Poodles of the PantheonFAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Common Questions About Our Program and Puppies
These questions address the most common inquiries from families interested in Pantheon puppies. Additional information about specific topics is available through the linked pages below.
Health Testing Puppy Selection Pricing Early Grooming Registration Take-Home Kit
What health testing do you perform?
All breeding dogs complete comprehensive health testing according to Poodle Club of America guidelines before any breeding consideration. Testing includes OFA clearances for hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia, genetic testing for Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA-PRCD), von Willebrand's Disease (vWD), Neonatal Encephalopathy (NE), and Degenerative Myelopathy (DM).
All test results are publicly available in the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) database, and each breeding dog holds a CHIC (Canine Health Information Center) certification, which requires completion of all PCA-recommended tests with results submitted to the OFA database for public access.
For detailed information about each test and why it matters, see our Health Testing page.
Individual dog pages contain direct links to OFA health testing results. Click on any parent dog's name on a litter page to view their complete health testing documentation.
Can I pick my puppy? Is placement first-come, first-serve?
Puppy placement is based on thoughtful matching rather than waiting list order. Each puppy develops an individual temperament during the first eight weeks of life, and families have different lifestyles, experience levels, and goals for their dogs. Careful matching considers both puppy personality and family circumstances to create partnerships where both puppy and family can thrive.
Families interested in specific purposes, such as service work, therapy work, conformation showing, or active companionship, require puppies with different temperament traits. A bold, high-drive puppy suits an active sport home differently than a calm, moderate puppy suits a therapy dog prospect home. Both puppies are excellent; they simply excel in different environments.
After formal temperament evaluation at seven to eight weeks, I match each puppy to the home best suited to their individual personality and potential. This approach ensures that every puppy is placed where they have the greatest opportunity to succeed and that every family receives a puppy whose natural temperament aligns with their expectations.
What is your puppy pricing?
Pantheon puppies are priced at $3,000. This pricing reflects the extensive investment in health testing, proven breeding dogs, comprehensive prenatal and postnatal care, Puppy Culture and Avidog protocols, veterinary care including vaccinations and microchipping, early training and socialization, and the substantial take-home package each puppy receives.
Responsible breeding requires significant financial investment before a single puppy is born. Health testing alone costs $1,000-2,000 per breeding dog. Proving dogs through conformation showing and performance events adds substantial expense. Prenatal care, whelping supplies, emergency veterinary coverage, and raising puppies with proper nutrition and enrichment for ten weeks creates additional costs.
Quality breeding cannot be done inexpensively while maintaining the standards necessary to produce healthy, well-socialized, temperamentally sound puppies. The price reflects not profit margin but the true cost of breeding responsibly.
Can you leave my puppy face and feet unclipped?
All puppies receive face and foot grooming before going home. This early grooming establishes positive associations with grooming procedures during the critical socialization period when puppies are most receptive to new experiences. Puppies who experience gentle grooming early accept grooming throughout their lives with significantly less stress and resistance.
Standard poodles require regular professional grooming every 4-6 weeks throughout their lives. Face and foot grooming is standard maintenance for the breed. Introducing these procedures early, in a positive context, with a familiar person, creates better long-term outcomes than waiting until the puppy faces grooming for the first time at a professional groomer's facility.
This early grooming benefits both puppies and their families by creating dogs who accept necessary care calmly rather than viewing grooming as stressful or frightening.
What is the difference between UKC and AKC registration?
The American Kennel Club (AKC) and United Kennel Club (UKC) are both recognized registry organizations for purebred dogs in the United States. Both maintain pedigree records and sanction conformation shows and performance events. The primary difference affecting poodle breeding relates to color recognition.
AKC recognizes only solid color poodles for conformation showing. Multicolor poodles (parti, abstract, phantom, brindle, sable) can participate in all AKC performance events but are ineligible for AKC conformation showing. UKC recognizes all color patterns for both conformation and performance, making UKC the venue for showing multicolor poodles.
All Pantheon puppies receive both AKC and UKC registration papers. Solid color puppies can show in either venue. Multicolor puppies show in UKC conformation but participate in all AKC performance events including obedience, agility, rally, and scent work.
What is included in your puppy take-home kit?
Each Pantheon puppy goes home with a comprehensive package designed to ease the transition to their new home and provide families with essential supplies and information:
Comfort Items: Snuggle Puppy with artificial heartbeat and heat pack; small blanket from early puppy photos; larger blanket in matching color (both rubbed on littermates and dam for familiar scent) These comfort items support the transition process we begin through Puppy Culture .
Training and Enrichment: Flat collar and leash; set of two greyhound combs for coat care; Kong toy; puppy's favorite toy from the litter's collection; assortment of training treats and puppy-appropriate chews
Nutrition: 15-35 pounds of the raw food diet puppies start on (quantity varies based on travel distance and pickup method) to allow gradual food transition in the new home
Health and Identification: Microchip implanted at eight weeks with prepaid lifetime registration; complete veterinary records including vaccination history and deworming schedule; 30 days of complimentary AKC pet insurance
Documentation: Custom birth certificate; microchip information; personal copy of puppy contract; AKC and UKC registration papers
This thoughtful package reflects the investment in each puppy's successful transition and provides families with everything needed to welcome their new companion home.