Good labradoodle breeders?

[coyotee]

Does anyone have experience with reputable labradoodle breeders (in UK)?

I’ve got my heart set on a labradoodle (or a goldendoodle would be ok) but I’m struggling to find a good breeder who health tests their dogs, socialises the puppies properly etc etc.

If anyone has any suggestions where I could look it would be really helpful.

It would be a million times easier to find a breeder of a poodle, Labrador or retriever.

Crossing brings the issue of having to find a breeder who health tests both breeds plus the uncertainty of what you’ll get.

Most people are obsessed with the hypoallergenic part and don’t think about the fact that lots of doodles are neuriotic, have the health issues of both breeds, can be very nervous, are prone to resource guarding and separation anxiety. To top it off the coats are hard to maintain and can still shed. As someone who works with dogs I would never have any sort of designer dog and I certainly wouldn’t pay for a fortune for one.

Still, I’m sure all of the doodle owners will be on to jump on me now.

I agree.
If you can’t find a ‘good’ cross breeder, find a good breeder of poodle/lab/retriever.

I am absolutely NOT a dog person but relatives have used this lady and really rate her m.facebook.com/cosmicraysaustralianlabradoodles/

@Maneandfeathers - totally agree with you.

I have an Australian labradoodle and happy to share my breeders details via PM. I have been really happy with both the support and aftercare and my boy is lovely. I did a lot of research before committing, but I specifically wanted an ALD so similar but different, and wanted a pup from health tested parents.

@ShavingTheBadger I can’t get behind a breeder who’s first post is about rehoming (or a cleverly named ‘guardianship scheme’) a presumably ex breeding dog. It’s either that or a dog that’s currently breeding and they want someone to look after it and for them to use it as they see fit, so she profits from someone else’s pet essentially.
Either way no reputable breeder would consider this, all of the breeders I know adore their animals as family and would not get rid once they are no longer profitable.
It looks like a clever front for a puppy farm type business to me.

So it’s had x litters, made you a fortune and now you can’t be bothered to care for it in its retirement, lovely

The breeders I know adore their animals, not a chance would they rehome them once their use is up.

If it's a first generation cross, you only need to test for the recessive genetic illnesses common to both breeds. So that's one thing to be aware of. And provided one parent comes up clear, you don't actually need to test the other, unless you want to guarantee that no puppy will even carry the disease in question. If it's a second generation cross, I'd want to see testing unless it's known that one parent is 'clear by descent' (neither parent carried any of the known dodgy genes).

Hip testing, on the other hand, I would want to see for both parents with those breeds.

As PP have said, you'll find it easier to find a purebred with those requirements. I have nothing against crosses/ non KC dogs ( I've owned two) - all pedigree dogs are in a sense 'designer dogs' - but it's hard to find people who breed them with a clear aim in mind.

@Maneandfeathers I do agree with you re the guardian thing - I think it’s mean and I can’t get my head around why you’d offer to do it. But she is a proper breeder, does it all at home, checks the lineage properly, stays in touch with her puppies owners afterwards. Like I said - I’m not a dog person - I’m not even a pet person. But she is definitely legit.

We adore our labradoodle, he’s definitely more than the sum of his parts and couldn’t imagine either a poodle or labrador. That said, he does have high octane energy levels (ie bonkers!) so read up on training and keep them entertained. But he has the sweetest loveliest nature.

We got him from Annette in Bedfordshire (Annette’s Labradoodles). She’s a small scale home breeder of 20 + years. You get a morning’s “antenatal” class with her and a dog behavioural expect when you collect the puppy and lifetime support. We live the other side of the country and she was definitely worth travelling to to find the right puppy.

Also, the parents are fully health checked with paperwork shown from the veterinary services.

Personally I don't think you get good breeders of any cross.

Occasionally someone who breeds a pedigree dog that has an accidental non pedigree litter is going to be a reasonable breeder but other wise they are someone who has jumped on the band waggon.

[quote ShavingTheBadger]I am absolutely NOT a dog person but relatives have used this lady and really rate her m.facebook.com/cosmicraysaustralianlabradoodles/[/quote]
(Please read on past my particular breeder rant, to know that I am not anti crossbreeds in themselves at all.)

On a quick Google, this breeder seems to be very reticent about giving details of their location and their licence number.

They are far more forthcoming with their 'guardian families' opportunities - for which I would read that they ship bitches out to other people so they don't have to bother or pay to keep them in between litters that are floggable. The best part of this is they make it sound as if they're doing the guardian families a favour LOL. It probably also reduces their numbers for licensing purposes.

Given the 'Australian Labradoodle' tag, which seems to be code for charging an even more utterly ridiculous amount of money for spurious reasons, and suffice to say I wouldn't touch that particular breeder with a bargepole.

More generically ...

As above, I am not 'anti' any well-bred dog, but you do need to recognise that well-bred crosses of this type are very much the minority.

In addition, you should also note that many of the Labrador/Golden x Poodles are very large, and very boisterous indeed, so do make sure you know what you're letting yourself in for and have a good training plan in place.

If you do decide to continue, then you need a breeder that hip and elbow scores (there should be a BVA/KC number which is shown as e.g. 2/2 for hips, 0/0 for elbows - the lower the scores, the better the result) and eye tests (again, official health testing results, preferably DNA testing rather than just clinical testing).

Note that 'vet checked' means very little.

If you do find a breeder, assuming they will be licensed, please ensure that you contact their licensing authority and check how many dogs they are licensed for. Often kennels can give a very convincing impression of being a loving family breeder, then the licence details will demonstrate that there are many more dogs kept elsewhere. (Mind you, I suspect the breeder above's 'guardian families' approach will fudge those numbers too.)

Puppy buying in ALL breeds is a minefield these days, and puppy farming is a huge welfare issues. Please buy carefully and don't support the industry.