Locating a male dog to breed with my girl...

Question
Where do I start to look to find a stud for my female?She is 1 1/2 yrs. old and I "think" in heat,I do have papers for her and am new at the breeding procedure...where do I start?

Answer
Before you even start looking for a male you need to find a local breeder that shows in AKC or UKC, or find a poodle handler and have them evaluate your female to even see if she is breeding quality.  If they think she is breeding quality you need to have them tell you what her faults are.  You want to breed to your females faults always.  Have them suggest a male.  You need to beware of what colors you can and can not breed her too.  You also need to have ATLEAST a 5 generation pedigree so that you know her lines and what would be a good match that way.  You can get a nice online research pedigree though the AKC site for only 12 dollars.  You need to study her lines and know of any genetic problems that may be behind her.  I am not sure what size of poodle that we are talking about here but if its a standard you dont want to breed her until she is atleast 2 years old and you have had her hips OFA'd.  If she is a standard there are other genetic tests that you will want to have done.  Like vWD, CERF for the eyes, and possibly SA (skin).  You can find out more about these tests at Vet gen or the OFA site.  If you are talking a toy poodle then you need to have the Cheek swab done to check for PRA and you will want to have the knees tested.  Your vet can do that for you and then you send the results to OFA.  If your poodle is a miniature then you need to have the test done to have the hips checked also not only for dysplasia but also for Legg-Calve-Perth disease.  It is VERY important to have the eyes checked for PRA in minis because that is a major issue in that size of poodle.  Once you have all this prelim work done and have had her evaluated then you can move on to finding a correct male to breed her with.  Be sure that the male has had all the same things done to him and that he is a good genetic match for your female.