Looking to Breed Our Male Labradoodle!

[ecuddy]

My name is Elle, and my labradoodle's name is Remmington and he is interested in finding a girlfriend!
Remmington is a smart, fun-loving, and kind boy with a great personality and a fun sense of humor. He enjoys (among many other things) running, swimming, playing with us, chasing lizards, and eating steak.
He is a standard size F1, with a black hair coat.
We live in Orange county and it would be wonderful if we could find someone nearby!

[annieG]

Have you done any test (hips, elbows, eyes) on him?

[Jac]

Hi Ellie, welcome to the forum! Your Remmington is a cutie pie!

I am in California, and I would be happy to help you find out what testing is required for stud dogs and to give you pointers...but you might not find someone wanting to use Remmington...not because he isn't a great dog...but because he is black. Black puppies are very hard to sell (believe me, I have bred them for years now)...they are gorgeous, but not hightly sought after...and there are so many black puppies out there that the market is tough. So, you are starting out with a few strikes against breeding...

There are lots of things to consider too...like, do you have breeding rights for Remmington? Most reputable breeders only sell puppies with a strict spay/neuter contract and unless you paid quite a bit more for your dog, it is unlikely that you bought breeding rights...you might want to check with your breeder.

Finally, it is so important that we breed for good health, along with the wonderful temperament and personality that Remington has...and genetic faults can be carried even though they are not showing up in the dog. So, good breeders do a battery of tests to rule out genetic faults. Breeders with female dogs test their girls and won't use males that are not tested. So there are a few things that you need to invest in before you breed Remmington.

He is a beautiful boy and his coat is a lovely F1 coat...breeding him to a very curly F1B or Poodle would be the best.

I wrote a few articles for this forum, one deals with how to become a good breeder...even though you have the male and not female, you might want to take a look at the things that good breeders consider before breeding their dogs: http://labradoodle-dogs.net/ebooks/Dood ... Basics.pdf

Please let me know if I can help you with your questions. Best wishes...and wheter or not you decide to breed Remmington, I hope that you will continue to enjoy this forum!

[ecuddy]

No we haven't had any tests done on him yet, but we are planning to if anyone is interested.
I am aware that black doodles are less popular, though I can't see why, I personally like black best, (almost the whole litter he came from was black!) I am not sure whether or not we purchased the breeding rights as my Mum got him for me, though it is most likely that we did and I will check with the breeder as soon as possible. Thank you so much for your help, I'll check those articles out!

[Jac]

I agree with you about black Doodles...nothing is prettier than a shiny black coat! But I think that because they are so common that most breeders try to get other colors.
I am happy to help advise you, if you would like...feel fee to PM me if I can help.

[KingstonTodd]

I love black doodles too. Our Gus is a black and has the most colourfull personality. You would probably be able to get some interest from standard poodle breeders that are venturing into doodles, and the puppies would be F1b, which is a great generation of doodle for coat. Maye call a few local ones to test the waters and see if you get a warm responce (warning, you may not!). I would echo others here that he would have to be health tested first. You can google hip testing by PennHipp or OFA, as well as blood or DNA testing for other diseases, check out http://www.ingen.bs/ for a kit that tests for a lot of diseases by cheek swab and hair sample. And if Jac offered advice, take advantage, she was a great help to me. Thanks Jac!

[ecuddy]

Hey!
We sort of settled down our efforts for a little while as we were having trouble actually finding an un-spayed female labradoodle in our area, but we decided to try again!
If there is anyone in the Orange County area who has a female and is willing to have our dogs meet?

*Note: Remms hasn't been tested yet, as my Dad wants to see if there is anyone out there before we get the tests. If anyone is interested, please let us know and we will order the tests immediately.

[KingstonTodd]

Maybe try having a "mission statement" of sorts. Why are you breeding? what is it in your dog that fits the labradoodle type? what about your dog does he have that you want to improve the breed with. What are your dogs faults (and they all have them) that you would need to correct and what are you looking for in a stud to correct it. You said you would test him first, thats great. DO you have a plan for the puppies? will you sell on a spay/neuter agreement? (did you purchase on one?). Just a few things to consider......

[lindamarie]

I am not a breeder so I have to step back and look at all of this from a purchaser point of view.
There was a time when I would just buy a dog......I would see a litter advertised in the paper and would look and buy.
With my Bouvier, things worked out well. It turned out that his great great grandfather....or something like that.......was THE Bouvier of Standards used to measure the quality of all Belgian Bouvier's. He was show quality and we did breed him twice.
With our Springer Spaniel, we didn't luck out. Although he was AKC registered, the quality of health wasn't great and he had some "issues". It was difficult, hard as I tried, to find much out about this dog that I LOVED literally to DEATH!!
He had been driven downstate from a breeder about 200 miles from us to a young couples house who had a yard filled with adorable puppies playing in swimming pools and having a great time! We liked his fiesty ways and got him.
Where am I going with this? When we bought Bogart, I researched breeders first. I didn't just "go buy" a puppy this time.
I wanted to see the breeder online......and see the tests ........all necessary things were performed before I went to the breeder to look. Why? Because knowing the way we are, we would have walked away with the first one we saw.

In your situation, it seems that it would behoove you to have a plan. You are searching a mate, yet you don't have all your ducks in a row, so to speak. Todd and Jac have helped out with some GREAT ADVICE!
I really like Todd's last questions to you. The breeders at this forum do this on a full time basis. The advice they have to offer is priceless!
In particular, my question would be, what are your specific intentions? Is it that you love this dog so much that you want to have HIS line carried on for generations?
Are you willing to commit to being a breeder??
I am asking these questions in all kindness and to help. Because, if it's just a once or twice type thing.........it may not be worth all your efforts in finding a mate BEFORE you do all the essential things spoken of here.

BTW...I LOVE BLACK DOODLE'S!! I specifically went for BLACK!
Also, when Bogart is out n' about with me, people seem to say, "WOW! He is gorgeous! I have never seen a BLACK ONE!"

[MaxandMe]

HI nice to meet you.

NOW i too LOVE black doodles as i have a F1 black labradoodle
BUT

there's so many things to consider to breeding.

1. Why are you looking to breed? is it cause you love your doodle so much and would like to see what kind of puppies he'd have?
OR
are you in it for the love of doodles producing form, structure, health, intelligence, TEMPERMENT, low/lower shedding for those with allergies,
possibly therapy dogs for those wishing this route , a great family dog, and/or also possibly for someone wanting to train
their doodle for assistance with injury/ailments?

2. are you prepared to pay for Pennhip and/or OFA hip tests, full DNA , possible Elbow tests and maybe coat color
as well as requiring the dam/bitch /female to have same testing done?
they are so many diseases/issues to rule out to ensure that you've done your best to producing puppies that have alleviated chances
or eliminated the chance of problems.

3. HOW OLD is your stud? have you done any type of OB training classes and/or other types of advanced training to see
how well he responds. NO dog is perfect but does your Doodle easily train? is he overexhuberant? is he laid back?
does he catch on easily and/or with enthusiasm or is it a long hard work/battle?

temperament aka personality...........very important in both stud and bitch aka sire and dam.

4. IS this a ONE TIME breedign or are loooking to this as a career or side career?

5. IS there a health warranty given for new doodle parents of puppies produced??

6. ARE there financial monies put aside for any unexpected health issues with stud and/or puppies?
have you ever bred dogs before and/or apprenticed with any breeders

7. have you developed a application and screening process along with contract?

8. have you called other doodle breeders AFTER DOING RESEARCH ALBEIT via internet, breeders, your vet etc


I do NOT mean to overload you with questions
RATHER I MEAN TO PRESENT YOU WITH THE real questions to consider WAY BEFORE BREEDING!

9. WHAT are you breeding your stud to???? a poodle?????? or another doodle?
what type of generation are you producing........and have you studied what backcrosses and generations and what types of
breedign techiniques there are?

sooooooooooooooooooooooo PLEASE FOR YOUR sake, your dog's and for people who might adopt your future puppies
there is much to consider first

10 LASTLY,,,,,,,many testings responsible reputable breeders are LUCKY if they break even on expenses to breed.
they do it for the LOVE of the breed, to ensure the INTEGRITY of the breed and to do their best to produce healthy doodles
that are great temperamented family dogs that also can be trained to keep their intelligent minds stimulated, aid them
in being well mannered and have the option of helping out via therapy or medical assistance dogs.

[Jac]

Hi Elle,

I am at a bit of a loss as to what more can be said...I don't want to be too discouraging because I know how much you love your beautiful dog but there is so much more to breeding than just having a great dog.

You would be helping to create lives and along with that power comes a huge responsbility. Testing is the least you can do for the puppies you want to create.

I understand that it is very expensive...that is why we are trying to get you to focus on the reasons you want to breed your boy...

Many breeders, myself included, have tested their male dogs and prepared them for breeding. We have selected them not only because we love them but because we believe that they will bring something special to the breed. We have studied for years and put a lot of our time, energy and money into our plan. Even so, we use them in our own program and rarely stud them out.

The problem with waiting to test him is that most often the female comes into heat and we need to find a stud immediately...there is no time to wait for testing. Either you are ready when the female is or you are out. There are plenty of studs to choose from. The competition is high...if you want to even be considered, you have to have some good testing scores...and a great male dog with an excellent temperament, looks, coat and conformation.

I know this is hard to take because you really love him and want to have his pups...to be brutally honest, I don't know of anyone who would give you a second thought if your dog is not already tested and ready.

[ecuddy]

Hey thanks, actually! That's all I needed you to say!
See, my Dad doesn't think we need to do the testing beforehand, and I needed something to convince him otherwise with.

I absolutely understand the responsibilities that come along with breeding, we used to breed labs when we lived in Canada, and we always made sure that each pup ended up in the best home possible (we're still in contact with many of their owners). To my knowledge, we never had our labs tested (apart from what the vet did) as they all came from the same line and we had their pedigrees on hand (things run a little differently in Canada). The breeder where we got our guy never gave us his pedigree even though we bought the breeding rights. That seems silly doesn't it?
Thanks for your help, Jac!

[ecuddy]

Originally Posted by lindamarie

I am not a breeder so I have to step back and look at all of this from a purchaser point of view.
There was a time when I would just buy a dog......I would see a litter advertised in the paper and would look and buy.
With my Bouvier, things worked out well. It turned out that his great great grandfather....or something like that.......was THE Bouvier of Standards used to measure the quality of all Belgian Bouvier's. He was show quality and we did breed him twice.
With our Springer Spaniel, we didn't luck out. Although he was AKC registered, the quality of health wasn't great and he had some "issues". It was difficult, hard as I tried, to find much out about this dog that I LOVED literally to DEATH!!
He had been driven downstate from a breeder about 200 miles from us to a young couples house who had a yard filled with adorable puppies playing in swimming pools and having a great time! We liked his fiesty ways and got him.
Where am I going with this? When we bought Bogart, I researched breeders first. I didn't just "go buy" a puppy this time.
I wanted to see the breeder online......and see the tests ........all necessary things were performed before I went to the breeder to look. Why? Because knowing the way we are, we would have walked away with the first one we saw.

In your situation, it seems that it would behoove you to have a plan. You are searching a mate, yet you don't have all your ducks in a row, so to speak. Todd and Jac have helped out with some GREAT ADVICE!
I really like Todd's last questions to you. The breeders at this forum do this on a full time basis. The advice they have to offer is priceless!
In particular, my question would be, what are your specific intentions? Is it that you love this dog so much that you want to have HIS line carried on for generations?
Are you willing to commit to being a breeder??
I am asking these questions in all kindness and to help. Because, if it's just a once or twice type thing.........it may not be worth all your efforts in finding a mate BEFORE you do all the essential things spoken of here.

BTW...I LOVE BLACK DOODLE'S!! I specifically went for BLACK!
Also, when Bogart is out n' about with me, people seem to say, "WOW! He is gorgeous! I have never seen a BLACK ONE!"

Aww, Bouviers are beautiful dogs. That's awful about the Spaniel, though- poor thing. Springer Spaniels are adorable, I know a couple who have a six-month-old one and he's a doll.
Trust me, I know the heartbreak that health problems in a dog can cause- my black lab passed away at nine with kidney failure and I didn't get to say goodbye to her. It wasn't anything anyone did, and there wasn't or anything that anyone could have done, she was born with poor kidneys and the vet was amazed that she lived as long as she did.

Subsequently, I know the importance of testing and plan to get it done ASAP-however as you can read in my post that is in response to Jac, I'm just having some trouble convincing my Dad that we must have it done before we find a mate.
-Men, right? Just kidding!

We really, honestly DO love Remmington beyond any reason, and we would love to see his line carried on (we even think that he would like that too- he's quite the noble and proud doodle )

Thank you for ALL of your help guys!

P.S. Remms always gets those same comments! Everyone thinks he's so handsome and they all love his black coat. I love black best, but the other colours are lovely as well. It all depends on the dog's personality- Black is perfect for Remmy as he's just so suave .

[ecuddy]

Originally Posted by MaxandMe

1. Why are you looking to breed? is it cause you love your doodle so much and would like to see what kind of puppies he'd have?
OR
are you in it for the love of doodles producing form, structure, health, intelligence, TEMPERMENT, low/lower shedding for those with allergies,
possibly therapy dogs for those wishing this route , a great family dog, and/or also possibly for someone wanting to train
their doodle for assistance with injury/ailments?

Both actually. Remms is an incredible member of our family and we would love for others to have a similar experience.
Remmy actually does a bit of a therapy dog work here at home. My dad's girlfriend has a challenged daughter with whom Remms is wonderfully sweet and calm with.

2. are you prepared to pay for Pennhip and/or OFA hip tests, full DNA , possible Elbow tests and maybe coat color
as well as requiring the dam/bitch /female to have same testing done?
they are so many diseases/issues to rule out to ensure that you've done your best to producing puppies that have alleviated chances
or eliminated the chance of problems.

Could you please give me all the links I need? I am unsure as to exactly what we need to get.

4. IS this a ONE TIME breedign or are loooking to this as a career or side career?

I don't consider breeding a career- I think that's a cruel way of making money. No, it's a labour of love.

5. IS there a health warranty given for new doodle parents of puppies produced??

I don't exactly know what you mean by this. Help?

6. ARE there financial monies put aside for any unexpected health issues with stud and/or puppies?
have you ever bred dogs before and/or apprenticed with any breeders

We used to breed Labs.

7. have you developed a application and screening process along with contract?

Please elaborate??

8. have you called other doodle breeders AFTER DOING RESEARCH ALBEIT via internet, breeders, your vet etc

Yes, we have called another breeder but he sounded strange so we left it at a phone call. I have not contacted any other breeders as apparently no one will even consider us if we don't do the tests first, right?

I do NOT mean to overload you with questions
RATHER I MEAN TO PRESENT YOU WITH THE real questions to consider WAY BEFORE BREEDING!

No, No, this is GREAT! Thank you SO much for your help!

9. WHAT are you breeding your stud to???? a poodle?????? or another doodle?
what type of generation are you producing........and have you studied what backcrosses and generations and what types of
breedign techiniques there are?

I love the F1 coat Remms has and would like to keep that in the puppies as I think it is a unique and beautiful thing, so perhaps another F1?
Thoughts????
Probably not a poodle as I know a dog of this type and she is a maniac. She's cute, but she's nuts. She is also very small for some reason, and to tell you the truth, it's kind of weird- shouldn't she be big? I much prefer big dogs to small ones.

Thank you again! You've been such a great help.

[KingstonTodd]

For hip/elbows your vet has to x-ray them and send the films to OFA or PinnHip for expert evaluation. Call you vet to see which one they do. Do a google search to research which one you prefer since they are slightly different. Google Ingen.bs or offa.org or healthgene.com or optigne.com for more on DNA testing options. Although you are not breeding Australian Labradoodles, this link has exellent info to follow http://www.ilainc.com/HealthTesting.html

Will you offer a health warranty i.e. if a puppy get sick or diseased before two years old will YOU pay for the vet cost to get them better. Most breeders have a 2 year warranty up to the price of the puppy purchase.

Regardless of you doing it as a labour of love or not, are you breeding once or will this be a "career" i.e. more than once.

I ask again, what is it about your dog you are trying to pass on, and what are his faults (all dogs have them) and what will you look for in a female to correct that in the puppies. Have you read a labradoodle breed standard?

Does your guy shed? If so you should consider breeding to a standard poodle, NOT andother F1 for a number of reasons, mostly due to variance of coat in the puppies.