Teddy Bear Poodle Haircuts: Hard to Resist

Most people say the idea of the teddy bear haircut is that it keeps the poodle looking like an adorable puppy with a short nose for their whole life. Traditionally, poodle haircuts consist of shaven feet and faces. On the other hand, the teddy bear cut leaves their hair longer and rounded.

Even people, who are normally not fond of poodles, are seeking teddy bear poodles because of their look and ability to stay cute forever. 

Browse through these photos below and let us know which your favorite teddy bear haircut is.

Photo Courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/28481088@N00/

Photos Courtesy of http://www.redandapricotpoodles.com/

Apricot Poodles As Therapy Dogs

Apricot poodles make great therapy dogs

Sometimes, a person needs that extra bit of doggy affection to get through the tough times.  If you know someone in hospice, a therapy dog would bring comfort.  Is your child having trouble learning?  A therapy dog would help.   Do you know someone affected by Superstorm Sandy or another storm?  A therapy dog would bring barks of affection.  Dog is man’s best friend.  A therapy dog is man’s super best friend.  You can never have too many therapy dogs! 

Therapy dogs, to put it simply, are dogs trained to provide love and comfort to people in times of need.   They’re an affectionate army of fur, hugs, and barks.  You send them to disaster areas, hospitals, nursing homes, among other places.  You can even send them to libraries to help children read.  That’s what Angel, a three-year-old apricot standard poodle, does at Forest Grove Library!  Go apricot poodles!

In the article “Forest Grove Library lets youngsters read with an Angel at their side” http://www.oregonlive.com/forest-grove/index.ssf/2012/11/forest_grove_library_lets_youn.html Kelly House reports on Angel, a therapy poodle that helps children become more comfortable with reading.  House writes, “He [Angel] visits weekly, on Monday nights from 6:30 to 8 p.m., to read one-on-one with struggling readers who schedule special appointments.” Eight-year-old Matthew Waters is one such child.  Angel has patiently listened to him read the entire Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.  What an apricot poodle!

House continues, “Forest Grove’s is one of countless Read to the Dogs programs to crop up in libraries across the nation in recent years in response to increasing evidence that pets can positively impact early learners.” The programs have been a great success.  Not only do the children love the dogs, studies show that there is improvement.” A 2010 study from the University of California, Davis measured third-grade students’ reading fluency growth over the course of 10 weekly 15-minute sessions with a therapy dog.  On average, their fluency improved by 12 percent over the course of the sessions.” The improvements in reading is remarkable.  More libraries and schools across the country are beginning to take notice.  Perhaps my apricot poodles are therapy dogs in the making!

Hypoallergenic Red & Apricot Poodles

Many who suffer from allergies still love dogs... and why wouldn't they? Dogs have such fun personalities and they are loyal, so they make great companions. So, for those of you who want a poodle, but have had reservations due to allergies, guess what?...

Poodles are considered to be hypoallergenic dogs, meaning that they do not act as a catalyst for allergic reactions. Our miniature and toy red poodles rarely shed, which drastically reduces a major cause for allergic reactions from dogs. Furthermore, their tightly curled hairs control dander loss, which is another huge allergen prevention.

So, if you want a poodle but you have allergy concerns, you don't have to worry. Of course, you can always "test" the breed out, so to speak, and try being around some poodles or a household with poodles to see how your allergies are affected. But, statistics tend to be pretty reliable, so you can be fairly confident that a miniature red poodle would be a great addition to your home!

If you have any other questions at all, please contact us. We would love to talk about our hypoallergenic poodle puppies with you!

Are Dogs Good for Babies?

Well, if you know that I breed apricot and red miniature poodle puppies, you probably know that the answer to the question above is yes. But, why? There would be no reason for me to write this if all I had to say was "Get a puppy, they are good for your baby!"

The truth is that I found an interesting article. Apparently my opinion has been validated, not only by personal experience, but a scientific study which concludes that dogs may be good for a baby's health. In fact, in households where a dog was present, baby's were less susceptible to colds, ear infections, etc. Now, if that's not incentive to get a puppy for your newborn, I don't know what is!

Of course, we all know that correlation does not imply causation and this study could actually be a load of bunk. But, I had a professor who pointed out something interesting about the whole circumstantial evidence thing: if you just exited a subway train and noticed that everyone coming down the stairs, from the streets, were putting away their wet umbrellas before boarding their trains, do you think that it might be raining up there?

Probably.

So, it's probably not a bad idea to get a red toy poodle puppy for your baby! Haha... of course that might sound a little crude. But, seriously, if you were on the fence about whether or not a dog would be good to have around your newborn, this should show you something: kids are healthier with dogs in their lives. Not just in the case of colds and ear infections, but dogs bring joy to little ones, they are typically very gentle with infants and some toddlers can even learn to walk with the help of a dog.

So, keep this in mind and, if you are on the fence, maybe this will help sway you: dogs are great for babies!

2011's Most Popular Dogs

Well, it's a little late, but I thought that I'd publish the AKC's 2011 most popular dog list, in case our viewers haven't run by it anywhere else:


10.  Shih Tzu
9.  Poodle
8.  Dachshund
7.  Boxer
6.  Bulldog
5.  Golden Retriever
4.  Beagle
3.  Yorkshire Terrier
2.  German Shepherd
1.  Labrador Retriever

As usual (for 20 years now) the Labrador Retriever tops the list. In fact, this list is an exact copy of the 2010 list. I guess Americans are fairly consistent. You'll notice that the poodle is number 9. Not too shabby, considering that the AKC recognizes 161 distinct breeds!

On another blog, I saw a reader say something like "Why isn't the Bishon on the list? Everyone in my neighborhood has a Bishon." The truth is, these ten breeds have really solidified their place in American culture. While the Bishon is a popular and beloved breed across the country, these breeds have cultivated an almost timeless following that may be extremely difficult to beat for decades (as proven by the dominant Labrador).

We poodle lovers keep our hopes high! Maybe, some day, the poodle (like our lovely miniature red poodles) will be the first to beat out the Labs. Maybe not... Time will tell. Hopefully some breed can do it. Don't get me wrong, Labs are beautiful... but I think the underdogs (pun intended) deserve a chance!

The AKC Poodle Breed Standard

AKC Poodles must be held to a standard of excellence in order to qualify for competition. Luckily, the American Kennel Club has laid out, very directly, how a poodle qualifies for their competitions. Our AKC poodles for sale fall into the miniature and toy categories.

So, when finding a poodle breeder make sure that their poodles meet these standards. Miniatures, such as our beautiful miniature red poodles, must be between 10 and 15 inches at the highest point of the shoulder. Toys must be no more than 10 inches at the highest point of the shoulders.

But, the proportion of shape also plays a key role in your poodle’s qualification. So, the length of the body, from breastbone to rump must equal the length from foot to highest point of the shoulders. So, the correct height alone does not qualify a poodle for competition, but proportion is key. You can find the entire list of qualifications here.

 

Make sure your breeder’s sires and dams meet these qualifications. We are an apricot and red poodle breeder who takes pride in our beautiful dogs and their amazing pups—make sure your breeder does the same! Please contact us for more information on our amazing poodles by phone: 805-748-2095 or email: scarletsfancy@sbcglobal.net

Our Dams

For those of you wondering where our amazing poodle puppies come from, I thought that you might like to see our beautiful mothers.

To begin, here is Sherfames Scarlet:



Seen with some pups, she is our tiniest mother, weighing in at only 5 1/2 pounds, she provides the perfect genes for your beautiful tiny toy red poodle puppies!

Next is Sherfames Red Lovee:


She is a beautiful oversize toy red poodle, posing proudly for the camera.

Here is our lovely Sherfames Sizzlin' Cayenne:



Weighing in at 10 pounds, she is our biggest lady, though still tiny, since she is a small miniature red poodle.

Last, here is Sherfames Deluxe Red



Though similar in size to Sizzlin' Cayenne, Deluxe Red is a beautiful small miniature apricot poodle, proudly smiling for the camera in this photo.

I hope you've enjoyed looking at our gorgeous dogs. Please contact us if you have any questions or if you'd like to reserve a puppy!

Poodle Sizes

Poodles come in a variety of sizes. The American Kennel Club suggests that the size selection may be why poodles retain their enormous global popularity.

At Scarlet's Fancy and Aflame Poodles, we breed miniature and toy red and apricot poodles. The toy category is broken into three subcategories, and for good reason. The truth is, not every size suits every family. If you have any children, for example, a tiny toy poodle would probably not be suitable because their extreme petite size make them too fragile for children to safely handle.

Our toy red and apricot poodles, however, could live happily in a home of children over 10 years of age. They can handle minor fumbles made by children of this age. Oversize toy poodles can handle any children over the age of 8 and miniature poodles can handle activity from children of any age.

So, if you want a poodle, they can really suit any family. All of them make great apartment dogs and they will love and respect you like a good pet should. These beautiful dogs cannot be matched in either personality or beauty!