NEW BUYER IN NEED OF SOME OPINIONS

[LarryL]

Hey everyone!

Thanks in advance for taking the time out to read this.

I am currently in the process of shopping for a mini-small goldendoodle that I will be surprising my new wife with for her bday in February.

I'm looking for as small a doodle as we can find, but of course quality before size.

I have narrowed my search down to two breeders; Tropico & Swissridge


So at first I found Tropico, and they have this AMAZING little boy available who when full grown will be between 5-12 pounds! His dad is 8 and his mom is 11 - and they're both BEAUTIFUL DOGS!

What makes me skeptical about them tho is that they do not have any health or test info on their website regarding their dogs.

I see other websites showing DNA tests, CERFs, Hip & Elbow clearances, Heart, ect..........when I mentioned to them the fact that many other sites have all these health tests ect, the breeder to me that mostly larger dogs are prone to these ailments - and because the pup I'm looking at will be so small, he wont have problems like hip dysplasia. She also mentioned how many dogs she sold, how many facebook followers they have, how many pups they sold in my area that I can go see, ect.

So my first question for my new friends here is - is that true?
Are small goldendoodles way less prone to these issues than larger GDs?



Then this morning I spoke to Swissridge, who also has tiny GDs available BUT - theres will be larger at 18-25 lbs - however, they have all these tests, and health info about ALL of their dogs.

So I'm kind of stuck deciding between these two breeders and any info you guys provide will surely help me make up my mind.


On the one hand, I think the smaller pup from Tropico looks wise is more what I like, and after looking at his parents - they both are very small and BEAUTIFUL dogs.....and he could very well be a healthy pup with out any issues what so ever.

And on the other hand, I have more piece of mind, and confidence quality wise with swiss ridge.

Sorry for rambling on, but its a big decision, and any input at all would help!

THANKS!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I think you are wrong about the first breeder but I am glad you did not choose them. Good luck.

[LarryL]

you think im wrong meaning theyre a good breed - or theyre a bad one?

[F, Calla & Luca]

I think the first breeder is bad news, I posted some links above. I saw no references on that site to the second breeder or a couple of others I checked.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree about the first breeder. 

[LarryL]

that was one of the things that had me nervous too. she does however have a facebook page with TONS of happy customers and healthy dogs. I called her vets too.....I did quite a lot of digging

I also thing they sold thousands of dogs over the years, and im sure just the law of averages - a few would have to have some problems.

But all that being said, quality wise i think there is NO COMPARISON between them and SR. 

Couldnt be more excited, and am happy I did not go with them either!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Thousands of dogs. That sounds bad already! Yes, most dogs are healthy but good breeders aim to improve the odds and weed out what diseases they can. And how on earth can you rely on someone's FB page. Her friends and relatives could be busy posting away. Hardly objective. Calling her vet was a good idea, but I doubt ethical vets would endorse breeding with no health testing.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Agreed F. Too many red flags.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd like to know how you can tell a dog is healthy from a picture on FB. 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Larry, It was very smart and fortunate of you to post your question here because there is a wealth of knowledge here that will always lead you in the right direction. I think you just saved yourself a lot of heartache by choosing someone other than a non-testing breeder.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Glad you posted here and even happier that you're NOT going with the first breeder. I did quite a bit of research on goldendoodle and labradoodle breeders during the two years I searched for a dog. The second breeder was on my short list (of 2) for a golden doodle. Her dogs were not only beautiful, they had solid pedigrees, and she has the health tests Karen mentioned and clearances posted on her site.  She seems to get good temperaments (based on her references who you can contact, or at least you used to be able to) and I remember that she would take some of her girls to donate blood on a regular basis.  To me that stuck out because the dogs had to be trained, or at least worked with, to do that plus I thought it was a cool thing to do. I've never been there, don't remember how her guarantee works but I wish you good luck. Glad you've said no to the first breeder.  

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

If you want a super tiny dog (like 5 pounds), I would not choose a labradoodle or goldendoodle. The dog you get will not have the traits of the lab or golden in a tiny package - just not. Think of all the structural problems you could get from the mix. I would look at small pure breed dogs - you will know what your dog's characteristics will be.  If you  really want a super tiny dog that is a poodle mix, I would look find a reputable breeder of  Maltipoos or Havana Silk dogs.

Disclaimer - this is only my personal opinion.  I have a small doodle, but small in my doodle is 27 pounds.  My daughter has a rescue that is Lhasa/poodle and even he weighs 10 pounds!

[Ginny Nightingale]

I completely agree with Nancy--if you want a dog that small, why get a labradoodle when there are so many other really nice small breed dogs out there that have not been "sized down" so recently? These tiny doodles (if that is what they really are) are relatively new and untested--I would get a Havanese or a Shih Tzu or something else--when they get that small, you are losing the whole purpose of getting a labradoodle--