Want to meet S. Florida Labradoodle to see if my son is allergic

[Edward P]

We've already exposed him once to Australian LBD that a breeder put us in contact with.  Probably overexposed him by having labradoodle lick him all over.  He was also rubbing his eyes.  He didn't have any breathing problems but when we left his eyes swelled up in the car.  We want to do another test.  This time minimal licking and then have him wash his hands after (what we would have him do if we got LBD).  If he does OK, we're going to get one.  Anyone in South Florida with a labradoodle we can meet.  Don't want to bother the same lady breeder hooked us up with.  We're in Broward County.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Edward, the problem is that as mixed breed dogs, every Labradoodle is different, so the fact that one does or doesn't affect your son's allergies doesn't mean that another one will affect him in the same way. The protein that causes dog allergies is called KNF1, and it's present in varying amounts in individual dogs. With mixed breeds, even within the same litter, you can have wide variations, and there is no way to know that until the dog has his adult coat. It would break the hearts of both your son and the dog if you had to rehome the dog because your son was allergic to him. I would strongly urge you to consider a purebred Standard or Miniature Poodle from a reputable breeder. With purebreds, the way your son reacts to one is pretty much the way he will react to all of them. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I totally agree.  I have a rescue Doodle who we got from DRC at 10 weeks because the owner had such a severe allergic reaction that she ended up in the Emergency Room.  He does not shed at all and is an ALD.  I'm sure they felt that this "hypoallergenic" dog would be fine, but within a few days the severe reaction appeared.  It was heartbreaking for the family to have to give him up to rescue.  You can't really know by just spending an hour or two with a completely different dog.

[Moe]

I have a goldendoodle F2 - doesn't shed, so does my brother F1 - sheds like crazy. No problems there. My neighbor across the street has one as well F1B. I can't even go near that one. My allergies go crazy. You would think since the neighbor's is an F1B and doesn't shed there wouldn't be a problem. It is very hard to predict. 

[Adina P]

In addition to what others have said...you never know if you end up with a "licky" dog.  If you have a dog that loves to lick, it's going to be a big PITA to have to constantly correct for licking.  Dogs like to touch you...a lot.

[Stella]

My breeder says that if allergies are a concern, you should get a poodle. Even with a many generation multi-gen, there is still the genetic history of a shedding dog mixed in there and there are no guarantees that your son won't be allergic to the dog. Meeting a dog, even if in its own house, for a couple of hours is nothing like having a dog in your house 24/7 where your son will be surrounded by 'doggyness' constantly. Some dogs don't get their adult coat in until they are a year old, imagine how heartbreaking it would be for your family, and the dog, to have to give it up after that time because of allergies. We are not trying to be negative, we all love doodles, but want to keep your son healthy and save yet another doodle from being rehomed because of allergies.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

This must be a really stressful decision but I would save yourselves and the dog a lot of possible sadness and look for a poodle.  You'll have a better chance of judging your son's reaction. If you puppy clip a poodle, they have the same adorable muppet look as a doodle. I think standard poodles are magnificent and so smart.  Miniatures are such happy clowns and smart too.  

[Edward P]

Thanks all.  I guess we have to rethink this.  Too bad because we really wanted a LBD.

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

Perhaps you could find a poodle breeder who would agree to NOT dock your puppy's tail, if you decide to go that route, and if the long, flowy tail is something that you like.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Perhaps you could visit a couple breeders of the poodles. See them in person, you just might fall in love with them.
I never cared for the "poodle look", but now that I have 2 - half poodles, I'm thinking I would definitely consider them, just not groomed that way.
Also the point that they could be trimmed to look more similar to a doodle is a very good one!

[Wendy and Myla]

Exactly what I have thought - if something ever happened to Myla, I would definitely look into a poodle! We have been so lucky with both of our F1 doodles as far as shedding, but I don't think I would take the chance again.  I never liked the way a poodle looked and because of that, I didn't even consider them when looking for a new dog.  But now I realize that it's just a matter of grooming and honestly, I could never go back to a shedding dog! 

[M Kol]

We have allergies in our family too, different ones.  We looked at poodles.  One of the poodles was  a return because their son turned out to be allergic.  We almost bought the poodle, but didn't.  We wanted a labradoodle.  The labradoodle we visited resulted in sneezes, but, there was a cat too.  We visited airedales - there was licking, and then hives.  We ended up with an older mini goldendoodle pup.  We hung around it for quite some time, no reaction.  We also visited with and petted the parents.  The pup's hair was long already.  The personality of the pup was of the non-licking sort.  Now that she is more comfortable she does lick sometimes, not a lot though.  So far no allergies at all.  She is a mini F2B, so 75% poodle, woolly coat.  At 9 months now she is currently 27 pounds, still growing. We looked at an older F2B labradoodle pup too, but didn't choose it for other reasons, a little rambunctious.   I agree with everyone and with you, that you have to try it out by visiting.  Good luck.

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

A family friend has two PWD's because of really bad allergies for their daughter and her husband. They liked the doodle look but didn't want to take a chance on having to re-home their pup and figured PWD's have a similar look, very different personalities though. Something you could look into. Good luck!