Science Matters
Horse and cattle breeding programs apply thorough scientific research, reasoning and tools to breeding choices to produce the highest quality next generation. At Bellephon poodles we are bringing science into dog breeding to raise the best quality puppies that we can. There is great science behind dog behaviour, early development, genetic selection and the importance of a nurturing environment for raising a companion animal.
Maternal Effects
The interplay of genetics, environment and maternal influence was the topic of Dr Green’s PhD. She understands the importance of a calm, loving and nurturing environment for females to produce the best offspring. Genetic decisions count, and at Bellephon Poodles we research them carefully, using cutting edge tools to analyse each genetic match. Additionally, the nature of the female influences her offsprings phenotype through her maternal care and behaviour. Genetics and environment interact to ultimately shape the pup’s personality and ability to adapt to new things. A calm mother teaches her puppies to be calm. She teaches them the world is safe. This naturally results on lower cortisol levels which makes puppies calmer, through a feedback loop. The calm mother supervises pups play and redirects pups that are overly boisterous. A good dam will do this gently and with patience. Our females do not nip their pups into submission or role them on their backs. They teach by showing pups how to behave. They play with their pups until pups leave at 8 weeks old. We choose to provide a nurturing environment for the females, breeding only from females with calm and gentle dispositions. Females live in our homes. We provide the best in maternal care to ensure the best development and nourishment environment for the puppies from conception to leaving us. A simple example of a maternal effect is that mothers who make their pups stand for feeding are teaching resilience, problem solving and physical strength. These pups have a higher success rate in becoming assistance dogs.
Early sensory development and socialisation
Pups are born with the senses and abilities they need to survive.
Pups are born without sight or hearing and very limited movement. They have a very strong sense of smell and can sense heat through heat sensing cells in their noses. They have very strong front legs. This allows them to find their mother and siblings for warmth. A newborn pup cannot regulate its' own temperature and so being capable of moving towards dam and littermates is critical. Newborn pups have very sensitive sensory systems which are finely tuned for needs. When potential families ask if we do ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation), our answer is no. After many years of study in a neurological development laboratory we understand that these senses are perfect for the job of survival and comfort they are required to do. Based on the evidence we have seen, overwhelming these delicate and finely tuned senses with foreign smells is not in the puppies interest.
We do spend a lot of energy on early socialisation. Pups are born without fear.
Pure breed vs Cross breed
Why choose a poodle and not a doodle? A question for modern times when doodles abound and poodles are (incorrectly) seen as uptight and not the everyman’s dog. Firstly, a doodle is often generally three quarters poodle genes, and most of the traits in a doodle are poodle traits, just without the fancy haircut. A standard poodle is an athletic, intelligent, goofy, affectionate breed. They like hanging out with their people and they want to please them. They will tumble in the park with a terrier or outrun a herding dog and then flop at the feet of their person and chill out.
Health
There is excellent evidence that pure bred dogs live longer and are healthier than crossbreed dogs. “WHAT??” I hear you say. “The opposite is true”. Recent studies show that pure bred dogs live longer and are healthier than cross-bred dogs.
But more relevant is that recombining different breeds can give worse outcomes because it is a genetic lottery. A good pedigree dog breeder screens for all of the testable diseases in that breed and breeds away from them, choosing mates that do not carry a known disease, or not breeding dogs with known diseases. Without that scrutiny or oversight, breeders of crosses are not increasing vitality, they are doubling liability. Poodles carry hip dysplasia and so do most of the dogs they are crossed with, including labradors, golden retrievers, St Bernards and on and on. Additionally, these crosses often combine the lightweight square poodle frame with a larger heavier breed. This in itself causes skeletal issues
Hypoallergenic
Mixing a shedding coat with a non-shedding coat does not create a non-shedding coat. It creates a mix of shedding and non-shedding an often the shedding undercoat gets trapped under the poodle-type dense curly overcoat and creates matting. Many poodle crosses end up with a dense, high maintenance fur that traps allergens and creates painful mats. The maintenance can be higher than a poodle coat.
Behaviour
Crossing two breeds does not select for the best of each temperament. It is a random lottery.
A breed is the work of generations of selection for the preferred traits. The good examples of the preferred features are kept for breeding.