Sometimes I forget our poodles are only dogs as their whole purpose in life seems to be to love us and please us

Geraldine Robertson's World Famous Pedigree Neiger Poodles

Geraldine Robertson Loved Her World Famous Pedigree Poodles

Sometimes I forget our poodles are only dogs as their whole purpose in life seems to be to love us and please us. We love our poodles very much.

The biggest compliments paid to us were from pet owners who still tells us how much joy their pets are and after many years still keep in touch with photos, cards and telephone calls. Also breeders and exhibitors who after seeing our full range of coloured standards play on the acreage altogether told us we should be very proud of our poodles. We are still endeavoring to achieve and maintain the quality of the breed.

The following may be of some interest and assistance:
Purpose Background Diet Health Training and Grooming Export

Purpose

(1)....Promote and perpetuate the breed

(2)....Breed quality type standard and toy poodles

with sound, sweet outgoing poodle temperaments (intelligent, take it or leave it attitude, loving, eager to please, obedient yet independent with self-esteem)
with good health. Genetic testing was used extensively to eliminate some identifiable genetic health problems common in poodles. In toy poodles: like knee caps , PRA (progressive retinal atrophy - blindness), Cataracts. In Standard Poodles like HD (hip dysphasia), PRA, SA (Sebaceous Adenitis - skin problem causing hair loss), Thyroid, VWD ( a type of hemophilia), Gastric Torsion (bloating).
for balanced sound construction, good bodies, able to move freely and lightly with good reach and drive on small tight feet
to conform to standards of the breed fine heads, low set ears, high set tails, full dentition, good mouths, scissor bites, dense steel wool texture coats, almond shaped eyes, darkest of brown to blackest of eyes in all colours except browns which should have dark brown eyes and points. All other coloured poodles should have black points.
for purity and clarity of colours in silvers, apricots, red, brown and black poodle coats
to increase the gene pool in coloured poodles

(3)....Breed pedigreed poodles so as any undesirable traits could be traced and erased by selective breeding

control line-breeding and in-breeding to avoid autoimmune diseases
control introduction of healthy typey outcrosses

Background

Our breeders prefix NEIGER was derived from my husbands name NEIL and mine, GERALDINE.

My love affair with poodles started in 1960 when I owned my 1st poodle. We bred and whelped our first litter on 4/4/1988 from our 1st standard, our beloved beautiful Libby - Jaltau Liberated Lady to Max - Ch. Star Attraction from Tragapanz to enable us to make a gift of 2 puppies to Jack Baker and Alan Kane (Jaltau) in appreciation for breeding and selling to us such a magnificent companion.

Libby has since proved to us through her descendants, she carried very dominantly sound, desirable traits including beautiful blackest of almond shaped eyes, blackest of noses and points. Libby had 5 large litters (3 planned marriages and 2 love affairs) to total outcrosses. We can trace most of our foundation litters back 6 or more generations.

Diet

We have always fed our poodles twice-daily fresh raw meat - beef, lamb and chicken, raw bones and leave a large bowl of 20% to 28% protein dry biscuits 24 hours with a large bucket of fresh water. Poodles are generally grazers.

Each standard gets about 500g - 2kg from meat per meal depending on circumstances. A bitch with puppies gets a 2kg meal (prefer mostly beef) 3 times daily.

I attend nearly every litter delivery. Puppies are mostly weaned by their mothers. Mums stay with puppies until they leave home. We assist weaning by leaving minced meat mixed with chopped vegetables, calcium, multi vitamins, a little steamed rice or cooked pasta, shredded cheese, some tinned puppy food, 28% protein dry biscuit.

Health

All our poodles are immunised with a C4, puppies 1st vaccination is normally C3.

We worm and use monthly heartworm prevention on all poodles over 3 months of age. Puppies are generally wormed at 3, 5 and 7 weeks then monthly.

Each puppy retained by us are given 500mg - 1000mg calcium with vitamin D daily until 12 months old.

We used to retain whole litters or most of the puppies from a standard litter and test for HD, and PRA. We also at random selected standards for pathology health blood tests on different breeding lines. We tested standards for SA at buyers’ requests. New breeding lines aquired by us were tested.

We generally do not breed from our standard girls till they are over 3 of age. Most of our standards were not bred from as there was no particular reason to breed them. All our poodles, imports and show dogs etc, are treated and loved as pets. All our show dogs were shown on a loose lead and all champions shown by us were Best in Group winners in city shows of over 1000 entries. All poodles tested by us for HD, PRA, SA and randomly selected for health blood tests were tested cleared or normal.

Our incidence of bloat or gastric torsion is less than 1%. We used to monitor over 90% of our puppies.

Most of our standards at 10 years of age still have the agility and teeth of a 3 year old. Our poodles do not get sick generally.

Toy poodle puppies when immunised by our vet are specifically requested by us to categorise each pups knee caps (patellas) in rock solid, good, passable or bad condition.

90% of our puppies have rock solid to good patellas and 10% with good to passable.

To date no heart murmurs has been picked up at vet checks on standard or toy puppies.

Training and Grooming

There is only 2 house rules on our 5 acre property for our poodles. No toileting inside and no squabbling, not even over bones. Our poodles pack together. Males are separated from females by isolation unless being bred.

Because of their high self esteem, they are very clean. Puppies often go to the furthest end of their whelping box to toilet some as young as before 2 weeks of age, before their eyes open. Adults generally go to fence boundaries.

We speak to our poodles all the time. Each knows its name. All our poodles except for young puppies toilet on command. They all respond and generally obey immediately to come, stay, kisses, hugs, bed, din-din(dinner), drink of water, go to play, wee-wee (toilet). Puppies respond to pup-pup or babies. We reward with praise and cuddles. Food or tit-bits are never given as a reward!!

We give free clipping and grooming lessons to all purchasers of our poodles, including show dogs.

Exports

Since 1988 we have sent standard and toy poodles throughout Australia and overseas to UK, USA, Canada, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Europe, Japan, Thailand, Korea. Others have also exported Neiger poodles and progeny overseas. Overseas champions include: Japan Champion Neiger The Rising Sun, American Champion Neiger Terrifick Tasmine and many more. ****** photo to come *****.

LITLBASI (M. Van Eijk) exported 2 puppies to Sweden from Ginger Meggs and Lily. (Neiger Gold Ginger x Neiger Lil Diamond) M. Van Eijk also sold and exported Charles (Neiger Charles) Blondie (Neiger Golden Daffodil), Neiger Gold Ginger and Coco whose sire is Neiger Hilton.

Overseas exports were handled by dog transporters or ourselves.