LittleBear Poodles
FAQ
Poodle Sizes:
Poodles come in 3 official sizes in the US. Standards are the largest - over 15” (at the withers). Miniatures are the middle size - >10”- 15”. Toy poodles are 10” or less. Their weight depends on many factors, including genetics and lifestyle choices.
LittleBear sizes:
Both Paddington and Winnie are toy poodles, measuring 9” and 10” respectively. They both have mamas that were very small miniature poodles and papas that were small-average toy poodles. This means that there could be a big range of sizes in their offspring. They are most likely going to be in the average to large toy poodle height range. (Adult size cannot be guaranteed.)
Poodle Coat Colors:
Poodles come in various shades of 3 main colors; either black, brown or red. Many poodles fade from their birth color to a lighter shade. This is normal and not a sign of poor breeding.
Black, blue and silver poodles are born black. Brown, café au lait and silver beige poodles are born dark brown. Unlike these colors, poodles on the red scale can start with different levels of intensity of color at birth. They can be born in varying shades of red, apricot or cream and are likely to also lighten over time.
Perhaps most interestingly, poodles can come with different patterns, such as parti, abstract/mismark, brindle (like a tiger stripe), phantom (markings like a Rottweiler or Doberman), or sable (dark hair tipping that gets cut off with grooming, resulting in a very light silvery or creamy color). Red shade poodles cannot show brindle, phantom or sable, but can express parti and abstract/mismark patterns.
Parti Poodle: A parti poodle has at least 50% white hair with less than 50% of hairs in their genetic color. The patches of color are commonly around the eyes, ears, on the back and often at the base of the tail.
Abstract or Mismark Poodle: Abstracts (also called mismarks) have more than 50% of color and less than 50% of white hair. Often the white hair patterns are on the paws, lower legs, chest and on the face and head. Parti and abstract can come in any poodle coat color; black, blue, silver, brown, café au lait, silver beige, red, apricot, cream, black or brown brindle or sable.
LittleBear colors:
We expect solid and abstract toy poodle puppies in red, apricot and cream colors.
Poodle Coat, Care and Coiffure:
Unlike most dogs, poodles have hair, not fur. This means that they do not shed and, like humans, require regular hair care. This includes washing, brushing, cutting & styling. Some people choose to do this themselves with a little guidance from a knowledgeable groomer or learning from videos. A good cut is a bit tricky, but there are great tutorials out there! If you use a professional groomer, we recommend that you ask if they know how to cut poodle hair and bring photos of your desired style.
The look:
Poodles’ hair can be cut to any style you choose; traditional show cuts, the simple puppy cut, teddy bear poodle cut, or any creative style you choose. Yep, the look of a poodle is mostly in the haircut. It’s one of the (many) really fun parts of having a poodle. You can choose the style, change up their look, or stay true to tradition. Its up to you! Whatever you choose, just be prepared ; keeping your poodle’s coat from getting matted and out of control requires regular care and grooming.
Tails:
Poodles are born with long tails, just like most dog breeds. It has been a standard practice to dock poodle puppies’ tails when they are about 3 days old for a straight, upright flag of a tail in adulthood. This practice remains common in the US, though it has been outlawed in most other countries.
LittleBear Tails:
We love the joy and expression in a long and natural tail. We do not dock our puppies’ tails.
Poodle Personalities:
Poodles are highly intelligent, eager to please dogs. I believe that because of their intelligence, poodle personalities are also very varied!
LittleBear Personalities:
We want you to love living with your new puppy for many, many years to come. To that end, we look for poodles with a sweet and good-natured disposition, playful and cuddly and with a desire for a loving connection to both humans and other dogs.
If treated and trained properly, toy poodles are not noisy or “yappy little dogs.” Our dogs are allowed to do their job of announcing arrivals and communicating their needs respectfully or playing actively, and remain calm & quiet otherwise. Our vet has said that “they act like big dogs;” meaning they’re very stable and not nervous or fearful. We believe their emotional stability is as much in how we relate to our dogs and in their training as it is in their genetic predisposition.
Training:
We start our puppies’ training with Puppy Culture for well-adjusted little poodles who are a pleasure to live with. Puppy Culture is an established curriculum for healthy puppy development and an early start on good manners, socialization, crate, leash and “potty” training. There is a curriculum for puppy owners so that it can be continued in the new home.
Health Testing:
At LittleBear Poodles we do all health testing that is recommended by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). We send samples to a lab for DNA tests of over 150 hereditary diseases, including those that are typically found in toy poodles. Our dam and sire have been evaluated for luxating patellas, a condition common in toy poodles. They have never shown any signs and they have been examined by a licensed veterinarian and determined to be free of this condition. They have also been evaluated by a veterinary ophthalmologist, and are free from any eye diseases at this time and will be examined annually.
Advanced Search | Orthopedic Foundation for Animals | Columbia, MO
Paddington:
https://www.ofa.org/advanced-search?quicksearch=149854
Winnie:
Vaccination:
We do not provide vaccinations prior to puppies going to their new homes. We believe that vaccination is an individual and personal choice. There are many different types of vaccines; so you can discuss options and make your choices with your vet. Vaccines are also administered in a time sensitive series; so you can start a timeline that makes sense for your family.
Our puppies are raised in a clean, healthy, and rural environment far away from shared public spaces and the potential for exposure to communicable infectious diseases.
Nutrition:
Our parents and puppies are provided excellent nutrition with Life’s Abundance All Stage Daily Nutrition System and Small & Medium Puppy Food. For more information or purchase please go to:
https://www.lifesabundance.com/Category/DogFood.aspx?realname=20616812.
Disclosure: This is not my site. I am not an LA representative, but my friend is. It is a link to her sales site.