Finding that Perfect Older Pup or Adult Standard Poodle as your next Companion - Meet A Lovely Girl Named Noelle
Noelle is a beautiful, well-bred Standard Poodle girl looking for her just-right forever home!
Gusto, the lovely blue boy who was 9 years old, belonged to an elderly grooming client of mine who had asked me to take him if he were to outlive her. Even though I knew him quite well, "Goose" was not used to living in a home with three other dogs yet he did wonderfully well. He gave us over four more years of joy, living to be 13 1/2.
Noelle has an undocked tail, and has been raised on a very healthy homecooked diet, by a breeder who is glad to explain how to do this without it costing more than kibble. Kibble is not the healtiest diet for a Standard Poodle. If you are looking for a dog raised by someone very interested in increasing longevity, then this breeder is someone you will enjoy speaking with. She has been super helpful to me as I have navigated my boy Brodie's recent illness and developed a more natural lightly cooked diet for him and my other dogs, without breaking the bank.
I have owned and loved Standard Poodles since 1990. Most of my dogs were purchased from show breeders but definitely not all came to me as young pups. My first girl, Figi was a brown Standard from show lines who was placed with me at age six months because her bite (teeth) went undershot which ruled her out for showing and breeding. I could write an entire article about my journey with Figi--coming to us a bit shy and unsocialized at six months but blossoming into an amazing nursing home therapy dog, training class demo dog and even a dog that went to elementary schools with me to do dog bite prevention programs. Figi was an absolute gem and one of the easiest dogs I have ever trained.
Our next two Standard Poodles were purchased as puppies, one at age 9 weeks and one at age 4 months. The 4 month old was much, much easier to house-train and intergrate into the household than the younger pup. Face it, young puppies with their middle-of-the-night potty breaks, crate-training plus the work needed to teach them to behave on the grooming table and things like getting them used to walking on leash--those little boogers are a TON of work! Thankfully these two were purchased from a show breeder so teaching them to behave on the grooming table was not nearly as hard as when buying a less expensive dog from a backyard breed or a commercial breeder. Don't be fooled by beautiful websites these days that allow puppy millers to masquerade as ethical dog breeders! Ask about health clearances and pedigree and ask for either copies of the actual health clearances or a link to see them online at OFA.org. If the breeder gives you a story about her dogs do not health clearances because she does not have any problems in her bloodlines, then RUN! Standard Poodles, no matter how ethical the breeder, do have health issues pop up from time to time, so in order to increase your chances of purchasing a healthy companion, please work with a breeder who does the recommended clearances on their breeding stock. The Versatility in Poodles website has a page on their website that can take you to links that explain the different health concerns in our breed (all purebreds have certain health things, as Poodle people we are blessed that there are many tests to rule out affected and carriers of certain problems). The simple inexpensive dna panels that some breeders advertise is NOT enough, you want to ask about the actual health testing that is done after the age of 24 months on breeding stock--things such as hip x-rays to rule out hip dysplasia, eye exams by a canine ophthalmologist and a cardiac exam by a canine cardiologist among other things. The Poodle Club of America has an excellent page on their website which explains recommended health clearances for each Poodle variety (toy, miniature and standard), see this link: Poodle Health Concerns.
Personally we have owned poodles who came to us at 7 months of age (our beloved parti-colored poodle Hudson), 14 months of age--our latest addition we added last year, my sweetheart Jesse (see below, happy as can be his first week with us) and even a very special boy Gusto, whom we inherited years ago from one of our Bed & Biscuit customers when he was 9 years of age brought us many happy years.
Jesse, age 14 months just after he found his forever home with us
Every one of these dogs as well as a couple I may have overlooked (like sweet Sophie who had been neglected in her first home and came to live with us at a year of age) were amazing poodles and much easier to integrate into our family than were the ones we brought in as pups, since they required much more work. The older I get the more I appreciate the benefits of older puppies and adult dogs!
Where Can YOU find such a Treasure?
A Poodle breeder with whom I have been acquainted with now for about a decade has a lovely eleven month old cream/white Standard Poodle girl available. Noelle, through no fault of her own, is still looking for her forever home. This breeder may also have have one or two adult dogs she might consider parting with if the right home comes along, simply due to a recent change in her husband's career.
This breeder owns Noelle's sire and dam who are gorgeous dogs with excellent temperaments, who have all of their required health clearances. She is not currently showing but is growing up a couple of young dogs for the show ring--but this breeder primarily concentrates on health and temperment, which are the things that companion dog homes find most important. I have nothing against show breeders, we have owned 3 champion poodles through the years but showing poodles requires a tremendous amount of time due to the grooming maintenace and it is not for everyone. There are some very good breeders now who do health clearances, puppy enrichment programs and research pedigrees just as thoroughly as the top show breeders but they do not charge $3,500 to $5,500 for their companion quality puppies. It does cost a lot of money to raise a litter properly but during the puppy pandemic caused by so many people working at home during COVID, there was such a demand for puppies that I personally feel the prices went up much faster than necessary and I am not interested in working with breeders whose bottom line is money. We see this in commercial breeding operations that breed doodles, where people are paying thousands for mixed breed dogs--but that is a subject for another day!
This particular litter does not have docked tails so Noelle is not available to a show or breeding home although her pedigree is full of AKC champions. Her breeder wants her in a loving pet home that will give her the best chances at living a long, happy, healthy life.
I am still trying to get back into the swing of using the current Blogger format so adding videos is a challenge for me, but Noelle's breeder will be glad to send you videos. Here are a few photos of Noelle at varying ages--nice and fluffy at six months of age, as well as a recent photo at age eleven months in her short haircut. This age is the time period when Standard Poodles change over from puppy coat to adult coat so it is common to shave them short in order to prevent matting and make coat care easier until their adult coat comes in (which is much easier to maintain than puppy coat). This lovely girl should have a gorgeous adult coat and as you can see, her face is so pretty she could stop traffic!
Information on Available Poodles
First photos are Noelle around age six months--oh my look at that gorgeous face and that beautiful coat!
Lastly a recent photo of Noelle at eleven months, just as pretty even shaved down while she starts growing her adult coat. Noelle has always been groomed, even as a baby pup, by her groomer so she has never had any bad experiences during baths, nail trims or grooming so she should be an easy keeper as far as grooming. LauraLouise is quite honest so I am sure she will be glad to answer any questions about Noelle if you email her to find out a good time to chat. She is located in Washington State but does not mind traveling to deliver a dog or meet halfway once the perfect match is made.
Noelle is not a rescue, she is in no danger and will not be surrendered to a rescue, she will live out her life with her breeder if her forever home is not found. She is quite beloved where she is now but it would also be wonderful for her to be in a home where she can be "the queen" or be a second poodle to someone already familar with the breed as it is my understanding that she gets along great with the other two females from her litter as well as her lovely mom Nina.
I am simply letting my readers know she is available. She is not free but is reasonably priced and her breeder is someone who will drive to help transport her to an approved home when the perfect match is found. As with any ethical breeder, expect to be questioned so the breeder can make sure you would be a good match for one of her dogs. But also realize you have the right to ask questions as well so don't be afraid to ask anything you want to know. This breeder will be glad to send you information on the sire and dam of Noelle, and has many adorable videos of her dogs, so I hope you will consider contacting her if you are looking to add a quality Poodle companion to your family!
For more information, videos and information on health clearances and other poodle information, reach out to LauraLouise at:
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