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.

If you look at Many Tears Abra1d (for example), you can do a search for breed/type of dog, or age of dog, or M/F etc. They have 228 dogs at the moment, spread between their centre in LLanelli and foster homes across the UK...and currently none of them are SBTs (although I'm sure they will have them in the future). MTAR

And aww, they have a one year old Corgi who needs a home too.

There are breed specific rescues for most breeds these days, sad state to be in, but obviously a requirement. DD is currently wittering on about wanting a Jack Russell, so I spend some time on the JRT Rescue pages Terriers. So bloody sad.

It is tragic. I don't know what the answer is. I just don't think many people have a clue what dog ownership means and what you are committing to. Poor dogs. :(

Working dogs are over bred too though and the litter that can't/won't work are often seen as a waste product. I find that hard to stomach too

How old was the puppy?

This all sounds very odd to me.

I get really fed up with this myth that if you want a rescue dog you are going to only be able to choose a Staffie.

Yes, there are masses of Staffies in rescue (and they make wonderful pets) but pretty much every single breed (except possibly some reallly obscure ones) has its own breed rescue. For popular breeds such as labs,poodles or GSDs there are in fact a very large number of rescues that specialise in these breeds. Many of these specialist breed rescues cover the whole of the UK, so you might have to travel a bit, but the same applies when you are looking for a specialist breeder.

Just thinking about my own rescue contacts, as well as my own speciality of sighthounds (and there are innumerable specialist rescues for greyhounds, lurchers, Salukis and whippets) I can think of people i know who are directly involved in breed rescue for Great Danes, collies, spaniels, GSDs and terriers. When I did my KC Gold Award, two thirds of the class had rescue dogs, mostly pedigrees. Our Rally class where I take one of our greyhound bitches is taught by a lady with a rescue dog, (who competes at a high level), and of the other classmates, at least four of the five others have rescues.

Our two local all breed rescues are Hope Rescue and Four Paws. Just by having a quick look on their websites, as well as Staffies and Staffie X, I can see Yorkies, JRT, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rotties, Daschund, Lurchers, Sheltie, various mutts, GSD, collies, cockers, Pekinese, etc etc. and ranging in age from 8 weeks to 12 years old.

I for one am extremely offended at the suggestion that my labradoodle is anything other than perfect, 'mongrel' or not. Who cares what I paid for her, she is incredible. And beautiful. And so so clever. I decided to get her for a list of very good reasons, none of which I should have to justify. People get 'mongrels' all the time and I've never seen anyone say 'what do you expect, you have a mutt??' How bloody rude!! I have owned a kc registered Labrador in the past who was also an outstanding dog but in the end (14 years of age) was riddled with tumours

Nothing wrong with a mongrel. What is wrong is people purposely breeding them when rescue centres are full of them.

Being a parent of 3 young dc I could never take in a rescue dog where it's past is a big question mark. Pups are rare and snapped up quickly and as much as people say Staffs are wonderful, it's not a risk I'm willing to take.

A poodle is a lovely breed, as is a lab. Both family friendly good natured dogs. I wanted qualities from both (and no, not a curly coat for the image) I also wanted to choose the breeder and pup and be particular about how it's first 8 weeks were like. I would be able to do this with a rescue dog. We visited out pup weekly from 2wo and bonded so much during these visits. She settled so well since and has been an absolute angel.

It bugs me massively when people feel they can judge others on their choices. Yes it would be wonderful for their to be no more dogs in homes but these dogs are not suitable for everyone. The ones they're not suitable for, what do we do??

I also wanted to choose the breeder and pup and be particular about how it's first 8 weeks were like. I wouldnt be able to do this with a rescue dog We visited out pup weekly from 2wo and bonded so much during these visits

Yeah you would. Not choose the breeder, obviously, but plenty of Rescues take in pregnant bitches and 'advertise' them as 'ready from XX date barring complications'. We saw Mutt dog twice before we took her home, the only reason it wasn't more was because she was 3 hours away.

Pups aren't that rare in Rescue, lots of dogs are abandoned because they get pregnant, and lots of pups are dumped as soon as they are born (like my Mutt, who was zipped up in a sports bag with her sibs and left by a bin)

I'm afraid I am very cynical when people say "Oh I like labs and I like poodles so I wanted the best from both breeds." Labradoodles have become a business, nothing more. They are a fashion that will die out. 20 or 30 years ago no-one would have said that, and no-one would have paid good money for one.

20 years ago my Collie Lab Cross managed to scale a 6 ft fence and get out for a sneaky shag with another Collie Mutt. The resulting 6 puppies were stunning, they all looked like Golden Collies. I made no money on them, because even then I knew it was my fault. I paid for their first injections and kept them for 12 weeks, before giving them away to responsible homes (as much as I could be sure). If I had made up ridiculous names for them (Labollie? Colador? Collab Retriever?) would people have paid big bucks for them? I wonder if I could have started a trend...

So the physiological damage which I want to avoid by steering clear of abandoned pups is irrelevant is it? In my area at least, you don't get pups in the centres for long. People who look to get a pup and can't afford a pure bred or cross breed sought after pup go to these places and take one. Some of these dogs end up back in the centre in no time as getting a dog in the first place hasn't been thought through properly.

I am a big believer in if you've saved long enough to get your pup (cost and vaccs necessary) you are unlikely to do so without really looking into it and making sure it's the right decision for you/your family.

Why would it bother you than someone would like the characteristics of both dogs and therefore if a cross was available, would want one? Why does anyone want any dog? If you're responsible enough you would consider the characteristics of the typical breed before making a decision.

Can I also just say by keeping those pups for 12 weeks, you could have seriously effected their behaviours when going on to their new homes. The ideal time for pups to leave their mother and siblings is 7-9 weeks. Fact. So well done?

Tolduso, have you read anything about that?? And you think it's fine? It definitely doesn't them any favours. Not sure why pp was trying to portray a service was being done by doing so!

Actually 12 weeks was recommended by a dog behaviourist and the vet, both of whom I consulted. They needed first vaccs at 8 weeks, second at 10 and the extra 2 weeks were in case of reactions/complications. 7 weeks is too early to leave mum, so I don't know where you get your 'fact' from.

I did the right thing, and know I did. I was disappointed in myself for letting the dog get pregnant, so wanted to be sure I have them the best chance.

They were well socialised, I did things like take them to supermarkets, parks, puppy classes and pet sessions and saw their new familes regularly. I stayed in touch with them for about a year afterwards and they were all still very happy.

Breeders and buyers of 'oodle' dogs sentence other dogs to death. There is no need for them, no requirement. Labradoodles serve no purpose other than being 'yet another' cute dog, 'yet another' designer breed and they spawned a million and one other ill-advisable crosses that are filling up the Rescue centres.

"This is also the time when a puppy will form its strongest bonds with the humans it spends its time with. So it’s within your best interests to have your Lab puppy during this time and expose it to your children, grandparents, friends and other family so the bond it feels with you and your circle is as strong as can be.

Bringing a puppy home at 8 weeks gives you just 4 weeks to do this, bringing one home at 10 weeks gives you only 2! Bringing the puppy home at 12 weeks means you’ve missed this critical period and socialization will now be much harder than it ever should have been.

A lack of decent socialization can result in the puppy being fearful of things, places and of human contact. A good breeder will have started this process before a puppy comes to you, but it’s the people with which the puppy will spend it’s life should do most of the socialization for the best results. This will put the puppy at greatest ease with the people and places where it will spend its future life."

You took them to supermarkets, parks, puppy training etc all within the first 12 weeks of age? Sorry but pups should not be out and socialising with other pets until 2 weeks after their last vacc therefore the earliest you should have done any of the able was 12 weeks, not within in. Your luck you didn't cause the problems!

Are you a behaviourist or vet Deckmyballs? Do you work with and have experience of Rescue dogs?

2 weeks after their first injections actually

We were told to bring our puppies of eight-plus weeks to puppy socialisation classes at the vet's. Obviously they knew that all the pups there had been vaccinated.

It's 2 weeks after their second vaccinations. Yes, I do have experience in this field.

The Puppy classes were organised by and in conjunction with the vet - are you telling me you know better?

What is your experience Deckmyballs? I'm concerned because you seem to be getting some things a bit wrong and you wouldn't want to advise someone badly, would you.

www.vets4pets.com/pet-advice/dog-advice/puppy-advice/vaccinating-your-puppy/

Just one of many sites advising re vaccs and going outdoors and socialising with other dogs.

From the PDSA:

Do puppies need their vaccinations before they can meet other animals

This is an important point. Puppies normally go to their new home at 8 weeks of age (and should be with their mother until this time), and at this age you should take your puppy to your vet to find out when they can be vaccinated. Some will have already had one vaccination (arranged by the breeder) and will be due for a second. Others will need their first vaccination, and then will be due a second one a couple of weeks later (depending on your vet’s advice). It’s important because socialisation involves meeting other animals, but your puppy needs to be protected from diseases first. When you’re at the vet’s, ask about puppy socialisation groups (sometimes called “puppy parties”) which lots of vet practices run to let puppies learn to socialise with other puppies. You should also ask for advice about socialising your puppy with dogs that are known to you and that are themselves fully vaccinated

My collie's socialisation with other vaccinated animals took place under supervision, recommendation and control. They also need exposure to everyday objects and scenarios to complete their socialisation - things like washing machines and hoovers, supermarket trollies, bikes, scooters and skateboards etc. They got all that