Hoping to add a mini labradoodle to the family.

[HJensen]

I'm in Southern Utah and I've been looking for a mini labradoodle for a while now. The only breeders I can find charge more than two-thousand dollars a puppy and those are not in my area. That much money just seems like a lot to ask. I've visited shelters on the off chance that I might be able to adopt a labradoodle, but haven't had any luck yet. Does anyone know of a more affordable breeder anywhere in the state of Utah or Nevada?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Great point about the temperament issues.  You definitely want a breeder who takes this very seriously in selecting breeding dogs and then fully socializes their puppies.  It is very difficult and expensive to address severe behavior issues, and for the most part there is no help from pet insurance.

[Gabby and ZOE]

I searched many web sites for an Australian Labradoodle and almost all of them sold their puppies for $2500.00. That was WAY above my price point so after doing a little more research I found a breeder that had a guardian program. We have a beautiful medium chololate girl named Zoe and the breeder has breeding rights. After one or two litters I have the dog spayed and she's all mine. The breeder also pays for the shots and any breeding related tests. I only pay for sick visits and heartworm/flea/tick meds. I also had to agree to feeding the diet the breeder uses and take her to obiedence classes. I wanted to do agility anyway so that was a no brainer. My point is.....maybe you could find a breeder that has a smililar program. That way you could have your cake and Doodle too!!

[Adina P]

And of course, to add to the cost issue...merely charging a lot does NOT a good breeder make.  So you'll probably not find a good breeder and pay less than $1500 for your dog.  But you'll have to really research the breeders you are considering to be sure they are good and not merely charging a lot. 

Also keep in mind that the least pricey doodles are the first generation labradoodles and goldendoodles which generally run about $1200 to $1500.  Things that increase price include: higher generation, smaller size.  I think that has more to do with the fact that more people want higher generation doodles and smaller doodles so they cost more. 

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Good points Adina.

[Shannon and Finn]

Agree with all other posts on costs.  $1500-2500 was the going rate in Colorado, with F1 Goldendoodles on the lower end and multi-gen labradoodles on the higher end. Anything less than $1500 is likely a backyard breeder/mill puppy because they aren't breeding quality dogs and spending appropriately on medical care and food etc. Our pup was an "older puppy" and he was still priced at $1500 as an F1 medium goldendoodle.  I will say that the price included medical care and having him fixed and a warranty and food, toys, blanket, etc.not to mention an incredibly well socialized puppy.  Which is a good chunk of change saved on vet bills and getting a healthy, happy dog.

Given a lot of recent posts on dogs who were purchased with health issues, you will want to feel very good about your breeder in the event you have any problems.

FYI--If you are looking for a shelter doodle to adopt, search under "poodles" to bring up doodle mixes on Petfinder.com.  They definitely come up if you are flexible on the size and mix and are willing to do the work on a shelter pup.  I had to act fast on visiting them at the shelters though since they often adopted out quickly!  In the end we purchased from a breeder but I was open to all options.  Good luck!

[Shannon and Finn]

Another option is to consider being a guardian family. There is a group here about that option. It is free or significantly less but you have to be willing to breed your pup and all that goes with it.

[Jennifer and Jack]

My Jack is a toy golden doodle which is considered to be more expensive because he was so little. I never could have afforded him, as I recently said he was a gift to me. He cost $2300.00 to start, long before he even got his very cute tiny hiney on an airplane to get to me.

I recently said when I got Jack I had NO idea about DK nor did I have any idea what the big deal was about not going to this ladies house who would breed any dog that I wanted bred.. Just tell her what I wanted and she would make one all for the whopping price of $600.00

$600.00 sounded like a lot to me but way better then the reputable breeder one... I can tell you without a doubt.... the investment in an excellent bred dog, your new family member that you are going to have 10-14 or more years is well worth it.

I thank God that I didn't go with the back yard breeder, would I have been a bad person if I did? well yes and no...lol yes if I knew that they were a back yard breeder, no because I honestly was a college educated person but had no clue the dangers that come with random breeding which is what you usually get for less expensive dogs.

Two things....even the best bred dogs can get sick.... it happens.... we just saw a breeder who did health testing on his dogs have two puppies that are now pretty sick and need special care for the rest of their life.. I would implore you to get health insurance on your dogs.

I don't know what I would do without it.. I do actually, I would sell my home and live in a box before I would let my dog suffer and not be able to afford the treatment they need......

[HJensen]

Thank you everyone for all of the wonderful advice. I'll definitely do my homework when it comes to choosing a breeder. I do want my doodle to be as healthy as possible. I'll keep doing my research and looking into the specifics of any breeders I consider. Thank you again! You've all been VERY helpful in helping me to understand how it all works.