New Member Question

[Susan H]

Help. We love our mini Aussiedoodle so much I planned to eventually find another aussiedoodle to breed her with even though I'd prepaid a spay. We're not in any rush. At least we weren't but now she's in her first heat cycle and I'm worried I've made a mistake because I am having trouble finding an aussiedoodle stud to breed her with. How common are Aussiedoodles? Before we got one I'd never heard of them. Should I give up searching now?

[Adina P]

I'm sorry, but the rules of this site clearly state that this is NOT the place for breeding discussions. Breeding should only be done once both dogs are old enough to have cleared them of heritable conditions and have passed the proper health testing for breeding dogs. Anything less is not responsible breeding.

[Susan H]

Sorry, I was just trying to figure out how common the "breed" is since she is the only Aussiedoodle I've ever seen. Penny is already 16 months old and we are NOT trying to actively breed her at the moment. She is healthy and we would test. We are really just trying to decide whether we want to get her spayed. My son really wants her to have puppies some day but I would only consider it if it was with another Aussiedoodle. She is really his dog. If we aren't going to breed her then we will want her spayed sooner rather than later. 

[Adina P]

Consider the testing we have in our breeder recommendations.  It would be a lot of expense just for the 'fun' of having puppies.  And then how do you know if you'll have enough interested, responsible, homes lined up for all the puppies?  Would you be prepared to keep them indefinitely?  Would you be prepared to take a pup or two back if new owners had problems or the pup had a health issue and they didn't want to deal with it?  Breeding is not for the faint of heart and is something that goes beyond the 8 weeks the puppies will stay with you. 

There are probably a handful of  aussiedoodle breeders who breed this mix regularly and probably fewer that do it responsibly (full health testing on all breeding dogs, etc...).  I don't think the mix has taken off quite like the labradoodle and goldendoodle. 

As far as breeding to first generation aussidedoodles together there are two issues I see:
1) Since they are not as common your chances of finding a stud that is ALSO willing to do all the health testing ($$ they have to pay) is slim.

2) Any combo of two first generation dogs creates quite the crapshot litter of puppies.  Since a first generation dog has half it's genes from the poodle and half its genes from the aussie...when you combine that with another first generation dog the results will be all over the place: statistically some pups will be:
-- VERY much like australian shepherds since any one pup could luck out and get several ALL AUSSIE genes.
-- VERY poodle like since any one pup could luck out and get several ALL POODLE genes
-- In the middle.
But it is the probability of getting some very aussie or very poodle pups that is a big risk because it would be harder to sell an aussiedoodle that is not doodle like. 

[Susan H]

Thanks Adina for your thoughtful reply. I realize it would be huge commitment. And although I realized Aussiedoodles are not nearly as popular as Labradoodles and Goldendoodles I didn't realize quite how rare they are and suspect you are right about finding a qualifying stud.Hence my initial question.I don't want to leave her unspayed if breeding isn't likely to happen. I think the mix is great. I have 3 children, one has special needs and Penny though not a service dog, has really been incredible with and for my daughter. Penny has been such a great addition to our family, any time I mention that I may breed her we have had offers to buy a puppy from family and friends. I really don't think it would be a problem to sell the puppies to good homes particularly if the puppies are non-shedding like Penny to help with allergies.We do have a large fully fenced yard (3/4 acre lot) if it turned out to take longer than expected. As for  breeding I've read that breeders will breed the 1st gen with a poodle before breeding 2nd gen. But also hear that adds too much poodle to the mix. I don't really understand how breeding 2 pure breds produces puppies that are more reliably mixed as opposed to second generation since either way 50% of the genes are from each breed. If you know of any Internet link that explains how the two differ I would love to read it. I've definitely noticed that it appears Aussiedoodle litters, even F1, are far more varied in appearance than the Labradoodles and Goldendoodles, and suspect that is due to Aussies not being a solid coat color like Labs and Golden Retrievers.  It's a lot to think about. Hopefully I can get it worked out before her next cycle. Thanks for your opinion.

[Katrice Housker]

If your female is an F1 (50/50), I would find a reputable poodle stud for F1b's. The puppies would be low to non-shedding and there is a demand for that.