[cissy k]

I have been lurking for a long time and put in my first post about a week ago. I am a real newbie so maybe this question is tacky and I hope I do not offend. And it may certainly be one that breeders would not want to answer and I understand why.

But I am gonna ask it anyway!! LOL

My husband and I had not wanted to buy a puppy. We really wanted to get a dog in the 18-24 month range. We wanted one that was housebroken and socialized well. But that seems to be an impossible find. And we really wanted a rescue dog that we could pay a few hundred dollars for and feel great about saving her. But hubby has allergies and we have been to a few shelters and we have found that the type of dogs we always love are the ones he is allergic to! (Medium, fluffy coated ones) So, we did our research and found the wonderful Labradoodle!! But the cost is prohibitive (please don't anyone take offense at that. I am aware of all you guys do and how much work it is. But for us, it is a lot of money, not that they are not WORTH a lot of money or that breeders don't deserve every penny).

So, I read that sometimes pups don't sell for one reason or another. I have seen pups 4-6 months old and older on some sites but the price is still as high as a new pup.

So, what I was wondering was this....Do breeders normally lower their prices on the older pups? And would it be considered rude to just email a breeder and ask?

Well, I sincerely hope I have not offended anyone or asked something that is gauche!

Thanks for you time!

[hmz819]

Hi:

Maya was one of the last ones left in her litter. I couldn't afford to spend that much on a dog either. I spoke with the breeder and I did get Maya for a discounted price. I got Maya when she was 3.5 mos old. My motto it never hurts to ask!!! Worse thing to happen is they will say no!
_________________
Heather, Morgan, Maya, and Sadie
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion-Unknown

[MaxandMe]

Max was a special price as he was the last one left andmy breeder also had another litter of puppies

sometimes you get lucky and can get an older puppy a little less than the normal price. Goood luck and perhaps though you might still find a rescue doodle too.
_________________
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

[annieG]

I wouldn't hesitate to ask.
_________________
AnnieG & Tanner

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras

[Jac]

You will not offend anyone if you ask. Breeders are aware of the prohibitive costs...we had to buy our very expensive breeding stock, so believe me we know! LOL
I've told this story before but I'll tell it to you (and to those who say, "Not again!" I am sorry... )
When we started looking for Labradoodles we researched and found a breeder in Oregon and put a $500 deposit on a $2500 puppy that was yet to be born. As we thought about it, we decided that it would be nice to breed these dogs so that we could help people get fabulous dogs that won't aggravate allergies andmaybe make them available at a more reasonable cost...so we called the breeder and said, (this will show you how clueless I was) "We'd like to breed our girl, so you won't need to spay her." And the breeder said, "Oh, I'm sorry, but a breeding female is going to cost you $18,000 and a breeding male would run between $7000 and $9000! Yikes! That was my first lesson in Doodle breeding!
So, we cancelled our order (because by now we really wanted to breed these dogs) and forfeited our $500 deposit. We called around and asked around and found a breeder who would sell a F1 breeding female much cheaper...we made a good deal with her and got 2 breeding females for $3000!
We were lucky. We knew nothing about testing and quality assurance or warranties or anything...we found that out much later but before we bred the dogs...but it turned out that the dam and sire to our girls were both certified breeding dogs for the Guide Dogs of America...we had promised to donate a pup from each litter to GDA as part of our discounted purchase...but that is the lucky part...these dogs had been screened and approved by one of the best organizations ever...and we just happened to get dogs with great temperaments, intelligence and personality.
So, my point with this (way too long) story is that you can certainly ask and you can possibly find an inexpensive dog...and you may be lucky...or not...with the quality of the dog.
Yes, breeders sometimes discount older dogs. It does not hurt to write to them and respectfully ask...good luck to you.
(I am going to PM you...click on your "you have new messages" box.)
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jacque.bayley.lexie.chase.rosie.nitos.amelia.dupree.madison.sherwood.gerry www.backporchlabradoodles-jacque.blogspot.com www.backporchlabradoodles.com

[sdrudge]

What about guardianship? that is when they give or at low cost give you a dog that they then breed later when it is older?? Doesn't hurt to ask about it.
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Samantha, Cacao and Beau

[Tink]

Cissy, I agree it doesn't hurt to ask.
I've had a couple of people ask and while I didn't have any dogs available for the price they wanted at the time, I was able to direct them to a couple of shelters that had Labradoodles waiting for new homes.

Have you checked Petfinder? Sometimes they have Labradoodles if you just keep watching and checking.

Good luck!
_________________
www.tinkerdoodle.net
Hickory, Ava, Hana, Misty, and Chip (happy master of his Harem)

[movistar]

you ought to give thought to a retired breeder too!
you could find a great three year old female that is ready to be with your family! some breeders keep there dogs in the house and they are trained and everything!

[Miley's Mom]

I was in a similar situation and offered the breeder a lower price, ($200 less) if I paid in full, vs. a deposit up front with the balance paid later. Everything was satisfactory and everyone was happy...

[lmtoth2]

It is also not impossible to find a rehome/rescue doodle who would be less money. Keep your eye on the IDOG rehome and rescue site (http://idog.biz). We adopted a rehome doodle and his rehome cost was lower than if we had purchased from a breeder. He was totally housebroken and had some training. You will just have to be patient and wait for the right dog We live on the east coast and around here it seems rescue/rehome doodles find homes very very quickly.

I would also not hesitate to ask for a discount from a breeder...the worst they can say is no Oh yeah - you probably noticed this already, but F1s tend to have lower prices than F1Bs.
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Leslie M

[daissyj]

Hi and welcome!

Don't feel bad asking your question...it's definitely an honest one and, as Jac mentioned, us breeders definitely know about paying a LOT of $$$ for dogs! LOL...

But I agree with everyone that it definitely doesn't hurt to ask about a discount, but you may not always get the answer you want. It obviously depends on the situation, but some may just need to find a good home and are willing to lower the price and others may want to get the full amount due to the extra time and training they've had to put into the puppy. I actually may know of a puppy that might need a home fairly quickly (she's 5 months old) and if she does, I'll let you know about her! Good luck!
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Julie
Faithful Doodles
Santa Clarita, CA
www.faithfuldoodles.com

[Doodlesville]

Hi there, Never a question you should be afraid to ask!! EVER we ar here o help

just to let you know most rescues and breeders i know are very particular on where the older doodles go, they want them to go to lifetime homes and never rehomed again , If you have children, their ages would be important, fenced yard? another important issue so the dog doesnt have a chance to get out and lost or killed ,

Purhcasing a older dog with all the work already done, housetraining ect you can expect to pay premium price for , most rehomes have issues, mild to severe you would have to be prepare to work thru, youjust never know how a older dog would react to any given situation and you need to be prepared to react to it, that is why young children are not recommende for rehome dogs ,

Curently i do have some rehomes, but again i am very strict in placement
Doodles are very smart if you do have a fenced yard, housetraining is a a piece of cake!!

Also we have have some pups i have discounted due to my health

you are welcome to review our site there is lots of info there as well as pics of pups and adults

Be Aware looking for a low cost dog, you get what you pay for in the long run
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Nancy at Doodlesville(Virginia)
www.Doodlesville.net
Aussiedoodles, Goldendoodles &
F1/F1B Labradoodles,

Breeding only Early Generation Doodles!
Keeping the Original Goals for this breed First!!
We do NOT Breed Australian Labradoodles!!

[Kendra NVL]

We do not discount our puppies for several reason.

First it is not fair to our customers who paid full price
Secondly the longer I keep a puppy the more money I put into food, vaccines, vet care and time.
Lastly we train our puppies so an older puppy from us knows anywhere from the basics to advanced obedience and is potty trained too! BIG VALUE.
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Wishing the best to you,

Kendra Vestal
Noble Vestal Labradoodles
Only Australian Labradoodles
http://www.NobleVestalDoodles.com

[Doodlesville]

Personally i want my pups to go to their new families Sooner Rather then later for the Puppies Sake!!

i Do loose money no matter how you look at it,
But our pups well being is first and foremost here
Its all for the sake of our puppies, !!

of course i dont over charge for our pups in the first place,
and the training my babies get The longer they are here ,
is a added bonus to our families,
its not all about money,, for us anyway
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Nancy at Doodlesville(Virginia)
www.Doodlesville.net
Aussiedoodles, Goldendoodles &
F1/F1B Labradoodles,

Breeding only Early Generation Doodles!
Keeping the Original Goals for this breed First!!
We do NOT Breed Australian Labradoodles!!

[MaxandMe]

cissy keep looking as you just never know if you might find what you really want or a doodle may end up being the one for you, regardless of price.

I read about LD's when first created but didn't get one till 2006
Max was the stumpy tailed older black LD puppy no one wanted that is till Dave and i saw him and in the end the breeder discounted him cause she felt he was getting a great home and she also had another litter of pups with a golden retriever pregnant with GD's. So sometimes you never know

did you check out any breeder sites that may be retiring breeding doodles?

cissy some breeders discount older puppies
while others charge more especially if they crate trained, some Ob training and housebroken, etc

either way, there's a doodle out there for you just may take a bit of time to find YOUR doodle
_________________
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