If you like to hang around with happy people, you could be a Poodle Person.
  If you ever wore your hair in a beehive or an afro and you kind of like the
 "big hair" look of the Continental trim, you could be a Poodle Person.
  If there's not a hairspray made that can hold your style too tight,
 you could be a Poodle Person.
  Are you an optimist? Poodle People are.
  Do you mind having traffic stop so people can ask you about your dog?
 Poodle People don't.
  Do you enjoy cuddling on the sofa and running
 your fingers through a head of thick, curly hair?
  Poodle People do it all the time.
  Would you like to take a handsome friend hunting with you
 and not have to clean a pile of hair out of your new truck?
  A Poodle Person lets his buddy ride in the cab 'cause he knows he doesn't shed.

When you register your Poodle with the AKC, you are supporting a group that
 maintains accurate records of parentage, financially supports canine health
 research, sanctions competitions to determine individuals with outstanding
 conformation qualities for breeding stock or performance capabilities, and
holds their members to high standards of ethics and animal care. 

In the last few years, a lot of so-called registries for dogs have sprung up on
 the Web with claims for championships and stud books.  With the exception
of the UKC and IABCA, which both base their clubs on recognized breeds
 with established studbooks in other countries, these are just a way to
 try to lend credibility to poor breeding stock and lazy ethics.  Some registries
 even tout the ability to, "Start your own new breed, including wolf hybrids."
 These groups are trying to fool the consumer, but if you take a  good hard
 look at their so-called "champions," there is no comparison in quality to
 AKC champions of record. 

While the development of new breeds has to start somewhere, there are
established guidelines for record keeping already in place for people who are
genuinely working on breed development.  The pseudo-registries make no attempt
 to confirm parentage, require no facility inspections, and have no standards
 for ethics in breeding or business practices.  They exist for one purpose:
to make money. 

Getting an AKC registered Standard Poodle from a breeder who shows
 her dogs is a good way to zero in on quality parents and ancestors.
  AKC registry comes with many advantages, including documented
parentage and AkC titles, points, or completed championships
demonstrating the quality and abilities of the Poodles being shown.
 Remember, however, that AKC registration cannot necessarily be a
 guarantee of quality in an individual puppy.  For that, you need to do your
 homework, ask to see the parents and copies of their test results, go
 to shows, look at as many Poodles as you can, talk to breeders and
 exhibitors, contact the local clubs or the Poodle Club of America for
 referrals, and, most importantly,  use your head.

Registering you Poodle with the AKC doesn't mean you're a snob - it means
 you care about the health, welfare, and future of dogs.

Von Willebrand's Disease (VWD)

A dysfunction of one of the clotting factors in canine blood.
DNA testing is available - your breeder can perform this test with a kit,
and be able to tell you the results before your puppy comes home with you.

Sebaceous Adenitis (SA)

A skin disorder.
Testing requires a skin punch biopsy that should be repeated periodically over
the Poodle's lifetime, as there is no DNA test and late onset of this disease is
possible.  Usually, breeding stock is tested approximately every 12 to 18 months.
  Results are read by a handful of labs throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Thyroid

Testing requires a very detailed blood test processed by the lab at
 Michigan State University.  A local veterinarian can draw the blood,
but must complete the protocol required by the MSU lab and send it
to MSU for analysis.  The standard thyroid tests done by local labs do
not provide the detail needed to get the test certified.

Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF)

A test performed by a board-certified veterinary opthamalogist (ACVO member)
 to identify deficiencies in a number of structures within the eye.  Some ocular
 disorders are presumed to be genetic.  While Standard Poodles do not have the
same eyeissues as Toy and Miniature Poodles, CERF recommends testing every
12 months for Poodles being used in a breeding program.  There are no DNA
tests forStandard Poodle eye health at this time.

Hip Dysplasia (HD)

A less than perfect formation of the ball-and-socket structures of the hip joints.
There are currently two ways to test for hip dysplasia; via x-rays at 2 years of age
that are submitted to a panel of veterinary radiologists at the Orthopedic
Foundation for Animals )OFA) for a rating; or an x-ray taken at any age by a
veterinarian specially trained in the PennHip technique.  The PennHip is also read by
 a panel of radiologists and results are based on a numerical value of the measurable
 laxity in the hip sockets.  In both cases, results are based on a comparison to other
 members of the same breed, as opposed to the entire canine population.

What's a "CHIC" number?

Poodles having all the above listed test results submitted to the Canine Health
 Information Center (CHIC) are eligible to receive a certificate and ID number that
 is available on the Web at www.caninehealthinfo.org.  This website sponsored by
OFA and the AKC Canine Health Foundation (AKC/CHF) also allows you to search
their database for test results of a specific dog, as well as the results of related
animals, etc.

There seems like there are about a million and one things you should ask!

You may want to make up a list of things to ask, because when you go to see a
puppy, it seems like all your brains fly out the window - you're excited, the puppy
 is excited, the breeder is probably excited, and its hard to ignore that little face
and those teeny feet!

First, don't expect to see the entire litter.  Unless the breeder is planning on your
 visit as a preliminary to later visits, she will probably have a puppy she thinks will
 work well for you picked out in advance.  Breeders spend hours evaluating their litters,
and she will have probably interviewed you over the phone to a certain degree.  Some
breeders even have an application you'll need to fill out to help her match a puppy
to your family.

This means you should be thinking about how the puppy will fit into your life before
you ever call a breeder to look at puppies.  Do you have a preference on sex?  If so,
 why?  You may want to explore this question with the breeder ahead of time.  Does
size or color matter?  How about the possibility of showing in conformation or obedience? 
What type of home do you have?  Children? Ages? Where will the puppy stay during
the day if you're gone?  Where will he sleep?  Will the Poodle have a job, or just be
a spoiled pet? 

What about training?  What are your expectations regarding behavior?  Sometimes,
the last pet a person had was when he was a child - this can mean the memories
might not match the realities of owning a Poodle as an adult.  Many things have
changed about the way we view dogs in our lives now compared to even 20 years ago. 
Training techniques and philosophy have changed dramatically.

What about grooming?  Poodles need to be groomed on a regular basis, and it
will be an expense that will last for the life of the dog.  When I got my first Poodle,
I knew I wanted to learn how to groom him myself.  The start-up costs for a table,
 dryer, clippers, blades, scissors, combs, brushes, and lessons were significant.
  I never regretted my choice, and find that grooming is very relaxing, but most people
 end up paying someone else to have their dogs done.  In either case, a Poodle will
look and feel his best if he gets groomed every 4 weeks.  Dogs that are being shown
 need to be bathed weekly, and scissored every 3-4 weeks to keep their coat in shape.

What if your Poodle will be shown?  You can figure an average of $3500-$5000 to
 have a Poodle shown by a professional to his championship.  This can vary depending
 on whether the handler will keep your dog for conditioning and training.  If the
 handler is local, you may be able to keep the dog at home and deliver him to the
handler for grooming, etc.  Having your Poodle shown is a considerable commitment
 of time and money, although the rewards are wonderful!

When you're ready to narrow down the field and choose a breeder, you should
ask to see both of the parents in person if at all possible.  What condition is the
mother in?  It's not uncommon for her to have lost some weight feeding the
litter, but she should appear healthy and happy.  You can also ask for references.
 If you do, check them out. 

Evaluate the home setting - is it clean, does it smell good?  Where is the litter kept?
  Many litters are raised in the kitchen or a special room where people congregate on
 a regular basis.What type of socialization and stimulation have been done?  How
many other pets are kept in the home, where and how are they housed? 
What condition are they in? 

What deworming or vaccinations have been done?  What testing was done on the
parents?  Ask to see the test results for both the sire and dam.  This is also a good
time to ask about the health of the breeder's lines - how old were the puppy's
grandparents, aunts and uncles when they died?  What was the cause of death
for these individuals? Keep in mind we all die of something eventually. 

Look at the bite and dentition of the puppy, siblings, and parents
where possible.  Poodles should have a scissors bite and no missing teeth.

Watch the puppy on its own - is he interested in you, or afraid?  What are the
reasons the breeder thinks this puppy will work well for you? 

At what age was the puppy weaned?  What is he eating now?  Does the breeder have
a "puppy packet" with weight, shots, deworming and other information, as well as food
 recommendations and possibly a small amount of the food so the puppy will have some
continuity when he goes to his new home. 

Ask about the health guarantee the breeder offers.  Usually it will specify a length
of time the breeder warrants the puppy to free from certain health problems, and
should also spell out what remedy is offered.  This could be a replacement puppy,
a refund of all or part of the purchase price, or nothing at all.  The point is that if
you buy a dog without a guarantee, you'd better be comfortable with the possible
health issues.  Also keep in mind that a replacement is small comfort emotionally or
financially if your puppy develops a serious medical problem. The idea here is to find
a healthy, well-adjusted puppy to start with.  The guarantee should be in writing.

Many breeders sell their puppies on contracts.  A breeder should tell you this up
front and send you a copy to read over before you go to pick up the puppy.
Some times the contract will call for a limited: AKC registration.  This means
the breeder has determined that the puppy in question can be registered with the
AKC, but any offspring cannot.  It's referred to as a "spay/neuter contract".  This
 means you can register the puppy and show him in any of the obedience or
performance venues, but can't show him in conformation.  In addition, it means you
 will not breed the dog, and agree to have the puppy spayed or neutered.  This is a
way for breeders to help their breed to be the best it can be by precluding the
breeding of individuals whose conformation, or some other aspect would make
them less that ideal stock.  It doesn't necessarily mean there's something wrong
with your puppy that would affect his ability to be a great pet. It just means that
the breeder has determined a reason the puppy wouldn't make a great sire or dam.

In addition to a sales contract, you should expect to place a deposit to hold a
puppy.  This can be as little as $100 or as much as half of the purchase price. 
Sometimes these deposits are non-refundable if you decide not to get a puppy,
although many breeders will let you apply the deposit towards a puppy in another
litter.  The sales contract should spell out the deposit requirements in writing.

You should be aware that AKC, and most state laws, prohibit placing
puppies before they are 8 weeks of age.  There is significant development and
socialization that benefit a puppy kept with it's littermates until they are 2
months old.  Some research indicates that an even better age to leave the litter is
at 9 weeks.  When I had Irish Wolfhounds, the rule was to wait to place them until
3 months at a minimum, with 4 months being the ideal age.  Keep in mind that
 the welfare of the puppy is more important than personal convenience when
planning the homecoming date.