[lindamarie]

A very tragic thing happened to us. 2 weeks ago today, my sweet Springer Spaniel of 11 years was dx'd with lymphoma and bone marrow cancer. Long story short, he went fast. We had to put him to sleep the day before Thanksgiving.
We have been bawling our eyes out for almost 14 days! I miss him so much!
This was so unexpected that we didn't have time to prepare. Had I known he was nearing his end, we would've purchased a Labradoodle to ease the pain.

I have spent days and nights researching breeders and talking to them. I had reached a point where my head was in a spin. I NEED to get a dog yesterday. I can't deal with the loneliness in this house without one.

Tomorrow, we're going to look at two pups and possibly will come home with one.
My questions are numerous...........
Is an F1 always going to shed?.........and how much?
Would an F1b be better for allergies?

I tend to want my doodle to look more like a lab.....so will I be in trouble as far as shedding goes with an F1?

The breeder I think I finally selected has had these pups of 9 weeks in her home. She has them crated and lets them out of the crate, so in essence they're crate trained and somewhat started on housebreaking.
They also respond, she says, to "leave it"..........It seems like she takes an interest in her dogs. Plus, she'll board them in her home.....not kennel for $15 a day if we vacation.
One other breeder turned me off since she couldn't really discuss since she had no knowledge of if the lab was an American Kennel or an English. This disturbed me.......plus she went from having them in the house to back in the garage and they were not microchipped
I know these are a lot of questions.............here's the final one........I'll possibly be choosing between one of these two pups....pics below....black & chocolate.........
What kind of coat do they look like they'll have....and how do they look to you??
Thanks in advance for ANY help I can get....Linda

[Maureen]

hi, I'm SO SORRY for your loss!
I know that it's terrible coming home to an empty house, but as much as you can read of various posts on this forum the better!

Don't be hasty to buy your puppy!

First of all MOST f1's will shed! And the labby texture is a key to consider because there seems to be a connection between that texture and shedding. CURL is not relevant to predicting shedding. The puppies you pictured are adorable. The brown one is starting to lighten to a cafe aulait color! He/she will be lighter by the time they are mature. Too soon to tell if that black little cutie will be staying black or going gray or silver.

I have to say I don't microchip our puppies....I could, but my prices are the lowest in the Denver area, and the needle is REALLY big...and now there's a scare about cancer around the chip so I will talk to each puppy family about the pro's and con's and always have. I hope that doesn't make me sound like a less-desirable breeder....and I wouldn't grade any other breeders on that criterion.

The more you know, and trust about your breeder the more you can be really secure and thrilled with your puppy. So it's a good thing to consider your breeders.

Read the posts about Puppy Mills!

also, go to www.goldendoodle-labradoodle.org to find breeders who really test their dogs with specific care and testing. It doesn't mean you have to be on that list to be a good breeder but it makes sense to me as a logical launching point.

I grew up in MI so if you have found a good breeder that's really great! I'd like to know where/who!


_________________
~Maureen
LabradoodleRanch@aol.com
www.LabradoodleRanch.com

[Doodlesville]

Im so very sorry for you loss, I just went thru this myself, Im so very sorry

i agree with Maureen up to the point about trusting BREEDERS Lists,,I DONT!!ALL are normally paid listings or biased listings, or BOTH
Im looseing faith in most of them,

the thing to remember is feel comfy with your breeder, get references from people that have purchased from them,

Im unsure why you feel what micro chipping or not ,has to do with the honor of a breeder

there are so many new breeders out there that are just getting into it to make a buck its scary, I have been breeding doodles for over 5yrs and have seen them come and go, several breeders that are supposedly come highly recommended and reputable come to find out arent ,In the past years i have seen this happen time and time again, once from a breeder that sent very very sick pups to another breeder, knowling
so lists ,,recommended breeder list, pheff, holds no merit

so you have to just go back to your gut instinct, ask questions if you feel uncomfortable for some reason

realize these are living beings , and breeders are just that ,,,breeders they are not god, those of us that have dedicated our life to doodles do the very best we can,,,

all the testing in the world wont guarantee no problems later, unless there is a genetic test to put them free and clear
example you can have 2 parents tested for HD certified excellent , and the can STILL produce a dysplastic pup,, why because alot of that is environmental, how they are raised, nutrition, what stress is put on bones and joints as they mature etc
Eyes,,,Cerf,,, they have to recertified every year, my question is what in the world do you do if they dont pass the next year? there is no genetic test for this either

I sure wish there was a guarantee for us all to have a illness free life ,,unfortunatly god holds the cards

sheesh now im rambling,,,,
Sorry for the Doodle Class 101 ,,Im on puppy watch tonite have to keep awake,,LOL
not gonna make it till 7am,,LOL
_________________
Nancy at Doodlesville(Virginia)
Aussiedoodles, Goldendoodles & Labradoodles
www.Doodlesville.net

[lmtoth2]

wow they are both so cute! From the photos you posted, the black puppy looks a bit more wavy to me so maybe would shed less? We have a F1B labradoodle (Dexter) and a F1 Irish Setter Doodle (Kirby). Kirby really does not shed at all - you can tell he has much more of a poodle coat. Dexter loses very small amounts of hair. In general, F1Bs are less likely to shed than F1s, but you can get a shedding F1B or a non shedding F1. The breeder should be able to help you determine if a puppy is more or less likely to shed.

Good luck in your search
_________________
Leslie M

[KGarro]

I'm so, so sorry to hear about your loss and completely understand your NEED to have another pup around the house. Houses just aren't homes without a dog.

I have an F1 who's more labby looking. She sheds. It's not nearly as much as other dogs I've had in my life (a golden, a lab-rottie mix, cockers), but if you are wearing black and give her a hug walking out the door it's gonna be on you. At the same time, however, my sister-in-law who is allergic to pet dander doesn't have problems around Uma. You sound like a true dog lover and so I'm sure if you get a shedder you'll jsut accept it as part of having the little bundle of joy in your house.

Both puppies are beautiful! Take them both! Trust me, if you stay on this chat board very long you'll start NEEDING a second doodle.
_________________
Katie, Uma, and Juno

[Doodlesville]

LOL im with katie, take em both,,
Doodles are like tater chips no one can have just one
and with the price of gas,,LOL
_________________
Nancy at Doodlesville(Virginia)
Aussiedoodles, Goldendoodles & Labradoodles
www.Doodlesville.net

[Maureen]

oh, I meant to say that the chocolate pup seems to have a flatter, coarser coat, and the black one does seem to have a more fluffy look.

Cant' say from here, of course, but that could be a hint on shedding, but I'm not sure. I would be fairly certain the chocolate puppy will shed tho. But that's what happens with the Labby f1's, ya know?
_________________
~Maureen
LabradoodleRanch@aol.com
www.LabradoodleRanch.com

[doodleheaven]

Hello,

Welcome to the forum. I am fairly new to the forum also and just went through EVERYTHING you are going through.

First off, so sorry about the loss of your dog. It hurts so much doesn't it? We lost our beloved golden retreiver/lab x in the summer. She was also diagnosed with cancer and died very quickly (within several weeks). The pain was overwhelming and I still cry for her everyday although our new labradoodle has lessened the pain and brought a lot of laughter back into our home.

I wanted a new puppy very quickly after my Nakita died in the summer. A lot of people don't understand that and felt I was on the rebound. But I knew I would always have a dog in my life - the sooner the better. If a labradoodle had been available at the time I probably would have taken it. We ended up waiting 3 months which gave me a lot of time to research. The one thing I can say is that my 6 year old son does love the new pup but would have done better with more time to heal. I was somewhat selfish in wanting a new pup so quickly and being blind to his need for time to heal. When my golden got sick my son and her bonded like you wouldn't believe. He actually became her main caregiver and would take her out and feed her etc. Nakita was in a lot of pain and would only trust him. It was strange but touching. We are all so different. My 6 year old has adjusted well but I know more time would have been better for him. My 4 year old on the other hand, has gone crazy with this new pup. He is extremely shy and this dog has brought out the best in him. His confidence has skyrocketed at school just because he has his little puppy to show off to all his classmates. The kids all want to pet him and my 4 year old is so proud. For him, it has been so worth it. I guess I'm just trying to say to make sure everyone in the family is ready, not just you.

As much as I love my previous dog and would take her back in a millisecond if I could, the one thing I disliked was the shedding. I didn't know if I could put up with another possibly 15 years of vacuuming everyday and never wearing black clothes. I also wanted our new dog to be able to jump on the bed when he/she wanted. With our previous dog I was too crazy about the dog hair to allow it.

I ended up with an F1. I just really wanted the labby look. He does shed but nothing compared to my previous dog - I don't know if I would even call it shedding. He can lay on my lap and there is no hair. I can pull at his hair and not get anything out. The reason I know he sheds is because there are little tiny black hairs in the tub when I bathe him and little tiny hairs on his sheet where he sleeps. After I bathe him his clean hair sheds a bit more but I brush him with the furminator and it's gone. That's it. He sits in the front seat of my van (which would have been unheard of with my other dog). I pat him and play around with him endlessly and can't find any hair anywhere. This is not the way it was with my other dog. I could brush my other dog for hours and still have tons of hair coming out after.

So the shedding is there but it is so minimal in my case. Although I feel his hair is wavy and wiry the vet runs her fingers through his hair and says it definitely has a poodle feel to it. I don't know enough to tell the difference I guess.

So don't back away from an F1, especially if you want a labby look. I love the two little pics of the puppies and would have trouble deciding. There may be some F1s out there that shed heavily - you would have to ask. This is just my experience. Hope it helps. Good luck and let us know what you decide!!!
_________________
Lily and Bailey

[lindamarie]

Thanks for all the info everyone!!
I went to the breeder list and now we have another in Michigan!! Oh boy!!...lol..........so now we're going to visit another today as well....Thank you!
The breeder that has the 2 above is also on the list at Lauder Kennels.........the new one has F1b's and they're the cream and apricot. I'm really now going to do BIG TIME research, so I may not have my pup today. Maybe I was rushing? We'll see what hubby has to say..............he's still on speaker phone with the new place we found.
I'll let you know.
Thanks for all the help and responses.....what a great forum!!

[MaxandMe]

Lindamarie , reading your post really touched my heart deeply, as did doodlheaven's.

I have Max a black f1 LD who sheds minimally, it is like downy fuzz that collects around baseboards BUT NEVER on clothes or coats etc.
His coat is really easy to maintain, never needs grooming, and dries within 30min.
There is another LD here "Denver" a chocolate F1 that doesn't shed at all.

For some reason i am partial to the little chocolate guy, something about his eyes.

I CHOSE my 3 doodles for TEMPERAMENT first and took the coat with the package> OH we have severe allergies and my son has asthma NO of US are affected by our 3 doodles.

Peanut and Beau are f1 goldendoodles

Another thing even IF your doodle is a nonshedder,
they will blow their puppy coat anywhere from 5 to 7mos old
and shed during that period .
Peanut does NOT shed at all but did when she blew her puppy coat.
Beau is hitting 5mo old and just beginning.

I wish you luck Lindamarie and doodles are such loving yet comical family members. They are awesome and intelligent too

Nice to meet you and PLEASE keep us updated as to your decision
_________________
Annmarie, Max,& Peanut
Forum BLOG ARTICLE LINK http://blog.labradoodle-dogs.net/

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." Anatole France

[Nicole]

So sorry about your loss...

I have a F1b (10 mos.) and she is going to be a shedder. She is still losing her puppy coat (she's almost done) so I'm not sure how much she'll shed when her adult coat is finished coming in, but she has been shedding some since I picked her at 8 weeks. You would probably be able to have some idea which dog is a shedder by pulling at the coat and seeing if there is any hair on your hands. I wanted the more labby look as well and they are the ones that are more likely to shed. Like others have said, there are some F1's out there that don't shed much or at all like Max and Denver...you'll just have to do a hair test and get the breeder's opinion (wear white...you'll see the chocolate or black hairs)! Good luck with your decision...they are both adorable pups!

[Doodlesville]

On a more positive note re shedding, i have a f1 labradoodle Bella she shed like crazy the first 2 yrs of her life now she hardly sheds at all
who figure
_________________
Nancy at Doodlesville(Virginia)
Aussiedoodles, Goldendoodles & Labradoodles
www.Doodlesville.net

[Linda]

Welcome!
I agree with temperament should be first in your choice. If you are able to figure out exactly what type of temperament you want, then your breeder should be a big help, too. Do you want a mellow, laid back, calm, I want to snuggle and kiss you dog or a fun, ready to go hiking all the time, I want to play, I want to play dog?
And be careful if you are visiting 2 breeders in one day. Many do not want you to do this because of the risk of transmitting puppy disease. Wear booties!
Good luck!
Both pups are beautiful.
Also read up on the warranties (you don't want to have to return a sick dog to get the warranty) and length.
And trust your instincts!

[blueteal]

Hi and Welcome to Doodleland

I have an F1 that does not shed but he is the exception
and not the rule, but what I hear from most people on this
forum is that even with shedding it is certainly less than most other
dogs. Absolutely go for temperment though and you may just end up with
a non shedder. Do not rule out F1's Good luck and got our fingers
and paws crossed for you
_________________
Sue & Denver
http://blueteal.net/denver.htm
A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.
- Josh Billings

[KingstonTodd]