Actually considering a labradoodle (Help with choosing a b..

Warning.. this is LONG!

I just wanted to preface this with the fact that I'm actually a dog person
who "knows better" than to buy a designer dog. I know all about responsible
breeders, genetic health testing, myths of hybrid vigor, backyard breeders,
etc etc. A few years ago, I would never have been asking this question.
But situations change...

The situation as it stands is this: So there is a good chance that my SO
and myself will be buying a house together in the next year or so. The
problem is that I'm a dog nut who can't imagine life without dogs, and he
only "likes" some dogs.

We're in no rush to get a new dog together as I already have one (he
understands that we're a package deal). But my dog is getting up there in
age, so I'm looking now towards the future. We just have completely
different requirements on what we like in a dog.

His top requirements:
* Medium - Extra Large size (no "footballs" or "foo-foo" dogs)
* Very calm / mellow indoor personality. No jumping on him, no harassing
him to play constantly. More coach potato like. Basically he wants a dog
who will be extremely non-intrusive (at least when indoors).
* He has friends with a rescue greyhound and he quite likes this breed.

My top requirements:
* Non-shedding (or very low shedding). I will happily pay a small fortune
for bimonthly grooming and I am very content spending all the time needed to
upkeep a non-shedding coat. I just can not stand dog hair all over my
house, myself, etc.
* Able to go for long walks / runs off leash. I live right by a couple of
great off leash parks, which is where I do most of running. So I want a dog
that a) can physically handle medium length runs and b) can be trained
fairly easily to be trusted off leash when supervised.
* My favourite breeds are the larger terriers, wheatens, kerry blues,
airedeles, irish, etc because of their outgoing spunky (and stubborn)
personality, as well as their low shedding coats. But I do like most dogs
as long as they have _some_ personality. No offence, but some dogs are just
really boring.

Requirements we both want:
* Good with kids! Our friends have multiplied like bunnies, so there often
are a lot of young kids running around.

So yes, we have completely different ideas of what we want in a dog.

So what breed would you recommend? I can't seem to think of a purebred dog
that really meets our needs. Most of the non-shedding breeds are either toy
breeds (which neither him nor I am particularly fond of) or terriers (too
"jumpy" for him). While he likes greyhounds, they certainly can't be
trusted off leash and they really are not good jogging companions. He likes
some of the older (3 years +) labradors he has met, as they tend to be a
pretty laid back breed indoors. However, they shed like crazy. I don't
mind Standard Poodles (though they are not my favourite), but he has a
mental block with the poodle issue. He just plain does not want a poodle.
Plus, the ones I've met tend to be fairly "bouncy" indoors.

This brings me to the labradoodle issue. I can't help but think that if you
combined the more laid back calm attitude of a mature lab with the
non-shedding coat of poodles, voila... we'd have a pretty much a dog that
meets all of our requirements.

So I'm happy with scouring the shelters for a labradoodle or similar mixed
breed, but in my area we just don't have the same dog overpopulation problem
that the US does (I'm in Canada). While I'm sure dogs like this
_occasionally_ come in, I'm guessing it's maybe once or twice a year and
they are likely snatched up by shelter staff before they are even available
to the public.

So that leaves getting a puppy. I've done some preliminary research,and it
actually looks like there are "australian labradoodle" breeders out there
who are breeding 4th & 5th generation labradoodles. They are offering 3
year genetic health guarantees (not ideal, but better than many), doing
health checks such as CERF, OFA, Penhipp, von Willebrands, etc on the
parents, having puppy buyers sign responsible owner contracts, spaying and
neutering before placement... all of the things that only "responsible" dog
breeders tend to do. But they also seem to be cashing in on the fad by
charging $2000+. So what is up with these breeders? Are they responsible?
Is it ethical to buy a non-purebred puppy, even if the parents are health
tested?

Looking forward to hearing your responses!

Serena wrote:

> * Very calm / mellow indoor personality. No jumping on him, no harassing
> him to play constantly. More coach potato like. Basically he wants a dog
> who will be extremely non-intrusive (at least when indoors).

This contraindicates a Lab x Poodle. Both are working breeds, and a
mix thereof will likely be quite active.

> * Non-shedding (or very low shedding). I will happily pay a small fortune
> for bimonthly grooming and I am very content spending all the time needed to
> upkeep a non-shedding coat. I just can not stand dog hair all over my
> house, myself, etc.

I cannot think of *any* breed that is medium-large, does not shed,
and is not very active.

> * Able to go for long walks / runs off leash.

That pretty much contraindicates your SO's requirement for a mellow dog.

> * My favourite breeds are the larger terriers, wheatens, kerry blues,
> airedeles, irish, etc because of their outgoing spunky (and stubborn)
> personality, as well as their low shedding coats.

Most terriers are pretty active. Some are kind of "foo-fooy." Many
are smaller than what you describe your SO as requiring.

> Requirements we both want:
> * Good with kids! Our friends have multiplied like bunnies, so there often
> are a lot of young kids running around.

That could be tricky with some terriers. Good socialization,
training, and breeding will help, but you still may end up with a
dog that is not good with kids.

> So yes, we have completely different ideas of what we want in a dog.

What you seem to have are some mutually exclusive requirements. One
or both of you are going to have to compromise if you want to get a dog.

> This brings me to the labradoodle issue. I can't help but think that if you
> combined the more laid back calm attitude of a mature lab with the
> non-shedding coat of poodles, voila... we'd have a pretty much a dog that
> meets all of our requirements.

You might think, but there's really no guarantee what you are going
to get, coat-wise, with that mix. You could end up with a wiry,
shedding nightmare. Also, I think you are seriously underestimating
such a dog's activity level.

> So that leaves getting a puppy. I've done some preliminary research,and it
> actually looks like there are "australian labradoodle" breeders out there
> who are breeding 4th & 5th generation labradoodles. They are offering 3
> year genetic health guarantees (not ideal, but better than many), doing
> health checks such as CERF, OFA, Penhipp, von Willebrands, etc on the
> parents, having puppy buyers sign responsible owner contracts, spaying and
> neutering before placement... all of the things that only "responsible" dog
> breeders tend to do. But they also seem to be cashing in on the fad by
> charging $2000+. So what is up with these breeders? Are they responsible?

Do you have any pointers to specific websites?

> Is it ethical to buy a non-purebred puppy, even if the parents are health
> tested?

It might be. It also might not be.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)