New Here!!! Getting a Australian Labradoodle questions.

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

Hello to all 

My wife and I have decided on getting a Australian Labradoodle we are from Ontario Canada. Can anyone recommend a good breeder, or provide me with some insight on the following two breeders.

We are try to keep the cost down on the actual purchase.

Since when did owning a dog become for the rich only???? (Joke) some breeders are asking crazy amounts of money..

After reading some info here and on another web page i have already eliminated one of the breeders on my list.

The two in question are:

GoldenBelle Kennels 

and 

Pawpaws poodle also known as Arrow Head 

Second question 

When we get a dog i'm thinking this raw diet makes a lot of sense. any have any cons about this method of feeding ???

Thanks for your time 

[Kami Allen]

Also, you may want to check into being a "Guardian family" if cost is a factor.  Our breeder charges $2,500 for her Australian labradoodles but we went the Guardian route and paid $500 for her.  The deal with Guardian familys is that you agree to have your dog bred several times before she is "legally" yours.  We have already bred her once and if you choose the right breeder it can be great - you are tied to the breeder for several years, we are blessed to have the greatest breeder to work with and when our "Meggie" had her puppies we got to go and visit her whenever we wanted!

That being said, it is tough to be away from your dog for 6 weeks when she does have puppys (some may welcome the break, we missed her like crazy though).  We are going to get a second one and will purchase this dog as we dont want to deal with two puppys in heat and breeding. 

You could contact those two beeders and see if they offer the program?  Our breeder pays for all medical bills that are centered around breeding and will spay her when she is done breeding.  We also get paid a small amount for each litter she has (for the inconvience of driving back and forth, etc.).  It's a great program for many and makes owning an Australian labradoodle possible financially :)

[Adina P]

Hovel,

Regarding why we don't want breeder reviews on DoodleKisses.com...

At first we only prohibited breeder recommendations.  The reason for this was to prevent influential member advertising of poor quality breeders.  Lots of people are happy with their doodle (and thus give their breeder credit) even if the doodle wasn't from a good breeding program.  The same can be said of any breed or mix including puppies adopted from the local shelter.  But just because someone loves their dog doesn't mean the breeder that dog came from needs to be recognized if it was a poor quality program.  So we prohibited random breeder recommendations because we didn't want to allow promotion of just any Joe who decided to breed their labrador with his friend's poodle.

However, it became evident with time, that if we were to prohibit breeder recommendations it was not fair to allow breeder 'bashing' so to speak.  If members can't brag about any breeder, then they shouldn't come on here to criticize a breeder because then the discussion would be one-sided. 

As to warning someone about a potential puppy mill:  There is no official definition of a puppy mill but generally it refers to a breeding business where dogs are neglected and overbred and little regard is given to proper breeding and the long term health of offspring.  At the obvious extreme are those dogs that live in cages and whose feet never touch ground and are bred as long as the dog can breed.  They live in filth, they are not cared for beyond what it takes to allow them to breed,etc.  Puppies are shipped out at too young an age and sit in pet stores or are sold via the internet to hapless buyers who don't know better.

Beyond that it is personal ideals about whether dogs ought to be kept in kennels at all or for how long or how many dogs is reasonable for one person or group of people to care for, etc.  Unless it is widely known that an establishment is a puppy mill, this is no the place to ruin someone's business because of hearsay.  Using the guidelines in our article on What to Look for in a Breeder will, with high probability, keep you away from any puppy mills because puppy mills won't meet the high standards recommended in that article.  It's not a promise, but greatly reduces your chances of buying from a disreputable breeder.

Then there is the issue of the "nice" backyard breeder.  These are not large breeding programs, they don't churn out puppies and the dogs may be loved household pets.  But their breeding is uneducated and potentially just as 'poor' when it comes to screening for health that it is still a bad idea to buy a puppy from such a 'nice family'.

So, basically, by using high standards to pre-screen breeders you will narrow your choices easily and then you can ask for private recommendations on the ones you are considering.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Perfect explanation.

[Lynne of Fountain Falls]

When people call me about a puppy I talk with them a while, answer all of their questions and then make sure they know what to ask any other breeder that they talk to.  I encourage them to go to "what to look for in a breeder"  Very few people ask the most important questions.   It is the ones that start the conversation with, how much and what do you have left, that put me off.  So my advice is to find a breeder that will be willing to take numerous phone calls and or emails and be willing to talk with you.  I would also advise against someone that tries to sell you a puppy if they don't have what you want.  I'm always willing to refer someone to another breeder that I know,  if I don't have what they are looking for.  Good luck in your search. 

[Lorraine Bromley]

I have a golden doodle and one of the breeders you have on your list is also one I was interested in as well. If we do ever decide to get another I would check them out alot closer. I also started out wanting an Australian Labradoodle and changed my mind after reading and seeing so much information.

I do not know if you are aware of the concern that people and breeders and animal protection services have had with the Original Australian Labradoodle. There have been extensive discussions about the founder of the breed and her practices. There are many discussions on DK about this topic and you may want to research that before making a decision on that particular breed.

Does anyone know about adding taxes to the purchase of a puppy? This is to help Hovel too.

Another question I would ask is why the business is known as two different names?

It is also a bit of a red flag when breeders use the terms non allergenic or allergy friendly in describing their pets

To say they are non shedding is a bit of a misnomer as well, there are no guarantees in coat shedding. A good breeder may have a good idea what type if coat their pups will have, but non guarantee it as far as I know. 

By the sounds of it you were swayed by a discussion recently on puppy mills. If you would like to pm me I believe if you may be talking about my past breeder.  

The extensive use of leading you to believe that they are breeding service animals would be a question I would have? I would confirm things like that.

You are so smart to have found this place and the list of what to look for in a breeder is the best tool out there. 

You will have to put some miles on to see these kennels as you should not visit more than one breeder at a time for the sake of the puppies being exposed to possible contaminants that could wipe out a whole kennel.

I am no expert at all. These are just some questions I would have thought of in the search if it were mine again.

Lorraine

Ps I will take diamonds!!! LOL!

[Tracy A. Wynn]

We are breeders of multigenerational Australian Labradoodles. I would like to explain the cost of these dogs to better help you understand the $2500 sticker shock!  It is all about the research centers in Australia, that beginning in the 1980's began to develop a breed that would be allergy friendly, consistantly non-shedding, and be highly intelligent for training to be service or therapy dogs for people that needed such a dog, and wonderful family companions for children,etc. They were also trying to reduce the size of the Lab/standard Poodle cross.The research centers, Rutland Manor and Tegan Park, did careful research, extensive health testing on the dogs bred, and careful selection of the breeds that they added to the Lab/Poodle crosses, which included the Irish water spaniel, the American and English Cocker spaniel, and the Portuguese water dog, all low to non-shedding breeds except the retreiver, so they virtually eliminated the shedding that still occurs in Poodle and retreiver crosses. When this mulitgenerational breed was imported to the USA in the 1990's, breeding dogs cost $30,000! Today, reputable breeders of these dogs do extensive health testing upwards of $1000 per breeding dog, and have purchased their breeding stock anywhere from $7,500 to $30,000 ($7,500-$15,000 is todays cost of these breeding dogs,) thus the $2500 pet puppy price, which in perspective looks a lot more reasonable when you understand the cost the breeders have incurred just to obtain their breeders, pay for all of their health testing, care for them, and all the work and cost involved with raising puppies.Repuatable breeders of these dogs house raise their dogs with love, affection, attention, praise, and training. The purpose of the Guaridan homes is to expand their breeding programs so that their home doesn't turn into a "puppy mill" with too many dogs on their property that they don't have time to properly care for, thus the living lives in kennels, etc. Using Guardian homes allows the dogs to still live in a loving family environment. Being a Guardian isn't for everyone. If you raise a stud dog, you have to deal with all the issues of a non-neutered male, marking, humping, etc. WITHOUT correction. If you raise a female, you may have to turn her over to the breeder for 2 months to whelp and wean puppies many times until her breeding career is over. There are also often stiff contracts that include replacing the dog at the standard breeding dog price ($7500-$15,000 with an average of $10,000) if you let something happen to the dog via negligence. (Example: some one lets it out of the yard, and it gets lost, stolen, or God forbid, hit by a car!) Not everyone wants to deal with these issues so many will find that paying the pet price is worth it to get a de-sexed dog that they can raise how they wish.Generally speaking you should be able to purchase a Labradoodle or Goldendoodle (NON multi-gen Australian) at a reduce price than an Australian Labradoodle. These dogs still make amazing pet companions, are highly intelligent, trainable, and can be used as service dogs also. Their price should be reduced due to the fact that they are a mix of a Poodle and a retriever, and either of these breeds can be purchased intact (non de-sexed) for anywhere from a few hundred dollars up to maybe a few thousand dollars to begin breeding. These dogs will generally mature to be quite large, due to to the standard Poodle size and retriever size, maturning often to about 55-85 pounds. They may also still shed some, as the gene pool is newer, and all the other non-shed breeds from the Australian multi-gen are not included, and so you take a chance on whether the dog will have the coat of the poodle, or the retreiver. I hope this helps you understand what you are shopping for. You should concern yourself first with what the needs of your family are before price so that you choose the right companion for you that you will have for many years. Think about what size of dog that you want? Australian Labradoodles come in 3 sizes, mini, medium, and standard. Research what these sizes mean and pick the size of dog that best suits you. Some Labradoodle and Goldendoodle breeders have smaller dogs by using the miniature poodle instead of the standard poodle. What kind of temperament do you want? Standard poodles, miniature poodles, and toy poodles, all have different types of tempearments and can offer different things to the dog's personality. Do you need a non-shedding dog? Does anyone in the family have allergies to shedding dogs? This question is crucial, if the answer is YES, then you must choose very carefully. If the answer is no, and some shedding is acceptable, than most any kind of doodle will be acceptable for you family. If you do your research, and ask for references on breeders that you are considering, you should be able to find the perfect companion for your family. Make sure that any breeders which you consider, no matter what kind of doodle that you decide to purchase, do extensive health testing on their breeding dogs, and have good sales contracts and health warranties that will refund or replace your dog should it get a genetic disease. Have fun in your reseach! I know that I did! And I forgot to mention that we feed our dogs a combination of a high quality kibble (dry food) and a raw diet consisting of ground, raw, skinless chicken (with the bones ground too) and ground raw veggies and fruits. The dogs love the raw diet!  We have placed a few of our medium puppies to Canadian families, some in Ontario, some in Quebec. We generally ship them to Syracuse, NY and the families travel to NY to pick them up and drive them across the border. This can be done if you choose an American breeder and don't find a suitable breeder in Canada, but there are some there as well! We hope that you have either already found, or will find your perfect dog! Maybe somebody will want DIAMONDS! Blessings to your family and Merry Christmas!

 

 

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