My Thoughts on Bringing One of Our Puppies into Your Home...

Remember to order your NuVet vitamins and the Potty Park.
The potty park takes a while to get, so plan ahead.
We recommend "Life's Abundance" dog food and products

The puppies are very good with the potty park, however, a small puppy doesn't have complete control of their bladder until they are 12-16 wks old and can be expected to know what to do by the time they are 20 wks old with reliable training.  A doggy door is an excellent way to teach lifetime good habits if you don't have a potty park.

A small puppy can be distracted and easily and get exciteable, it's all in the planning for a new puppy.   Remember to give your puppy lots of time to relieve themselves with solid boundaries where to "go" and where not to go.  It really doesn't take as long as it sounds, just be fair to the puppy and give them a way to make good lifetime habits.

Best lifetime habits for a new puppy is "earned" and not giving the whole house right away.  They will need their safe area that they can't make a mistake.  I use exercise pens, potty parks, outside time that's ALWAYS observed unless there's a safe area already scanned for dangerous things and escape routes.  A small puppy will eat anything:  rocks, sticks, fences, poisonous household things kept in the garage or shed.  Take the time to puppy proof your home for the new puppy coming home.  Set aside a place during the day in all weather that's a safe zone and inside their sleeping area that they are comfortable and know it's there safe zone until they are reliable.  

Please remember until your puppy has ALL of their puppy shots AND rabies shot, they are VERY susceptible to EVERTHING.

No parks or public places until the puppy has all of their shots plus their rabies shot.  Always protect your puppy/doggie.  We say NO DOG PARKS ... ever, a breeding ground of unvaccinated aggressive dogs that can be potentially dangerous for your companion.

I put the puppies (over 5-6 wks old) 8x8x4' tall kennel with two exercise pens that they can play during the day.  When there's "mistakes" of poo and pee elsewhere than the potty park, I make it smaller to remind them it's done on the potty park or outside, no exceptions.  Believe it or not ... they get it.  Poodles are smart, my adult poodles know when they haven't been completely good without being yelled at.  Poodles DO NOT need a heavy hand, they are naturally affectionate, want to be with their people, and innately intelligent and extremely reliable with good training.  If your poodle seems out of control ... it's something you are doing ... or not doing ... take them to a good quality positive dog training class and get some reliable training for yourself.

What is my puppy eating?

Puppies will be weaned on rice baby cereal about a month old.  Few days later I mix with chicken or lamb baby food and then a few days after that, beef.  About a week or so, I soften and squish in Life's Abundance kibble.  About six weeks old I start to introduce just kibble which is crunchy and sharpens and keeps their teeth strong.  About that time I introduce raw dog food and marrow bones.  Each litter have their own level of maturity, I only do things with and for the puppies that they are ready to do.   The new owner's get a bill of sale that has all foods and care their specific litter has been exposed to.

By 8 wks old, they are eating Life's Abundance kibble, NuVet vitamins, they will know what raw dog food is like, cooked chicken breast, etc.  They will be familiar and pretty reliable to the potty park.

more details...

We now feed "Life's Abundance" kibble, it's holistic and comparably a better kibble than Orijen, Acana and Fromm which we had been feeding.  I feed our poodles holistic and organic kibble.  Why Life's Abundance?   Life's Abundance Premium Health Food is made with select ingredients, including high-quality chicken and catfish meals, whole grains, nutritious vegetables and fruits, omega fatty acids and much more.  We never use corn or wheat products and we never use artificial flavors or colors.  With Life's Abundance, you can be confident that you are feeding your dog advanced nutrition designed by a certified vet.

I also ask that the new owners treat their new puppies as "holistic" as possible.  No topicals for fleas/ticks, no flea dips at the groomers, use hydrating (baby shampoo at first) shampoos, look for "holistic" and "organic" products ALWAYS.  I have our house sprayed "organically" instead of putting anything directly on the poodles.  I DO NOT HAVE FLEAS.  However, during the spring I have seen a tick or two which is very dangerous to the doggies ... Lyme Disease ... so, I do have to be careful and use my best judgement and still have happy healthy poodles.

Main reason to feed less grain holistically and organically is bloat.  It is not hereditary but how and what the dog is fed.  When you feed only grainy low quality kibble, the aweful rawhide toys (I do not suggest rawhide) the doggie's belly will swell and flip twisting at each end.  It's horrible.  I lost my Irish Setter to bloat when she was seven, and honestly it was our fault she got it.  I am adamant about what to feed my poodles, I hope you will be too.

The Pet Food Recall of 2007 and 2009 has changed the pet food industry and how many people feed their doggies.  Since the "recalls" of so many of the dog foods (kibble & canned), most breeders started feeding "holistic, grain free" kibble and raw dog food.  I personally like raw dog food for the peaceful thought of not causing bloat.  However you have to add the raw chicken neck to their diet so their stools aren't too loose.  I don't like raw chicken necks, I know many breeders do, but I don't.  My poodles choke afterwards, I don't like them I don't buy them.

I do however love the meaty raw "lamb bones" that OC Raw sells.  However, they are two hours away and do not ship, I have take a half of a day to have it on hand, and I have to have an additional freezer which during the hot months of summer we loose power and I don't want to have a full freezer of raw dog food go bad ... hence as an alternative to frozen raw I do also like "Stella & Chewy" patties is a convenient and just as good as actual raw dog food.

An idea if raw dog food does not appeal to you.

A previous puppy owner's son is a veterinarian here in California and has formulated a mixture you add to cooked meat.  Search on "Balance It"  Mercedes has given "Roxy" this mixture for quite some time and is very happy with it.  One of these days I will give it a try, but with five poodles and puppies, we are back to the additional freezer idea with frozen meats.  I know one of our new puppy owners cook their meals and is very happy with it also.

Always research for yourself

see BARF for the raw dog food

Pet Food Recalls and Food Safety

The massive pet food recalls of 2007 and more recently the  pet food recalls of October 2009 have created new interest in the subject of pet food. Is it safe? How can we be sure?

For this reason I suggest feeding Life's Abundance.  Our two year health guarantee is based on feeding one of these three:  NuVet vitamins, Life's Abundance dog food, Life's Abundance vitamins.  why?  so I know the puppy/dog being asked to be replaced isn't ill or sickly due to their nutrition.  I will ask for records to replace a puppy and if it's truly a defect in the puppy you get from us, I will replace it asap.

Vaccinations
Be aware, actively know what your puppy/doggie is getting, vets mean well but there's more and more proof and documentation of dogs dying of being over vaccinated.  Our puppy packet comes with guidelines and intelligent ways to keep your doggies safe and healthy ... it always starts with how you feed your puppy and how intelligently you care and vaccinate your new puppy and throughout their lifes.

Holistic and organic products only!  If you arn't willing to put a product on yourself or your child, DON'T PUT IT ON YOUR PET.  

My old vet ... for this reason... suggested soooooo many products for the poodles and the PUPPIES!  I gasp!!  They want them to have heart worm medicine, topical tick & flea, bordetella, puppy shot, and given the rabies shot on top of that.  I know all of these are dangerous ... but so is over vaccinating your beloved friend.
OMG I threw a fit!  please... be careful with your pet/companion or showdog, if you get them from us or not.

What people say about us: References and Comments

scroll down, there's lots of references from our puppy owner's ... we are so blessed to have such a wonderful poodle family.

Here are my comments about picking up a puppy from my wonderful experience with Roxy.

I live near Pasadena, California. I decided to fly to pick up my sweet puppy Roxy from Seattle. It was possible for me to do the trip in one day. I flew Alaska Airlines, they allowed Roxy to be my carry on luggage. For my purse, I used a laptop case because I could get everything else into it. I bought a dog airline carrier (soft sided with hand straps and a shoulder strap) from Southwest Airlines. I liked the ventilation and side pockets for items. Alaska Airlines was the only airlines that would guarantee a dog reservation as soon as you bought the human ticket. Roxy's dog ticket cost $100.00. The other airlines would only take dogs in the cabin to a certain number and it was confusing about how they accepted them. It was at the terminal as you were boarding. Therefore, if the limit of dogs boarded ahead of you and your dog, your dog would not be boarded. I couldn't risk it.

The trip was a dream. I got to Seattle International, had a little lunch, and then met Paula, Jim, and Roxy in the seated waiting area. I brought a little soft blanket for Roxy (10.5lbs) and held her on my lap getting acquainted. When we moved to walk to ticketing and security, I put her in the carrier. I also had to show the health certificate from her Seattle vet. I carried her through security and then Roxy went back into the carrier to our gate. I gave her a little water that I bought and in the little plastic bowl I had for her from home. Paula supplied Roxy with a baggy of kibble. I held her at the gate in my lap. We got on board with the children traveling alone. For boarding and throughout the flight of about two hours, Roxy remained in the carrier. She was great--no whimpering at all. Every so often I would bend down to under the seat in front of me and talk to her, but NEVER took her out. My husband met us and Roxy was on my lap all the way home. Roxy continues to be our sweet girl learning new things every day.

I hope this long story helps, Paula. Of course you may use it on your website if you want.

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I have had the opportunity to temperament test several Barefoot Pudels litters. I can attest to their delightful personalities. Each puppy will have its own personality and it will show on the 49th day. That is when the puppy is neurologically complete and has the brain of an adult dog. Each of the 10 tests that I do are designed to let you select the right puppy for your home. Each of you have specific characteristics you are looking for. While these characteristics are important, it is equally important to choose a responsible breeder. That is why I am so proud to work with Paula and Jim. Their puppies are playful, easy going, intelligent and very loving. The puppies are clean and very good structurally.

Thank you,

Jill Mitz

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Hi Paula,

Did you realize we are coming up one the one year anniversary of me adopting Arthur (Cory)? I've been following the current puppy blog as the litter has the same parents, and this time last year I did not yet know I would be getting a puppy from you. So I missed out on all the (live time) exciting moments of Arthur's litter, and this litter has been awesome to watch in real time.

When we first came to you, we weren't yet certain we wanted a poodle, and at that point, you only had one puppy left. Lucky for us, you graciously let us come visit and gave us tons of poodle info and we got to spend time with the entire posse of poodles.

There were two levels of things that helped us decide to get the next member of our family from you. The obvious: we were very comfortable in your home and seeing everyone's living conditions; we fell in love with the parents of the litter; and, we really liked the way you were raising, feeding and training all the poodles. I would never get a puppy without any of the previous things, but the next things were the icing on the cake, and honestly, the real things that enabled us to make our decision:

The genetics. All I can really say is that I am envious of my dog's genes. The levels that you and Jim have gone to to ensure happy healthy dogs is magnificent. After spending small fortunes to keep my previous dogs alive and still losing them both to genetic diseases, I couldn't imagine putting myself thru it all again. I know Arthur has the best possible chance, and wow, is that comforting. But I still make decisions with his long term health in mind!

The aptitude testing. I hadn't encountered Volhard testing before, but I researched it online and talked it over with my long time dog trainer (she'd taught me how to clicker train my pugs). And based on his numbers, we all felt he'd fit in great with our family. We loved the fact that we'd spent time with him before choosing, but for us, we were transitioning from pugs to poodles. Talk about different breeds! Next time, and there will be another poodle from you in our future some day, we'd start with the Volhard numbers to do an initial selection, and then work from there based on all the other attributes (gender, size and then color).

His original Volhard numbers are below. I don't seem to have the Stability scores.

Social attraction: four 3s, three 4s

Following: five 3s, one 5

Restraint: five 3s, one 4

Social Dominance: five 3s, one 4

Elevation dominance: six 3s

Retrieving: four 4s, one 5, one 6

Touch sensitivity: six 4s

Sound sensitivity: five 4s, one 5

Sight sensitivity: six 3s

Of course, I've done a lot of training with him, and a lot of things have occurred in the course of his short life thus far. But in general, he is still pretty true to these numbers. The changes I'd assess him of making: Retrieving is now a solid 3. And I'm not sure what his original Stability score was, but I'd say he's now a 2 or 3.

Well, that is my long winded one year Arthur update since he joined our family. You once gave me a great compliment that I still treasure. You hadn't seen a family change so much in response to the poodle, typically the poodle changed to reflect the family. I think we've all changed, but the joy that Arthur has brought to me has made a tremendous in my life. Having a healthy and active companion is awesome. Thank you:)

Love to all, Lara Foote, Rick Hill and Arthur, a Barefoot Pude

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Hi, Paula told me you are thinking of getting a poodle puppy from her. I currently own poodles and have been a poodle owner for nearly 20 years. I went to visit, as I want a puppy, and I wanted to be sure everything looked as good in person as on the website. Paula and Jim are nice people and well-informed about poodles, and breeding and raising quality dogs. Their dogs are friendly, outgoing, and affectionate with me, a stranger to them. They have that good-health glow, with noticeably good skin and coats. Both Grace and Everad seemed like great dogs, the kind I would be happy with. The house had no odor, and looked "normal", unlike some breeder's homes I have seen (some with large numbers of dogs, all wild, and stacks of crates in the living areas). In short, I have no qualms about getting a puppy from Paula and Jim, and look forward to the day the puppy comes home! -Marcia (Celby's momma)

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I purchased a Silver Klein Poodle from Barefoot Pudels in September of 2010. After much thought and looking at several other breeders I decided on Barefoot Pudels. They were the most professional on breeding the type of poodle I was looking for. They are a breeder who plans the litters, genetically tests the parents, personality tests the puppies, and keeps you informed from birth to delivery of your chosen puppy. They take the care and patients with every itter and would ot produce a litter they were not proud of. I will not hesitate to call on Paula and Jim for my next puppy. They are the best at what they do. Breeding Kleins and small standard poodles. In my opinion the perfect poodle sire. Robert Latimer

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Dear Amy, Paula is a very knowledgable breeder who is passionate about poodles. Her dogs are all wonderful and have fabulous temperaments and wonderful genes. All the dogs that she breeds with are genetically tested and are clear for breeding. She is very meticulous about that. Her dogs are raised with high quality food and great care and attention is given to their dietary requirements. She feeds a mixture of high quality kibble and raw food. She is a very ethical breeder who strives at all times to do the very best she can for the dogs. I am so looking forward to my new pup. She will be a real sister to Ceophie my other dog from her. She had her one year check up a couple of weeks ago and the vet wrote that she has pristine eyes and ears. He said she was perfect. The father of my pups came from a very holistic and ethical breeder who Paula has been mentored by. He is the most wonderful dog, full of character and with a perfect stature. I believe that you will not find a better, more ethical breeder or a better dog. The price is fair and the dogs are beauties. I visited Paula last year and helped at bathing time with the pups. There were 10 pups and all of them were stunners!! These pups are absolutely gorgeous. You will love your pup. Paula puts so much effort into getting the most up to date information on her blogs. The journey is wonderful and the poodle family is fantastic. I would say that the only difficult thing you may have to deal with is that a pup you might have set your heart on may be picked by someone else. It depends on your picking position. It actually happened to me. However, I wouldn't swap my Ceophie for the world. If I were you, I'd get two. It works out so well. Two's company!! Good luck and let me know what you decide. You struck gold stumbling onto Paula's website. Love Rosie Marks

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As the date draws near for my puppy to join me, I am so pleased with the breeding program he will be coming from. I have had many dogs in the past, most of them Standard Poodles, and I have researched Barefoot Pudels thoroughly. The breeding program is superior, with great care given to testing and viability of both dam and sire. Their bloodlines are outstanding, and the breeder makes all this public on her website. The genetic background is critical, of course, but also of great importance is the care of the mother and her pups from conception onwards. The mother is watched diligently, and has regular check ups and ultra sounds to make sure all is well. Once born, the pups are given wonderful socialization and outstanding food. All of this is documented weekly on the blog, and sometimes reports and pictures of the pups come daily. We know exactly what they are eating, when their vitamins start, how they are house trained, and yes, they are house trained when they are ready to go to their forever homes. Each puppy is truly loved by the breeders and that is invaluable, enabling them to develop confidence and a loving spirit toward their new parent. At 7 weeks the puppies are tested by an independent expert in the Volhard personality test. No one is asked to make a choice on a puppy until this information is available. This is an outstanding feature of Barefoot Pudels, and I have complete confidence that the puppy I choose will be right for me and my family. Because of all the information that is coming so often on the blog, I have fallen in love with one particular little boy, but I am assured that I must be completely happy with his test results before I make a commitment. A new dog owner can ask for nothing more than the excellence of this breeding program. Margot (Seattle)

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HI Paula, Karma is now 14 months old, and is the calmest, most loving dog we have ever had. I have had 5 standard poodles in my life, all living to be over 14 years of age. They are smart and become a very big part of our family. Karma has been different from the start. She is smaller than the others, and seems to understand the setting she is in, and adjusts. From early months she has slept on her pillow when we have been in meetings, and is known by our friends as an amazing dog. Nobody can believe she is a puppy. She is more like an old soul. She loves to play with other dogs and can outrun almost everyone, but when she needs to be calm, she is. She is going to be trained as a therapy dog so we can go to nursing homes and hospitals. Thank you for keeping in touch. Nancy

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Here you go Paula:

Our puppy is growing up to be stunning. And his temperment and intelligence is amazing. An AKC-certified CGC test administrator said that he would pass the test with flying colors today, except that he isn't even a year old yet (he's only 7 months right now)! His heeling is solid, housebreaking was as easy as pie, perfect bath-manners, and great impulse control. The rate at which he is learning new commands is astonishing.

Now, I'm not a experienced dog trainer. Not even a previous dog owner. In fact, this was my very first pet. And going into it, I knew very little about raising a puppy. I knew nothing about choosing a breeder. I wanted a poodle and Paula was not too far away and had a new litter. So I went over and bought one.

Now that I've learned so much about raising a dog, I know so much about picking a puppy and a breeder that I did not know then. Even so, I would have gone with the exact same breeder and gotten the exact same puppy! I did not have the eyes or experience to know then, but I know now how much care and attention Paula puts into her puppies. -David

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Hi Paula, Just wanted to let everyone and anyone interested in a Barefoot Pudel  that they couldn't make a better choice.  Let me say Paula and Jim are lovely people and they give their dogs and new puppies wonderful care. They are very hands on as anybody can see from their website.  That's what got me excited in the first place. I visited their home a few times, visiting the parents to be and then the puppies before picking up Emmy out of Tigre and Everade's litter. She is a wonderful, sweet and gentle girl.  She loves people and dogs.  Her favorite thing is the doggie park where she has made many friends. She also has completed obedience classes and passed with flying colors.  Let me also mention how beautiful she is.  She is dark silver with the most beautiful black silky ears.  In the sunlight you can see a little sable mixed in like her moma, Tigre.  At seven months she is 19" and about 26 lbs. Everywhere we go, people stop me to admire her! I could go on and on.  My husband and I are crazy about her!!! Thank you Jim and Paula, Sandy

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(Tigre' and Everad's 2011 litter, the big poodle litter for us) The boys are just lovely. They have a grooming appointment Friday, and my daughter has promised to take photos of the "pirates" (they were neutered two weeks ago and have their IV shaved legs). We just finished our second round of training, the next session won't be until January. They graduated with honors! Haha...Teddy is a gentle giant, he weighs right at 40 pounds, big boy. Marley is as you first stated when he was a baby..."it's his will or yours"...yeah, he is a handful, but we love him. He is right at 35 pounds. They are both lap dogs. Their colors are still changing, I think they are a bit of "parti" as Marley's ears are brown/grey and Teddy is getting the most interesting stripes. We couldn't be happier with them. Greg tells everyone they are my hobby as I hate shopping, but not for the boys. They go to puppy daycare once a week and LOVE it. Marley screams in as if to say..."I'm here everyone", while Teddy lingers back until he is comfy. There were four poodles at daycare today, it was poodle day. Anyway, I could go on all day. I follow your blogs, it is jus