Fostering Program
To be a good breeder and produce exceptional quality dogs, a breeder must have a number of top notch dogs for their consideration.. We have found that the foster program is one of the best ways to accomplish this. We will not keep a large number of dogs. Poodles need to be a part of the family and do not thrive to their full potential in a kennel situation or if they are part of too large of a pack. That is why we have a foster dog program.
How the Foster Program Works:
We place our “pick of the litter” female or male at nine to ten weeks old in a foster home. The dogs stay in these homes for their entire lives provided our fostering rules are being followed- which are quite reasonable. This program allows people an opportunity to have one of the best dogs in our breeding program!
When a foster puppy grows up, he/she may be used in our breeding program if he/she is good enough. If your dog is just not good enough to be bred (too small, too large, bad bite, conformation flaw such as high rear, roach back, etc) you will have him/her spayed/neutered and upon proof of spay/neuter you will be given full ownership of the dog at a considerably reduced pet price. Which is a pretty good deal, considering you have the pick of the litter pup!
If it is a female and she IS good enough, we will have her bred to a great male of our choosing, at our cost, which could mean she leaves you for a week or so for the breeding. She remains with you until about 1 week before she is due to have the pups, then she comes and lives with us until the pups are weaned at about 6 weeks. Then, she goes back to you. After we have finished using her in our breeding program (after she’s had about 3 litters) she will be spayed at our cost and you will then get full ownership of the dog. Poodles can live up to 15+ years of age.
A female will come into season about every 6-9 months but we do not breed her every season. This is a way for us to keep the BEST puppies from each litter, and then only breed the best of the best.
The advantage for the female is that when she is no longer in our breeding program, she does not need to be placed in a new home at an age when it would be more difficult for her – she is already home!
When a female is at our home we encourage visits from the foster parents. They can stop by as often as they want and walk their dog and play with the pups when the pups are old enough. We also encourage visits prior to her being bred so she is familiar with our home and our dogs, and is content and happy here when she is bred and comes to have her puppies.
In the case of a male who is fostered, everything above, regarding safety and care applies, but he only needs to come to our home when he is going to be used at stud. He must be kept intact, un-neutered, and when we would need to use him, he would come and stay with us for three to five days, then would be returned to you. We would constantly need to be aware of where he is, should you go on holidays, so we could pick him up if his services were required while you were gone. He is NEVER to be bred unless it is something WE choose to do, and if this were to happen, he would be removed from his foster home. If after testing he is deemed not to be a suitable candidate for our breeding program, he would be neutered, at your expense and you would be given full ownership at a considerably reduced pet price.
Who Qualifies for a Foster Dog?
We are very selective about whom we choose to become a foster family. Our primary concern is that our dogs go into safe, healthy homes where they will be well taken care of and not get run over by a car or allowed to escape and get lost, or be bred accidentally by a neighbourhood dog.
We have very specific criteria we are looking for in our foster families. Families MUST be located within two hours of our home or our co-breeder Deb Pohl’s home. They must have some previous dog experience, preferably being familiar with the coat care requirements of a Poodle.
We will do a home check and ask many questions about the care our puppy is going to receive. If you have another dog it is still possible to foster. If your dog is good with other dogs and has been sexually altered, this is possible.
But what if you want to keep a pup from a litter? If this is your dogs last litter and she is due to be spayed, we will consider letting you keep a puppy from the last litter, either as a foster or as a pet only.
What are the Foster Family’s Responsibilities?
You are not paying for the dog, but you still have to take TOP NOTCH care of it. This means vet care, flea treatments, worming, grooming, obedience training, love, spoiling, good food, etc.
The Good Points
You get the best Arreau Poodles has to offer as long as the dog is well taken care of. This will mean the most stable, most friendly, most even tempered dog in the litter and hopefully the one who is most beautiful.
If he/she develops well and meets our criteria for breeding, he/she will be fully health tested, at our expense. When the results are in, and it is determined he/she is worthy of being bred, you are then assured of having an extremely healthy boy/girl to love.
The Bad Points:
If its a girl you have to deal with heat cycles. Heat cycles are very similar to human female’s periods, except they only go into heat every 6 to 9 months. As well you MUST keep close watch on our girl during her heat cycle to ensure she isn’t bred by a dog who “jumps the fence” – If this were to happen we would remove this girl!
Your baby girl will have to leave you for about 8 weeks each year for three years. Of course, the dog will be totally spoiled when here, kept as a house dog, not a kennel dog, but still… there will be an absence from your life.
Arreau Red Standard Poodles 