What's NOT Included with your puppy
We do not include
1. A guarantee of size, color, coat or hypoallergenic traits.
2. A written health guarantee.
Further explanations below.
1. A guarantee of size, color, coat or hypoallergenic traits.
2. A written health guarantee.
Further explanations below.
Can you guarantee size, coat, color or hypoallergenic traits?
Puppy coats change over time – almost all breeds have a soft puppy coat, which over time may be come curly or wavy or wooly and may vary in color. And the variations may be more than just slight – often chocolate poodles gray prematurely, and phantom pups may develop into silver pups later on. It may be helpful to search the internet for before and after photos of poodle coats.
In terms of size, just as in humans, we can give a guesstimate of size based on parentage, but it’s just that - an educated guess. Every litter has a “runt” and some develop more quickly than others.
Our educated prediction of the height and weight of our standard poodle puppies:
21to 27 inches tall
Males: 45 to 70 pounds
Females: 45 to 60 pounds.
Early spaying and neutering may also affect growth rate and disease prevalence, which is why our contract includes a spay/neuter clause that allows for desexing after a dog completes puberty.
Suitability for allergic persons is a hot topic in the dog world. Many people mistakenly believe that obtaining a “hypoallergenic dog” means they won’t have an allergic reaction. Hypoallergenic is the characteristic of provoking fewer allergic reactions in allergy sufferers, and is not synonymous with “allergy proof”. Certain breeds of dogs tend to be better suited to allergy sufferers, but it depends upon the degree of allergy in general. Many people with severe allergies should abstain from pet ownership. At best, poodles and poodle mixes should be classified as allergy-friendly dogs, not allergy-free dogs.
In terms of size, just as in humans, we can give a guesstimate of size based on parentage, but it’s just that - an educated guess. Every litter has a “runt” and some develop more quickly than others.
Our educated prediction of the height and weight of our standard poodle puppies:
21to 27 inches tall
Males: 45 to 70 pounds
Females: 45 to 60 pounds.
Early spaying and neutering may also affect growth rate and disease prevalence, which is why our contract includes a spay/neuter clause that allows for desexing after a dog completes puberty.
Suitability for allergic persons is a hot topic in the dog world. Many people mistakenly believe that obtaining a “hypoallergenic dog” means they won’t have an allergic reaction. Hypoallergenic is the characteristic of provoking fewer allergic reactions in allergy sufferers, and is not synonymous with “allergy proof”. Certain breeds of dogs tend to be better suited to allergy sufferers, but it depends upon the degree of allergy in general. Many people with severe allergies should abstain from pet ownership. At best, poodles and poodle mixes should be classified as allergy-friendly dogs, not allergy-free dogs.
Why don't you offer a health warranty?
Our breeding stock has been health tested, and puppies properly vaccinated, wormed, and socialized during their time with us. We do not offer a lifetime guarantee of health for several reasons:
Regarding Genetic Inheritance
The truth is that it is virtually impossible to avoid genetic disease – every reproduction event is a roll of the dice. A genetic disorder is one in which an abnormality in the genetic make-up (the genome) of the individual plays a significant role in causing the condition. Although some disorders occur because of spontaneous mutation, many genetic disorders are inherited.
Every reproduction event carries a certain amount of genetic load and geneticists believe that most species carry a genetic load of 3 to 5 recessive lethal genes. One of the most fundamental misconceptions is that most of the individuals in a normal population do not carry genes for genetic diseases (Armstrong, 1997). The difference between purebred dogs and a human is that the latter have something in excess of 2500 genetic diseases, but most of them are extremely rare and thus seldom come from both parents to produce an affected child, whereas many dog breeds have a relatively small number of very common genetic diseases.
Common inheritance patterns for many disorders result in dogs showing no clinical signs, but the dogs remain carriers and, if two carriers are bred, the progeny will be affected. This means many stud and dams can be tested clear of known disorders, and show no clinical signs of having any other problem, but if bred, their progeny will be sick.
Overall, the pattern for inheritance for a great number of disorders is not known, meaning vets and scientists cannot test for them in advance. Many dogs may be affected, but no show any symptoms, or they may only develop symptoms much later in life. Because it is virtually impossible to determine the exact genotype for such traits, it is difficult to control defects with a polygenic mode of inheritance.
Polygenetic inheritance refers to some inherited disorders that are not strictly genetic and are influenced by the environment in which a puppy is raised. Canine hip dysplasia is one common example of a polygenetic disorder. Gene expression is influenced by a variety of factors including gender, nutrition, breed, rate of growth, and amount of exercise. These traits are quantitative traits - that is, there is a wide range within the population. Such traits include height, weight, character, working abilities, and some genetic defects.
To view diseases that may affect poodles, please review:
http://ic.upei.ca/cidd/breed/poodle-standard
Regarding Breeder Health Warranties
Even a cursory review by an average common-sense person will reveal that the terms and conditions of many breeder warranties are so untenable that they render the warranty virtually useless. Common points of deficiency in many warranties include an artificially narrow scope, insufficient duration, exhaustive compliance measures and unilateral remedy.
Some material adapted from the following sources:
Armstrong, John B. "Genetic Load." Net Pets. Canine Diversity Project, 1997. Web. 15 May 2011. http://www.netpets.org/dogs/reference/genetics/load.html.
“Are Breeder Health Guarantees for k-9 inherited disease worthless?" Dog Breeds and Health Problems. Dog Breeds Health Problems Blog, 2011. Web. 17 Dec 2011.
- First, even with rigorous testing, it’s impossible to know all of the diseases that may eventually affect a dog, including those that are of polygenic origin, wherein the puppy’s environment may contribute to expression of an undesirable gene (just as in humans, too much food and too little exercise can lead to disease).
- Second, many of the breeder warranties out there are not worth the paper they’re written on and we would like to inject a bit of sanity back into the process of raising puppies.
Regarding Genetic Inheritance
The truth is that it is virtually impossible to avoid genetic disease – every reproduction event is a roll of the dice. A genetic disorder is one in which an abnormality in the genetic make-up (the genome) of the individual plays a significant role in causing the condition. Although some disorders occur because of spontaneous mutation, many genetic disorders are inherited.
Every reproduction event carries a certain amount of genetic load and geneticists believe that most species carry a genetic load of 3 to 5 recessive lethal genes. One of the most fundamental misconceptions is that most of the individuals in a normal population do not carry genes for genetic diseases (Armstrong, 1997). The difference between purebred dogs and a human is that the latter have something in excess of 2500 genetic diseases, but most of them are extremely rare and thus seldom come from both parents to produce an affected child, whereas many dog breeds have a relatively small number of very common genetic diseases.
Common inheritance patterns for many disorders result in dogs showing no clinical signs, but the dogs remain carriers and, if two carriers are bred, the progeny will be affected. This means many stud and dams can be tested clear of known disorders, and show no clinical signs of having any other problem, but if bred, their progeny will be sick.
Overall, the pattern for inheritance for a great number of disorders is not known, meaning vets and scientists cannot test for them in advance. Many dogs may be affected, but no show any symptoms, or they may only develop symptoms much later in life. Because it is virtually impossible to determine the exact genotype for such traits, it is difficult to control defects with a polygenic mode of inheritance.
Polygenetic inheritance refers to some inherited disorders that are not strictly genetic and are influenced by the environment in which a puppy is raised. Canine hip dysplasia is one common example of a polygenetic disorder. Gene expression is influenced by a variety of factors including gender, nutrition, breed, rate of growth, and amount of exercise. These traits are quantitative traits - that is, there is a wide range within the population. Such traits include height, weight, character, working abilities, and some genetic defects.
To view diseases that may affect poodles, please review:
http://ic.upei.ca/cidd/breed/poodle-standard
Regarding Breeder Health Warranties
Even a cursory review by an average common-sense person will reveal that the terms and conditions of many breeder warranties are so untenable that they render the warranty virtually useless. Common points of deficiency in many warranties include an artificially narrow scope, insufficient duration, exhaustive compliance measures and unilateral remedy.
- Artificially Narrow Scope: Many only warrant “life-threatening genetic health conditions”. Since many veterinarians will opine differently as to what constitutes a genetic condition, especially those that may fall into the category of polygenetic heritability, it will be difficult to obtain a remedy on a pet health warranty claim. Further, vets may differ on what constitutes a “life-threatening” condition. Is it only life threatening because the owner would surrender the pet for euthanasia due to an inconvenient health condition?
- Insufficient Duration: Most pet health contracts are for 24 months or less, which doesn’t offer much buyer protection since many genetic problems only appear later in life.
- Exhaustive Compliance Measures: In addition to being suspiciously narrow in scope, a large majority of health warranties require proof of condition which is difficult to produce, such as having written backup that “the pet was never overweight” and “fed premium-brand pet food”. The contractual exigencies would require an owner to have a veterinarian regularly weigh the animal and report same, as well as keep 24 months of any receipt that documented a purchase of pet food. Even if all these stringent conditions are met, most warranties require the purchaser to pay for all the diagnostic testing and forward it on for a second (and sometimes third) opinion to the breeder’s veterinarian, and most times the breeder retains the choice of which diagnosis to honor.
- Unilateral, Heartbreaking Remedy: If you’ve got a pup with a condition covered under a warranty, and you’ve gotten this far – congratulations, but be prepared to be disappointed. It’s rare to find a breeder with a money-back guarantee due to the wide number of maladies that may befall a pup, including the “we changed our mind and want our money back” syndrome. So breeders will write in a replacement guarantee. But what does that really mean to you? Many purchasers overlook the “trade in” clause: in order to get a new puppy, you will have to trade in your old puppy. By the time you make a claim under a health warranty, the dog is generally a well-loved family member. Chances are your pup has captured your heart and you would not trade it in to start the puppy process all over again with a puppy from the same breeder that may or may not have the same disorder that affects your current pooch. If surrendered, the breeder may submit the dog for immediate euthanasia. Are you likely where you began? Yes. Is the limited health warranty worth the premium price? Not often.
Some material adapted from the following sources:
Armstrong, John B. "Genetic Load." Net Pets. Canine Diversity Project, 1997. Web. 15 May 2011. http://www.netpets.org/dogs/reference/genetics/load.html.
“Are Breeder Health Guarantees for k-9 inherited disease worthless?" Dog Breeds and Health Problems. Dog Breeds Health Problems Blog, 2011. Web. 17 Dec 2011.
