FAMILY-RAISED IN HOME · DELIVERED TO ILLINOIS
A Chicago winter is the test of a small dog, and the Poodle passes it in two sizes: a Toy that rides to the office in a tote and a Miniature that will trot the lakefront in a coat in January. HonestPet connects Illinois families with vetted breeders who raise Miniature and Toy Poodle litters at home and test the parents' eyes, knees, and hips. Every puppy arrives vet-checked, microchipped, and groomed, with free ground delivery anywhere in Illinois, from Lincoln Park to Carbondale.
Health-tested parents · 10-year health guarantee · Free ground delivery to Illinois.
THE HONESTPET DIFFERENCE
Buying a puppy online takes trust. Here's what you can count on when you work with us.
A Poodle remembers its first eight weeks for life, which is why ours spend them in a kitchen and not a kennel run. Our breeders raise their litters at home, around kids, the vacuum, and a front door that opens all day, so your puppy arrives in a Lakeview walk-up or a Hinsdale colonial already on a routine and unfazed by an elevator.
Our breeders begin Early Neurological Stimulation when puppies are three days old and follow Puppy Culture practices until they’re ready to join their new families. Short, gentle daily handling helps puppies become more comfortable with new experiences as they grow.
Review the testing status listed for each puppy's mom and dad, and ask our team for available eye, knee, hip, and genetic screening records. Testing varies by parent; knowing what is documented helps you make an informed choice.
We'll help you pick the size before the puppy. A Toy at 4 to 6 pounds is the dog for a Gold Coast high-rise, an Evanston retiree, or anyone who commutes on the CTA with the dog in a bag; a Miniature at 10 to 15 pounds is the dog for a Naperville family whose kids want a playmate that can take a tumble. Then we'll tell you which puppy in that litter has the right temperament.
Every puppy comes with a 10-year genetic health guarantee and a digital copy of their vet and vaccine records.
Message our Care360 Team at 10 weeks or 10 years. We stay in touch with our families for the life of the dog.
STATEWIDE DELIVERY
Every HonestPet Poodle, Toy or Miniature, is raised in a vetted breeder's home, and since Illinois pet stores stopped selling breeder puppies in 2022, that's the only route anyway. Illinois families choose free ground delivery to the door or a flight nanny who carries the puppy in the cabin into O'Hare, Midway, or a downstate airport; both sizes fit the under-seat carrier with room to spare, and the puppy arrives brushed, with its first groom done.
Chicagoland counties: Cook · DuPage · Lake · Will · Kane · McHenry
Delivery regions: Rockford, Chicago, Moline, Peoria, Bloomington, Champaign, Springfield, Metro East, Carbondale. Chicagoland counties: Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry.Pins mark where we deliver:Chicagoland countiesregions across the state
We've placed Miniature and Toy Poodles with families in Lincoln Park, Lakeview, the Gold Coast, Bucktown, and Hyde Park; in Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka, and Lake Forest; in Oak Park, Hinsdale, Naperville, and Orland Park; and downstate in Rockford, Peoria, Bloomington-Normal, Springfield, Champaign, and Edwardsville. Both sizes travel well, and no Illinois address is too far.
Check the Illinois Forecast for Your Poodle's Arrival Day
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AVAILABLE NOW
These puppies are ready to reserve today. Tap any puppy for more photos, a look at their parents, and their go-home date. Listings update the moment a puppy is spoken for, so if one catches your eye, don't wait too long to ask about them.
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ABOUT THE BREED
A Poodle is the same dog in either size, curly, clever, low-shedding, and attached to its person, and it handles a Midwestern year better than most small breeds: the coat grows in for winter and clips short for a humid August. A Toy, under 10 inches and 4 to 6 pounds, is the dog for a Streeterville high-rise, a CTA commute, and an Evanston retiree; a Miniature, 10 to 15 inches and 10 to 15 pounds, is the dog for a Naperville family with kids, a yard, and a lakefront run. Both need a groomer every four to six weeks, both learn the elevator in a day, and both will bark at the hallway until taught otherwise, which takes a Poodle about a week.
Full grown, our Toy Poodles weigh 4 to 6 pounds and our Miniatures 10 to 15. Both clear the pet limits in Chicago high-rises, both fit the enclosed carrier the CTA requires, and a Toy fits in a tote on the Brown Line. In a lake-effect January, a Toy wants a coat and booties against the salt; a Miniature wants booties and a shorter walk.
Poodles have curly, low-shedding coats that need regular brushing and professional grooming. No dog is completely hypoallergenic; families with allergies should spend time around Poodles before deciding.
Miniatures can be a better match for families with children, while a tiny Toy needs especially gentle handling. Supervise every interaction, teach children to let the puppy rest, and choose temperament as carefully as size.
Miniature and Toy Poodles respond well to short, positive training sessions. Practice house training, calm greetings, and quiet hallway behavior consistently, and add puzzle games to keep their quick minds occupied.
A Miniature Poodle wants a real walk and a game of fetch every day, and the Lakefront Trail at seven in the morning is close to perfect from April through October. A Toy is satisfied with two short walks and a game of fetch down the hallway. Both swim, which makes Montrose dog beach a treat in summer with you in the water too, though a Toy wears a vest in the lake's chop. In winter, a Toy's walk is ten minutes in a coat and booties, and both sizes get their paws wiped for salt, which a Poodle's feathered feet collect like a mop.
Both sizes enjoy being close to their people. Build up alone time gradually, provide enrichment, and arrange a dog walker or sitter when your schedule keeps you away for long stretches.
HOW IT WORKS
Browse available puppies today. Not sure which one? Tell us about your home and lifestyle, and we'll point you in the right direction.
Call, text, or email us using the contact details below. We'll set up a video call so you can see your puppy move around and ask anything you want.
Reserve your chosen puppy after speaking with our team. Confirm the deposit and payment schedule for that puppy before checkout.
Choose flight nanny delivery, pickup at the breeder, or ground transport. We'll work out the details with you.
Your puppy arrives as early as 8 weeks old with their digital records, a starter bag of food, and a blanket that smells like their littermates.
GETTING YOUR PUPPY HOME
Most Illinois families take free ground delivery to the door, with the puppy brushed, fed on schedule, and handed over with the breeder's grooming notes. Prefer to fly? A flight nanny carries your Poodle in the cabin to one of eight Illinois airports, and a Toy or a Miniature is so far under the airline limit that the carrier is the easy part. Either way, we confirm the date together and send updates until the puppy is home.
Ground delivery is the gentlest trip for a Poodle puppy, and for a Toy it's the one we recommend: a heated vehicle in winter and a cooled one in summer, water and a small meal every few hours because a tiny puppy's blood sugar drops faster than a bigger dog's, and a handoff in your lobby rather than at O'Hare.
Hoping to meet your puppy first? When the breeder is within reach and the timing works, HonestPet can arrange a visit, which is also the moment to see the parents' coats and ask what size the litter should finish at.
A flat $799 to any Illinois airport we serve. Your Poodle rides in a soft carrier at the nanny's feet in the cabin, never in cargo, so O'Hare's summer and winter embargoes on checked pets never apply, and since both sizes weigh a fraction of the in-cabin limit, this is the easiest breed we fly. The nanny keeps a Toy puppy fed on schedule and hands the dog to you in person at arrivals.
Not sure which option fits? Send us a message and we'll help you sort it out.
HEALTH FIRST
Miniature and Toy Poodles have breed-specific health considerations. Ask to review available screening results for your puppy's parents, including eye, knee, and hip evaluations where appropriate. Testing varies by parent, and no screening or genetic test can guarantee a puppy will never develop a health problem.
Ask for available eye examination records for both parents. An eye exam can identify some inherited or developing eye problems, but a normal result is not a lifetime guarantee of healthy vision.
Luxating patellas can affect small Poodles. Ask about available parental knee evaluations and discuss the results with your veterinarian; screening helps assess risk without ruling out every future knee problem.
Hip health is an important discussion, especially for Miniature Poodles. Ask which evaluations are appropriate for the parents and whether results are available to review with your veterinarian.
Some forms of progressive retinal atrophy can affect Miniature and Toy Poodles. Where relevant genetic results are available, ask which variant was tested and how the parents were paired. A genetic panel does not replace clinical eye exams.
This inherited bleeding disorder can occur in Poodles. Ask whether relevant parental genetic testing is available and share any results with your vet when planning surgery or other procedures.
Review the health history and documented adult size of both parents. Discuss dental care, feeding needs, and any family history of health concerns with the breeder and your vet, especially when considering a very small Toy puppy.
Before a Poodle leaves for Illinois, a licensed vet gives it a full exam with the breed's known issues in focus: the knees, since luxating patellas are the most common orthopedic problem in both sizes, the eyes, the bite and baby teeth, which crowd in a Toy's small jaw, the heart, and in a Toy, the trachea. The vet issues the certificate of veterinary inspection for the trip, and the exam goes into the puppy's digital records so your Illinois vet starts with the full picture.
Vaccines are kept current for the puppy's age, and deworming has run on a set rotation since the litter was tiny. Your Illinois vet finishes the series, including the rabies shot state law requires by 4 months, and should talk with you about a harness instead of a collar, especially for a Toy, a grooming schedule from the first month, and a winter weight check, since a Poodle that skips the lakefront in January gains fast under all that coat. Every puppy is microchipped before travel, and we help you register the chip in your name, which also smooths the Chicago and Cook County paperwork.
QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Prices vary by puppy, size, and other individual characteristics. Check the current price on each available listing and ask our team what is included before reserving. Free ground delivery to Illinois is available as described on this page.
Yes, in both sizes. Most Illinois families pick free ground delivery to the door, and for a Toy that's our recommendation too. Flight nanny delivery is also available into O'Hare, Midway, Rockford, the Quad Cities, Peoria, Bloomington-Normal, Springfield, and Champaign, depending on route and availability, with the puppy in the cabin beside the nanny; a Miniature or Toy Poodle is well under every airline's in-cabin limit.
No dog is completely hypoallergenic. Poodles have low-shedding coats, but allergens are also found in saliva and skin flakes. Spend time around Poodles before choosing a puppy if allergies are a concern, and plan on regular brushing and grooming.
Our Toy Poodles typically finish at 4 to 6 pounds and our Miniatures at 10 to 15 pounds. Adult size varies by puppy; review the listing's estimated adult weight and ask about both parents before making your choice.
Your puppy comes home with a starter bag of food, a blanket that smells like their littermates, a toy, microchip details, and a digital copy of their vet and vaccine records.
Choose an available puppy and send us an inquiry. Our team can help you review the puppy, meet by video, and confirm the reservation deposit, total price, and payment schedule before you proceed.
Ask our team for available parent eye, knee, hip, and genetic screening results; testing varies by parent. Each puppy's veterinary, vaccine, deworming, and microchip records help your Illinois vet plan ongoing care. Screening cannot eliminate every inherited or future health risk.
Each breeder may have a different preferred puppy food, so we provide the specific brand and formula your puppy is currently eating to help make the transition to your home as smooth as possible. If you decide to switch foods, we recommend transitioning gradually to help avoid digestive upset.
Our puppies go home at 8 weeks old.
Still have questions? See our full FAQ or send us a message.
THE JOURNEY HOME
Free ground delivery to the door is how most of our Illinois Poodles arrive, and for a Toy it's the gentlest option. If you'd prefer to fly, a flight nanny carries the puppy in the cabin to one of eight Illinois airports, with a Toy's feeding schedule kept through the flight.
| Where you live | Airport we fly into |
|---|---|
| Chicago, the North Side, and the northwest suburbs | O'Hare International (ORD) |
| Chicago's South Side and the southwest suburbs | Chicago Midway (MDW) |
| Rockford and Northern Illinois | Chicago Rockford International (RFD) |
| Moline, Rock Island, and the Quad Cities | Quad Cities International (MLI) |
| Peoria and the Illinois River Valley | General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International (PIA) |
| Bloomington-Normal | Central Illinois Regional (BMI) |
| Springfield and the Capital Region | Abraham Lincoln Capital (SPI) |
| Champaign-Urbana and East Central Illinois | Willard Airport (CMI) |
HAPPY FAMILIES
Illinois Poodle families send us the first groom, the first trick, and the first lakefront walk in a coat and booties. We post them here as they arrive.
"HonestPet brought my Skye safely. The process was smooth, and they care about the animals. Best transport company!"
Sarah M.
"Damon and Chelsea are amazing. Great with our kids and animals. The wait was worth it, and we love our larger family. Thanks so much!"
Michael T.
"Super helpful, communicative, and speedy! They delivered my dog right to my doorstep. A 10/10 experience!"
Jennifer K.
"Recommending HonestPet to everyone! Amazing experience. Our vet was impressed by how healthy our puppy is. Thank you!"
David L.
ILLINOIS QUESTIONS
Which size to choose, Chicago winters, the CTA, city and county licenses, and how delivery works: the questions Illinois Poodle families ask most.
No. Since February 2022, Illinois pet stores can only offer dogs and cats from shelters and rescues, so a breeder-raised Poodle can't come from a store. HonestPet is not a pet store. We connect Illinois families directly with vetted breeders who raise Miniature and Toy Poodles at home, share the parents' eye, knee, and hip testing, and coordinate delivery to your door.
Match the size to the household. A Toy, at 4 to 6 pounds, is the better fit for a high-rise, a CTA commute with the dog in a carrier, a retiree, and a home without small children, since a toddler can hurt a Toy by accident. A Miniature, at 10 to 15 pounds, is the better fit for a family with kids, a yard in the suburbs, and a dog that joins the lakefront run. Both learn the elevator in a day, both need a groomer every four to six weeks, and in January a Toy wears a coat and booties while a Miniature mostly needs its paws wiped.
Illinois leaves licensing to counties and cities. In Chicago the city licenses every dog from 4 months, Cook County's rabies tag doubles as county registration, and many suburbs and downstate towns have tags of their own. Everywhere, you'll need a current rabies certificate, which state law requires by 4 months, and the fee is the same for either size.
Once you reserve your Poodle, HonestPet coordinates the trip from the breeder's home to your door in Illinois. A final vet check, a brush-out, and a meal come first; then the puppy travels in a climate-controlled vehicle with scheduled feeding stops, or in the cabin with a flight nanny. The timeline is in your hands before the puppy leaves, and we message you at each handoff.
A flight into Illinois is 1 to 2 hours, depending on where the breeder is and which airport you pick. Your Poodle stays in a carrier at the nanny's feet in the cabin the whole way, never as cargo, which also means O'Hare's seasonal embargoes on checked pets never apply, and a Toy puppy gets a small meal before boarding and after landing to keep its blood sugar steady.
In some cases. If the breeder's location and schedule work out, HonestPet can set up a visit so you meet the puppy and the parents and see what size the adults ended up. Our breeders are spread across several states and keep their addresses private, so visits are set up one family at a time rather than offered as open hours.
Call us with questions about any puppy, delivery to Illinois, or which Miniature and Toy Poodle would suit your home. We'll set up a video call so you can meet your puppy before you decide.
