Introduction and Labradoodle questions...

[powerstroke73L]

Hi-I found this site after being rather rudely treated on another webforum about general dog discussion. I was basically told that Labradoodles are lowly "mutts" and that I was encouraging "backyard breeding" by wanting information on them. The story is I am a dog lover and someone who has always had dogs. My fiancee always had dogs as a kid but has developed an allergy since leaving home. Her mother now raises seeing eye dogs and we see them every time we visit. She is mostly ok around them but will sometimes start sneezing-nothing major. Cats on the other hand she cannot bear to be near. Her allergist said that based on what specifically she is allergic to that any longhaired/non shedding dog would probably be ok. My mother has a Havanese which is a Bichon-Maltese mix and she is completely fine around that dog-no reaction whatsoever. So long story short, we want a large dog that we can live with comfortably. We are outdoorsy people who like to walk, hike, bike, etc...so a small dog would not fit our lifestyle. My mom's Havanese is a great dog, but it's hard to play frisbee with a dog that's the same size as the frisbee So basically my first question is, would an F1B Labradoodle be a good candidate for us given that another breed of longhaired dog does not bother her? We also try to keep a very hypoallergenic house (hardwood floors, furnace filter changed obsessively, etc...) as well which I understand can help when having dogs.

Next, how big can a male Labradoodle get? I'm not asking this because I fear we'll get one too big, on the contrary. We love large dogs and in fact we dog-sat for a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (140lbs/27" at the shoulders) recently and we had a lot of fun with him whether it was running around outside or lounging on the couch. Would a 90lb male be considered exceptionally large?

Finally, both Poodles and Retrievers are historically gun dogs. I am a hunter and mostly hunt deer, but also do a bit of waterfowl/upland (pheasant) hunting. Has anyone successfully trained a Goldendoodle or Labradoodle as a gun dog?

[KingstonTodd]

I'll answer the last question first, and come back when I have more time. Doodles can hunt. There is a local hunter here who uses a doodle to retireve shot geese and its great. We dont have ours trained, but when we play fetch in the dark they form a team and hunt for the ball in a grid pattern. I guess they have hunting instincts. Some doodles can be hyper, so temperment of the parents is a consideration when you choose a breeder. Good luck, and welcome to a doodle friendly forum!.

[blueteal]

I can answer the large size questions as I have a 92 pound Doodle who is very tall
31 inches. He is considered exceptionally tall but weight wise the standards can be in this weight range.....
Once you have done your research on a breeder and visited with her dogs(to test yourselves) then you should be able to determine the alergy
questions better...........No one can say to you to for sure that they will not cause alergies or be non shedding but
being around their dogs or others who have one from the same breeder may help you out .......
Good luck as they are fabulous dogs!!!!!!!!!!!

[lmtoth2]

Hi-

Getting a F1B should definitely help reduce the chance you could have allergy issues. That's why we got Dexter (a F1B labradoodle) because my husand has pet allergies. Kirby is a F1 Irish Setter Poodle (Irish SetterxPoodle) and my husband has no real issues with him except mild allergies when he cuts Kirby's hair.

A standard labradoodle should be in the size you're looking. Most standards are around 50+ lbs. Dexter is 60 lbs and trust me - he is a quite large dog I think 90 lbs would be on the larger end of things with labradoodles, but certainly not impossible. Most doodles I have met have been 50-80 lbs. I don't know much about hunting dogs, but both of our doodles have good tracking instincts...Kirby's are a little too good sometimes

Good luck - doodles are great dogs (goofy, loving, smart...sometimes a little too smart)

[lindamarie]

Sorry they were so rude to you at rhe other forum. Lowly 'mutts".........my word! That's how much they know..
I have owned pedigree dogs and mutts. Calling a Labradoodle a lowly mutt is so far from the truth!
Mine is a Service Dog and was trained and registered before he turned 1 year old last September.
They are soooooo intelligent! I swear, they look you right in the eye and communicate with you! ADORABLE dogs!

As far as allergies, you'd probably be better off with the F1b. There's never a guarantee on no shedding, but F1b is about as close as you can get.
My Bogart is an F1, so we have sme shedding, but not all that bad.

I'm not familiar with their capabilities as hunters......sorry.

Good Luck and let us know if we can help and what you decide.

[gene]

My Rumor (F1B) is 60# and quite tall and thin. He has a standard poodle build.

My Jonah (F1), light shedder, is 105# (?), is a little chubby....should be around 90/95# according to my vet.

[MaxandMe]

HI sooooo nice to meet and so happy you came here to introduce yourself and your fiance along with seeking information.

I have Max a F1 LD ...he's 26 in tall and weighs 70-80 lbs depending on time of year, he barely sheds and virtually little to no grooming is required
His coat is allergy friendly in our house as i have severe dog allergies plus my son is same and also has asthma
Max is now 2.5yrs old and hasn't shed for past 6mos

Peanut is a F1 goldendoodle, she has a nonshedding coat (cream one in picture) but i will say her coat catches weeds and whatnot when out back
on our 6 acres and needs trimming down every 4mos.

Both LD's and GD's have hunting instinct in them. Max points and flushes....peanut's nose follows every scent trail and she is fast and has an
extremely soft mouth. I don't hunt but i can say max cornered a groundhog and peanut scooped it up faster than i could blink. BUT the "drop it" command
worked immediately.I do know there are training programs and I would say many doodles would make excellent fowl hunters. MINE growl inside hearing the deer outside but dont' chase them much as i've worked hard on this. My neighbor bowhunts but Max/peanut flush him out high up in a tree most times

many standard LD's seem to average 24 to 27 in tall and seem to weigh 60 to 80lbs but then there's a few that get bigger and to me are so AWESOME!
( i am used to bullmastiffs, std poodles, great danes etc....tall and/or big dogs and I LOVE EM all)

IF you plan on hunting consider the coat....Peanut's fleece coat for hunting would need NOT to get longer than tops 2in
whereas Max (f1 LD) even sticky burrs are easily gotten out.
so depending on the type of hunting would a dog originating from a golden vs a lab more suitable? BOTH are very intelligent and LOVE training
as it stimulates their intelligence and more.

F1, F1b LD vs F1 GD....it's a personal choice and most are allergy friendly but not always 100% for some. Also if you have alot of carpeting then a
F1b might be a better choice? as i replaced all carpeting with laminate and some tile which helped reduce allergies tremendously.

I think you're making a good decision in looking at doodles who are very versatile : excellent family dogs, train well both in OB and hunting as there is ahunter here i've heard of that has a doodles he uses now, very lovable, people oriented , highly intelligent and the list of pro's continues.

[Jac]

Hi, welcome to the forum!
I know what you mean about the treatment you get...sometimes we have people come onto this forum to "convert" all of us and explain the error of our ways...but they usually get soundly corrected because we all love our dogs!
Many breeders are now breeding for smaller dogs. I personally like the larger ones. I mean, if you are taking a Labrador or Golden Retriever, you would have to breed down in size with small Poodles to get them as tiny as they are starting to get...which can compromise their structure. I perfer the standards.
As you have been told, some Doodles get very large (over 100 lbs) but most of the standards, as mentioned by Ann Marie, will stay between 50-80 lbs.
One of our breeding females, a Goldendoodle, comes from a mother who is a championship hunting dog and my girl certainly does have the instincts for hunting. Doodles generally do have good instincts because the Retriever and Poodle are retrieving dogs and water dogs...so they are bred to work.
Still, we have found that the breed results in a marvelously comical and sweet-natured dog. People are always amazed that we have our intact, breeding males and females living together in our living area, playing in the same yard and even eating from the same dishes...and rarely have any problems other than simple alpha dog assertions. (And even that is rare.)
Our pups have been very calm, sweet, loving and smart. Many of our pups have become service dogs.
So, don't be dismayed by the people who talk against these dogs. As time goes on more and more people are beginning to recognize the value of them...and more and more people are becoming Doodle families.
Where do you live?
If you would like to send a PM to me, I'll be happy to tell you more or answer your questions...I'll even send you my phone numer if you would like to talk and ask questions. (You can PM me...send a private message...by clicking on the PM near the envelope by my name.)
The most important thing, whether you buy a Doodle or pure bred dog, is to find a good breeder and make sure that the breeding parents are health tested and that the breeder offers a good warranty.
If you search this site, you will find a lot of good information about what to look for in a breeder...and if you look for posts about Sammie or Sammy (can't recall spelling) you will see a chronicle of a Labradoodle selected and trained as a gun dog...very successfully.
I would just say that you will likely want to keep your dog's coat clipped short during hunting season to make sure your dog doesn't get burrs and foxtails...but Doodles LOVE to swim!

[pringle's mom]

I think a doodle would be a great choice for your family. I have serious allergies and asthma but fortunately I am not allergic to my labradoodle, F1B i think, he was a rescue, or my new F1 goldendoodle puppy. Finn is an awesome retriever, and Gracie, 15 weeks, shows great retriever potential already. I do not hunt, but both train soooooo easily and love retrieving so much that I imagine you would have no problem training a doodle to be a hunting dog. I agree finding a good breeder who does health testing is important. Good luck in your search. The people on this site are awesome and I am sure someone will be able to help match you up. That's how I found my Gracie.

[mtd885]

If I could (physically) walk the fields again our Abby would be a Triple threat! She's a Therapy Dog and My Service Dog and wow a Field Champion what a lineup that would be!!! I have no doubt she could do it and love doing it. I hate the fact that I cannot do water training here because there are gators in every lake

[tuffystar]

I decided to test Tia a bit and have been seeing if she could sniff out her ball. She is so good at it that I have no doubt that Labradoodles can be trained to hunt or do anything else you want. Tia learns every trick very quickly and remembers them. She is still a youngster so she gets too excited to do every direction every time perfectly but she is darn good.

[cissy k]

GET ONE!!!