Complete Testing Overview
Every Standard Poodle in our breeding program is tested for:
Why OFA Matters
What the OFA Database Is
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) was founded in 1966 after John M. Olin's own Gordon Setters were devastated by hip dysplasia. What started as a hip registry has grown into the most comprehensive open canine health database in the world. The word "open" is what makes it valuable for Standard Poodle buyers and breeders alike.
OFA maintains a publicly searchable database of health certifications for hundreds of thousands of dogs across more than 300 breeds. Every test submitted — hips, elbows, eyes, cardiac, DNA panels — becomes a permanent, verifiable record tied to that dog's AKC registration number. Anyone can search it. Anyone can verify it.
Visit ofa.org and search any Standard Poodle by name or registration number to see their complete health record.
Why This Matters When Choosing a Breeder
Health testing is only as meaningful as its documentation. A Standard Poodle breeder can claim anything, but OFA certification can be independently verified by you before you ever put down a deposit. If a breeder says their dogs are OFA certified, you can confirm it yourself in under 60 seconds. If the record is not there, the test did not happen — or the result was not worth sharing.
All of our breeding dogs have full OFA records on file. We encourage every prospective buyer to look them up.
The CHIC Program
OFA administers the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) program in partnership with AKC and individual breed clubs. Each breed has a defined minimum health testing panel. Dogs that complete the full panel and agree to make their results public receive a CHIC number.
Standard Poodle CHIC requirements: OFA Hip Evaluation, OFA Elbow Evaluation, CAER Eye Examination, and prcd-PRA DNA. Our Standard Poodles meet and exceed these requirements. Minimum standards are a floor, not a ceiling.
Why Many Breeders Don't Use OFA
Submitting to OFA is voluntary. A breeder can test a dog, get a poor result, and simply not submit it. The public never knows. We submit all results. The integrity of the database — and your trust in us — depends on complete honesty.
Orthopedic Testing
OFA Hips
Hip dysplasia is one of the most common heritable orthopedic conditions in Standard Poodles. OFA evaluates hip conformation via radiograph at 24 months or older and grades each hip Excellent, Good, Fair, Borderline, or Dysplastic. Only Excellent, Good, or Fair are considered passing. We use OFA evaluation alongside PennHIP to get the most complete picture.
PennHIP
PennHIP (University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program) is the most scientifically validated hip screening method available. Unlike OFA, PennHIP can be performed as early as 16 weeks and measures passive hip laxity using a Distraction Index (DI) — a score from 0 to 1 where lower values indicate tighter, healthier hips. PennHIP predicts osteoarthritis risk more reliably than OFA alone. All Standard Poodles in our program are PennHIP certified, with DI scores well within the breed median.
OFA Elbows
Elbow dysplasia covers several developmental joint diseases that can affect Standard Poodles. OFA evaluates elbow radiographs for signs of dysplasia and grades results as Normal, Grade I, Grade II, or Grade III. All of our breeding dogs must earn a Normal grade.
OFA Patella
Patellar luxation is a kneecap that slips out of place, graded I through IV by severity. OFA patella evaluation is a hands-on orthopedic exam. All of our Standard Poodles must be Grade 0 (normal) to enter the breeding program.
Eye Testing
CAER Eye Examination
The CAER (Canine Anterior and Posterior Eye Registry) exam is performed by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist to screen for inherited eye diseases including cataracts, progressive retinal atrophy, and other heritable conditions. Results expire annually. We re-examine every year to keep current certifications on all of our dogs.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy: prcd-PRA (DNA)
Progressive Rod-Cone Degeneration PRA is a form of inherited blindness in Standard Poodles. Photoreceptor cells degenerate over time, eventually causing complete blindness. The prcd-PRA DNA test identifies dogs as Clear, Carrier, or Affected. We only breed Clear × Clear or Clear × Carrier pairings. No puppy from our program can be Affected.
Day-Blindness / Achromatopsia (ACHM)
Achromatopsia (also called day-blindness or cone degeneration) is a recessive inherited disease in Standard Poodles that causes loss of cone photoreceptor function — essentially blindness in bright light. We test all breeding dogs and produce only Clear or Carrier puppies. Never Affected.
Genetic Testing
von Willebrand's Disease (vWD)
Von Willebrand's Disease is the most common inherited bleeding disorder in dogs. Type I vWD is the form found in Standard Poodles — caused by a deficiency in von Willebrand factor, a protein required for normal clotting. The DNA test is definitive: Clear, Carrier, or Affected. We only breed Clear × Clear or Clear × Carrier pairings.
Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)
Degenerative Myelopathy is a progressive, incurable neurological disease of the spinal cord. It causes hind-end weakness and eventual paralysis, similar to ALS in humans, and is caused by a mutation in the SOD1 gene. Dogs can be Clear, Carrier, or At-Risk (homozygous affected). We test all breeding dogs and do not produce At-Risk litters.
Cardiac Testing
OFA Cardiac Evaluation
Congenital heart disease can be heritable in Standard Poodles. The OFA cardiac exam is performed by a cardiologist or a veterinarian trained in cardiac auscultation to screen for murmurs and structural abnormalities. Every Standard Poodle in our breeding program passes a cardiac evaluation before being bred.
Dentition
Dentition Evaluation
Full dentition and proper bite are structural traits with a heritable component. We evaluate all Standard Poodles for complete dentition (42 adult teeth) and correct bite (scissors bite). Missing teeth or bite abnormalities are noted and factored into breeding decisions.
Genetic Diversity
Genetic Diversity Testing and Better Bred Pairing
Genetic diversity is the foundation of long-term breed health. We use DNA diversity testing to evaluate each dog's MHC haplotypes, coefficient of inbreeding (COI), and genetic relatedness to potential mates. Through the Better Bred platform, we select pairings that maximize genetic diversity while preserving type and health. This reduces the risk of immune dysfunction, autoimmune disease, and the accumulation of recessive disease genes over generations.
Why We Continue Testing Retired Dogs
Most breeders test before breeding and stop there. We don't. Dogs in our program continue to receive health evaluations throughout their lives — including after they retire from the breeding program. This is not just about caring for our own dogs. It is about the integrity of the information that goes into the OFA pedigree database.
Many Conditions Show Up Late
A dog that passes a cardiac exam at two years old can develop cardiomyopathy at seven. A dog with clean CAER eyes at three can develop cataracts at nine. Autoimmune thyroiditis clinically manifests most often between 2 and 5 years of age — a pre-breeding thyroid panel captures one moment in time. OFA recommends thyroid testing at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 years for this reason.
When we continue submitting results on retired dogs, we are filling in pedigree depth. A future breeder looking at one of our dog's grandchildren can see not just that the grandparent passed a young-dog screening, but what their thyroid, eyes, and heart looked like at 8 years old. That is the difference between a database entry and a genuine health record.
Why We Don't Test for Sebaceous Adenitis in Asymptomatic Dogs
Sebaceous adenitis (SA) is an immune-mediated skin disease seen in Standard Poodles that destroys the sebaceous glands, causing hair loss, scaling, and chronic skin infections. It is a real condition worth knowing about. It is also one where routine biopsy testing of asymptomatic dogs causes harm without providing useful information.
The only way to diagnose SA is a skin punch biopsy — a surgical procedure. It is painful, requires sedation or local anesthesia, and leaves permanent scarring. A dog that does not have SA goes through that procedure for nothing.
The bigger problem is what the test actually measures. SA biopsy is only reliably positive when the dog is already showing clinical signs. In an asymptomatic dog, the test frequently comes back negative even in dogs who will later develop the disease. A negative result in a symptom-free dog does not mean that dog is SA-clear — it means the disease, if present, has not progressed far enough to detect yet.
Our position: if a dog in our program develops patchy hair loss, scaling, or any coat and skin changes consistent with SA, biopsy is 100% indicated at that point. We test when testing is clinically meaningful. We do not perform painful, scarring procedures on healthy dogs to generate a negative result that does not reliably predict future health.