We got a Maltoodle (Maltese/Poodle) from the local shelter and he is an excellent dog. Eleven pounds of nonshedding generally well-behaved canine, he is. He had some dental problems but still has most of his teeth. He was given to the shelter by a little old lady who couldn’t take care of him anymore.
E-Sabbath: I think your Spoos look wonderful. (do you have a Smart Car too? creeepy… )
Hamish does have a “chiseled” face. Not sure what you mean by “paw-centric”
I am not as keen on the show thing as is Ms LP. I just love the dogs. Hamish was a “Once-in-a-Lifetime” find. We never expected that he would be such a star. It’s been quite a ride. Now, we can look forward to raising one of his puppies!
I’ve got two Portuguese Water Dogs. They’re not mixes; they’re purebred. There’s a few posts on the SDMB where I describe the breed’s traits; you might want to search for them.
Anyone who has been to a Dopefest at my old place in Cleveland has met them, and can attest for their behavior. They’re affectionate, intelligent, eager to please, relatively quiet, have a wicked sense of humor, and they LOVE kids, but they are high maintenance, given their non-shedding coat and activity level.
Thanks for all the information, and especially all the poodle propaganda. The Attackclan has requested that I pass on the following: They are, in fact, more than open to getting a poodle, particularly after** E-Sabbath’s** lovely photos, and the many pro-poodle posts.
The focus now turns to question #4, where can I find a reliable breeder, preferably in the Northwest / BC area.** longPath**, I travel back east on occasion. Could you either post or PM me the contact info of your Nova Scotia breeder?
I got a New York/CT. area breeder.
Portuguese Water Dogs are purebreds, they’re a… close relative of the Poodle.
A Smart Car? Actually, had our hands on the first one in America for a while. I think I have a photo up.
My dad’s company did work with Mercedes… Market Research at a fairly high level.
That should be an '01 Smart, if I’m guessing right at the picture date. (Might be 00/02. Not sure of the model year, the photo says March '01, but prototypes are weird.)
Paw-centric: The poodles from this breeder have this tendency to punch, grab, wrestle, and otherwise use their paws for things you’d expect them to use their mouth for.
Not really. Dogs are all the same genetically, so it is quite possible that two dogs of different breeds will carry the same recessives. Such as, if you cross a black Lab that carries yellow with a black Poodle that isn’t color bred, you would probably get some light colored pups even tho black is dominant.
Plus, most of the things that people want in a pet - health, less shedding, lower allergy problems - are not simply dominant/recessive single gene inherited. “Hybrid vigor” doesn’t work in dogs, because crossing breeds is not the same thing as creating hybrids.
Like I said, I’m a golden guy myself, but I believe my experience is similar for most breeds.
If you are interested in a specific breed, you need to start educating yourself about them. What genetic problems do they tend to have? Quality breeders will be able to provide clearances for past generations, and will not breed any dogs showing such undesireable traits.
Just about every breed has a ton of websites dedicated to it. There is a fantastic golden forum I learned a lot from.
Then see what organizations related to the breed exist in your area. Most states/regions have associations that provide breeder resources listing available litters, or just folk who are more than happy to talk about their dogs. (These groups can be - um - sort of insular. There are, however, any number of quality breeders who are not active members of these groups.)
Are there any dog shows in your area? Again, a great source for checking out your breed and others, and collect contact info.
Finally, don’t be hesitant to check the newspapers for ads. A lot of the ads will be for questionable breedings, but not all. And armed with your new knowledge about the breed you will pretty readily be able to sort one from the other.
Good luck.