Finding a good breeder can often be very hard.  Finding a good breeder online can often be even harder.  Many breeders websites are filled with deception and lies.
 It is up to you to weed through the mess and do your best to find a breeder who will help you locate that perfect baby for your home. 
Many breeders fall into a trap and end up breeding for the wrong reason's. 

Here are some things to look for when you try to locate a breeder.  These are only guidelines and might not help you at all in finding and dealing with these people. 

1. Health testing on all breeding stock.  Not just a few dogs at their home and/or not just the sire.  There are many issues which you cannot see or detect without a medical test.  This should be your number one priority as a future pet owner.  If there is not health testing, there is no way to be sure the parents of your puppy are not affected by a terrible health issue.  Visit my health section of the website.  A breeder who health test their dogs is more likely to be concerned if your puppy becomes ill.  Ask the breeder to supply you the AKC registered names of the Sire and Dam of the litter.  Go to www.offa.org and search their records for OFA, CERF, Thyroid (new service), and SA skin test.  This will give you a heads up as to how much testing they are doing, and how many dogs with their kennel name have been tested, if any.  If you place "Anutta" in the search tool, you will find all of my dogs listed, who are old enough to health test.  I do not hide the AKC names of my dogs, nor do I hide their health testing.  Be Aware that if you have your dog Penn Hip tested instead of OFA, OFA will not list the results of your other test on their site.  :(  I wish this wasn't the case, but sadly it is.  Macie was caught in this situation, so it was a learning experience for me.
    

2. A written contract showing you what the breeder is providing you and what you are expected to do for your new puppy.  People forget things.  It is always best to get everything in writing so there is no gray area for either party.  If you do not get a contract and something goes wrong with your puppy, you might be in big trouble.  You can see a copy of my contract.
    

3. How many litters a year the breeder produces.  If someone is producing many litters a year, or has multiple litters at one time, you might want to look elsewhere for your next puppy.  How can a breeder who has 4 or more litters at one time possible give the puppies much attention at all.  More than likely, a breeder like this will have a kennel set up and your puppy will be pushed outside into a run with little human contact.  Not my idea of a good start in life.  They will have several puppies from each litter needing homes, often older puppies they have not been able to place.  Be careful getting a 3-4 month old puppy who has been raised in a situation like this!  I have had Standard Poodles for 7 years now (as of 2006).  I have produced 4 litters of Standard Poodles.  I do hope to produce 3-4 litters a year at some point, but I will not be breeding more than one litter at a time if at all possible.  I only breed when I am looking to keep a dog for my program and my females are only bred 1-3 times in their lives.  -  PLEASE NOTE - there are breeders out there who can and do produce many litters a year and do it right.  BUT they are the exception to the rule in most cases.  A good breeder will have a list of friends that they can send you to in order for you to find a good puppy.
    

4. How many breeds of dogs do they have?  In general, a quality breeder will only have 1-2 breeds they center on.  It is difficult to learn pedigree's of many different breeds and stay on top of all health issues.  You want someone who is focused on your next puppy, not the flavor of the month.  Often, a breeder who has many breeds is also out to make money.   I bred Shiba Inu for 5 years.  My allergies became an issue, so I stopped breeding Shiba Inu and started my search for a non-shedding breed I could live with.  I found Merlot and had my first litter of Standard Poodles 2 years later after researching pedigrees as much as I could.  
    

5. A reasonable price, yet not to little.  With quality, there comes a price.  A good breeder will health test their breeding stock.  This will run around 1500 dollars a dog as of 2007, plus yearly retest that run around 200.00-300.00 each year there after.  A good breeder will also give you a health guarantee that will cover major illness for 2+ years (Hip issues, Addison's Disease, Cancer, Liver Disease, etc).  A reasonable price for a pet quality puppy is now up to 1200-1800 dollars.  Read here on the Cost of Breeding a Litter   If a puppy is for sale for less than I listed, be careful.  That puppy might not be AKC registered, might not have health tested parents, might not be the main focus for that breeder and thus lack socialization.    Ask if there is anything wrong with the puppy or the parents.  A quality puppy is rarely sold for less than 1000.00.  There is nothing wrong with a breeder discounting a puppy who has a small problem like an umbilical hernia- which is not life threatening,  cost around 100.00s to repair, and should be deducted from your purchase price.  This is a mark of a good breeder.  But if someone says "perfect puppy, priced to sell at 500.00s, no room to keep" then there is a problem.  The breeder should always have room for the puppies and if they do not, you should find another breeder.  You can read about the prices and refunds for my puppies. 
    

6. A clean establishment.  Where your puppy is raised is very important.  If a puppy is kept clean, it develops good habits for the future.  It also will keep your puppy healthy.  When you visit the breeder, the puppies should all be groomed (face, feet, and rear shaved, nails trimmed), brushed, and kept in a clean area.  They should not have any fleas, ticks, or worms.  Their stools should be hard.  Their should be fresh water available to your puppy at all times.  The parents of the puppy should be clean, no parasites, and allowed to visit with you and your family.  When you come visit me, all my dogs will likely be loose in the house, unless you have a very small child.  I don't want them to knock young kids over in excitement, so then I often let them out 2 at a time.  Allowing my dogs to visit freely with you lets me see how you react to many dogs and if my dogs think you are a good candidate for one of their puppies.  They are excellent judges of character, though sometimes Merlot will take advantage of a nice person and demand top knot scratching for several hours.  :)  I allow you to see where the puppies have been kept, allow you to see the yard they spent time in, etc.  Because I only have one litter at a time, the puppies are kept inside, allowed to run the kitchen, have an pen set up in several rooms of the house, and a section for them to play in outside, weather permitting. 
    

7. A sound temperament.  You are looking for a friend for the next 12-15 years.  That friend needs to have a temperament you can live with.  A good breeder will attempt to match the right personality in a pup to the right home.  This isn't a guarantee you will get the right puppy, because testing is not completely accurate.  However, it does give you a slight edge over the breeder who simply says "ok here are the puppies, pick one".  Unless you are a trained  temperament tester, you should avoid a situation like this.  Be sure and visit with the parents if you can, and see how they react to strangers.  There are many test that can be used.  VIP Website list many types of test, including how to test for a hunting dog. 

Some things to ask the breeder:

1.  How many litters a year do you produce?
2.  How many litters has this Dam produced in her lifetime?
3. What are the ages of the Sire and Dam?
4.  Are you keeping a puppy from this litter and if not, why not?
5.  What was your goal in breeding this Sire to this Dam?
6.  Has this puppy been temperament tested and what was the scores? (or Will this puppy be tested?)
7.  What was the health testing results on the Sire and the Dam?  Do you have health scores for their parents as well?  Can I see a copy of each dogs results?
8.  Was this an outcross breeding (a breeding of two unrelated lines), a line breeding (some related dogs, but not many), or an inbreeding (many related dogs, usually very closely related)? and do you have a copy of the litter's pedigree that I can look over?
9.  Why did you select to do this outcross/line breeding/inbreeding?
10.  Can you supply me with photos of the Sire, Dam, and the entire litter or a video?

Older puppies or Adults from a quality breeder.

Now that you know how to find a quality breeder, don't count out the older puppy or adult.

Selecting an older puppy or an adult is always a great thing, IF you are dealing with a good breeder.  It is risky to take an older puppy or adult who has been raised in a kennel situation.  They often do not have house manners, obedience training, and might not be housetrained.  If, however, you luck into an older dog or teenage who has been raised in a home, this can be one of the best situations you will ever encounter.  You do not have to deal with the puppy issues like teething, housetraining, leash training, etc.  You get a dog who is well socialized and you can start right out going on long walks, hikes, or playing with the kids.  These dogs might be retired breeding dogs or a puppy kept for show that did not work out.  They are often high quality dogs with excellent temperaments. 

Another Option is Rescue

Poodles loose their homes to any number of reasons.  Standard Poodle Rescue takes in dogs, rehabs them, and tries to find them good homes.  Generally they are not puppies, and often they need some training.  However, it is very rewarding to help save a dog's life.  My sister has a rescued Standard Poodle and he is a joy.  A true clown that loves to make you laugh.  He had a hard life before he found them, but now the hardest thing he has to do is worry about his people and if they are feeling good and how he might make them laugh.  Click the Rescue link below for a rescue person near you.

I hope this information helps a few of you find a good breeder.  The internet is full of scam artist, so do your homework.

PLEASE NOTE:  Some breeders are able to produce a few litters at one time and keep the pups well socialized by hiring help for their kennel.  What I have listed here are general guidelines.

If you are thinking about breeding, GREAT!
Due to Animal Rights Activist pushing extreme laws we lose more good breeders than we gain each year.  Breeding is a hobby that many people want to see stopped.  Do some research and familiarize yourself with what it means to be a breeder before taking the first step.  I am happy to help people wishing to becoming breeders and hope to mentor more people into the joys of this wonderful hobby and will fight for my right to own and breed dogs for as long as I can.
Pet-Laws.com is a great website to learn more about such issues.


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 A Breeder (with a capital B) is one who thirsts for knowledge and never really knows it all, one who wrestles with decisions of conscience, convenience, and commitment.  One that shares this knowledge and guides those interested.