ARPEGGIO POODLES

F.A.Q. ABOUT POODLES

AKC COLOR CODES FOR POODLES
BREED STANDARD FOR POODLES
COLOR BREEDING IN POODLES
GENERAL POODLE CARE
HEALTH CONCERNS IN MINIATURE POODLES
HEALTH CONCERNS IN STANDARD POODLES
HEALTH CONCERNS IN TOY POODLES
HISTORY OF THE POODLE
POODLE PUPPY GROWTH CHARTS
PUTTING WEIGHT ON POODLES
TEARING IN POODLES
POODLE COAT COLORS: SILVER & SILVER BEIGE
POODLE COAT COLORS: BROWN & CAFE AU LAIT
POODLE COAT COLORS: BLUE & BLACK
POODLE COAT COLORS: RED, APRICOT & CREAM
POODLE COAT COLORS: WHITE & CREAM
POODLE COAT COLORS: BRINDLE & SABLE
GROOMING THE POODLE
GROOMING YOUR OWN POODLE
GROWING HAIR ON A DOORKNOB (HAIR GROWTH FORMULA)
LOOKING FOR A NEW GROOMER
POODLE HAIR CUTS A-D
POODLE HAIR CUTS E-J
POODLE HAIR CUTS L-M
POODLE HAIR CUTS N-R
POODLE HAIR CUTS S-Z
POODLE HAIR CUTS EARS
POODLE HAIR CUTS FACES
POODLE SHOW COAT BANDING
ANAL GLANDS
WORLDS BEST EAR CLEANER
AVOIDING HEAT INJURY IN DOGS
BLOAT (GDV)
CANINE CPR
COPROPHAGY (FECES EATING)
CRYPTORCHIDISM (RETAINED TESTICLES)
DANGERS OF SWIMMING-BLUE-GREEN ALGAE TOXICITY
DOG BREEDS FOR ALLERGY SUFFERERS
DOG FIRST AID KIT
FINDING A GOOD BREEDER
HYPOGLYCEMIA
INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN DOGS
INTERNAL/EXTERNAL PARASITES
IS YOUR DOG THE RIGHT WEIGHT
LEAVING PUPPY HOME ALONE
LICKING,CHEWING AND SCRATCHING BEHAVIOR
NEW PUPPY CARE
OTC MEDICINES SAFE FOR DOGS
PANOSTEITIS (LIMPING)
PATELLAR LUXATION (POPPING/SLIPPING KNEECAPS)
POISONOUS FOOD, PLANTS AND HOUSEHOLD ITEMS
CARPAL SUBLUXATION SYNDROME (CSS OR DOWN PASTERNS)
TAIL DOCKING
URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS IN DOGS
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A HEALTHY PUPPY
BARKING TRAINING
BEHAVIORAL ISSUES
CRATE TRAINING
DESENSITIZATION
POTTY TRAINING
SOCIALIZATION
TO BREED OR NOT TO BREED
BREEDING/WHELPING INFORMATION
BREEDING CHART
HAND FEEDING PUPPIES
SWIMMER PUPPIES
OTHER LINKS

This list of F.A.Q's has been compiled from various questions about poodles that I have been asked over my many years of study and breeding poodles.
I will be adding more to this page as time goes on.  I have added subject headers to make it easier to find the answers you are looking for.

QUESTIONS REGARDING DOG FOOD

Great website for comparing dog food brands.

QUESTIONS REGARDING POODLE SIZES OR VARIETY
 
Q: I recently purchased a poodle.  The breeder told me it was a teacup but I was told there is no such thing as a teacup poodle.  Is this true?
 
A:  Yes.  There are only 3 recognized sizes here in the US. The Toy poodle which is 10 inches and under at the withers.  The Miniature poodle which is over 10 inches to 15 inches at the withers.  The Standard poodle which is over 15 inches at the withers. 
A Teacup is merely a name used by unscrupulous breederss to demand an obscene price for a small toy poodle but its still a toy poodle no matter what.  Often times these tiny poodles are poorly bred and have a whole list of health issues.  A breeder that uses the word teacup is a breeder I would stay far away from.
 
Q:  My breeder told me  that my standard poodle was a royal standard.   What does this mean?
 
A:  As you can see in the question above there really is no such thing as a royal standard.  This is yet again a term used to get buyers to pay more money for what the breeder considers to be a huge poodle.  Often these poodles are over 30 inches at the withers.  This is again a breeder to stay away from.  There is no height limit on AKC or UKC standards for the poodle, However, that being said these ultra large poodles often have hip dysplasia problems and other orthopedic issues.
 
Q: The other day while shopping around I found ads mentioning "moyen" and "klein" sized poodles.  What  does this mean?
 
A: Again as stated in the above questions you can see the US has no klein or moyen sized poodles in their breed standards.  These are terms from other countries to define another size of poodle.  Many of the European countries have 4 size varities of poodles instead of our 3.  These terms are used by some breeders here in the US to define another size between the Miniature variety and the Standard variety.  In other words, these are just small standard poodles.  These are not recognized sizes in the US. 
 
Q. That can't possibly be a purebred poodle can it because its so large?
A. Poodles come in three varities. The Toy Poodle (which people seem to be most familiar with), The Miniature Poodle, and the Standard Poodle. As per the AKC the Toy Poodle is 10 inches in height at the withers (shoulders) and under. The Miniature Poodle is over 10 inches at the withers to 15 inches. The Standard Poodle is over 15 inches at the withers. This is the largest variety of the poodle. It was also the first variety of the poodle. Everything else was bred down from the standard. This also explains why you can have such a variety of size in puppies in one litter. I personally have had Standard poodles that have ranged in size from 21 inches up to 30 inches at the withers. So the Standard variety can be quite large.
 
QUESTIONS REGARDING POODLE COLORS
 
Q. Does the color of my poodle have anything to do with the temperment of my poodle?
 
A. In short no.  Temperment has more to do with the temperment of the parents of your puppy as well as the way your puppy was socialized and desensitized in its early weeks.  Good breeders do all they can to ensure that their breeding stock is of the best temperment for the breed and that their puppies have been properly handled from birth until they go to their new home with you.  There are some people that follow the school of thought that poodles of same colors have the same temperment traits. However, after having multiple poodles of my own as well as producing puppies of every color I find this school of thought to be wrong.  Each puppy is an individual and all have different personalities.
 
Q.  My poodle is of a "unique" color that I have never seen before.  Does this mean that I am getting a mixed breed puppy?
 
A. Not in most cases.  Where as I am not the breeder of these puppies and can not say for sure the parentage, I CAN tell you that there are many different poodle colors out there including the multicolored poodles.  These include; Brindles, Sables, Phantoms, Tuxedos, Piebalds, and combinations of these patterns.  These multicolored poodles are just as purebred as the solid color and many of these multi colors have been around since the inception of the poodle.  There is one noteable exception I would like to mention and that is the Merle poodle.  Quite a few years ago these poodles were all the rage.  There was a certain breeder that was producing this color pattern consistantly.  After investigations done by AKC it was found that these "Merle" poodles were produced by mixing breeds and that the merle gene does NOT exist in poodles today.
 
Q. Because my poodle is a "unique" color I was told that my poodles health would be poor.  Is this true?
 
A.  Absolutely not.  The color of you poodle will have no baring on the health of your poodle.  What DOES have baring on the health of your poodle is the health and genes of the parents.  If the parents carry genes for inherited genetic diseases and or defects then you run the risk of having a genetic problems in your poodle.  These genetic diseases and or defects include; Eye problems, Heart defects, bleeding disorders, malformation of bones and joints, liver disorders, skin issues, thyroid issues and the list goes on.   This is why genetic testing of potential breeding stock is so vitally important in breeding programs.  I highly recommend only buying from breeders that genetically test their breeding stock.
 
Q. The breeder I am looking at purchasing from has given me a choice of two puppies from the same litter. One is a solid color and one is a multicolor. Does this mean that the multicolor puppy has inferior lines to that of the solid colored puppy.
A. (Yes I was actually asked this question). Absolutely not. If they are siblings that means they come from the same parents sharing the same genes and the same lines regardless of their color.
 
Q. My poodles color has faded, does this mean that my poodles breeding is inferior?
A. No. The fact is that most poodle colors fade. Thats just the nature of the color genes in poodles. Its something we all have to live with and get used to. A breeder may work their entire life to try and get the color in their line to stay true and never have it happen. A breeder can not guarantee their puppies color will not fade.
Q. My puppy has incorrect pigment for his or her color. Will this effect their health?
A. No. Again color has nothing to do with the health of a dog. The only things it will effect is the showability and breedability of the dog. It does not effect how that dog will be as a pet, health or otherwise.
 
QUESTIONS REGARDING GENETIC TESTING AND DNA TESTING
 
Q. My puppy comes from genetically tested breeding stock.  Does this guarantee that my puppy will not get any genetically inherited diseases or disorders?
 
A.  Unfortunately genetic testing is never a guarantee of anything.  Genetic testing is a testing of the breeding stock at that point in time.  Saying that at the moment this dog was tested he or she was free of hip dysplasia, heart issues, thyroid issues, knee problems, or skin issues.  This is not a guarantee that this dog will not develope a problem latter in time.  There are even some genetic issues that as of yet we do not have tests for.  However, this being said, purchasing from a breeder that does genetic testing and breeds from those "clear" dogs does mean that you run less of a risk of your puppy/dog having an inherited disease.  One must remember that when it comes to genetics there is no guarantee.
 
Q. On my AKC papers it says that the dad is DNA'd.  This means that this dog has had its genetic testing right?
 
A.  No.  When you see that a sire or dam has been DNA'd and has a number this means that a sample of the dogs DNA was taken and put on record in order to prove parentage.  DNA can prove without a doubt who the parents of said puppy are.  AKC requires breeders to send in samples of their males DNA after that male has been used as a Sire a certain number of times.  Most females are NOT DNA'd but in cases of questionable parentage the AKC may request a sample of the dams DNA to again prove parentage.
 
QUESTIONS REGARDING POODLE TEMPERMENT AND PERSONALITY
 
Q. Poodles are all yappy, nippy dogs right?
 
A. Absolutely not.  Any dog can be yappy or nippy if they have not been trained and socialized properly.  All dogs need proper training and socialization.  Checking around locally and finding a good trainer and going to classes can go a long way to help your dog be a welcome, happy, and safe member of society.
 
QUESTIONS REGARDING COAT QUALITY
 
Q. My poodle does not have a curly coat, does that mean its not a purebred?
 
A.  Again I am not the breeder of this puppy so I can not guarantee that the puppy is purebred.  But a straight coat does not mean the puppy is a mixbreed.  A poodle's coat takes a full two years to mature.  This is the same no matter the variety of poodle.  Some poodles may take longer to mature and get curl than others.  Some may never get the nice curly, dense coat that the poodle should have.  This can be due to a number of things such as; inferior coat quality of the sire and dam, but is not a guarantee that a poodle is not purebred. 
 
QUESTIONS REGARDING INBREEDING AND LINEBREEDING
 
Q. My poodle is a product of inbreeding.  I never would have purchase it if I had known.  This means my poodle is of poor quality right?
 
A.  Not in most cases.  It depends upon how it was done and by whom.  You have to realize that when people started breeding the poodle the gene pool was very very limited with only a limited amount of unrelated lines.  This means that almost every poodle if you go back far enough was inbred and or line bred (you can read about the difference on my inbreeding VS line breeding page) at some point.  Many of the big famous kennels got to where they were with their top quality poodles by only breeding within their kennel and inbreeding their poodles.  Inbreeding when in the correct and knowledgeable hands can be a great tool.  But in the wrong hands can be utter disaster.  When inbreeding you double up on the genes.  This means you double up on the bad as well as the good.  To inbreed takes a breeder that knows their lines like the back of their hand.  To know what dogs to put together and to be able to make the hard descisions when they come along. A novice breeder should NEVER try inbreeding or line breeding.  That should be left to the experts.
 
Q. What is the difference between Line breeding and Inbreeding.
 
A. In short inbreeding is breeding done between mother and son, father and daughter, and brother and sister.  Breedings between grandfather and granddaughter, grandmother and grandson, half brother and half sister, neice and nephew, are all considered line breeding.  Line breedings are generally considered the better of the two and are what most of the big kennels have used at one time or another to produce their "lines".
 
Q: What is an outcrop breeding?
 
A: An outcrop breeding is a breeding between two dogs whos lines are totally unrelated.  The problem with this in poodles is that there are so few lines, especially in the standard variety, that almost all lines are related if you go far enough back in the pedigrees.
 
QUESTIONS REGARDING POODLE GROOMING
 
Q. I am getting a poodle puppy in a few weeks.  I called and talked to a groomer and the groomer told me that they wouldnt groom my dog until they were 6 months old because "this will cause their fur to not curl like it would normally" is this true?
 
A. Absolutely not.  Infact poodles do not have "fur" they have hair.  A poodles hair is just like our hair,  it grows continually throughout the dogs life.  Just like with human hair, cutting the hair has no baring on hair quality or curl to the hair.  A poodles hair takes 2 years to mature.  Despite cutting or not cutting it.  Also the younger you can get your puppy into the groomer the better.  Its a matter of training for the first few times of grooming.  This early training with grooming sets up a routine for your poodle and makes grooming much easier on both the dog and the groomer.  Waiting till a puppy is 6 months to start grooming is a total disaster.  Often by then a poodle is very matted and makes the first grooming experience traumatic for the puppy.  If the puppy has a bad first experience it can set up a trend for the poodle life and make being groomed a horrible and traumatic experience for the dog every time.  In all reality a poodle puppy should have started its grooming training while with the breeder.  Most breeders will do the first grooming around 3-4 weeks of age.  I started my pups at this age with a weekly grooming up until going home with the new owner.  I had many a new owner and the dogs groomer call me and thank me for all the work I had done early making the puppy a joy to groom and the pups enjoyed it too.  This was something that was very important to me as a professional groomer.  There is nothing like being able to spend time grooming a dog that loves to be groomed.
In this case you can see where its so important to find a good groomer.  This is a case of a groomer that knows nothing about the poodle breed and a good chance they no nothing about dogs at all.  They probably just picked up a book about grooming and decided that is what they wanted to do.  This groomer probably has absolutely no training at all.  It is very important when finding a good groomer that you find a groomer that is knowledgeable about your breed.  Ask for references.  Ask how many poodles they have groomed.  Ask about their training.  Remember a groomer is there to provide a service for YOU.  What that service is, is up to you.  Be sure you are getting something you are going to be able to live with.
 
QUESTIONS REGARDING POODLES IN HOT CLIMATES
 
Q:  I live in a hot climate so I can't have a poodle can I?
 
A:  Poodles are very adaptable and can live in any climate hot or cold.  With their wonderful coats and varieties of trims, keeping them nice looking and feeling cool is very easy.

ccline.jpg

bguest.jpg

I am happy to have you sign my guestbook, but if you are doing it just to be rude, please don't bother. It just wastes my time and yours. As Thumper says "If you can't say ‘muffin nice, don't say ’nuffin at all!” Thank you. DO NOT SOLICIT ON MY GUESTBOOK PAGE!

1186322_10151857497753278_1376965981_n.jpg

PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT I NO LONGER BREED POODLES! I do not have any puppies or adults for sale.

All articles on this site unless otherwise states are written by me, Keisha of Arpeggio Poodles.  Articles by other people have been given their due credit.  PLEASE DO NOT STEAL MY ARTICLES AND CLAIM OR PORTRAY THEM AS YOUR OWN.    Rights to post my articles on other sites MUST be expressly given and they MUST be credited to me along with a link to my site.  I am sorry I have to post this but I am finding my articles being stolen and being placed on other peoples sites.

All photos are sole property of Arpeggio Poodles unless otherwise noted.  Reproduction of photos without express written permission is prohibited!

Site designed and maintained by Keisha of ARPEGGIO Poodles.

All pictures and graphics (unless otherwise stated) are of my own design.  Please do not take them.

Most of the information on my site is from my own views, opinions, or research that I have done.  Where appropriate I have sited my sources and links to their sites.  Do not take my opinions as that of a licensed vet.   Any person  that relies solely on my information does so at their own risk. 

Thanks for all the support!   We have reached so many visits that our counter that only goes to 1,000,000,000  has started over for the 6th time now.  Thanks everyone for making this site such a success!

This site is dedicated to my Mother and Father.  Afton Jeannette Huff Davis (10/22/1920 - 2/27-2008) and Robert Glen Davis Jr (9/16/24 - 2/3/2012).   Bless you both.  I know you are happy once again being reunited.  Thank you for being my friends, my teachers, my heros and my parents.  I miss you both greatly.  Your loving daughter.

momdadpicicon.jpg