Should I stick to the ALAA Breeder list for California and Oregon breeders?

[Julie]

I've had some great replies to another post I made about the wisdom getting a doodle puppy for my family with young kids, but they left me with more questions about breeders. I have been exclusively looking at breeders on the ALAA list for California and Oregon (and maybe Washington) since I thought that was a a good way to ensure I'm starting my search pool with reputable breeders who do all the health testing and care for their breeding dogs and puppies properly. BUT no one who messaged me on my other post mentioned any of those breeders. That made me start to wonder if the ALAA List doesn't necessarily include all of the top quality breeders.. Does anyone have an opinion about that?

Maybe it would be best for me to just put the list out there of who I am looking at and see what people provide for private feedback. I'm specifically looking for a breeder that has proven quality therapy lines. The breeders are listed below. If you had feedback on any of them (good or bad) please send me a private message. Thanks!

California Breeders
Hales Labradoodles
Faithful Doodles
Premier Labradoodles
Moo Cow Labradoodles
Serenity Springs
Shadow Mountain
Poco Creek

Non ALAA
Beau Monde
Canyon Court

Oregon Breeders
Spring Creek (this one is on the top of my list right now)
Springville
Daisy Hill

It's quite a long list I know. Any insight would be great!

[Adina P]

Good luck!  I hope you get useful feedback on those breeders.  Although I've heard of several of those, I have no personal buying-a-doodle experience with any of those breeders.

[Janet & Jaxson]

Hi, we got Jaxson from Shadow Mountain Labradoodles. He is a great puppy! I will send you a friend request.

Janet

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

The only one I've heard of is your top pick.  I know nothing personally about them but looking at their website, they would be high on my list. They do the right health testing, have a 3 year rather than the standard good breeder 2 year health guarantee, and have a proven interest in therapy and service dog temperament. Also they do not early spay neuter the pups but have a contract that let's you decide the appropriate age to neuter in combination with your vet.  That's a "must" for those of us that have studied this issue.  

Any other breeder on the list that you're considering should meet the same criteria.  Good luck on finding your new family member!!

Here's the link for the ongoing discussion on ESN.  Please read before you buy.

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...   

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would also add that most health testing doesn't mean much if it's done before the age of two, so in addition to looking at health testing, you need to know how old the dog was when it was done. 

[Ginny Nightingale]

Karen, does this include PennHip? I thought that could be done at a younger age--or is it still preliminary? They claim it is accurate at 16 weeks of age, although the people I know do it at the age of 8 months to 1 year. As far as i know, it does not have to be done again. A lot of the health testing has to be done every year in order to be accurate--eye exams and a few others.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I believe you're correct about Penn Hip. The testing for von Willebrand can also be done as early as 8 weeks. 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

OFA gives a preliminary opinion before 2 years of age but no final rating for a dog less than 2 years of age.  OFA only has to be done once IF the dog is at least 2 years old…if less than 2, you need to retest at age 2. My understanding is that PennHip is a more accurate/predictive test.

[Ginny Nightingale]

That is correct as far as i know, Cheryl! 

[Julie]

I have been reading up on that thread about ESN and agree that it is the best way to go, that's going to keep Spring Creek at the top of my list.

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

I'm not familiar with Spring Creek, but I know Ludo's dad came from Spring Creek.

[Wendy and Myla]

I'm pretty sure that most reputable breeders that do ESN will let you make the ultimate decision when buying a puppy (just in case that is swaying your decision from some breeders).  I know Myla's breeder did. 

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

My daughter's dog is from Springville Labradoodles. I will send you a private message in order to share some details of our experience.