another doggie request

[robinb]

Wrong. Lots of people, including breeders that breed for show get their "stock" from out of the country. Dogs and cats alike.

I bought both my cats from a breeder in Canada. They are Japanese Bobtails and fairly rare. That being said, I would not buy an animal from Australia! How much would it cost to fly it to the US and how long would the flight be? My kitties were on a plane for only a few hours because I drove to Chicago to pick them up. ALSO ... there are rules about when an animal can fly. It can't be too hot or too cold.

 

[Frye7127]

Thank you for all of the replies. Actually, I do realize it is a "mutt" per se; however, it is what we want and have done a lot of research. Rutland Manor in Australia has worked with this breed for over 20 years. Actually, their labradoodles are not just a cross between a lab and poodle, but have infused with American/English Cocker Spaniels, Irish Water Spaniel, and the Irish Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. As far as the travel, there is no quarantine time.

Thank you again for insight and would welcome anymore from anyone who has one and/or is knowledgeable about them.

 

[jrmasm]

Actually, their labradoodles are not just a cross between a lab and poodle, but have infused with American/English Cocker Spaniels, Irish Water Spaniel, and the Irish Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier.

 

[robinb]

Thank you for all of the replies. Actually, I do realize it is a "mutt" per se; however, it is what we want and have done a lot of research. Rutland Manor in Australia has worked with this breed for over 20 years. Actually, their labradoodles are not just a cross between a lab and poodle, but have infused with American/English Cocker Spaniels, Irish Water Spaniel, and the Irish Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. As far as the travel, there is no quarantine time.

Thank you again for insight and would welcome anymore from anyone who has one and/or is knowledgeable about them.

It seems that someone has a "bone to pick" with Rutland Manor:
http://stoprutlandmanor.wordpress.com/

Specifically overbreeding of the *****es and back to back breeding with no rest. Kinda puts the "Rut" into "Rutland".

 

[Frye7127]

Thank you for that website and the information. Kinda opens your eyes! Well, not kind of, most definitely eye-opening. Thank you again.

 

[james'mommy]

Thank you for all of the replies. Actually, I do realize it is a "mutt" per se; however, it is what we want and have done a lot of research. Rutland Manor in Australia has worked with this breed for over 20 years. Actually, their labradoodles are not just a cross between a lab and poodle, but have infused with American/English Cocker Spaniels, Irish Water Spaniel, and the Irish Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. As far as the travel, there is no quarantine time.

Thank you again for insight and would welcome anymore from anyone who has one and/or is knowledgeable about them.

Those dogs are bigger mutts that mine. At least mine is just a rottie and a beagle. I guess I should have given the rescue more of a donation because she's only a 2 breed mutt not a "fancy" 6 breed mutt.

 

[lisajl]

My two cents: Don't get one.
Crazy, jumping, mess of a dog.

We have several clients that have these dogs.
They are different sizes (as with most breeds), they have different coat types, they are ALL hyper! Everyone of them is crazy!!

Thanks for allowing me to vent

 

[Mickey's Minion]

Thank you again for insight and would welcome anymore from anyone who has one and/or is knowledgeable about them.

That is the thing, you can't "know" about them because they are not a breed.

And as such, they will never breed true or with any consistency.

Since you are mixing two breeds, it is a total crapshoot on what you are going to get. There are thousands of combinations. Which combination of the two breeds are you going to get?

One person's labradoodle is going to be a completely different combination of the two breeds than the next person's. Even within a litter, you are going to get different combos. You may get the poodle coat with the lab temperament. You may get the lab coat (which sheds) or the poodle coat or a combo of the two, such as the poodle coat with the shedding factor of the lab. Will you get the sleek body of the poodle with the thick tail of the lab? Who knows?

If you are willing to accept that you will no more know what your dog is going to look or act like than if you picked up a mixed breed puppy out of a box at the grocery store, then go for it. At least as long as you make sure that the breeders have done their research, know what diseases are being carried in the bloodlines they are using of both breeds and have tested both parents for any and all diseases.

But, what you can't do is find out about the labradoodle like you would a purebred dog because it is a mix and therefore absolutely no consistency at all.

If you want to "know" about a breed, then you need to chose the carefully bred dogs that are actually breeds and breed true to their breed standard.

 

[golfgal]

My two cents: Don't get one.
Crazy, jumping, mess of a dog.

We have several clients that have these dogs.
They are different sizes (as with most breeds), they have different coat types, they are ALL hyper! Everyone of them is crazy!!

Thanks for allowing me to vent

I wouldn't say they are all hyper. We have 2 in our neighborhood and they can always be found lounging in their driveway, basking in the sun. They are far from hyper.

 

[coolshannie]

My family owns a minature Golden Doodle. We love her so much, she loves people, loves to play, and can be hyper when she wants to play, but other then that she loves to sit with the family. There are several labradoodles and goldendoodles in my neighborhood and they are all as friendly as can be. I think they make great dogs whether they are a "real" breed or not.

 

[rparmfamily]

Of course mutts are wonderful dogs, I think they are the best dogs personally. But mixing up a bunch of breeds does not make a new breed.

And I stand by my statement about the scams...the COST of the airfare alone from Austalia would be crazy, plus that's a very very long flight.

Plus I have a friend who was scammed on Craigslist by a "breeder in Australia", they wanted a Dobie. Dogs are very pricey here in HI and it was just too good to be true. They are out about $2k.

 

[mjkacmom]

I just checked out petfinder, and there are doodle rescue groups all over the place! There is a shelter 2 towns over from me, with a bunch of labradoodles who need homes.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

I have a friend with a labradoodle, and he is the most fun dog I know. He is very well behaved and not at all the "crazy" personality some people associate with labradoodles.

He came from a home in Southern Illinois. Here is their website if you are interested.

www.cedarhilllabradoodles.com

 

[daisax]

As others have pointed out, it's a simple mix, and the shelters are full of simple mixes (as well as more complicated, exotic mixes).

Ethical breeders of poodles and labs and goldens are not giving carefully bred puppies from health tested lines to puppy mills (even small scale ones). So they're starting off with questionable stock.

As others have pointed out, just mixing breeds does not create a breed. You need dozens of generations before dogs breed true. That means THOUSANDS of puppies that end up discarded because they do not meet the standard that the breeders are shooting for.

Yes, most modern breeds started as mixes of other things. Most modern breeds derived from working stock, however, and farmers kept what worked for them and killed what didn't. Large scale hobby breeding in the early part of the last century solidified many of what we consider our top breeds today -- the breeding practices of those large scale kennels are nothing that anybody can do ethically today. They were often run by millionaires who had full time staff members running the kennels, exercising the dogs, raising litters, and discarding those that didn't work out.

It's not a breed until you take a male and female of that type, breed them together, and get a litter of 3-7 puppies that look, act, and think like a pre-specified list of expectations. Sure there are variations, but an 8 week old Golden retriever and an 8 week old poodle should be very different animals and a mix of the two could look/act/think/behave like any conceivable combination of the two.

Add to that two completely distinct sets of historical health issues and you're doubling up on the possibility of a problem (despite claims of hybrid vigor). If you've got a poodle with a family history of seizure disorder and a golden with a family history of hip dysplasia, all the hybrid vigor in the world isn't going to keep that from popping up if the wrong combination is hit.

 

[walden]

It is a buyer beware situation. Do your research!

Yep, most modern breeds started by mixing breeds for certain qualities. It becomes a breed when several generations breed *true* or reflect the qualitiesthe breeder is aiming for consistently. AKc recognition comes later.

Rutland Manor has admitted that their labradoodles do not always breed true, regarding size, coat and temperament, so they are still, technically, mixes. If you want to spend the $$ to import a mix, by all means do so. A mix may be a truly delightful dog, but might not have the qualities you are looking for. Rutland Manor has been fairly upfront about this in the past. I'm not keen on breeders who ship overseas to pet owners, but that is just me.

Beware of local backyard and less than ethical breeders who charge designer prices for mixes. As others have said: anything goes when it comes to mixes!

Why not check out your local animal shelter? You may find the perfect dog there to fit your needs.

Good luck!

 

[yoopermom]

Please consider using petfinder to locate a dog at a shelter/rescue near you. You can only search by one breed, but what I did was put in your location, poodle for the breed, and "large" for the size (so as to weed out the toys). Here's an example of a seemingly nice one that came up:
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15377236

Note that he is currently in a foster home, which would be a more realistic setting for you to be able to judge whether or not he would fit in with your family.

And here's a lovely girl:
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15489647

I love what the shelter warns:
"This is a Labradoodle. We do not guarantee that any doodle that comes through our rescue is non shedding nor hypo allergenic. If you or a family member have allergies, do not apply for any of our doodle mix breeds. We recommend you adopt a purebred poodle for those of you with allergies."

Just a thought!
Terri

 

[Caribbean Kid]

I live in Australia, and own a Labradoodle.

Labradoodles began here in Australia back in the 1980s as guide dogs, and there are now several associations both here and in the US that are working to develop the Australian Labradoodle as a new breed.

I don't think it's a good idea to send a puppy (no matter what the breed) from Australia to the US. It's a 14 hour flight to LA alone, and considerably more to the Eastern states. With transport to and from the airport, that's a long, LONG time for a little puppy to be stuck in a crate in cargo (dogs can't fly internationally in the cabin).

In addition, the responsible Labradoodle breeders here in Australia already have their waiting lists full meeting local demand, and would have no need to sell puppies overseas. I'd be very suspicious of any breeder who was keen to ship one of their puppies that kind of distance. There are lots of scammers and puppy farmers in Australia and elsewhere, so it pays to be careful.

Fortunately, there are also many responsible Labradoodle breeders in the US to choose from. A good place to start looking is the Australian Labradoodle Association of America (ALAA) website.

They are absolutely wonderful dogs. Good luck!

 

[Mickey's Minion]

I have a friend with a labradoodle, and he is the most fun dog I know. He is very well behaved and not at all the "crazy" personality some people associate with labradoodles.

He came from a home in Southern Illinois. Here is their website if you are interested.

www.cedarhilllabradoodles.com

While this website is impressive and seems to say all the right things - lots of health clearances, spay/neuter contracts, lots of pretty pictures of dogs basking in the sun and playing in the snow, etc - there are plenty of clues that it is nothing more than a puppy mill with a good webmaster.

For instance, under adult dogs available, they have a 4 year old lab available that "has always been a kennel dog" but now they want her to experience a home, never been on a leash, not housebroken.

Really? This poor ***** has spent 4 years locked up in a kennel spitting out puppies? That is horrifying and just screams Puppy Mill.

Under the FAQ's they flat out admit that even though their vet tells them it is not healthy to breed a ***** on every cycle, they "occasionally" do it. And if they say "occasionally", you just know they do it more often than not.

You notice that nowhere on the site does it list or show pictures of its facility and nowhere do they mention these puppies being raised in a home situation around people. In fact, they admit their puppies are kept in "grassy" pens, sometimes with another dog for companionship.

For anybody that knows dogs and what ethical breeders are supposed to be about, this is one scary website when you really start looking at it.

 

[Disney Doll]

Our next door neighbors have 2, a black one and a yellow one. They are cute dogs, very active, good personalities, but one is mnost decidely Lab (will keep fetching until he drops dead of a heart attack) and one is most decidely poodle (looks at you with disdain when you throw something for him to fetch as if he were saying "You want me to what??? No, I don't think so".) I know they paid big bucks for them...I think $1500 apiece, for, as PPs have said, dogs that are essentially mutts. But they are cute and I do enjoy petting them!

 

[Jockaroo]

I'm trying to stay out of this. A dog is a personal choice. I do NOT recommend my breed to anyone, they can be difficult and temperamental and one needs a passion for these guys. I did go to the CedarHill website and saw this and it concerns me:

"The guardian home is a program many quality breeders are implementing. If you are approved as a guardian family, you'll receive a female puppy free to raise, train and care for as your own. The puppy will live with you, but we will retain breeding rights to her. She will live with you except to return to Cedar Hill for breeding, or to raise puppies. You pay for expenses related to daily upkeep (food, toys, routine vet care, etc). We pay for genetic health testing and vet visits that are related to breeding and whelping. We also pay you a fee whenever the dog has puppies, which helps cover your routine expenses. After raising several litters, your dog will be retired from our breeding program, and we will transfer complete ownership over to you."

This just doesn't sound right. Crank out as many pups as possible, but not provide the day-to-day care of the dog or really understand the dog's temperament. And for the people saying that dogs must breed true to be a breed, look at the huge variety of looks in the dogs produced here. There is no consistency. I also noticed that the occasional Golden Retriever is tossed in to the labradoodle mix.

To the original poster, it is good that you are doing research--this includes hearing the bad with the good and then making an intelligent choice for the family member that fits your lifestyle. Since these mixed or designer dogs are quite popular they do end up in lab, golden and poodle rescues. Good luck with your search.