A Little About Our Breeding Program

Our dogs are part of our family and they all live together as a happy group. Temperament and health are essential. When we breed a bitch, we have done a great deal of research and hope to produce the best puppies possible. The puppies are lovingly raised in our home and receive a great amount of socialization and experiences prior to moving on to their new families.

A few of the criteria that we consider before a breeding:

• Passing health clearances on all standard tests. You will read a lot of breeders stating that all of their dogs are health tested. What you may not see are the results of these tests. Tested does not mean passed. Any dog that we ever use in our program, male or female, will be free from hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and any inheritable eye disease that can be assessed by a canine ophthalmologist, and the results of these tests will be posted in public databases. Our Canine Eye Registry clearances are done every two years, not just once, to ascertain that our dogs have not developed eye problems over time. While it is impossible to guarantee what will happen in nature, we feel that starting with parents who are themselves clear helps our puppies to lead healthier lives.
• Exhibit correct conformation and breed type, proper movement, and happy, stable temperament. We exhibit our dogs in AKC, CKC, and UKC shows and trials not only because we enjoy the competition but to show that our dogs have been assessed by many qualified, experienced judges. The dogs easily handle the travel, the hands of strangers, the different venues, and motel living as a testament to their high quality.
• Have no disqualifying faults. We will not breed animals with bad bites, bad temperament, or any trait that would be excused in the show ring.
• Are at least 2 years of age, when OFA hip results are attainable. If the stud dog’s information and health results are not posted publicly, I am not interested in using him.
• The DNA of all breeding dogs is on file with the AKC. The DNA Profile eliminates concerns or questions about identification and parentage. .
• The coefficient of inbreeding is low. In a rare breed such as the Barbet, it is nearly impossible to find dogs who do not share some genetics in their pedigree. If you look through Barbet pedigrees on the Pawpeds database, you can see that some of the dogs currently being used have COI of 20%. Our goal is to keep the 4 generation COI near or below 5%, and to lower the COI in every successive generation.

Puppies are sold on a spay/neuter contract, although I encourage owners to wait until the dog is at least one year of age before having this surgery done. Many health concerns are being attributed to the early spay/neuter program in the US. Do some reading on the benefits of waiting for this procedure. We do not ship puppies; all puppies are picked up at our farm. We expect that our puppy families will devote significant time to raising and training their puppy to be a responsible member of society, and that their Barbet will be a great ambassador for the breed as well as a terrific companion.