Finding a goldendoodle is tough!

[Cathy and Daisy and Harper]

I am seriously having trouble finding a dog! Is it typical to have to wait a year to get a puppy from a reputable breeder? Since I am new to this doodle world, I guess I did not realize how popular this breed is. The wait will kill me!!!!! I guess I will have to live vicariously through you and all your sweet doodles in the meantime!

[Cathy and Daisy and Harper]

Forgot to mention....the baby in the picture is not a doodle, she is my maltipoo. I hope it is ok that because she is half poodle, I put her picture!

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

Your maltipoo is adorable! Its a perfectly wonderful picture. Depending on what you are looking for, there might be quite a wait. But waiting is better than getting one from a backyard breeder and keeping them in business. You might also consider a rescue Doodle? I know its not for everyone but most rescues are very sweet and loving! 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Waiting lists are typical for reputable breeders, although the wait is not always a year long. And sometimes, you can move up on a wait list if someone else changes their mind or decides to wait for a different litter. I agree with Lori, it is better to wait; you're going to be living with this dog for probably 15+ years, and it's worth getting it right from the start. 

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

No, the wait shouldn't be that long at most reputable breeders, but maybe 1 or 2 in an area are tighter, especially if they are near a major metropolitan area.

If you go to a more rural/Midwest breeder, it's quite likely MUCH sooner.  You might have to pay more $$$ -- I probably did -- but what's a few $$$ if you can save many months, right ?

I'm not sure I can mention my breeder here, but they have a Group here that I belong to and you can Message me.  They are also in Indiana (hope that isn't a TOS violation...LOL).  From the time I put down the deposit (a story in itself as I had originally contacted them 4 years earlier !) to getting my Toy Goldendoodle (only 2 liters per year, fewer than the Mini's or Standards)...it was only 2 months !!  I lucked out in re-contacting them just as a Toy liter was approaching.  I wonder if the Minis are more popular with this breeder and others than the Toys; quite possible.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I agree with you totally.  Yes, it apparently is a long wait with a reputable breeder.  Personally, though I adore my doodles, I would never wait that amount of time. I want to be able to choose the best time for our family to get a dog, and not have it decided arbitrarily by someone else.  I would go with a pure breed dog from a reputable breeder - probably a  standard poodle.  However, if a doodle is what your heart must have, then I'd find that reputable breeder and put my deposit down, and not be picky as to sex or color in hopes that you might move up on that list, but I would be very picky that it have the doodle-look (facial furnishings, little or no shedding) I paid and waited for.  The most important thing in choosing any dog and deal breakers for me are that it  have the temperament (not aggressive or fearful, pretty social) and activity level that suits my needs. 

PS your, baby is adorable!

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

Are you absolutely set on a goldendoodles or would you be willing to branch out and get a labradoodle? I see you're in CA. I checked our breeder's site and the wait lists for planned litters are full; HOWEVER, our breeder has associations with a breeder in Montana (in fact she has just used Cori's and Desi's dad as a stud) who appears to have a puppy or two currently available. If you're interested in her contact info, PM me. Although I have not talked to this breeder personally, our breeder is highly reputable and I can't imagine that she'd associate with anyone but the best.

[Frank & TeddyToyDoodle]

Cathy....BOTTOM LINE....if you are willing to buy non-local and/or OOS....you shouldn't have to wait more than a few months, if that.

[EJ & Dante]

I went 1900 miles for our puppy.  I wanted a reputable breeder and was hopeful for a specific time frame (winter).  We waited 5 months, I think.  For our breeder, you can put your name on two lists concurrently.  So each list looks fuller than it is in reality, because once you decide on a specific litter, your name will come off the other list.  Gender, color and looks were secondary to us, it was about temperament, however, I did select which lists I wanted to be on based on the parent information.  Our breeder does parent health testing and puppies aren't selected until after the 7.5 week old temperament evaluation.  Places closer to me seemed to all do it at birth or a few weeks old, and I wasn't comfortable with that.  I also contacted multiple other folks who had gotten dogs from this breeder.  We live in a fairly remote, rural location, so I was going to have to travel anyways; it became about how far to get exactly what we were looking for.

[EJ & Dante]

while we've only had Dante 4 weeks, he is an amazing dog, fits his temperment profile perfectly and is exactly the dog we hoped for.  We couldn't be happier.

[Cathy and Daisy and Harper]

Would you be willing to private message me the name of your breeder? Thanks! Your baby is adorable!

[Amy and Annabelle]

The highly recommended breeder I really wanted to go with had a 8 month wait list at the time I was looking. Since I was stupid and wanted instant gratification, I went with someone else. While I love Annabelle with all my heart, she didn't come to me this perfect little angel, it took a lot of hard work and training to get her to the dog she is now. Her first few months were difficult, and that's putting it mildly. I'm pretty confident that if I had waited and gone with my original choice, she would have had a much better temperament as a puppy. If I had it to do over again, I would wait how ever long it takes.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is such good advice, Amy.

While raising any puppy is challenging, I often think that a lot of the common puppy "problems" people post about here could have been avoided if they'd chosen a different breeder. Parasites and housebreaking problems are just two things we hear about a lot that are directly related to what a breeder did or didn't do.