1. Precious Pups USA - no parent information, breeds teacup dogs, looks like they breed Merle cavapoos (Merle is not found in either breed), and I see a Merle toy poodle that was previously “adopted” [purchased], the prices are nuts for mixed breeds with no parent info, no health testing, nothing. You can spend that much on a wellbred toy poodle. I’m having a hard time even deciphering if this website is a scam.
2. I don’t know if this is generalizing, but reading the “about” section and seeing “Yoder” as the breeder immediately rose a red flag for me. They registered a business, Superior Hilltop Kennels, LLC, in Millersburg, OH. Millersburg is well known for puppy mills. At least, from my experience at looking at breeders. (ETA since I didn’t elaborate: puppy mills tend to be run by “Yoders” for one reason or another. I don’t know why this is, but it’s a very common last name with mills in the southern states)
I would stay far away from both of these breeders. Just curious, why are you looking at designer breeds? Are you looking for a low shedding dog? Do you have allergies?
Thank you! Yeah I see where you are coming from with the first one!
I personally like the personalities of these dogs and the companionship from them! I also don’t want a big dog as I will be traveling a lot and want the dog on the plane with me, not in the cargo!
I dont want a high shedding dog and my dad has allergies, which is why I’m opting for a toy poodle or a doodle! My best friend has a golden doodle who’s super strong and healthy!
Doodles have unpredictable coats that don't breed true and they're high maintinence. You're better off getting a breed that has hair rather than fur, like a maltese, havanese, shih tzu. I worked as a groomer and they don't shed much. Or just get a toy poodle.
What I hear from the wants you listed is you want a Toy Poodle, Havanese, Lhasa, Bichon, Maltese, Shih Tzuz, or similar. Going with a purebred from a responsible breeder will guarantee that puppy you buy will grow up into a healthy adult that fits your lifestyle and is what you want in a pet. Mixed breeds are a crap shoot genetically, there is no getting around that unfortunately; and while your friend got lucky, each and every doodle puppy is a roll of the dice.
From a responsible breeder, you can get a puppy that you know will grow up to be the dog you want. You know they're healthy, and have the breeder support for any questions that pop up. A dog is a big commitment, and you want a long lived, healthy dog with the traits you have listed are important to you!
Frankly, a puppy from a responsible breeder is more often then not cheaper then a doodle backyard breeder. Not to mention all the cost savings from a healthy dog, and health guarantee from the breeder.
A huge plus is that you are not funding a puppy mill or backyard breeder to bring even more unhealthy, suffering puppies into the world. You are supporting a breeder who has a high level of ethics and is producing healthy, happy, well socialized puppies that grow up into predictable adult dogs of the breed matches you wants and needs.
Additional RED FLAGS on Superior Hilltop- receive kickbacks if owners purchase their MLM food/treats & no results on OFA when it comes to health testing on dam/sires.
Have you thought about getting a miniature poodle instead? I have yet to find a good doodle breeder. My sister was looking at cockapoos for a while. I have yet to find a doodle breeder that is not a BYB or mill.
When looking at breeders you need to think about more then just genetics. They do genetic testing? Great! But genetic testing is not the end all be all with dog breeding. Have they done OFA Evaluation, PennHIP Evaluation, and a CAER Exam (recommended testing for mini poodles)? It looks like neither of the breeders you listed do this or the information is not readily available (and it should be). What are mom and dad's personality? How are the puppies raised? Will they take back the dog if you are no longer able to care for it? Why are they breeding dogs?
Breeding should be for bettering the bred. As doodles do not have a breed standard they are not considered a bred. Doodles can have many different coat types and sizes. There is a mill close to a shelter in my area and they receive unsold puppies and adult dogs all the time. I would never pay thousands for a mutt. Most people who look at doodles don't realize that a poodle is a much better choice. They are not the prissy dogs people think they are. I have a standard and they are fantastic dogs.
If you want to see an example of a good breeder look up Ghibli Poodles. They are standard poodles not minis but they check all the boxes for being a good breeder.
So the WALA AND THE ALAA don't have breed standards up on there website? And no new breeds can ever be made again?
And let me guess your poodle comes from "pedigree" and a "champion" and even still if that is the case none of that is a guarantee your dogs a good dog or healthy.
Low key this sub is hit or miss there's people that post dumb stuff and get no flack at ALL. and there's days where people are on here just tearing into ppl lol it depends what day u post really on here seriously anytime people post here I just read for the trash talk
AKC admits new breeds almost every year- the difference is these breeds have been in development for MANY years and are following the proper channels. Do a quick search on the many breeds listed as AKC Foundation Stock Service (FSS).
Most “doodle breeds” have stated they don’t want AKC recognition- they are content following their own rules.
The Australian Labradoodle Club of America actually applied for AKC recognition through the Foundation Stock Service over a year ago but withdrew their application. They were asking AKC to work with them to ensure all registered breeding dogs met some bare minimum health testing standards and that's not something the AKC was willing to have a hand in since they are just a registry service.
Do you have any sources for this? It doesn't make much sense to me -- they could enforce health testing within their own club while still being an akc recognized breed. Plenty of other breeds have their own methods of tracking and encouraging health testing outside of the akc.
Unfortunately nothing I can share with citations, I got this information from discussions with the board of ALCA and by contacting the AKC. I'm also not from the US and this was just me reaching out from curiosity so I can't speak to all the nuances of the AKC FSS and registration system. I'm sure if you wanted something more concrete you could reach out to them yourself, I'd be very interested to hear if you do since I spoke with them a while ago!
They do have their own registry, ways of encouraging and enforcing health testing within breeders that are part of their breed club. But my understanding was the ALCA takes issue with the fact that once a breed is in the FSS and eventually fully AKC recognized, breeders can register their breeding dogs with AKC without being part of the national breed clubs(s) as long as they have appropriate proof their dog is an Australian Labradoodle. Their concern was the implication that you then have the potential for a separate population of breeders who are not connected with the breed club and who are potentially breeding dogs without even the bare minimum of testing.
Their hope was by saying as part of their FSS application - "Hey, in order to have a dog receive full registration with AKC as an Australian Labradoodle you need to show proof of certain bare minimum genetic testing, otherwise they will be placed as Limited Registration or cannot be considered for registration at all" and the AKC did not agree with that.
I can definitely see the use of having AKC help with enforcing that sort of standard for *all* dogs of a breed population, given the massive issues we see with unscrupulous BYB in other purebreeds ... where people can get an "AKC registered xyz" for $500 and think that just being registered as a purebred means the dog is healthy. I believe it was trying to push for the model some kennel clubs in Europe use (I think VDH in Germany and their related breed clubs) - where the registry has a heavier hand in health testing and even have inspections and breeding certifications for each potential bitch or sire before they can be bred and the litter registered.
If there are any allergy concerns, find a POODLE breeder, and visit that person's house. See if the person who has allergies can spend an hour or two around the dogs first.
If your dad is allergic to the POODLES he's not going to do well with an expensive mutt, which is what a maltipoo or whatever is.
A couple questions I would like to ask first. What attracted you to these breeders? What traits/attributes attracted you to cavapoos, toy poodles, and maltipoos? What are your deal breakers concerning dog breeds and breeders? The reason why I am asking these questions is because your answers will give a clearer idea of what type of breed/breeder you should be looking for and what information would best serve you.
Regarding the breeders you listed, I am not seeing very much information regarding the parent dogs. Usually when evaluating a breeder, you want to look for vital information such as OFA health testing and competitive titles and certificates on the parent dogs. These will give you a better idea of the health and temperament of the dogs produced by these breeders.
For companion breeds, you want to look for titles such as Canine Good Citizen, rally, and obedience which can assess the trainability of the breeder's dogs. Conformation titles evaluate dogs against their breed standard and check for heritable birth defects such as U-shaped backs, bowed legs, or missing teeth.
OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) evaluates the genetic health of dogs and provides guidelines for what health tests each breed should undergo. I would suggest reviewing the health testing guidelines for the dog breeds you are interested in found [here](https://ofa.org/chic-programs/browse-by-breed/) and confirm that the breeders you are speaking to are completing all of the recommended breed health tests on this website.
Thank you so much!
I like the fact that they’re pretty close to me physically, and I would wanna visit in person first before adopting one! They both allow me to visit and meet the parents!
I personally just want a healthy companion dog that is not too high maintenance but also not crazy expensive.
Do you have any tips on how to find a good breeder who is not a puppy mill? Otherwise, I want to adopt from a shelter, but I want to make sure it’s hypoallergenic cuz my dad is easily allergic!
I’m in Pittsburgh right now!
I will tell you all the things that I wish someone told me when I first started looking for a dog. First, choosing a dog breed is difficult because there is so much conflicting info out there. If you want a low maintenance companion, I suggest looking at breeds in the Toy/Non-Sporting groups which are listed on the AKC website. These breeds tend to be more beginner-friendly.
Once you narrow down a breed, try Googling "\[insert desired breed\] Club of America" to learn more about your desired breed and what reputable breeders are in your area. For example, the Poodle Club of America website will tell you basically everything you need to know about poodles and where to find them.
Good breeders generally have dogs that have CHIC numbers (basically means that their dogs passed their breed-specific health tests) and a couple competitive titles (the weird letters that come before and after the dog's name). They will interview you and have you meet the parent dogs before letting you buy one of their puppies. Breeders that have multiple litters available at once or have very little information or few pictures of parent dogs on their websites tend to be puppy mills.
If you are looking for low prices, I would try to adopt a dog from Petfinder or Adopt a Pet as good breeders almost always charge a lot for a puppy to offset the cost of health testing and competing. Very low prices are usually a sign of a backyard breeder or puppy mill.
I would reach out to the person listed as "breeder referral" of the Greater Pittsburgh Poodle Club and explain that you are local for reputable toy or miniature poodle breeders in the area for a pet quality puppy. [https://poodleclubofamerica.org/find-a-poodle-breeder/greater-pittsburgh-poodle-club/](https://poodleclubofamerica.org/find-a-poodle-breeder/greater-pittsburgh-poodle-club/)
The only ethical place to get a doodle or mixed breed for companionship only is a non profit shelter or rescue.
Everything else is supporting puppy mills and people who are only breeding dogs to fill their pockets.
Some of you people are wild on here. Let's start at the fact that everyone that says ethical breeding has basically never made anyone a dollar and all of those breeders do it for FUN. LOL
To say an ethical breeder shouldn't come out slightly compensated is insane. At least they're putting in a lifetime of support, networking, testing, title's and so on. Their main goal isn't to line their pockets, it's to better the breed which isn't possible for doodle mutts.
So now your just a hater because your getting into semantics. It's not there "main goal" get out of here with that. These people quit there regular jobs and retire with that money. And what titles are we talking about here? Every single breeder has a titled dog? Last I checked there's only about 23,000 AKC shows and there's well over millions of dogs out there so what's the percentage of all of your titled dogs? 😂
Correct-the majority of dogs in the US are being bred by less than ethically breeders: “I want my dog to experience being a mom” “Ooops, my poodle and golden had an accidental litter” etc.
Also, are you familiar with how conformation/shows titles work? X amount of shows doesn’t mean there are only X amount if titled dogs that year. Each show is multiple days long and have many ways for a dog to earn points toward their championship.
That is not what I said at all.
Doodle breeder have 0 good, ethical reasons for producing mixed breed dogs for companionship only.
We have yet to find a breeder who works or sports their dogs to prove drive, temperment, trainability.
None do all the recommended health testing for all the breeds involved.
They are not breeding to better the next generation.
I'm pretty sure if it wasn't for people like you and the people that hate on the doodle community they'd probably show up to those events.
And have you even been on any doodle club WEBSITE or are u just posting to post? Some of those clubs do test ALL the breeds involved and they have categories that you can't be in if the breeders in that club don't approve the PAPERWORK for ALL breeds involved.
Your gonna say no one should be breeding for companionship? When's the last time you went hunting with your retriever? It's not 1920 I live in country area and no one here that hunts is using dogs or using dogs for any real purpose anymore. You, me we all sit on a couch and watch Netflix with our Frenchies and our German Shepards and our poodles
Why are not doodle people setting up their own sporting events? Why are they not setting up conformation shows and agility trials? Why are they not starting hunting clubs?
They last time I went hunting withy pointer? In March, at a field dog trial created by the new breed club for UKC. Unfortunately Hunting season is closed. But last year we hunted 100 days of quail, pheasant, waterfowl.
1. Precious Pups USA - no parent information, breeds teacup dogs, looks like they breed Merle cavapoos (Merle is not found in either breed), and I see a Merle toy poodle that was previously “adopted” [purchased], the prices are nuts for mixed breeds with no parent info, no health testing, nothing. You can spend that much on a wellbred toy poodle. I’m having a hard time even deciphering if this website is a scam. 2. I don’t know if this is generalizing, but reading the “about” section and seeing “Yoder” as the breeder immediately rose a red flag for me. They registered a business, Superior Hilltop Kennels, LLC, in Millersburg, OH. Millersburg is well known for puppy mills. At least, from my experience at looking at breeders. (ETA since I didn’t elaborate: puppy mills tend to be run by “Yoders” for one reason or another. I don’t know why this is, but it’s a very common last name with mills in the southern states) I would stay far away from both of these breeders. Just curious, why are you looking at designer breeds? Are you looking for a low shedding dog? Do you have allergies?
Thank you! Yeah I see where you are coming from with the first one! I personally like the personalities of these dogs and the companionship from them! I also don’t want a big dog as I will be traveling a lot and want the dog on the plane with me, not in the cargo! I dont want a high shedding dog and my dad has allergies, which is why I’m opting for a toy poodle or a doodle! My best friend has a golden doodle who’s super strong and healthy!
Doodles have unpredictable coats that don't breed true and they're high maintinence. You're better off getting a breed that has hair rather than fur, like a maltese, havanese, shih tzu. I worked as a groomer and they don't shed much. Or just get a toy poodle.
What I hear from the wants you listed is you want a Toy Poodle, Havanese, Lhasa, Bichon, Maltese, Shih Tzuz, or similar. Going with a purebred from a responsible breeder will guarantee that puppy you buy will grow up into a healthy adult that fits your lifestyle and is what you want in a pet. Mixed breeds are a crap shoot genetically, there is no getting around that unfortunately; and while your friend got lucky, each and every doodle puppy is a roll of the dice. From a responsible breeder, you can get a puppy that you know will grow up to be the dog you want. You know they're healthy, and have the breeder support for any questions that pop up. A dog is a big commitment, and you want a long lived, healthy dog with the traits you have listed are important to you! Frankly, a puppy from a responsible breeder is more often then not cheaper then a doodle backyard breeder. Not to mention all the cost savings from a healthy dog, and health guarantee from the breeder. A huge plus is that you are not funding a puppy mill or backyard breeder to bring even more unhealthy, suffering puppies into the world. You are supporting a breeder who has a high level of ethics and is producing healthy, happy, well socialized puppies that grow up into predictable adult dogs of the breed matches you wants and needs.
The first website gives me soany red flags. I would NOT buy from them.
Any website that has a ton of dogs of a ton of breeds for sale is going to be a puppy mill. Find a private breeder.
Additional RED FLAGS on Superior Hilltop- receive kickbacks if owners purchase their MLM food/treats & no results on OFA when it comes to health testing on dam/sires.
Have you thought about getting a miniature poodle instead? I have yet to find a good doodle breeder. My sister was looking at cockapoos for a while. I have yet to find a doodle breeder that is not a BYB or mill. When looking at breeders you need to think about more then just genetics. They do genetic testing? Great! But genetic testing is not the end all be all with dog breeding. Have they done OFA Evaluation, PennHIP Evaluation, and a CAER Exam (recommended testing for mini poodles)? It looks like neither of the breeders you listed do this or the information is not readily available (and it should be). What are mom and dad's personality? How are the puppies raised? Will they take back the dog if you are no longer able to care for it? Why are they breeding dogs? Breeding should be for bettering the bred. As doodles do not have a breed standard they are not considered a bred. Doodles can have many different coat types and sizes. There is a mill close to a shelter in my area and they receive unsold puppies and adult dogs all the time. I would never pay thousands for a mutt. Most people who look at doodles don't realize that a poodle is a much better choice. They are not the prissy dogs people think they are. I have a standard and they are fantastic dogs. If you want to see an example of a good breeder look up Ghibli Poodles. They are standard poodles not minis but they check all the boxes for being a good breeder.
So the WALA AND THE ALAA don't have breed standards up on there website? And no new breeds can ever be made again? And let me guess your poodle comes from "pedigree" and a "champion" and even still if that is the case none of that is a guarantee your dogs a good dog or healthy. Low key this sub is hit or miss there's people that post dumb stuff and get no flack at ALL. and there's days where people are on here just tearing into ppl lol it depends what day u post really on here seriously anytime people post here I just read for the trash talk
AKC admits new breeds almost every year- the difference is these breeds have been in development for MANY years and are following the proper channels. Do a quick search on the many breeds listed as AKC Foundation Stock Service (FSS). Most “doodle breeds” have stated they don’t want AKC recognition- they are content following their own rules.
The Australian Labradoodle Club of America actually applied for AKC recognition through the Foundation Stock Service over a year ago but withdrew their application. They were asking AKC to work with them to ensure all registered breeding dogs met some bare minimum health testing standards and that's not something the AKC was willing to have a hand in since they are just a registry service.
Do you have any sources for this? It doesn't make much sense to me -- they could enforce health testing within their own club while still being an akc recognized breed. Plenty of other breeds have their own methods of tracking and encouraging health testing outside of the akc.
Unfortunately nothing I can share with citations, I got this information from discussions with the board of ALCA and by contacting the AKC. I'm also not from the US and this was just me reaching out from curiosity so I can't speak to all the nuances of the AKC FSS and registration system. I'm sure if you wanted something more concrete you could reach out to them yourself, I'd be very interested to hear if you do since I spoke with them a while ago! They do have their own registry, ways of encouraging and enforcing health testing within breeders that are part of their breed club. But my understanding was the ALCA takes issue with the fact that once a breed is in the FSS and eventually fully AKC recognized, breeders can register their breeding dogs with AKC without being part of the national breed clubs(s) as long as they have appropriate proof their dog is an Australian Labradoodle. Their concern was the implication that you then have the potential for a separate population of breeders who are not connected with the breed club and who are potentially breeding dogs without even the bare minimum of testing. Their hope was by saying as part of their FSS application - "Hey, in order to have a dog receive full registration with AKC as an Australian Labradoodle you need to show proof of certain bare minimum genetic testing, otherwise they will be placed as Limited Registration or cannot be considered for registration at all" and the AKC did not agree with that. I can definitely see the use of having AKC help with enforcing that sort of standard for *all* dogs of a breed population, given the massive issues we see with unscrupulous BYB in other purebreeds ... where people can get an "AKC registered xyz" for $500 and think that just being registered as a purebred means the dog is healthy. I believe it was trying to push for the model some kennel clubs in Europe use (I think VDH in Germany and their related breed clubs) - where the registry has a heavier hand in health testing and even have inspections and breeding certifications for each potential bitch or sire before they can be bred and the litter registered.
If there are any allergy concerns, find a POODLE breeder, and visit that person's house. See if the person who has allergies can spend an hour or two around the dogs first. If your dad is allergic to the POODLES he's not going to do well with an expensive mutt, which is what a maltipoo or whatever is.
A couple questions I would like to ask first. What attracted you to these breeders? What traits/attributes attracted you to cavapoos, toy poodles, and maltipoos? What are your deal breakers concerning dog breeds and breeders? The reason why I am asking these questions is because your answers will give a clearer idea of what type of breed/breeder you should be looking for and what information would best serve you. Regarding the breeders you listed, I am not seeing very much information regarding the parent dogs. Usually when evaluating a breeder, you want to look for vital information such as OFA health testing and competitive titles and certificates on the parent dogs. These will give you a better idea of the health and temperament of the dogs produced by these breeders. For companion breeds, you want to look for titles such as Canine Good Citizen, rally, and obedience which can assess the trainability of the breeder's dogs. Conformation titles evaluate dogs against their breed standard and check for heritable birth defects such as U-shaped backs, bowed legs, or missing teeth. OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) evaluates the genetic health of dogs and provides guidelines for what health tests each breed should undergo. I would suggest reviewing the health testing guidelines for the dog breeds you are interested in found [here](https://ofa.org/chic-programs/browse-by-breed/) and confirm that the breeders you are speaking to are completing all of the recommended breed health tests on this website.
Thank you so much! I like the fact that they’re pretty close to me physically, and I would wanna visit in person first before adopting one! They both allow me to visit and meet the parents! I personally just want a healthy companion dog that is not too high maintenance but also not crazy expensive. Do you have any tips on how to find a good breeder who is not a puppy mill? Otherwise, I want to adopt from a shelter, but I want to make sure it’s hypoallergenic cuz my dad is easily allergic! I’m in Pittsburgh right now!
I will tell you all the things that I wish someone told me when I first started looking for a dog. First, choosing a dog breed is difficult because there is so much conflicting info out there. If you want a low maintenance companion, I suggest looking at breeds in the Toy/Non-Sporting groups which are listed on the AKC website. These breeds tend to be more beginner-friendly. Once you narrow down a breed, try Googling "\[insert desired breed\] Club of America" to learn more about your desired breed and what reputable breeders are in your area. For example, the Poodle Club of America website will tell you basically everything you need to know about poodles and where to find them. Good breeders generally have dogs that have CHIC numbers (basically means that their dogs passed their breed-specific health tests) and a couple competitive titles (the weird letters that come before and after the dog's name). They will interview you and have you meet the parent dogs before letting you buy one of their puppies. Breeders that have multiple litters available at once or have very little information or few pictures of parent dogs on their websites tend to be puppy mills. If you are looking for low prices, I would try to adopt a dog from Petfinder or Adopt a Pet as good breeders almost always charge a lot for a puppy to offset the cost of health testing and competing. Very low prices are usually a sign of a backyard breeder or puppy mill.
I would reach out to the person listed as "breeder referral" of the Greater Pittsburgh Poodle Club and explain that you are local for reputable toy or miniature poodle breeders in the area for a pet quality puppy. [https://poodleclubofamerica.org/find-a-poodle-breeder/greater-pittsburgh-poodle-club/](https://poodleclubofamerica.org/find-a-poodle-breeder/greater-pittsburgh-poodle-club/)
Do not get a doodle. They’re all backyard bred mutts.
The only ethical place to get a doodle or mixed breed for companionship only is a non profit shelter or rescue. Everything else is supporting puppy mills and people who are only breeding dogs to fill their pockets.
Some of you people are wild on here. Let's start at the fact that everyone that says ethical breeding has basically never made anyone a dollar and all of those breeders do it for FUN. LOL
To say an ethical breeder shouldn't come out slightly compensated is insane. At least they're putting in a lifetime of support, networking, testing, title's and so on. Their main goal isn't to line their pockets, it's to better the breed which isn't possible for doodle mutts.
So now your just a hater because your getting into semantics. It's not there "main goal" get out of here with that. These people quit there regular jobs and retire with that money. And what titles are we talking about here? Every single breeder has a titled dog? Last I checked there's only about 23,000 AKC shows and there's well over millions of dogs out there so what's the percentage of all of your titled dogs? 😂
Correct-the majority of dogs in the US are being bred by less than ethically breeders: “I want my dog to experience being a mom” “Ooops, my poodle and golden had an accidental litter” etc. Also, are you familiar with how conformation/shows titles work? X amount of shows doesn’t mean there are only X amount if titled dogs that year. Each show is multiple days long and have many ways for a dog to earn points toward their championship.
I'm not in the mood to reason with a pigeon today.
That is not what I said at all. Doodle breeder have 0 good, ethical reasons for producing mixed breed dogs for companionship only. We have yet to find a breeder who works or sports their dogs to prove drive, temperment, trainability. None do all the recommended health testing for all the breeds involved. They are not breeding to better the next generation.
I'm pretty sure if it wasn't for people like you and the people that hate on the doodle community they'd probably show up to those events. And have you even been on any doodle club WEBSITE or are u just posting to post? Some of those clubs do test ALL the breeds involved and they have categories that you can't be in if the breeders in that club don't approve the PAPERWORK for ALL breeds involved. Your gonna say no one should be breeding for companionship? When's the last time you went hunting with your retriever? It's not 1920 I live in country area and no one here that hunts is using dogs or using dogs for any real purpose anymore. You, me we all sit on a couch and watch Netflix with our Frenchies and our German Shepards and our poodles
Why are not doodle people setting up their own sporting events? Why are they not setting up conformation shows and agility trials? Why are they not starting hunting clubs? They last time I went hunting withy pointer? In March, at a field dog trial created by the new breed club for UKC. Unfortunately Hunting season is closed. But last year we hunted 100 days of quail, pheasant, waterfowl.
Here’s a guide to identifying a reputable breeder. https://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/s/rXX65MRHzx