Goldendoodle Buyer beware

[Tillypaws]

We have the most heartbreaking story to tell about our new puppy. Being a cautious person and a huge animal lover I thought I had done my research well regarding breeders of Minature Goldendoodles. I had my name down with 3 of the most highly recommended breeders . However none of these where personal recommendations. Lesson learnt.
My 2 children fell in love with her the moment they saw her as did we but it became clear within the first 48 hours that there was some thing not right with her. We took her to the vet immediately for a full health check. We had another 3 visits to the vet and 2 dog behaviour experts saw her over the next 2 days . We were desperate . We were being told by all the professionals that she was showing anti social behaviour ( fear aggression) and that we should return her immediately to the "hobby" breeder. I have never known my children cry so much. To make matters worse the breeder accused us of mistreating her . She has advertised her for sale again !! Please beware this adorable looking puppy is not well. She needs a quiet home with no children and plenty of socialising lessons. I have had rescue dogs in the past and know that this kind of behaviour is disastrous around children. We now have the most gorgeous little lady who settled in within days . My children will never forget the heart break in saying goodbye to our puppy but our new pup is helping heal the broken hearts.

[holmessweetholmes]

Awww - she's gorgeous! The thing I am most looking forward to apart from actually having a dog is telling dd that we can have one. Even though we have always said no before, she still asks about 20 times a week. She has to be torn away from other people's dogs when we are out (but always sensibly asks owners if she can stroke their dog). I'm pretty sure she has no idea we are even considering it! She will be utterly beside herself.

[overthemill]

Dogs are wonderful pets for a family. You must check temperament first though to ensure a happy home. My two labradoodles are/were so soft and cuddly. They each used to pick up and put back in right ace our hens who had flown the coop and our current one recently brought back our lost tortoise!they are such softies. As are all manner of other breeds.

Btw with regard to health: by breeder sister has loads of dogs (currently five) and one of her first dogs had lymphoma. She spent £20 k of her redundancy money treating her. A pedigree golden retriever. Our old labradoodle also had cancer (nasty growth in spine) but sadly wasn't treatable. Our current labradoodle has a slipped disc. All not breed (cross) specific. You can't look into the future

[tabulahrasa]

For me it's all about health testing and whether people are doing everything they can to breed ethically, responsibly and trying not to add to the rescue situation.

I don't remember my dog's KC name without going and looking it up (because it's stupid mostly, lol) it's mildly interesting to see whether his relatives at Crufts look like him, but only mildly.

He actually has a few health issues ironically enough, but, I do know they're nothing to do with his breeding and that his relatives aren't similarly affected and still being bred - which is what health testing offers.

It doesn't stop random bad luck, but you at least know your dog's breeder isn't out there wilfully breeding dogs with illnesses because they are taking health seriously.

To me that doesn't make any difference whether they're pedigrees, crosses or completely mixed mongrels.

Out of my own personal choice I'd take a rescue first (when getting this dog I had other opinions to take into account) then a responsibly bred puppy second best and wouldn't give money to someone who can't even be bothered to health test their dogs at all.

Like I said any popular breed suffers from bad breeding, the problem is that with poodle crosses not only are they popular, but people do believe that they're inherently healthier when that isn't the case at all.

I also think there are some breeds that just shouldn't be bred from ever, but that doesn't make any bad breeder justifiable just because someone else is breeding dogs that are unhealthy.

[Owllady]

I thought people were crossing with poodles because they don't moult?

There is a very funny radio sketch 're crufts and dog breeding, I will try and find it..

[Owllady]

m.youtube.com/watch?v=wx0lgwUFMJk

Very funny

[Aked]

Holmes I also have a mutt. Judging from her looks and personality/traits we think she is a Flat Coated Retriever x Border Collie. She is a stunning dog, people often stop and ask what breed she is. I tell them to take their pick! She was also a rescue, and I got her at around 12 weeks.

I really think rescue is the only way to get a non-designer crossbreed now. In the olden days you used to see them advertised as pups, generally from someone who hadn't had their bitch spayed and who had succumbed to the local bloke! Now they all have names so that the breeders can slap a price tag on them. I am also a VN and have met a wide variety of 'breeds' that are actually just a mutt. People are quite offended when you refer to them as the latter.

Love my mutt, or perhaps I may start introducing her as Flacollie:)

[Aked]

Flacollie

[tabulahrasa]

Owllady - poodles don't moult, but crossed with a moulting breed the puppies may well and there's no real way of predicting coat type, it can be any combination including a poodle type coat that moults like a lab (which is a lot)

[Owllady]

Aww aked, she's lovely :)
People have approached me (I am not joking) to ask if I would breed from my dog, my neighbour even suggested a dog she could be matched with. She's spayed :)

I don't understand the no moult thing actually. If you shaved all their fur off, would none grow back?

I know the cross breed litters look completely different. Our area is full of different types of doodle.

[therealeasterbunny]

Haha, I wish it were true that poodle crosses didn't moult, my house constantly has a brown tinge to it because of the amount of hair that my labradoodle sheds! I did know this before we got him though, so it wasn't a surprise!

FWIW, I absolutely do not care what people call my dog, I used to introduce him as a lab x poodle, but people always used to say 'oh a labradoodle,' so I gave up and just say labradoodle now! I am more than happy with mongrel, mutt, hybrid etc, to me he is just my dog and I don't care how people refer to him! I don't understand why anyone would get offended, you must know if you buy a chiuahuah crossed with a yorkie that you don't really have a Chorkie, that's a made up word?!

I don't get the non moulting thing either. My cairn never moults, but he must get a new coat...so where does the hair go?! I know his hair grows because we have him clipped...so it's a mystery!

[VetNurse]

Easterbunny can I ask why you got a Labradoodle in the first place? I'm not having a go but years ago they would have just been called a lab cross. It seems that since all these ridiculous oodle names have come along their popularity has gone wild.

[tabulahrasa]

"I don't understand the no moult thing actually. If you shaved all their fur off, would none grow back?"

It grows like hair, people don't moult either, lol.

Most dogs have fur that gets to a certain length and falls out, so they constantly shed fur and once or twice a year they blow their whole coat to get ready for a change in season.

Dogs that are non moulting grow their hair continuously, so you'll get the odd loose hair coming out when you brush, but mostly it just keeps growing...if it gets long enough I believe it doesn't get any longer (a bit like how some people can only grow their hair to a certain length) but that's usually longer than is comfortable so they get it trimmed instead.

[therealeasterbunny]

I got him because I used to work in a veterinary hospital so I met an awful lot of dogs, and I just loved their personalities when they came in, I never met a 'bad' one in the way that I have met some not so nice poodles and labradors. I also have a couple of friends who have them and they make great family dogs and I knew that at some point I would want children (I now have one actually!) so that was important. I know that labs and poodles are also lovely and we were very close to getting a lab, but in the end opted for a labradoodle. We figured that if we put as much energy as we could into finding a good breeder who carried out all of the necessary tests, and we got a first generation one (so no chance of inbreeding at any point in history), then hopefully it would actually be healthier than a pedigree. As I have said upthread, we also have a cairn who has had all sorts of health troubles (heart murmur, crutiate repair, knee joint issues, arthritus- and he's still only 7), so pedigree means nothing to me really.

[Aked]

you must know if you buy a chihuahuah crossed with a yorkie that you don't really have a Chorkie, that's a made up word?!

You would think.... But no, some people really believe they have a Chorkie! (And paid a lot of money for it too!)

Thanks Owl:) (Have started agility btw - she's a natural, we are loving it )

[therealeasterbunny]

Haha, thanks for spelling Chihuahuah correctly, I knew it didn't look right!

[Owllady]

Agility is addictive. I am glad you are enjoying it :)

[Aked]

Haha! Actually now I look there is still an extra "H' on the end!

That's a Chihuahua crossed with a Horse

[therealeasterbunny]

Now that would be a special breed! I think people would pay an awful lot of money to see that!

[VetNurse]

But I bet the only reason you saw so many in practice is because they became popular due to their name. That's what I am trying to get at. Crossbreeds are not new and my family dog growing up was a crossbreed who we got for £50 and was due to an accidental mating. I just think it's complete madness that people now pay so much for a crossbreed when rescue centres are full of them. By buying these designer crossbreeds then it is making a demand and therefore more breeding is happening. This is why I do not agree with them.

[therealeasterbunny]

But paying that much for ANY dog is madness, surely? Unless you have a specific need for a particular type of working breed. High prices aren't exclusive to 'designer' breeds.

I didn't really see that many in practice, enough for me to form a positive opinion of them, but not an abundance of them. When I say in my post 'I met an awful lot of dogs' I meant dogs of a variety of breeds, and labradoodles just stood out to me as consistently lovely.

No, crossbreeds aren't new, but I see no reason why it is any more crazy to pay 800 for a labradoodle than it is to pay 800 for a labrador, as long as both come from responsible breeders, and mine absolutely did.

[motmot]

Viva was it a pondengo puppy? Or a similar sounding name, I remember a thread where the puppy was barking and pushed a brick out of the shed and kept barking through the hole it had made? And the breeder went completely silent. If that was you, what happened with the pup, if you don't mind my asking?

[VetNurse]

But to me no responsible breeder would breed crossbreeds. There is no need for it. Sorry to go on but it's something I feel quite passionate about.

[JontyMyers]

exactly vetnurse i own 5 pure breed dogs all from excellent bloodlines with glowing temperaments and health records which i paid £1k plus for each to ensure they were pure breeds from excellent KC breeders it drives me nuts when i see X breeds advertised for £300 a pop with no background to them

[Mylovelylovelyhorse]

Surely the 'd' in labradoodle comes from the Labrador poodle

so a golden retriever crossed with a poodle should be a goldenoodle or mutt

and for that reason they're ridiculous

[[http://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/nov/13/inventors-idea-regret look]] even the guy who 'invented' them thinks so