Am I crazy to want to breed my Labradoodle?

[Mary Zimmer]

I have an almost two year old F1 labradoodle.  She is the sweetest, best dog I have ever own.  I want another dog, and would really like the next one to be a F1B.  I want less shedding next time.  My married son, and my next door neighbor also want a puppy if I were to breed Maddie.  I actually have another friend who is hoping to get one if I have good luck with breeding.

In the past I have raised 5 Great Danes, and once had a litter of puppies.  It did not go well, 3 of the 4 puppies had birth defects, and I later learned that the "experts" I was working with were some crazy old ladies who though nothing of breeding their Champion dogs much too closely.

I am one of those never give up, eternally optimistic people, but I wanted your real advise on weather I should give this another round or not.  How do the boards in general feel about people breeding their dogs just one time?  I really have no idea on how to find a male poodle to breed my girl with, and could use any of your stories.

Thanks

Mary

[Adina P]

Mary,

 

I don't think the desire is 'crazy' because when you love your doggy and think she is the best thing ever, it's natural to wonder what kind of puppies she'd make and to envision how wonderful they'd be. 

 

But while I don't think the desire is 'crazy' I think that you'll find most of us here think it's a VERY bad idea for a number of reasons.

 

1) Reputable Doodle breeders either sell pups on a pet contract or a breeding contract.  Because you're asking the question I assume you did not purchase your doodle on a breeding contract and thus BY breeding her you'd violate the pet contract you signed.  On the other hand if your doodle was purchased without such a specific contract it's likely the breeder you purchased from was not a reputable on who did health testing...thus you'd be bringing in some unknown genetic health history.  A health dog can still carry recessive genes for various ailments and you wouldn't know it without extensive testing.

 

2) It is pricey to breed ethically and responsibly.  First you'd need to get her hips scored by OFA or PennHIP, then eyes by CERF and a genetic test for PRA and other possible doodle genetic diseases.  You'll be losing money at the end...which is fine if you bought your dog from a reputable breeder who gives you permission to breeder her AND you don't mind losing money on puppies because the initial testing is costly.

 

3) Any poodle stud worth his weight in kibble would belong to someone who would demand you have the health testing above in order to allow their stud to breed to your bitch.  Anyone who wouldn't expect that of you isn't worth breeding to because that's the equivalent of a poodle and labradoodle meeting randomly because they escaped their yard. 

 

4) If your female ended up with a litter of 10-12 (which is not unheard of) would you be able to care for them as long as necessary until they found good homes?  Could you keep an extra couple of 6 month olds if they didn't sell right away? 

 

These are all critical questions you'd need to be able to answer responsibly in order for us to consider saying

"Yeah that's a good idea...go for it!"

 

Here's what we recommend buyers look for in a Breeder: http://www.doodlekisses.com/notes/What_To_Look_for_In_a_Breeder -- if you can meet these criteria, then excellent!  If not, then it's healthier for your girl to be spayed soon.

[Carol Brand]

I say no.  

First, the market seems to be saturated with Doodles puppies.  I see almost daily requests on the Doodle Breeders forum for sales referrals.  It seems like even well established breeders are having difficulty selling puppies.  Doodles can have large litters.  You have homes for three puppies, but how will you cope with 7 juvenile Doodles if you can not place them.  

 

Next, whelping a litter is not for the faint of heart.  It is easy when the bitch is still cleaning up after the puppies, but around 4 weeks when they go onto solid food, you will have 8+ little pooping machines!  I have a custom whelping box with a whole potty system so I can manage, but I will tell you that since I whelp the puppies in my family room I have to keep it obsessively clean.  Note.... my last litter required an emergency C-section that cost $1600.  I hear in California that a C-section can cost $3000+

 

Testing.  Do you know what testing is behind your bitch? It is often not enough to simply test current breeding stock.  It is important to know the dogs in your pedigree.  As far as current testing goes, it can be expensive.  In some areas it is running as much as $900+  You need to do:

Hips

Elbows

Eyes

Thyroid

DM

NE

Cardio

VWD

 

Finding a Standard Poodle stud.  As the Poodle lady I will tell you that good Poodle breeders will not breed to your Doodle.  This leaves you with Poodles from backyard breeders or high volume breeders.  What do you know about Poodles?  Can you look at a pedigree and know what you are seeing especially when it comes to health issues?  Can you correctly evaluate a Poodle's structure and temperament?   

 

Breeding in general....  Good breeders have goals that extend beyond just producing puppies.  Yes people can say that they want to breed healthy dogs with good structure, but what does that really mean?  There is no perfect dog and as breeders we are always trying to improve on what we've got.  So with that in mind, what are you hoping to "fix" in your bitch?  Bend of stifle?  Angle of croup?  Length of forearm?  Topline? Reach and drive? What about temperament or working style.  What are you main health concerns and plans for breeding away from them?  

 

 

 

 

 

[Mary Zimmer]

I talked to my husband over dinner about the 3 posts I got, and we said, "That was easy".  We will be making Maddie her apt to get spayed later this month.  Thanks.

[Leslie J]

She is adorable- I can see how you would want more of her :)  I think that you're very smart; however, to spay her so she can be your wonderful one-of-a-kind doodle!

[Adina P]

That was easy!  Thanks for being open to feedback and considering our points.  And if your friends really want their own labradoodle, there are a lot of good breeders to choose from ... just email them the link to our What to Look for In a Breeder article =)  And if any of them have a desire to help a doodle in need, there are two excellent rescue organizations dedicated to doodles: DRC and IDOG -- both have doodles in foster homes around the country who would love a family of their own.

 

Enjoy your Maddie and be sure to add lots of photos of her on DK =)  Feel free to blog about her or join in our discussions and groups!