Health Screen Parents

Since many heritable conditions in dogs are the result of the puppy receiving two defective genes, one from each parent (in the case of a double recessive inheritance pattern), out-cross breeding can reduce the chance for a puppy from presenting with a condition that is only prevalent in one parent’s breed. This is sometimes referred to as hybrid vigor. Of course, some conditions exist in related breeds, or even across most breeds, such as defective hip conformation (hip dysplasia). Not all heritable conditions are caused by a single gene. That said, some defects cannot be controlled, even if they are heritable and diagnostic test exist. For that reason, we expect our puppy buyers to be intelligently informed about the risks of acquiring a living creature, one which will never be fully duplicated again and which will be perfectly imperfect. Our breeding dogs are tested for diseases for which there is a diagostic evaluation for conditions that are prevalent in the two breeds.

Hypoallergenic? Not.

In a study published in 2011 out of Henry Ford Hospital, breeds often described as hypoallergenic do not shed any less dog allergen into the homes in which they reside than other breeds. While that work was done several years ago, some breeders of cross-poodle dogs continue to claim that their dogs are “hypoallergenic.” The data do not support this claim and individuals with allergy to dog-specific allergen may not experience any different reaction to a poodle-hybrid dog than any other dog. Fortunately, the actual percentage of people with dog-specific allergy is fairly low.

No / Low Shedding? Yes.

St. Poodles and Old English Sheepdogs have coats which do not routinely shed hair. POSH puppies inherit that quality and do not shed. They require routine brushing to prevent matting, and professional grooming between 6 - 12 week intervals.

Size

The size of an adult POSH can vary significantly because it is an initial cross between two unrelated breeds, both which have fairly wide size ranges. At eight weeks old, when they go home, puppies weight between 11-14 pounds. Typically, a female will weigh between 50 and 65 pounds and a male will weigh between 65 and 80 pounds. Dew Claws We do not remove dew claws per the most recent veterinary data. Tail Docking: For puppy buyers who submit a deposit on their puppy before it turns 3 days old, we provide tail docking upon request. Tails are left natural unless requested.

Highly Socialized

We come to the table with over 30 years of breeding dogs for an intended purpose to a specific standard of performance. This experience has provided us significant understanding about how to best care for a dam, how to participate in whelping for the best management of mother and pups, and how to raise puppies with the intention of giving them the best possible start in life. Only then can each puppy reach its true potential.

Care

Puppies will have been routinely wormed and have received their first vaccination (or more if they are placed after 12 weeks of age). Because of our intention to produce highly functional Service Dogs, all puppies in the litter will have been well socialized to a variety of surfaces, noises, textures, toys, grooming and interaction with people. Puppies are raised in our home around routine activity. Parent dogs are house companions. We do not maintain puppies or parent dogs in kennels.