In Part 1 of this blog we looked at some of the tests quality breeders will run on their breeding dogs, we also looked at the importance of picking a breeder who cares for the emotional and physical well being of the puppies, someone who does not leave it to chance. In Part 2 we will be looking at other considerations. For the sake of simplicity, I will list them below.
1) Can the breeder show you pictures of the parent dogs?
2) Look at all pictures in the breeder's website and social media. Do the dogs look well taken care of? Are the facilities and all equipment used clean?
3) Do the parent dogs live on site? How many dogs live on site? Do all parent dogs live within breeder's property or does the breeder use guardian homes (forever homes) for their parent dogs? Do the dogs sleep inside or outside? If inside, are they inside breeder's home or a facility within the breeder's property?
It's important to know the parent's dog living situation, as it will give you a better understanding of how the breeder cares for the dogs he/she owns.
4) How many different breeds does breeder breed? As a very general rule, most reputable , quality breeders are not in the business of selling more than two types of breeds. However, you may find someone who is a quality breeder and breeds more than 2 types of breeds, but that is not the norm.
5) Does the breeder provide a 2 yr or longer genetic health guarantee?
6) How many times will they allow their dams to whelp? How old is the dam? Most reputable breeders will only allow their dams to have puppies a maximum of 3 times in the dams lifetime. Reputable, responsible breeders will not breed a dam on her first cycle. However, there is some question as to the second cycle, some believe it's too soon, others believe it's the best time to breed a dam for the first time. Many breeders will not breed a dam before her second birthdate. You will find many breeders that for very good reasons might disagree with each other in this area. Also, responsible breeders will not breed their dams after they turn seven years old.
7) Will the breeder provide you with a copy of the adoption/sale contract before accepting payment?
8) Is breeder willing to take the dog back, if there was ever a need to rehome him/her? Quality , responsible breeders never want to see puppies they raised go to shelters. They will often offer to take the puppy back and rehome or they usually help place the puppy with another loving family.
9) Does breeder do inbreeding (the mating of closely related dogs)? Mating of closely related dogs is a no no in the labradoodle world. The more inbred a dog is, the higher the COI or coefficient of inbreeding, the more likely that pups could inherit recessive genetic diseases.
10) Is the litter I'm considering low to non shedding? Contrary to popular belief there is no such thing as a completely hypoallergenic dog. All dogs shed, even if it's barely noticeable. Some dogs are considered hypoallergenic because of their very low shedding qualities. The less shedding a dog has, the less dandruff you'll come into contact with and the less likelihood you'll have an allergic reaction. People can also be allergic to dogs saliva. So, if you are allergic to dogs and are considering a "hypoallergenic dog" please make sure you are not allergic to the saliva of the puppy you are considering adopting. Rest assured you will be kissed by this dog for the rest of his/her life, so make sure you are not allergic:) Please know, all puppies shed their puppy coats, that is normal. Low shedding dogs might only shed when you brush their coats.
11) Can breeder provide references?
12) Does breeder belong to any Labradoodle or Australian Labradoodle clubs or associations such as WALA, ALAA, or ALCA? If not, why not? These breed clubs usually set very high standards for breeders. Breeders have to pay yearly for membership and they must meet all the breed club's requirements to keep that membership. There are some quality breeders that do not belong to these breed clubs. These breeders either choose to not apply for membership or they are working towards meeting some of the club's set requirements. At this time, Rainier Labradoodles does not belong to any breed clubs, but we are working towards membership. I have set very high standards for our program comparable to WALA 7 stars (hips, elbows,DNA profile, EIC, PRA/prcd, CAER ophthalmologist, patellas, Cardiac OFA) and ALAA Gold Paw standards . At this time, we at Rainier Labradoodles are working on meeting the following requirement in order to be considered for membership: having 3 generations of fully health tested dogs, this will take some time. We do plan on becoming members of a breed club in the future.
13) How much experience does the breeder have?
As I look to adopt a new member to join our fur family, I use the above requirements and considerations. After all, we are getting into a forever loving relationship with this puppy. If the breeder has done their due diligence, then we have a better chance of adopting a healthy, happy, emotionally balanced forever friend.
I know this is a lot of information to take in so I have made a PDF form in order to simplify the process of finding an Australian Labradoodle breeder. I use this form to compare potential breeders. In the form, I give a point for each requirement met by the potential breeder. I look at their final score and I compare their prices. This helps me make a much more informed and better final decision. I added Rainier Labradoodles to the form, since after all, I do need to find great homes for our fur babies ;) Feel free to download and print the form. I only ask that you use it only for personal use. Also, for some reason I cannot attach pdf's to this blog so I have placed it my website under tab "Adopting A Puppy", "Adopting A Puppy PDFs", Find the PDF titled "How To Find A Quality Labradoodle or Australian Labradoodle Breeder".
Hope this information helps you make a more informed and better decision as you look into adopting your new Australian Labradoodle or Labradoodle best friend.
There are lots of responsible, quality, caring Labradoodle and Australian Labradoodle breeders out there. I hope that you feel better equipped to go find them!