Bar-None Poodles
Q: Please tell our readers how you got involved with the world of pedigreed dogs and dog shows. Please include the variety/varieties of Poodle you have bred and shown, your kennel name and any other breeds you are involved with.
A: I breed Standard Poodles under the kennel name Bar-None from Texas, USA. We bought a Poodle as a family dog at the relentless urging of our daughter, Zoe, who wanted a dog, but I had allergies. Upon advice from a vet, we selected a Poodle and I fell head-over-heels in love with the breed. When I bred my first litter, I was enthralled with the puppies from the birthing process through puppyhood. When it was time for the puppies to go to their new homes, I was struck that there is not much you can do in life that passes on pure happiness and love that equals sending a happy, healthy, beautiful puppy to a new home.
I came to dog shows with that first litter. Although I had said I would never put a dog in “that trim”, I found that I enjoyed the time spent with the dogs grooming them and getting them ready to go to dog shows. I enjoyed learning the process.
Q: Where did you get your foundations Poodles and what breeders (if any) do you work with today?
A: My foundation is from a Donnchada bitch bred line-bred to a Donnchada dog that was a son of the famous Spanish/English import CH. Maneetas Del Zarzoso Fuego Fatuo. I bred a bitch from that litter back to CH. King’s Champagne Taste, which was also a line breeding. I then proceeded to outcross puppies from that pedigree for several years before line breeding on those out-cross pedigrees.
I have been co-breeding dogs with Anders Rosell and Stephen Wheeler (Avatar, Minis, Standards and Afghans) for about 15 years, with Sharon Svoboda (Harten Poodles – Toys, Minis and Standards) for about 13 years and with Shawn Clute (Kalan, Standards, Chinese Cresteds and Kerry Blue Terriers) for about 10 years. Joan Archer Thompson and I co-owned Fabulosity and co-bred her. Joan and I have been friends for 14 years. These are my long-term relationships. Shawn and Sharon both handle my /our dogs for me.
Q: How have your Poodles changed since you first started showing/breeding. This can be in quality and or presentation.
A: Entries have gotten smaller and quality – particularly type – is harder to find.
Q: What is your proudest achievement in the world of Poodles?
A: Producing a recognizable, healthy dog with a proper temperament that can be a good show dog and/or a great companion. My goal is to breed to meet the AKC standard and produce big-bodied, square dogs that have a recognizable outline with matching angles and beautiful faces. Their legs must go in the right places when moving and they need to have high-headed carriage.
I am also proud of all that the dogs I have bred have achieved. There are well over a 100 USA conformation champions, many BIS, SBIS, and Group Winners and champions on several continents, as well as obedience, agility winners and beloved therapy dogs. I additionally love hearing from all of the owners and seeing how much their dogs are a part of their lives. Getting photos and emails is a lovely part of my experience as a breeder.
Q: Who is your most successful dog (show ring, litter box or stud.)
A: Multi BIS MSBIS GCHG Bar-None Fabulosity was my most successful show dog. She has given me some fantastic puppies as well and is a constant source of comic relief and a lethal threat to any food left unattended. I really loved the look of CH. Bar-None Roger That, he was a dog that had a short but good show career and did some nice winning. He was beautiful and was the absolute best dog to live with. In the whelping box, CH. Donnchada We Love Lucy and CH. Bar-None You Go Girl were my biggest producing bitches. Both were heart dogs, as smart and funny as they were beautiful, and great additions to our family when my children Gus and Zoe were growing up. Along with CH. Bar-None Bit Of The Bubbly, these girls can be found at least once in all my pedigrees.
As far as stud dogs. I am really thrilled with what my young dog GCHB Bar-None Piedmont Dirty Sexy Money. His sire, CH. Avatar Jupiter (a grandson of CH. Bar-None You Go Girl) was also an incredible sire who had a huge impact on my dogs. He always produced very reliably, and I knew exactly what to expect from his puppies. He was also a joy to live with, loved his toys and lived a very long healthy life. These are the dogs that I have lived with.
Many others have had great success and contribution. Multiple BIS, SBIS Am. Can. CH. Bar-None Dawin Travelin’ Man had a great specials career for Dawin kennels. His brother, Multi CH. Bar-None On The Prowl To Avatar is one of the most-titled Standard Poodles and had a great influence as a stud dog in Europe as well; he is the sire of my CH. Avatar Jupiter. More recent winners have been Multi BIS SBIS GCHS Bar-None Sriracha and Multi BIS SBIS GCHS Bar-None Some Like It Black, as well as Multi BIS SBIS GCHS Kalan Bar-None She’s Got Guns. I own an impressive young son of Sriracha who is just starting his stud career, and I think will become a reliable producer. Some Like It Black has a brand-new litter of puppies with her co-owner/handler Jason Bailey, and we are very excited to watch them grow up.
I sent a silver dog to Linda Isgren in Sweden some time ago, Multi-CH Bar-None Corps Consulaire Calie, he did quite a bit of winning and had a significant contribution, I think, to silvers in that part of Europe. I can usually see him in the photos I see of his get. I sent a white bitch, Multi CH. Bar-None Avatar Cool Water to De Couture to Italy, she ended up being Top Standard in France in 2020. I sent a black dog, Multi CH. Bar-None Avatar Shoot The Moon to Madeleine Winburg and Avatar. He did a nice amount of winning and the photos I see of his get all have a recognizable look and way of going. I recently sent a black dog, CH. Bar-None Riding Shotgun, to Helen Turner in Australia. His puppies, although young, look very promising and seem to have a very consistent stamp. Barrie Drewitt-Barlow, purchased CH. Bar-None Piedmont Show Stopper from me, and she has produced very well for him. Barrie and I have bred several litters together in recent years. I am very proud that all of these dogs have gone on to compliment the breeding programs of these other breeders and am grateful for the consideration they have been given.
Q: What kind of selection do you prefer in your breeding program line breeding, inbreeding or outcross?
A: Two crosses out and one cross back. After that, if doing a linebreeding, count your out-crosses, don’t just look at the line-breedings. I try to keep pedigrees with some separation so that I can always breed them back to the other part(s) of my pedigrees, but that is consistently getting more difficult to do.
Q: What is your most favorite show to attend, anywhere in the world and why.
A: Poodle Club of America National Specialty. The depth and breadth of quality is as good as it is going to get. I also enjoy Royal Canin in all of its past and future incarnations in Orlando, Florida. It is a fun show in a great facility, and you can see beautiful dogs of all breeds from all parts of the world. I have a lot of responsibilities at home, so I have turned into a real homebody. I raised my children when I started breeding Poodles, and between children, home, work, and Poodles I did not have a lot of free time. Although Gus and Zoe are now adults, I still have a full-time job with a law office (I have been working at home for over 30 years). I haven’t gone to shows outside of the US but hope I can do so once I retire from full-time work and Covid-19 is in the rear-view mirror.
Q: When many people think “Poodle”, they think HAIR. What are the qualities of a Poodle you wish judges paid closer attention to when judging the breed?
A: Balance, balance, and balance. Bone-to-size, length of back to length of leg, length of head to length of body, front and rear angulation and movement should all be balanced. If judges would look for type and balance the rest would be easy.
Q: Trim talk! In the USA, when a Poodle reaches 12 months of age, it changes trim to continue showing. Can you speak to our readers about some of the popular, not so popular, and newer trims we see in the ring?
A: The traditional trims in the U.S. are the U.S. puppy trim, continental, and saddle trim. The modified or historically correct continental is starting to be seen here in the ring. For me, the jury is still out on this trim. While I understand the desire to not spend a lot of time with big hair, and that an absence of that hair can contribute to a more carefree lifestyle for dog and owner, I am not particularly drawn to it, mostly for the lack of balance I usually see in the execution of this trim. The topcoat needs to be in balance with the body coat, and not many dogs can pull that look off in the ring.
Q: What is your favorite Poodle trim to personally see and create?
A: For me, a shortish terrier trim or completely shaved down with a little beret. A beautiful dog needs no cover. To see in the ring, not much can equal a beautiful dog in a full continental.
Q: As we know, Poodles come in a variety of colors, does each color have a different coat texture and do you believe some colors win more than others?
A: I am fairly color-blind for black, although I do own a blue and a white. I am very lazy and like to do as little work as possible with a coat, so I prefer a good, dense, non-matting black coat. Other coats appear to me to need more coat care and attention. For a very short time, I bred some silvers, there is nothing more beautiful than a gorgeous platinum silver bitch, fully cleared and in a continental.
That said, I do believe that black or white Poodles usually win more than the other colors, but there are more of them, so to some degree that is a function of math. The U.S. Standard for the Poodle says that color is immaterial, and it should be.
Q: How do you feel about the parti-colored Poodle?
A: Since the AKC does not allow parti-colors to compete in conformation, I don’t think that much about it. When I look at the pedigrees, they make no sense to me, so I can’t really do that evaluation.
Q: Does each variety of Poodle come with their own traits/health problems and what do you like to test for before you incorporate a Poodle into your breeding program.
A: I haven’t bred Toys or Minis, so I cannot comment on those breeds other than what I have been told about by others. For Standards, I test for hips, eyes, skin, and thyroid. Yes, there are health problems in this variety, and that is why it is important to know your dogs and pedigrees, do your testing, and maintain contact with your puppy owners. Knowledge is an important tool. You must also be prepared to make the tough decision when a dog does not prove to be a breeding prospect.
Q: Where in the world do you believe Poodles are strongest currently.
A: I don’t have enough perspective on Poodles around-the-world to give an informative answer. I have seen photos of some beautiful dogs from Europe, Asia, and Australia, and see very worthy dogs from the U.S. and Canada.
Q: Please name one Poodle you wished you owned/bred. This can be any dog in any point of history.
A: That is just a very difficult question. I have seen a great number of dogs that I have greatly admired and would have been proud to have bred. I have loved photos of all of the greats and very much appreciate what I feel are their contributions to the breed and would have loved to see and meet them. I have taken inspiration from these photographs and tried to incorporate what I see as their attributes into my own dogs. However, in order to want to own them, I would have to know them. If I had to pick one that I never met, it would probably be CH. Eaton Affirmed, based on Tim Brazier’s article praising his temperament and what a joy he was to live with.
Q: Poodle Club of America is synonyms with prestige, the creme de la creme of Poodles compete there. What makes the show so special and what is your favorite PCA memory?
A: There is as much depth of quality and presentation, I believe, as you can find. I love(d) to be able to go and see generations of dogs, numerous dogs from a variety of breeders and gain inspiration on what I wanted to do as a breeder in the future. To me, this is the best part of being a breeder; seeing and imagining and trying to make it a reality. PCA is where you go to see and imagine, then you fly home on a high and get to work. I have so many fantastic memories from PCA, wins, meeting friends, old and new, having a great time with friends from all over the world, it is difficult to pick just one memory.
Q: Your goals/dreams in the world of Poodles?
A: I would like to continue to breed happy, healthy, recognizable, and beautiful Poodles as long as I am able to do so.
