Recommended Breeders in California?

[Roy]

Hi everyone!

I've spent days looking for the right breeder to get a Medium Goldendoodle (F1 preferably) from. My family has had Labrador Retrievers all our lives and we think a Goldendoodle would be a great fit for us.I live in San Francisco, CA and I'm looking for one anywhere California and neighboring cities. I wouldn't mind having a puppy flown to me from another state if it's a good breeder.

Any recommendations? Any tips on searching for a good breeder?

The two that I narrowed it down to so far:(Anyone get pups from here?)

Chehalem Mountain Farms in Oregon

Winding Creek Ranch in Indiana

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The DK Guidelines prohibit breeder recommendations, referrals, or reviews here in the open forum. 

Here are some Guidelines on What to Look for in a Breeder: http://www.doodlekisses.com/notes/What_To_Look_for_In_a_Breeder

These are the absolute minimum standards you should require. If anyone doesn;t match up, walk away. 

[Roy]

Sorry, my apologies!

Thank you for the link though. I'm sure it'll give me a solid starting point :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No need to apologize. :)

I think if you read the link, you will eliminate the first breeder you mentioned. I hope so. Genetic health testing of the parents is the most important thing to look for. 

A warranty that requires you to return the puppy in case of genetic health issues is also pretty worthless. :)

[Kerry]

Hello, Kerry here from Chehalem Mountain Farms English Cream Doodles.
I trust you are not writing about my breeding practices. My dogs are tested for genetic issues and I would never ask for a pup to be returned.
Sincerely,
Kerry Tintera

[Adina P]

You're allowed to ask for breeder recommendations, other people just have to respond privately, rather than in the public forum.  It's mostly to prevent both bad mouthing of good breeders and promoting of bad breeders.  Because...well, even people who got their dogs from backyard breeders or puppy mills (unknowingly) will say great things about the breeder if they love their dog and got lucky with a healthy dog.  

[Roy]

Thank you the replies so far!

I would appreciate breeder recommendations through private message.

[Adina P]

I added "In California" to your post's title so it gets attention from people who might have recommendations for that area.

[Roy]

Thank you!

[Roy]

Good evening everyone!

I narrowed my search down to three breeders and two are located here in California and the other in Indianapolis. 

I've narrowed it down to Tulip Tree Retrievers or Big Dog Labradoodles. I would appreciate some opinions if anyone has any experience with them or ran across their website. Please send me a private message only because recommendations aren't allowed in the open forum. 

Thank you guys!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I am wondering if you have read the information in the link I posted above, What to look For in a Breeder. You seem to be looking at some breeders who do not do genetic health testing on their breeding dogs and/or whose health warranties require you to return your dog to them rather than offering reimbursement for HD or genetic diseases. Neither of these things is acceptable or indicative a reputable and responsible breeder.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I also see a LOT of false claims/promises about non-shedding and hypo-allergenic on at least one of these sites, and if you look through the discussion forum here, you will see how many people are surprised and disappointed by the fact that their doodles do shed, some quite a bit. In fact, 70% of all F1 doodles do shed to some degree, so for these breeders to make blanket statements that "doodles are nonshedding" is an indication that you are not dealing with an honest or reputable breeder, but rather someone who is mainly interested in making sales. 

The same is true for claims about "Hybrid Vigor". Doodles are susceptible to all of the genetic diseases that run in Poodles, Labs, and Goldens, and we unfortunately have more than a few members here whose dogs are living proof of that. 

Please read the following article prepared by DK members for prospective doodle owners: http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/considering-a-doodle-crowd...

This is another good one: http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/are-you-ready-for-a-doodle

[Roy]

Thanks for your reply Karen. i appreciate your insight and advice. I'm honestly having a little difficulty weeding through the good/bad breeders. I read the article you sent me a few days back.

If you have a breeder you could recommend to me even if it's out of state, please pm me.