How much does a Toy Poodle puppy cost?

Toy Poodle breeders each set their own prices, and the clearest way to compare two puppies is to look past the figure to the parents' testing, the registration and what the puppy goes home with. Toy Poodle puppies listed on Puppy Connection right now are priced from $850 to $3,500.

Color and size words may come up in Toy Poodle listings, and the Poodle standard is specific about both, so they are a good place to start.

Do parti and other colors cost more?

The AKC Poodle standard asks for a coat that is an even, solid color at the skin. It allows natural shading within colors such as blue, gray, silver, brown, cafe-au-lait, apricot and cream, and says clear colors are preferred. It disqualifies parti-colored dogs, which it defines as a coat of two or more colors rather than one even color.

A parti or other two-colored Toy Poodle sits outside the breed standard, so a higher price for one is a premium on its look.

Does a smaller Toy Poodle cost more?

A listing may call a small puppy teacup, but the standard sets the Toy at 10 inches or under at the shoulder and gives no minimum and no teacup size, so a size word is the breeder's own label. Ask what the parents weigh and measure as adults, which tells you more about the puppy's likely size than the label.

AKC notes that Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, which affects the hip joint, and luxating patellas are more likely in Toy and Miniature Poodles than in Standards.

What health testing should the parents have?

Toy Poodles used for breeding should have their knees and eyes examined and a DNA test for PRA-prcd, a form of progressive retinal atrophy, under the national club's list. AKC's Toy Poodle page adds that hip dysplasia, eye disorders, idiopathic epilepsy, sebaceous adenitis, von Willebrand's disease and immune-mediated disorders are seen in the breed on occasion. Ask which results the breeder has for both parents.

What does registration add?

AKC registers a litter only when both parents are AKC registered Poodles, so papers tell you about the parents as well as the puppy. Some puppies go home on limited registration, which keeps their own future litters off the AKC books unless the breeder changes it. Ask which kind the price includes.

What comes home with the puppy?

All 3 listings here come with a vet exam, a microchip, a health record and a written health guarantee. Each listing says what that puppy goes home with.

Compare what each listing includes as well as the price, and ask what any written guarantee covers.

How do deposits work?

Breeders who take a deposit ask $600 to hold a puppy. Ask the breeder whether a deposit is refundable and what happens if plans change.

A seller who will only take a gift card, payment app, crypto or wire is one to walk away from, per the FTC, which favors credit cards for their protections. It also recommends a reverse image search on a puppy's photos.

What should you ask a Toy Poodle breeder?

Ask how tall and heavy both parents are as adults, and whether either parent is a Miniature. Ask for the patella, eye and PRA-prcd results. Ask what color the parents are and what the puppy's registration will be.

See Toy Poodle puppies

Toy Poodle puppies listed on Puppy Connection show each breeder's own price. Open any listing to see the puppy and contact its breeder.