How often should a female dog be bred?

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

I noticed on my breeders website that Sophies mom is going to have another litter of puppies in July or August. Sophie was born on December 25, 2010. Isn't it too soon to breed her again? Just wondering...

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

OK - Bexter is a mini goldendoodle and now I am getting worried that since he was conceived AI, does that mean he has a higher rate of hip dysplasia because the parents' sizes are so different?  Does anyone know if F! mini goldendoodles have a higher rate of HD?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Higher than what?

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

Karen -

I meant (sorry I didn't clarify...) since he was conceived AI from parents from sizes so different, does he have a greater chance for hip dysplasia compared to standard goldendoodles where the parents are both big?  Or where one parent is mini goldendoodle & other is a mini poodle (or multi-gen) which are both smaller parents?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't know and I don't know if anyone else does, either. A veterinary orthopedic specialist might be able to tell you if a great size disparity between the parents is a factor in HD.

The OFA doesn't keep statistics on Goldendoodles. They do for Labradoodles, though. Out of 160 breeds studied, Golden Retrievers ranked 30th for incidences of HD. Labradoodles (all sizes) ranked 65th, with more incidences of HD than either Poodles (again all sizes) at 77th, or Labrador Retrievers at 85th. I find it very interesting that Labradoodles had more HD than either of the parent breeds. With Golden Retrievers having far higher rates of HD than Labradors, I'd guess that Goldendoodles overall have more HD than Labradoodles, but I don't know for sure. And these statistics don't address the issue of size disparity, except for the fact that something has to be causing the mixes to have more HD than either parent breed as a whole. The only thing that I can think of that's different is the fact that purebred breedings do not involve radically different sizes of dogs.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Interesting. It is true that the numbers for labradoodles have to be much lower than for the parent breeds so it makes you wonder if the statistics are good but who knows. I would think size disparity might be a factor.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The OFA used statistics from actual hip testing of the breeds they ranked for a period of 25 years, and the figures above are through December 2010. Certainly, there would have been fewer LDs tested than Poodles or Labs during that period, but they are going by percentages.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I understood that but if you have a small sample sometimes the percentages are skewed. As a simplistic example, if I have have two labradoodles and one has hip dysplasia I could say 50% of labradoodles have hip dysplasia, which would be ludicrous. Over time and with larger numbers the percentages are more meaningful. Also at times doodles were lumped in with mixed breeds etc. so I'm just wondering about the whole thing.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

They actually do have another category called Hybrids, but I don't know what that encompasses.

I do understand that a smaller sampling is less meaningful; still, it's food for thought.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Sure is. Hybrids must run on electricity as well as kibble : )

[Jennifer and Jack]

LOL...

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

hhhmm, that is interesting. Perhaps it's because there is more unethical breeding of labradoodles with parents who aren't health tested because of their new found popularity and expensive price. Just a thought...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh, there are an awful lot of poodles, Labs and Goldens being bred by BYBs and puppy mills, the poodles in particular.