Help for the All American Dog Lover

[Julie & Cooper]

I am still looking for a labradoodle puppy or young adult dog for our family.  Is is just me or are the prices of labradoodles shocking to anyone else? I realize this is an incredible breed, which is why I am still looking.  However, paying $2500.00 for a pet is almost more than I can consider.  Am I crazy or did anyone else feel this way in their search for the perfect dog? I am a school teacher and my husband is a city employee.  We have secure jobs in this unstable economy, but we're not wealthy.  I've been looking for almost a year now trying to make our budget match a quality pup or dog. Someone tell me there is still hope for a regular family to have a great dog like the labradoodle.

[Julie & Cooper]

Thanks Todd you have some good suggestions. I have spoken to 4 different breeders about their guardian program and living in Idaho I am too far from all of them to be a guardian. I have also investigated many DRC dogs and they too prefer to place dogs within their region have potential parents come and collect the dogs. But, thanks to all the great comments and support from the Doodlekisses Forum, I am not giving up hope and will continue my search.

[Leslie J]

I think that it is important to remember that in reality the price of the dog is nominal compared to the cost of care and upkeep. Cocoa is only seven months old, and so far she has cost us over $1,200 in vet bills and I would estimate about $500 in food. Add the bully sticks, pig's ears, training classes, leashes, crate, bed, and toys and I'm sure that we've probably hit well over $2,000 so far (and we haven't taken her to the groomer yet!).

Of course, our vet bills were much more than is typical because Cocoa was hospitalized for toxicity and that cost $850, but I also know that others on this site have spent more. Bottom line, the $2,500 is only a small part of the expense of a dog.

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

I totally, totally have to agree with you. We to are lucky to have stable jobs in this economy but for a family that isn't "wealthy" $2500 is A LOT to spend on anything. When we went in search of a "doodle" we looked at labradoodles (all kinds) and goldendoodles. My husband really wanted a golden retreiver so we always did lean towards the goldendoodle. I researched SO MANY BREEDERS - and I had to eliminate a lot of breeders that were probably great because of the cost factor - I wanted to stay under $1200. I ended up with the most amazing goldendoodle in the world (just a little biased LOL) and I can't even put a price on her now for $800. The breeder was wonderful and we are still in contact on a weekly basis a year later and I truly can't imagine finding a breeder that I could have been more happy with. Granted it took a lot of time but in the end completely worth it all the way around. And really the price isn't going to guarantee a better more perfect doodle you just need to find one that is perfect for "you" and your family and your budget :-)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Now that you have done more research you might want to expand your 'requirements.' I think Todd gave very good alternatives for you to check into. Once we saw a labradoodle, we just fell in love and got one quickly before we even really understood the differences between generations, labradoodles, goldendoodles or anything else. I know some good breeders HAVE lowered their prices for specific dogs or because the pups are getting older and they really need to sell them. Good luck. I hope you find what you are looking for.

[Natasha]

$2500 is a lot - we paid $1450 and I thought that was a lot; however, we were also able to observe the quality of care that was being provided to Rouser's litter versus other breeders that we visited.

They were fed higher-quality food. Two sets of shots were given and they were de-wormed. They had extensive and high-quality health histories documented for us to see and a health guarantee was provided. We were even given records specific to Rouser (like his weight each week and some information about various behavior that he exhibited which helped the breeder support why she was recommending the pup that she was to us based upon what we were looking for).

The puppies were raised in the home in a purpose-built room. The puppies were also well-socialized (including with small children and we were able to observe how patient and careful the children were with the puppies) and Rouser came to us at 8 weeks already knowing a few commands, including "sit" and "stay" and it only took us a few days to housetrain him so I suspect they were working with him on that. They had also been exposed to water, other dogs, etc.

Anyway, I could tell that the extra money that was being requested went toward a highly-qualified breeding program and we got a healthier and better adjusted puppy because of it. I also think that we may have saved some money because Rouser's temperament was so mellow and he was so easy to train, that we didn't lose any money on damage caused by mouthing/teething. :)

Food for thought!

[Stacia Dale]

Here here! They are OUTRAGEOUS! For a pet! My mom used to breed champion persian cats and her prices were this much for champ bloodlines. But for us ppl looking for a lovable pet it is a bit much.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

As was mentioned, nobody has to get a doodle. There are lots of other "lovable pets".

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

We rescued a dog and because she was ten the adoption fee was only $100. We loved her dearly, but the first week she destroyed our front door and woodwork and cost thousands in trips to the vet. She had severe separation anxiety and I paid a trainer to help me with these issues. Would I do it all over again...YES, in a heartbeat, but we always said our $100 dog turned into a million dollar baby. Our dog, Fudge, was less than $1000 and has been a wonderful dog for our family. I love this dog and she was worth every penny! Good luck!

[Debbie and Thomas]

All I can say is that they are worth every penney! However, try Canadian breeders ( I am Canadian) There are many excellent responsible breeders here and many charge less than 2500. Wouldn't it be fun this summer to take a road trip to Canada to pick up the dog of your dreams?

[Mustard Seed Ranch]

First of all I have to say I agree 100% with Karen. I WANT a ferrari, but I cant afford one...I cant even afford a used or rescue Ferrari, so I drive a Ford.OK, that said...

I think people are not comparing apples to apples. These doodles, whether ALD, LD , GD-that you see in these price ranges should be from health tested parents. Now go and look for any purebred pup with the same health testing on both parents and you will find they are expensive too. You cant compare doodles with lab pups in your local paper at $300.00. Those pups, if healthy and even AKC registered have NO health testing on their parents , and NO health testing on any dogs in their pedigrees. Doodle Breeders as a whole do more testing on their dogs than any other "breed" out there in regards to numbers of breeders. This costs money. Also unknown to puppy owners is the expense that it costs a breeder to buy a health tested dog WITH legitimate breeding rights. It costs breeders WAY more than what you are paying. You'd have a coronary if you knew what some breeders have had to pay for their dogs...seriously!!

Just had to ad that perspective for you!

[Samantha and Socrates]

I went through the exact same thing! I had done my homework on Goldendoodles and decided that was the dog I wanted, but I almost had a heart attack when I saw what breeders were asking. $2500 seemed to be about the average last summer when I was on "DoodleQuest 09". My advice - keep looking and looking, go outside your area a little if you have to, because lower priced family breeders do exist, and I'm talking about quality breeders that know what they are doing, not backyard breeders or puppy mills. I admit, I was unsure at first when I found a breeder about 2 hours away charging only $800 for f1 Goldendoodles, but I called the vets in the area, asked for references, checked out different "bad breeder" complaint lists, etc., and couldn't find anything wrong with this breeder. Turns out, he and his wife really were a couple of people in love with the breed and wanted to provide affordable family pets to people. My ddodle's parents were certified purebred and were tested regularly for all the usuaI. I couldn't be happier with my Socrates - he's amazingly smart, affectionate and well-adjusted.
I bet I looked for a good 5 months before I found them though. If there isn't anyone like that in your area, consider a road trip or flying to get your puppy. (It's still probably going to be less than $2500 when all is said and done). I'm not a fan of shipping puppies, but I know some breeders do that so it is an option. Good luck!!