Want A Labradoodle Puppy..

[dulce]

HI there,

my parents are looking into getting a Labradoodle puppy, does anyone know any uk breeders??

thanks

 

[KathyM]

There are generally lots of labrador crosses in rescues

Is there any particular reason why a Labradoodle?

 

[dulce]

my mum just likes them i think?? we lost our 2 old dogs this yr and they just like them !

 

[KathyM]

Awww, well it would definitely be worth looking at a lab x in rescue then! I think some people have this idea that rescue dogs are all older dogs with issues, but we've had a right mix here, our current dog being a pedigree bullmastiff that we adopted as a puppy. It really makes a difference to rescue too - for every dog placed in a home, another can be saved from death row in UK pounds. Sadly hundreds of dogs are dying in pounds every week just because there are no rescue spaces for them (pounds and rescues are very different things).

Otherwise, I wouldn't really recommend buying a crossbreed from a breeder - the majority of crossbreeds bred purposefully are not done so responsibly, especially when it comes to fad crossbreeds like Labradoodles, Cockerpoos, etc.

Oh hang on, got a dead good link for you:

http/www.rykat.org/forums/index.php?act=idx

That's The Refuge - a message board with info on loads of dogs in rescue (and private rehomings), with a lovely welcoming chat board too.

 

[MegTheFish]

^ I agree. Look at shelters if you want a crossbredd, don't go to some backyard breeder and support what their doing. And if you really want a purebred, find a responsible breeder that has registered dogs. And defently stay away from the puppy in the petstore window, my cousin recently bought a small white terrier (forget the breed) from PetLand (AKA puppy mill). And then my other cousin liked the dog so much he went back and bought its sibling...(sorry, personal rant)

 

[dulce]

yeah we went to a an rspca centre and they had a litter last yr that went quick, i am gonna have a ring around the rescue places tomoz. I only found out this morning so very excited for them we lost 2 older dogs in a month this yr and the void is HUGE. We still have a german shep who is 10 and he is very lonely and we are hoping it will give him a bit of a new lease of life, but we tried to adopt a great dane when he was 4 but they fought so we are ideally looking for a ***** who is a puppy. They went to see one today but the one they liked was a boy so not sure but its been bred in a home with kids and is hip scored etc.... so they are going about it carefully but i get the impression they want something quick!

just wondered if anyone knew of any puppy, they seem difficult to get hold of ... had a surf and they can look very different! Bit speculative about the not shedding knowing what our lab was like ha ha..

 

[KathyM]

LOL yes that's one of the ploys of the backyard breeders, they say Labradoodles don't shed because the poodle coat comes through. It's a load of cack really though, because you can't predict crossbreeding the way you can pedigree - some will end up shedding like labs (ie a lot as you know *lol*) and some may shed less like poodles. There's also so many differences and inherited disease that is unpredictable in crossbreeding too. It seems to be true that the true mongrels (ie not a direct cross of two pedigrees) can be healthier, purely because their gene pool is bigger and they tend to even out, but in cross breeding of two breeds you're getting the genetic risks as well as the qualities of both or either parent.

IMO you can't beat a rescue dog - yes some can have problems, but if you go to a good rescue that assesses their dogs properly, you can have one "matched" to your situation and current dog/family. And to be honest you can get some real problem dogs off breeders too, with pups it's all about the work you put in when you get them. Dharma (the bullmastiff) came to us from Bullmastiff rescue when she was 5 months old. She'd not had any training, didn't even know her name. She'd been kept in a yard with little socialisation. She's been to classes with me and is now Level 3 obedience trained (it would've been a lot higher but the class closed and I've been a bit laxbecause she's a good dog *lol*).

We do clicker training with Dharma - it's very rewarding, it's the best method of training, and really helps you bond with a new dog (especially pups that can drive you up the wall). I'd really recommend looking into classes when the new pup arrives

 

[dulce]

yes it will be trained, we did all of our others as my nephew who is 7 lives with us and you need a reliable dog with kids! our geran shep went and i think he did a couple of stages but he would never fetch cause he hated holding things in his mouth !

 

[Jessica13]

Please dont get a labradoodle There are so many people breeding them just because they're 'in fashion' with no regard to the health and welfare of the parents or puppies, most often having done no health checks on either parent, it makes me so angry!!

I suggest either a rescue dog who desperately needs a home, or a Curly Coated Retriever (beautiful dogs).. But please dont fill some puppy farmers pockets

 

[dulce]

we have no intention on buying from anything but a home, we are looking for a rescue but the requirements are quite particular but we are investingating those routes!

 

[Jessica13]

A lot of these people will tell you that their dogs are family pets or something and make out that the dogs live in the house with them etc, but then you'll find out that they keep them all in sheds in the garden (has happened to me before!!) so you cant be sure what you're getting. If you go to a breeder who's dogs are KC registered, you can check what health checks they've had done on the dogs and whether the dogs are good enough to be bred from. Or a rescue is always a good thing. Have you tried http/www.freewebs.com/manytearsrescue They have ex puppy farm dogs. They often need a lot of work but my friend has a couple from there and they are the most loving dogs!!

 

[morgan]

I doubt very much that you would get a Labradoodle from a rescue centre. They are very sought after and in short "supply". I am not a dog expert I only know this because Graham Norton was on TV with his (it was lovely) and he was talking about it. They are popular because they don't shed hair so are good for people with allergies. Plus they are very cute!

 

[KathyM]

There are lots of labrador crosses in rescue to be fair, and I hope I've already dispelled the myth of them not shedding. It's a selling ploy by those that breed them.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

another thing to keep in mind about designer breeds is that the parents aren't going to be high-quality pedigree stock; this will make the parents more likely to carry negative breed traits and increase the likelihood of these traits being passed along to the pups.

 

[dulce]

There are rescue ones, the RSPCA place locally had a litter in last yr that went out very fast, we have been investigating and the one they have reserved is just a lab cross poodle dad, i agree the further generations can bring out the less desirable test but the poodle dad has been certified for the skin thing (cant remember the name of it) that needs to be renewed every 2 yrs, its their first litter and they only have the one ***** and stud. They are both hip scored (though we have had dogs with parents both scoring brilliantly who have had terrible hips so its no guarentee) i found someone local who we visited today just to see her adult who was all the right things.. in the home etc who clearly was breeding for the money she had a large male poodle, 3 labs, 1 retriever who she said she hadnt bred cause they were so young but i rekon are rescues to be honest ! Anyway they have found a black male from the home with the kids who its their first litter and have all the health docs so i think they will go with him. The woman we went to today was hilrious saying he had bad skin and said oohh i can tell from just looking - ACTUALLY he had just been eating porridge ha ha ha ha anyway he was cheap by standards apparently which is always a good sign they are not just in it for the cash... having spent about 10 million hours on the net we are pretty happy he is a good choice and not fuelling any bad genetics or anything ! will post pics in a min he is only 4 weeks - unfortunately i wont actually see him as i am going travelling for a yr next wed and they pick him up on teh saturday - gutted!