Poodle Variety Magazine January-March 2025 - January – March 2025

Our chosen ANKC breeder for this month (Nov 24) is the fabulous Melody Benton.

1. How many years have you been involved in Poodles?

I am a second generation poodle owner/breeder and have been involved with dogs my whole life. I bred and handled my first Champion (toy poodle) in the late 60’s.

2. What is/was your breeders prefix? What variety have you bred(toys, minis, standards)?

HOKU which means ‘Star’ in Hawaiian. I lived in Hawaii for many years showing and breeding standard poodles. I have bred Toys and Standards to Champion Best in Show winners. 

I have handled many Minis to their titles but even though I find them the ultimate poodle to groom and show for their size I have never owned one myself.

3. How did you become involved in the dog hobby?

My father, Arnold Stoltz, started showing dogs in 1923. I still have the blue ribbons from his German Shepherd Ron Don Don who was the son of Rin Tin Tin (a very famous dog in America).

My father’s first Toy Poodle was in the early 1950’s. It was silver, had a long back but was a very sound bitch with a beautiful head who produced his first American Kennel Club (AKC) Champion.

After that he fell in love with browns and bought a stunning little 10” toy bitch from all mini breeding. In America and in some European countries crossing of the sizes is allowed. He spoiled “Candy” so badly that no matter how hard Frank Sabella tried with her, she would not walk for him. For those that are newer or not familiar to dog shows – Frank Sabella is a very well-known American poodle man and judge, I highly suggest you Google him. My Dad bred Candy and this produced Miss Espresso, (Champion Yot Clubs Miss Espresso), the first brown toy Poodle Champion in America. My love for poodles really took off from here.

4. Is there one particular dog that has played a huge part in your kennels success more then any other? And why?

I had a little black toy male toy poodle, “King”, that went Best In Show during my teenage years who was my very first heart dog. King won many junior handling classes including at Madison Square Garden.

My second Heart dog, who many people here in Australia and New Zealand have met, is “Stellar”, NZ & Aust CH Hoku Fifty Shades of Grey.

She is the combination of years of work to create a silver as good as any top black toy poodle.

5. What is your opinion of the poodle quality today compared to 10-20 years ago in all 3 sizes?

I find some outstanding dogs today as I did 10 and 20 years ago; even further back there were great dogs that I remember. There are still breeders striving to improve in everything they do, which is wonderful to see. Unfortunately, as there were in the past, there are still breeders today breeding mediocrity for all the wrong reasons.

My dogs have improved greatly from when I first started to present day. I was on the right track but unknowingly ran headfirst into juvenile PRA long before testing was widely available. I had to start completely over again with the only bitch I had left in my lines.

I made the decision to import new lines, AGAIN, and kept that picture in my head of breeding top quality silver toys that could match any top-quality black toy. This experience took me one step back in my colour breeding, but this is where I learned how valuable a ‘blue’ becomes when going back to silver. I am very happy with where my breeding program is today and why I am so passionate about healthy dogs.

6. As a breeder, how do you decide on a Sire and Dam that will work well together to produce quality?

Health is a must in both sire and dam in all three sizes. Testing has come such a long way, and it is a breeder’s responsibility to ensure their dogs undergo the appropriate tests.

When choosing a sire have a look at what he has produced, not necessarily what he has won. 

Your foundation bitch should be one that you have researched the lines extensively, you feel it fits the ANKC breed standard well and be patient to wait to purchase as this will set you up for success.

7. Is there too much emphasis placed on grooming when poodles are in the show ring?

NO! It is our responsibility to either learn how to groom our poodles well or pay to have them groomed well. If you are going to have a poodle for the show ring, you really do need to learn how to groom, grow coat and maintain it. My dogs are still ‘dogs’, they run, play, have outings, but I ensure that I put that time in to groom them. The same type of effort you should put in to grooming yourself.

8. We are seeing very low entry numbers across the board at dog shows, especially in poodles. What do you think can be done to reinvigorate the sport? Does it need to move with modern times? What do you think needs to be done to attract exhibitors and retain them?

As many know I am from the USA but have been living in Australia for the past 40 years (and love it). I believe that we need a similar system to what they have in the US, a separate class for Champions. We would not only retain the exhibitors that are showing now but others that have been so discouraged from the past may return. One dog in a breed becomes a top winner and wins consistently week in and week out. This I believe is leaving so many stumped and unable to get any type of look in for points to title their dogs. The other dogs being exhibited may still be of a high-quality standard, but the dog constantly winning may be of a higher standard. The whole system needs a shake-up and change otherwise I do fear we will lose our hobby and passion of exhibiting our dogs. We hear people constantly say, “Well if your dog is good enough…”, and honestly, they need to stop with this and really look around at the declining numbers. Soon they will be doing circles in the ring by themselves. It’s not fun for the same exhibitors to be beaten week in week out.

A co-ownership is a great way to engage exhibitors. This is where a new person keeps the dog, shows it and with the guidance of the breeder learns how to handle and groom the poodle. Being the most difficult breed, it is so important to learn to groom well in the ring. Invest in yourself and take courses. A co-ownership benefits the new person while the older breeder retains control of his or her breeding rights that have been established for so many years. Newer exhibitors also need to respect that as well.

9. When a family is looking for a poodle, what attributes should they be looking for in a breeder and their breeding stock?

A family should look for things like:

-Is the breeder a member of a Poodle Club in their State and does the Poodle Club know who the breeder is?

-Is the breeder registered with the Australian National Kennel Club (ANKC)?

-Does the breeder health test the sire and dam?

-Can the breeder/kennel show at least one parent to the perspective buyer?

-Are the breeder’s poodles in good condition, happy, healthy and well groomed?

-Is the puppy clean, groomed and friendly?

-Does the puppy come with a health guarantee?

10. What are 2 breed hallmarks that you believe are the most important in poodles? 

Carriage and elegance.

So many lack these and some breeder/owner/handlers just aren’t seeing this. It’s why filming yourself or looking at professional photos that are taken in the ring can help eliminate some kennel blindness. Look and compare to other dogs.

11. What are some of the health issues in poodles that the general public may not be aware of?

In toy poodles some of the health issues can be slipping patella’s.

12. Are you a member of a Poodle Club? If so, which ones?

I am a proud member of Poodle Club of Victoria and the Toy Poodle Society Of Victoria. I have been for many years.

13. What role do you feel that breed clubs, like Poodle Clubs, should play in today’s society? Do you feel they provide enough education to the general public?

The two clubs that I am a member of in Victoria do a brilliant job in educating the public and I feel still have a very current role to play. It is our role as members and breeders to also educate the public and direct them to our poodle clubs. Facebook groups like Poodles Australia also assist in promoting our breed in a healthy, current and modern way.

14. What is your most memorable win in the show ring?

I have a few that are very memorable for me:

-California, at the Beverly Hills Kennel Club 1967, winning Best Junior Handler.

-Hawaii, winning the 3rd leg on my standard poodle, “Kaleo “, for his CD (Obedience Companion Dog) in the morning. We then raced to the other side of the Island of Oahu and won Best in Show for the second year in a row at the Poodle Specialty.

-Victoria, Australia, winning Best in Show at the Toy Poodle Ruby Specialty with my 9 ½ year old veteran “Stellar”.

15. What is some advice that you would like to give to up and coming breeders and handlers of poodles?

Talk to the OLD BREEDERS. Sit by the ring with a catalogue and the breed standard, watch, learn and take notes. Anyone can find faults in a dog, instead learn what the dog’s attributes are as well. It is so important for up-and-coming breeders to learn about pedigrees. Investigate the dogs that are in your pedigree. Don’t just pick the top winning dog as a sire to use because you believe it will make your puppies winners as well. Ask the Poodle Clubs if they can host evenings with highly experienced breeders talking about their breeding programs with some question and answers after. Come with open minds and leave with great knowledge.

16. How important is it for breeders and handlers to have a mentor? Who was yours?

It’s very important to have a mentor, without mentors you will never learn and improve. You need to be receptive to their feedback and trust their experience and knowledge.

I was so lucky to grow up around the very best. My Dad for one, and Frank Sabella (for those that don’t know is one of the greats in the poodle world), Mike Shea, Barbra Humphries, the list goes on. I was fortunate to not only learn from great poodle people, but I learned from great Terrier, Toy, Gun Dog breeders and handlers. An absolute standout for me will always be, my hero, Alva Rosenberg. Alva was one of the top all breeds judges in America and judged Westminster (huge show in America) many times.

17. Did you ever take part in the judges training scheme? What would be your advice to judges when they assess a poodle?

Yes, I currently hold an ANKC judging license for the Toy group and a license to judge poodles in the Non-Sporting Group.

It is so important for judges to learn how to go over them properly. Slow down when you are going over them, it’s not a race.

Look for the natural poodle carriage, without the carriage it’s not a poodle. They shouldn’t poke their heads/necks out and they should always have their tails up and proud.

Don’t fault judge, look for the quality dog with ELEGANCE!!!! The poodle is all about elegance.

18. Have you ever imported dogs and how important were these new lines to your breeding program?

I cannot thank the wonderful breeders from overseas enough for allowing me to share in their breeding by sending me dogs over the years. I have also exported breeding lines overseas.

I’m a silver toy breeder, I have imported from many countries and can’t stress how valuable this was for my breeding programs.

We are not as lucky as a country in Europe where it is a little easier to use others’ stud dogs.

In Australia we are far away from everyone so we must rely on imports that do come in. It’s very expensive and stressful for all concerned when importing, therefore the price of the dogs’ stud services are high along with contracts to respect the breeder’s breeding. The importation rules in Australia are some of the strictest in the world and the quarantine requirements add another layer of difficulty on top.

My imports have been at stud to serious breeders with great success. I have also used others’ imports and have been thrilled with the outcomes. New blood for new lines.

19. Have you ever competed in a competitive grooming competition?

I won Best Groomer in Show at the very first grooming comp ever held here in Australia. It was called ‘Groom-a-long’, held in Sydney. I competed with a lovely white miniature poodle that I borrowed from Troy Tanner and Lex Henery (Kennel - Troymere). Twelve years later my daughter talked me into entering a competition that was held here in Melbourne where I won Best in Show again. I won grooming a lovely toy poodle owned by Chris Bains. We won a fabulous dryer, which I still use today.

20. Are you a traditionalist in that you would prefer to see more historic trims in the ring like continental, lion/English saddle?

Yes, I am very much a traditionalist. I feel it is our responsibility to learn these trims, have them seen in the ring and to execute them to a high standard. I love English Saddle and when done well, it is stunning. I love the Scandinavian trim as well but so many don’t do it correctly and use it as an ‘easy trim’ just to get by rather than learning the traditional trims.

I would hate to see the traditional trims die out; however, there are only a few talented groomers that could teach these trims. The ‘older’ and more experienced generation that did these trims week in week out are becoming few and far between. My hope is that with this new grooming sport under the Dogs Australia banner it will keep these traditional historic trims going. Most of the older and experienced generation are willing to share their skills - people need only ask.

21. Do you think that there is enough variety in education available to up and coming competitive groomers and show exhibitors?

I’m not sure about the education for competitive grooming, but in the show ring there needs to be more education. Exhibitors need to seek it out and be willing to learn and take on board a critique. Grooming and presenting your poodle to a high standard is important and the icing on top of our breed.

22. What do you believe makes a breed specialist judge?

Someone who has bred champions of that breed for 20+ years. They will know the breed standard inside out.

23. We want to encourage people to always buy from reputable, ethical, ANKC registered breeders that exhibit their poodles in ANKC dog shows. Why should a pet person buy from an ANKC breeder? What can these breeders offer compared to a backyard breeder?

This is such a great question. I have been a longtime breeder of champions, a licensed International Dog judge, an award-winning dog groomer and lucky enough to be married to a marvellous Australian vet. Quite simply back yard breeders and puppy farmers have no idea what they are doing, and the only purpose of their breeding is for money. What my husband and I have witnessed first-hand through grooming and his vet practice is chronic health and temperament issues from these unethically bred dogs. There will be some that are lucky and get a lovely dog. However, the expense and heartbreak we have seen is horrendous in cross breeds and backyard bred poodles created with no thought other than just mating a dog and bitch for the sake of it and for the money. 

A top ANKC pedigree show breeder of any purebred puts their heart, soul, time, training and knowledge into not only the health of that breed but the breed’s HISTORY and the purpose that the breed was bred for. An ANKC breeder will also very clearly understand if a person/family are right for a particular breed. It is our duty of care to ensure that we aren’t just selling a person a dog, we are ensuring that the person/family are in fact the right fit for the breed and that they are matched up correctly. Most importantly we guarantee that we have taken all possible health checks with our pups and will take them back at any stage of their lives. We are always there to answer questions after the purchase and will assist as best we can.

An ANKC breeder will also start the grooming process with young pups to ensure that foundation training is undertaken with them. I start this at 3 weeks of age and continue every week so that they get familiar to it. 

So many backyard and puppy farmers don’t do anything with their pups but will sell a lie to a buyer that the pup won’t need a be groomed until age 6 months. At this point the pup will be terrified of its first groom as it has never experienced it. 

ANKC breeders exhibit their dogs at dog shows; you won’t find a backyard breeder or cross breeder that does this. We do this so that specialist judges can examine our ‘breeding stock’.

My last tip, ALL PUPS ARE CUTE but they don’t all come problem free. Making a conscious choice to pick an ethical breeder can save you a lot of heartache and issues.

If you would like to nominate someone to be our next interview – please contact me through the Facebook group Poodles Australia or email [email protected]