answer to your specific question, please feel free to Contact Us. We will do our best to answer each question or refer you to someone who can. We will also be available to give advice and support for the lifetime of your FAMILY AFFAIR STANDARD POODLE.
FAQ’s
A: Yes!!! We have lots of champions in our bloodlines and we also have puppies out there becoming champions or already champions!!! The gene pool for the Standard Poodle is very limited. Because of this, almost all breeders, good or bad, will have champions in their pedigrees. If you were to acquire two Standard Poodles from across the U.S and from entirely different parents, you would be hard pressed to go back no more than 5 generations before finding at least one if not several of the same AKC names and some champions on each pedigree. Therefore, just because someone uses the words “CHAMPION BLOODLINES” as a selling point, does not mean that they have a nice facility or high quality, healthy Standard Poodles. Below are just a few examples of the champions that have come from FAMILY AFFAIR STANDARD POODLES.
Cookie was shipped to Brazil in March of 2010. Pricilla immediately began prepping her for the show ring. She was an eager student and finished her Brazilian championship very quickly. "Cookie is only a few points away from her adult Brazilian championship and the Pan-American championship. After this year we won´t have more shows to go, so she is taking a rest for a perfect come back next year! Thanks to Family Affair Standard Poodles for this perfect girl!" Canil QuindimA: DIVERSITY! DIVERSITY! DIVERSITY! Diversity is our goal and is it obtained by the way we choose to breed the blood lines in our Standard Poodles. Diversity produces a low COI in our Standard Poodle puppies. COI stands for Coefficient of Inbreeding (small gene pool). Essentially, it measures the common ancestors of dam and sire, and indicates the probability of how genetically similar they are. The following link explains the importance of low COI in determining the amount of genetic health issues. http://www.dogbreedhealth.com/a-beginners-guide-to-coi/. High COI in the STANDARD POODLE is the result of trying to attain and keep the Poodle Club of America standard that is written for AKC. We sacrifice complete control of that exact AKC show look and select our breeding stock for more random qualities of beauty, temperament and most important health. The other factor causing high COI (small gene pool) in the breed is breeding for specific colors. You may have read earlier on our website that we are able to produce every color accepted by AKC. Many people have inbreed inside the same color lineage to retain that “perfect color” but unfortunately this is one of the causes for the many genetic defects. To obtain diversity we have crossed up solid colors with other solid colors that have very little or no common genetic background. An example of this is, mixing our brown line with our red line. Now some breeders would gasp with disgust because this can produce a liver nose on an apricot or red. To some breeders this is a NO, NO. A liver nose is even accepted in the AKC show ring, it is not desirable but is accepted. There are lots of people including us that think a red or apricot Standard Poodle with a liver nose and amber eyes has a beautiful expression. (see pictures below). This is one example of where some breeders seek to avoid a cosmetic trait like a liver nose and forgo the diversity which lessens the chance of a genetic defect in certain blood line. We have also done the same with our parties and phantoms. We have sacrificed having a whole litter of partis or phantoms by crossing our solids with our partis or phantoms. When you do this you will only have a certain percentage and sometime no partis or phantoms in the litter. This type breeding can take several generations but this process waters down or diversifies the very small gene pool of the partis and phantoms and therefore reducing the chance of genetic defects in these colors. We have most recently been blessed to add a very old and healthy bloodline from Canen Standard Poodles from the UK. We have introduced this line crossed with a very diversified Russian line into our Silvers, normally a very high COI color. We also have another breeding from the Canen line to enhance the health of our Browns & Blacks. Shirley Bell bred a large bone robust Standard Poodle for over 60 years. The introduction of these line into ours is greatly reducing the COI in our puppies. Our breeding practices may produce some undesirable conformation or cosmetic traits (according to AKC standards) but our main goal is to enrich the very small gene bank of the Standard Poodle pedigrees which is and will continue to be the best weapon against genetic disorders.
A: Although no standardized legal definition for "puppy mill" exists, a definition was established in Avenson v. Zegart in 1984 as "a dog breeding operation in which the health of the dogs is disregarded in order to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits."
The ASPCA uses a similar definition: "a large-scale commercial dog breeding operation where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs."
Wickpedidia: A puppy mill, sometimes known as a commercial dog breeding facility that is operated with an emphasis upon PROFITS above animal welfare and is often in substandard conditions regarding the well-being of dogs in their care. For-profit breeding on a smaller scale may be referred to as backyard breeding although this term has negative connotations and may also refer to unplanned or non-commercial breeding.
We believe in transparency and honesty. We are a large breeder, BUT WE DO NOT PUT PROFIT OVER THE WELLBEING OF OUR BREEDING STOCK OR OVER THE PUPPIES THAT ARE BORN HERE. We are continually looking for ways to improve the wellbeing of our adults and puppies living conditions, socialization and health care. Yes, this is how we make our living, but we have sacrificed our own personal financial gains for many years to insure we have the best facility and have the amount of experienced, caring staff required to care for our dogs. A large number of breeding dogs makes you a large breeder not a puppy mill as some breeders would have you to believe. The care and wellbeing of OUR dogs makes the difference between us and a puppy mill. As we said, we believe in transparency and this is not a declaration that EVRY SINGLE puppy that leaves here is completely parasite free or we have not had a congenital or genetic problem 100% of the time. IT IS HOWEVER A DECLARATION that our goal is for every puppy to be healthy and happy 100% of the time. Our happy, healthy puppies and customers FAR outnumber any issues we have had in our 30 years of breeding. IT IS ALSO A DECLARATION that we care deeply for the new owners and puppies and strive every day to find breeding practices (diversity) medications, sanitation practices and continuously upgrade our facility so care that you and your new puppy have a healthy happy experience. Just as in the human race not everybody is born a beauty queen or without health issues, the same is so in the canine world. We love each of our adults and love what we do every day and are blessed to do so. The USDA and AKC inspect our facility unannounced on a regular basis. They will find a mom in a clean whelping area with her babies kept warm with a light and heater. They will find moms that have babies in large grassy paddocks with shade and decks and warm housing to get into when the chilly nights of winder arrive. All of our adult Standard Poodles are spayed and neutered and retired at the age of six into their forever homes and are not continuously bred. We support the Westie, Standard Poodle, Dachshund, Pitt Bull and Siberian Huskie Rescues. These are breeds that individuals that work here have a place in their heart for. All of us here love our Standard Poodles but desire a good life for all animals. Below you will see a slide show of puppy mill moms and puppies and pictures of our retired moms, breeding moms and puppies. How they live and the very obvious difference in care.
A: You can see all the dogs we breed on our Ladies’ Page and Gentlemen’s Page and pictures of our facility throughout the website. Many of our adults are rotated "Fostered" out to the people that work on the farm and live at their homes to ensure socialization and human bonding. They are then brought back to the farm for their breeding and whelping cycles. If you have any doubt about the care of our Standard Poodles we would love to have you come visit and see for yourself what it is like here and meet our Canine Ladies (moms) and Gentlemen (dads). Below is a slideshow that shows some of our breeding stock at the homes of our staff.
A: For us, our Kennel is a Home, a "Canine Home". An extension of our Home as well as our Business. Our Standard Poodles are caring, emotional creatures put on this earth by our good Lord above for us to love and care for. In return we get unconditional love. Our entire lives revolve around their physical, mental and social care. We believe that our Kennel provides a clean, sanitary environment for our Standard Poodle adults and puppies. We have 4 different types of facilities/exercise yards for the different stages of our Standard Poodle’s lives. We have a nursery where the Standard Poodle babies are born. The nursery has an indoor area that is heated/air conditioned with doggie doors for moms to go out to a covered outdoor area to potty or just take a break away from her babies. We have a pre-school area that the puppies and mom move to after they are whelped, these are called our “Canine Cottages”. They have a larger indoor area also climate controlled and in addition have a covered “Front Porch” to come out onto before they brave going out into the large grassy play yard which is accessible to each cottage. Then when the puppies are weaned they move to a yard that has a cottage like a walk in shed. In these yards we have decks with steps either to lie under or sun on. They play hide and seek or king of the mountain off of the decks. The walk in sheds are heated and have ample room for their feeders and for all the puppies to snuggle. For our adults or adolescents, growing up here to add to our breeding program, we have other large yards with the large, heated walk in sheds They have warm bedding for our reasonably mild winters with lots of room to run and play, shade trees and decks to spend lazy days of summer resting under as well laying on the deck sunning on a chilly day. Every pen or lot has toys and it’s where our ladies and gentlemen enjoy a lifetime of play and love. We follow a very rigid, detailed schedule for cleaning, socializing, medical protocols. We’ve gone to extreme lengths to be sure our environment of raising puppies is suitable and we welcome visitors to see how our puppies are raised and meet our adults. It can be a challenge to provide the same clean/sanitary environment that we provide for litters born in a home, especially if there are large litters with limited space. Once the puppies are older, they not only make more noise, but a lot of mess. Unless the breeder has an area exclusively for the puppies, this time can be very stressful and demanding on both the family and the puppies. It is very easy to become overwhelmed with a number of puppies in an indoor situation. We have personal knowledge of a Standard Poodle Breeder who “SHOWED” her poodles and used the phrase “All my dogs are raised IN MY HOME” as a selling point and she belittled those of us who did not. She was closed down by the USHS in 2010. The filth was unprecedented. Please be careful when assessing the “Sales Pitch” of "We are not a Kennel, our dogs and puppies are kept in our Home". Below is a short slide show of dogs bred in a home compared to a few pictures of our facility. Raised in a “KENNEL” is not always a good thing either. The indoor kennel facilities can have stacked cages and puppies raised in these cages are never allowed to touch the ground or see the outdoors. The adults as well, can be confined to these cages their entire life. The adults can go months with no contact with humans other than when food and water is dispensed. If they do have outdoor areas, they can be very small and inadequate for exercise or rest. Their runs and/or cages are not often cleaned and adults are rarely groomed or bathed. They are fed a very cheap inadequate food for any canine in a breeding program. In these type kennels the adults as well as the puppies are considered simply inventory not live, caring, emotional beings. There are good, reputable breeders who raise their babies inside their homes and in kennels. The term “Puppy Mill” in our opinion, is not about numbers it is about the facility, the socialization and physical care the dogs receive. You can have ten breeding adults and have them in a very unclean, depressing, cramped atmosphere. You can have only one litter a year and not give any attention to the social, mental, medical, or environmental wellbeing of the litter. You can have a larger number of adults to breed as long as the facility, property and the number of people involved or employed are MORE than adequate to ensure adults as well as puppies are in a clean, roomy environment with the proper diet, medical care and socialization. The bottom line....do your research and screen any breeder you are considering buying a puppy from. Phrases like “champion bloodlines”, “show breeder”, “raised in our home” are not reasons to buy or not to buy from a certain person. Ask questions and if someone gets defensive go on to someone else. We have one question, in our opinion that should always be asked, even if you are having your puppy shipped, “Do you allow visitors to come and visit your adults, puppies and where they are raised?” If the answer is NO, do not accept any excuses. Buy your puppy somewhere else.
We love our Standard Poodles and spend most of our waking hours looking after and loving them. They are in a kennel facility and a facility that we are very proud of and would welcome anyone to visit.
A. One must understand that while a Poodle puppy has one coat color, many variables can affect what will become the adult coat color. When a pup keeps the same color coat as an adult, this is known as "holding" its color. However, many Poodles "clear". To "clear" means the coat fades or lightens to a lighter shade of the same color or another color all together (i.e. a black to silver). A lightening of the coat does not necessarily occur evenly all over the coat; rather Poodle color will often hold more on the dog's ears and the thicker guard hairs. An example is in the slide show below. The first example is three pictures of a "SilverBeige", going from Rusty Brown to Light Beige. The next example is of a "Silver", going from Black to Platinum Silver.
A: Standard Poodles like to share in your activities and be ever present in your life. They are for the most part a confident, hardy and athletic breed. All Standard Poodles possess certain athletic qualities, but varying degrees of these qualities. One example of those varying degrees is that you may need a Standard Poodle that when you say “Let’s go for a walk” They gently lift their head from their favorite spot on the couch and give you a look that says “Ok I’ll go just to be with you.” Another person may need a Standard Poodle puppy when ask to go for a walk runs and grabs the leash from its normal resting place, comes back and jumps up and down as if to say” What are you waiting on, let’s go, let’s go.” We are very familiar with the temperaments of our puppies. We will help you decide on the right puppy for the amount of athleticism you are looking for. If they are introduced to any activity correctly and safely they are sure to enjoy it as long as it is shared with you. Below you can see photos of some of our FAMILY AFFAIR STANDARD babies in their forever homes doing all types of activities.
A: AKC recognizes 11 solid colors in the show ring. It also allows 22 more different color varieties and markings to be registered. Below you will find a list of those colors along with alternate colors and markings and their codes. You have probably read, here at FAMILY AFFAIR STANDARD POODLES we have the ability to produce all 11 solid colors listed on the OFFICIAL OWNERSHIP REGISTRATION FORM. We can also produce partis, tuxedos, phantoms, sables and brindles. Each of these color varieties come in combinations of the 11 solid colors. Coat color can be very confusing and you will sometimes get two or three different opinions of what color the same Standard Poodle’s coat is. This difference of opinion comes from the fact that all colors except true blacks and ice whites do fade at least to a small degree over the first two years and sometime even longer. This causes lots of different shades of solid colors. We are going to attempt, like so many before us, to give you an example of each coat color. We will also show how they fade and provide a written description for each color and its varying shades. These descriptions are our own interpretation and definition of the color. The descriptions are also our guideline for the color code we enter on the OFFICIAL OWNERSHIP REGISTRATION FORM that you use to register your puppy. AKC wants us to enter the color code that we think will best describe the puppy at its maturity. Some of the descriptions we developed completely on our own and others we got from other websites that addressed the issue of color and we felt it was a good description. We are in no way stating the information we have provided is the ABSOLUTE AND ONLY TRUTH. We have tried to address this color question to the very best of our knowledge and experience. In this matter, consider other explanations or descriptions as well. The multi-color Standard Poodle is a very controversial subject. Some Standard Poodle breeders/exhibitors have a unwavering opinion that Standard Poodles should only be only solid colors. However the history of the Poodle and the history of the Parti Poodle are actually one in the same. In the very beginnings of the breed, in either Germany or Russia (the Poodle is not French!), the Poodle existed as only three colors. Either solid black, solid white, or a black and white, known as the Parti-colored Poodle. The parti and phantom colored Standard Poodles are ABSOLUTELY beautiful and are Standard Poodles in ever since of the word. AKC doesn't write the breed standards, the parent club of the breed does that. In the United States that’s the Poodle Club of America. So, AKC isn't responsible for what colors are and are not accepted in the show ring, the Poodle Club of America is. Breed standards can be changed but those changes have to be presented to the membership of the parent club and voted on to be accepted. AKC has very little control over what the parent clubs choose to do with their breeds.
COLORS
BLACK Standard Poodle coat color: A beautiful deep jet black. It is a deep intense inky black, that in the sun gives off an almost metallic black shine. There is no hint of blue or silver in the coat. The face when shaved should be almost, if not as dark as, the color in the main coat. A true black should never fade. BLUE Standard Poodle coat color: Like most other poodle colors, blue has varying shades. It can range from dark gray to a dull black that looks like it has had baby powder rubbed into it. This poodle color is a dilution of black. It carries the fading gene. Blue poodle puppies are born black and turn or clear to blue by two to three years of age or even older. This poodle color seems to take the longest time to clear. Frequently the mistake is made of labeling a puppy as a black and by 2 years or more the poodle has cleared to a dull black or a blue. GREY Standard Poodle coat color: Also has varying shades. On the darker side, the color resembles a very dark stormy sky. On the lighter end of grey, it would resemble the color of pewter. Just like blue this color has the fading gene. Grey puppies are born black and clear by 2 years of age. SILVER Standard Poodle coat color: Is a dilution of black. Silver poodle puppies are born black. There are varying shades of silver from sparkling platinum that is almost white, to the color of a well-used nickel. The coat should be even in color, other than maybe a darker shade in the ears and tail feathers. The silver poodle carries the fading gene just like the blue and grey. Silvers should have silver in the face and close to the skin on the legs and feet by the age of 6 weeks. Silvers clear at about 18 months to 2 years of age.
APRICOT Standard Poodle coat color: A reddish orange. It is a dilution of red. It has a wide range of shades. It carries the fading gene. Some are so pale that the coat looks cream but with orange tones. Some are so deep in color they are almost light red. Liver points are acceptable, although not desirable in the show ring. The liver points and golden eyes are VERY desirable to a lot of people just wanting a loving companion. RED Standard Poodles coat color: A color developed from the apricot color. Standard Poodles of this color carry the fading gene. Therefore, the red like many of the other colors has varying shades. They can be so light they are almost apricot to a dark mahogany, rusty color of red. This is one color that always fades to a certain degree. Just like other colors before, breeders are working to get the reds to “HOLD” their color more. Liver points are acceptable, although not desirable in the show ring. The liver points and golden eyes are VERY desirable to a lot of people just wanting a loving companion.
CREAM Standard Poodle coat color: Like most other Standard Poodle coat colors it has many varying shades. A light tan to cream or an off white. You can also have a cream coat that is more yellow in tone. The darkest cream is a champagne or khaki color. Liver points are acceptable.
CAFÉ AU LAIT Standard Poodle coat color: A beige, or tan with gray or brown overtones, the color of khaki. These French words mean coffee mixed with milk. A Café Au Lait puppy is born brown. An experienced eye can usually tell a café from a true brown within the first few weeks. But no matter how experienced someone is they can still miss the mark on the exact color on a puppy by some degree. The Café Au Lait carries the fading gene and will start clearing around 5 to 8 weeks and may finish by the time they are 2 years old but sometime even in later years. The final cleared color has a wide variety of shades. The Café au Lait’ can be almost as dark as a true brown and almost as light as a silver beige. SILVER BEIGE Standard Poodle coat color: Always born brown, is a dilution of brown and carries the fading gene. There are slightly different shades of silver beige but very little difference in those shades. A puppy that is going to be silver beige will start to clear on the face and legs by the time it is 6 weeks. They turn almost platinum silver with light to darker brown feathers in their ears and tail. They will always have amber eyes and liver points. Another distinguishing feature is the dark or liver feathering and skin tone around the eyes and nose. This feathering, skin tone and the amber eyes give the Standard Poodle with this coat color a beautiful and engaging expression.