I'm with SevinSins though. I can't think of breeders I'd find reputable that would do that for a multitude of reasons. Even if you made friends with the breeder and prepaid for a puppy.. promising you'd take it no matter what sounds like a terrible idea as if it ends up being the wrong puppy that would be hellish. Or if the person backed out despite promises and payment.. what does one do with a puppy that doesn't meet the ideal breed standard?
Due to that, many breeders would be less than thrilled to have their kennel name on a dog that is being 'made' less ideal. Mismark or not. Making it less to breed standard isn't what anyone I find to be a good breeder is working towards.
The tail dock isn't what makes the dog breed standard. If the dog is standard, it's standard, with or without the tail. The tail dock only makes the dog more fit what show judges are looking for, and the breed ring isn't the be-all end-all of dog quality. And of course, if a person thinks they might want to show (or do agility with) their dog in Europe, they
have to leave the tail.
To put it bluntly, as a breeder, if someone comes to me looking for a pup, which is going to be their 4th dog of the breed (2 or 3 other dogs of the breed having been owned within the family), with 2 of the previous 3 still living with them, and the other dog sadly deceased; MACHs on 2 of those 3 dogs, and the other dog titled, but retired from the sport because he didn't really like competition that much. A professional person with a more than comfortable income, who takes the dogs that can enjoy it to work with her, and has a retired husband at home to provide the rest of the care.
I'm going to bend over backwards to get a pup into that home. Because you just
don't find homes like that very easily. And sure, you want a pup for yourself from the litter, but all the other pups need good homes too.
So if that makes a person an irresponsible breeder, then fine, the Poodle breeder is, and so am I, because I'd do the same thing. And if I thought my pup might not "fit" into the home, I'd really question my breeding program. There are always personality differences, but if a person has demonstrated the ability to live with and handle a variety of different dogs of a certain breed, then they should do fine with any dog of that breed with correct temperament.