As you may not know, part of a breeder’s job is to improve the characteristics of the dog it raises. He does this through careful parental selection, special diet, and careful record keeping. A breeder may seek to improve a dog’s temperament for example, and take care to breed only the most obedient of dogs. Or a breeder may try to improve a dog’s show quality and breed dogs with a history of specific talents. The poodle hybrid is the mark of such breeding, and it aims to produce a “new and improved” canine through poodle hybrid puppies.  read more »

In several of our other articles, we briefly referenced the different kinds of poodle breeds there are. Here, we go into a little more detail about those differences (including two additional poodle sizes) and how they can influence the type of poodle you decide to live with.

The Premium Poodle

The premium poodle is the largest of the poodle breeds, standing in and weighing in over the standard poodle size (described below). Because it falls outside of the standard range, it’s not an AKC recognized poodle.  read more »

Toy poodles measure in under ten inches tall and they’ve done so for hundreds of years. The ones that we have now however, are the result of new practices, new goals, and new improvements made by today’s toy poodle breeders -- and they’re quite different from what we had in the past.  read more »

In an effort to preserve the characteristics of pure bred Poodles, the AKC set some pretty strict standards on what qualifies as such. Most of these standards are purely based on appearance, but some of them are based on health concerns. A Poodle that doesn’t demonstrate a particular characteristic may after all, indicate an illness or a genetic disorder of some sort. This is extremely important since one of the goals of the AKC is to uphold healthy dogs. The following paragraphs describe what the AKC defines as healthy, pure bred Poodle characteristics. If you discover that your Poodle lacks one or more of these characteristics, it doesn’t mean that it’s any less of a wonderful companion. These standards are really only applicable to show dogs and professional breeders.  read more »

We always recommend that people patron responsible Yorkshire Terrier breeders, but unless you already know what to look for, you may inadvertently patron an irresponsible breeder instead. This article will point out the differences between reputable and disreputable breeders in hopes that you seek out the ones that really care about the animals they sell. This will in turn, make you a responsible dog owner and demonstrate that you really care for the pets you own.  read more »

Let's get straight to the point. The teacup Yorkshire Terrier doesn’t exist as a standard because the AKC (American Kennel Club) does not recognize the teacup Yorkie. The AKC instead, acknowledges Yorkies as toy dogs when and only when they fall within the five to seven pound range. Any Yorkie below that range is not only a non-toy -- it's dangerous. For this reason, the AKC refuses to admit the teacup Yorkie in its current standards.  read more »