RoughCollie Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 S'Wheat Rescues just took an 11 month old Labradoodle into Rescue. He's already fathered one litter! He is from a puppy mill, not housebroken, walks well on a leash, fearful in a submissive way, and about the size of a Standard Poodle. We took him in because a lady in Minnesota posted him on the Dog Forums FB page. He was going to be euthanized tomorrow if I didn't take him. I guess the mill has an abundance of Labradoodle stud dogs. :cursing: I convinced the Rescue to take him in and now I'm looking for a foster home for him. Can anyone tell me anything about Labradoodles from personal experience? I've met one, but she was not from a puppy mill, and she is the most laid back dog I have ever met. I don't think she is representative of the breed. I am an adoption coordinator for the Rescue, but I also help out on the foster side. I hope I didn't bite off more than I can chew! We are a breed-specific Rescue but we sometimes take in dogs that we think bear a passing resemblance to Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers, or heck, even dogs that don't, as long as they somehow find their way to us. Thank you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justkeepswimming Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Most labradoodles I have met have been extremely laid back dogs. Out of those I personally know (6 that I can think of off the top of my head), FOUR have had serious health issues. Mysterious heart issues (two simply dropped dead... both were between 4 and 6 years old), blood disorders, and other mysterious ailments. They've all had LOTS of vet visits (all 6) for various ailments. Sweet, cuddly big dogs who think they are lapdogs - happy to run and play and fetch - and then curl up on your lap afterward for a belly rub. Great dogs. :) I'm glad he wasn't euthanized :( - and hope you find him a home quickly! :) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Two came through the Humane Society as owner releases when I volunteered there. The older woman who released them could not handle them. They were nine months old, a boy and a girl. They were sweet. They are popular dogs and were adopted together very quickly. They were not yet full grown at nine months and were already huge (standard poodle sized) and still growing. They were pretty rambunctious, but they were essentially still puppies. Gorgeous and soft, a black one and a brown one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Justkeepswimming summed it up well. I'd add that they need grooming - you know that already, I'm sure. Mine does, anyway. :) Much more submissive than our other dogs, very smart. Don't believe the hype about people with dog allergies not reacting to them. You probably knew that, too! We call ours the foot warmer, because his happiest place to be is lying on someone's feet. A sweetheart. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Huh. All the Labradoodles I've known have been anything but "laid back" dogs. All have been highly active dogs, some bordering on neurotic. Not lap dogs. Prone to dog-on-dog aggression. The fear/submission is concerning. This characteristic is associated with the worst behavior problems including biting humans. Not a dog to put in the hand of a novice IMO. Bill 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Just like with any mixed breed, there can be a range of personalities. I've met ones who were neurotic and hyperactive, and others who were quite calm. I've known ones who shed like you wouldn't believe and some who didn't seem to shed much at all. Coming from a puppy mill with already known fear issues -- IMO that's a dog that's going to need a patient, experienced home. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 As another poster mentioned, Labradoodles sometimes have serious, inherited health issues. Better breeders charge more, but they will test the parents for health problems that could be passed on to their offspring and often will breed only calm adult dogs in order to pass that temperament on to their puppies. Some offer health guarantees for a certain length of time. Regarding the shedding: F1 Labradoodles have a poodle and a Labrador for parents. Their coats vary; there may be no shedding, like the poodle, a lot of shedding, like the Labrador, or somewhere in between. F1b Labradoodles have as parents an F1 Labradoodle and a poodle. So, they are 3/4 poodle and 1/4 Labrador. They don't shed much, if at all. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 I think it's hard to tell you about Labradoodles because there are new crosses, several generation crosses, good breeders and bad breeders. Our labradoodle is small (about the size of a cocker spaniel) and very easy. She's a fourth generation cross and has a poodle-style non-shedding coat. She's submissive and pretty obedient. She's very gentle and low energy. She has epilepsy of some kind. She is prone to tooth decay and bladder stones. She loves cuddles but isn't very playful. Her major quirk is that she needs the stimulation of a walk to get her to poo and pee. Putting her out in the back garden doesn't work. So she gets at least a two-mile walk every day, which is good for her and for us. She will happily walk seven or eight miles with us at weekends. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfmeis Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 We own a labradoodle. He's 6 now, we got him from a breeder and there are definitely plusses and minuses. I had poodles for twenty years before my experience with him, so he got on my nerves a LOT. A poodle is calm and obedient by a year. It took King 4 years to get to the same point, which my lab-owning friends assure me was a normative for them. It is true they are hypoallergenic, but the grooming (mine is about 100 pounds) is crazy. I had mini poodles for years and I could groom them myself, but this boy needs a professional groomer. He's also VERY VERY energetic. It drives me nuts, because he's constantly ready to turn on the crazy at any moment. However, he's very very intelligent. Door handle opening intelligent. He's an excellent guard dog, trained to defend the chickens as well. He's probably the most big-hearted animal I have ever had. He still wants to sit on our laps at night. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 No experience with labradoodles, but I :001_wub: animal rescuers! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinglife Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Loving this info- I've been looking into the breed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Bunny Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 The only labradoodle I met was the one that bit my dog's ear when he surprised her coming around a corner. So, not a large sample group.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcmommy Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 I know a breeder who I consider responsible. Her dogs seem wonderful. I know several families who have them and they are fairly healthy and all have wonderful temperaments. Im not sure many breeders are as responsible as she is. Labs can have ear issues, they have an extended puppy period, they can be overbred, they are considered good family dogs but both labs and goldens bite records are not great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted September 11, 2015 Author Share Posted September 11, 2015 Just like with any mixed breed, there can be a range of personalities. I've met ones who were neurotic and hyperactive, and others who were quite calm. I've known ones who shed like you wouldn't believe and some who didn't seem to shed much at all. Coming from a puppy mill with already known fear issues -- IMO that's a dog that's going to need a patient, experienced home. We get a lot of mill dogs into Rescue (millers say either take them or we'll kill them). They all have major fear issues, including the young puppies. These are Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers ... since we are a breed-specific rescue (with wiggle room). We find them homes with experienced and patient owners who have been fully educated about puppy mill dogs. The Rescue is always available for consultations, too. We don't let our dogs or our adopters down. Here is the page about mill dogs on our website: http://wheatenterrierrescue.org/PuppymillAdoptions.html That is not the only information we give potential adopters or fosters. They undergo a second interview with a coordinator who owns a mill dog and speaks from personal experience. There are also several articles online that give more information about how to rehabilitate a puppy mill dog that we recommend.I make them read the articles so they can pass my pop quiz. I am really good at talking people out of wanting to adopt a mill dog. I figure if I can talk someone out of it, they weren't the right person for a mill dog. This Labradoodle was born in a mill and then purchased by a "commercial breeder", who then bred him, beginning at 8 months old. For the life of me, I can't figure out what the difference is between a mill and a commercial breeder. IMO, there isn't one. Also, usually mill dogs live at the Rescue until they are adopted in person, after the complete adoption process has concluded.This is a special case (fostering a mill dog) since the dog is pretty far away from Missouri, and since he was scheduled to be euthanized tomorrow. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtsmamtj Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 We have a Labordoodle - she is wonderful!!! I was NEVER a person who liked dogs in general until my daughter became a "host home" for a friend of ours. Now that has changed - my 50th birthday wish list included "my very own doodle"!! Her temperament is mellow, doesn't shed, very faithful, protective, friendly . . . . . . . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 I have a F1b labradoodle, she is the best dog I've ever had and super laid-back. I have heard from others that labradoodles can be rambunctious and I was a bit worried before we got her, but she is so mellow that when we first got her, I was afraid she might be sick or something. She loves best to sit at my feet. She is standard poodle sized, very healthy. The only problem we had was a rice allergy that we figured out quickly. She acts more like a very large cat than a dog. She loves to walk, communicates with my by giving very pointed stares, and then if I don't get the hint, she groans at me. Not very barky, does not shed, does have to be groomed. Only behavior problem is some pulling while walking and getting too excited when she sees another dog and pulling me over to them -which seems scary because she is big and barking then. So smart that we have to spell things. Not really hypoallagenic, my SIL is allergic to her. I would get another in a heart-beat. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Ours is one of the laid back ones. I would assume that just like all dogs, it depends on temperament and a little on upbringing, too... but when we chose her we chose her because we could tell she would be more chill even when we went to pick her out at 4-6 weeks. (The top picture on this blog post is her when we brought her home - so little, comparatively! :lol: ) She went through a more lab-ish puppy phase, taking about 2 years to be less puppyish, but honestly even that wasn't bad. She never chewed things or jumped on people or tried to get on the furniture. When she was little enough, she'd lay in the space between my back and the couch when I sat on the floor (like if I was leaning back, does that make sense?) and then one day she realized she was too big lol. :D Now she's about 90 lbs? Something like that. We keep her cut relatively short but her grooming necessities aren't too bad - she gets a total cut a couple times a year, maybe three. Short in the summer (we like it really short the best - the picture of her on the family page of my blog is her short hair cut). We let it grow in the winter because she has dry skin and cutting it short exacerbates it a little (this picture shows what she looks like in winter). She's still relatively young - she'll be 5 in November - but so far we haven't had any major health problems. She had a weird cyst thing on her leg that she had to get cut off this past spring, and she's had to get ear drops a couple times (their ears get infected easily since they are so hairy and they don't get air). That's it. She's a really good dog. She loves people, will bark if someone pulls in the driveway or knocks on the door, but she's not aggressive at all. The big joke is that she would bark at an intruder and then just sit down in front of them and wag her tail, waiting to be petted, like she does with everyone else who comes to our house. :p :lol: (not trying to be obnoxious with the pic links - just trying to give an example of what I'm talking about) :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcmommy Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 What IS the purported difference between a commercial breeder and a puppy mill? My experience is very limited- we have always had labs. Once we had one who was a 3 time american grand champ and very posh, but we were given her by the breeder (who was also super posh) when she had a ruptured uterus and couldnt be bred anymore. We had happened to visit their kennel one day and since my brother and I didnt act like animals they called my mom and gave her to us. She was a princess and very beautiful and dumber than dirt. Very sweet tho. Now we have a 70# heinz 57 rescue mutt whom we adore. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzymom Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 We have our second labradoodle. She is second generation. My son is allergic to dogs, our labradoodles have been great for him. My girl is now 3 1/2, so she is still young and torn between the lab energy and the desire to live life curled on the cool tile floor. She is playful and fun and adorable, and the smartest dog I have had. Easily trained, plays well with other dogs, people friendly to a fault, neither of my doodles were ever destructive in or out of the house. Overall, these have been the best dogs for us and really super family pets. That is our experience, fwiw. I hope you have a similar experience with the rescue, and he finds a permanent home quickly. What a great thing to do! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ipsey Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 I have 2 close friends with labradoodles. I absolutely hate the dogs. They are wild and high strung. Even the one who lives on a hobby farm with lots of land to run around on, and is taken on long walks once or twice a day is wired all the time. He eats everything. She's had him in to the vet 3 times in the last three years removing stuff from him. Mouse traps, underwear, tennis balls, socks, a bird feeder, a chewed up 5-gallon bucket. Unbelievable. I find it hard to spend time at their houses because their dogs are a mess. I'm sure there are great labradoodles, but based on these, I would never have one. (I'm very happy with my almost worriedly mellow black lab/border collie mix.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 the standard poodles I've all known have been mellow dogs. I saw one 'guarding' personality description of retrievers I read recently was that they'd show thieves where the goodies are. (of course, their idea of goodies might be dog biscuts.) I think the prime reason for the crossbreeding was a non-shedding hypoallergenic coat. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcmommy Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 The idea of a mellow border collie is super disconcerting. Talk about NOT typical of the breed. LOL 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ipsey Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 The idea of a mellow border collie is super disconcerting. Talk about NOT typical of the breed. LOL Tell me about it. :) I grew up with 2 of them (sequentially, not consecutively). We lived in a ranching town out west, and they were work dogs. Man, they could go and go and go. But I always swore I would never have one in a town or city or any place where they couldn't be able get out that energy. And, yet, here I am. I have no idea. We've had her since she was 8 weeks old, and she's been the most low-key dog. *shakes head* (If I could just train her to retrieve!) I feel very lucky with her. <3 (Heart here, not a butt) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted September 12, 2015 Author Share Posted September 12, 2015 What IS the purported difference between a commercial breeder and a puppy mill? My experience is very limited- we have always had labs. Once we had one who was a 3 time american grand champ and very posh, but we were given her by the breeder (who was also super posh) when she had a ruptured uterus and couldnt be bred anymore. We had happened to visit their kennel one day and since my brother and I didnt act like animals they called my mom and gave her to us. She was a princess and very beautiful and dumber than dirt. Very sweet tho. Now we have a 70# heinz 57 rescue mutt whom we adore. From what I can tell, a regular commercial breeder is like a puppy mill, except on a smaller scale. "A puppy mill is a large-scale commercial dog breeding operation that places profit over the well-being of its dogs—who are often severely neglected—and acts without regard to responsible breeding practices." http://www.aspca.org/fight-cruelty/puppy-mills This is a photo of the dog that S'Wheat Rescues will find a home for -- we have until October 1st. He weighs 50 lbs., allegedly (he is still at the commercial breeder's house so we have not weighed him). You can't tell by the photo, but his ears are both the same length! My dog is a Wheaten Terrier, and they look so similar. It's no wonder that everywhere I take Aidan people think he is a Labradoodle! The first photo I saw was of his head, and I thought he was a Wheaten mix, looked at more photos and realized we just had to help. Tomorrow would have been his funeral, so we responded just in the nick of time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 I'd object to the term "breeder" being applied to a small scale puppy mill, even with the adjective "commercial" attached. Bill 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted September 12, 2015 Author Share Posted September 12, 2015 Thank you all so much for helping me understand Labradoodles. I can talk all day long about Wheaten Terriers, but I've only met that one Labradoodle. You all have been very helpful, and I really appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted September 12, 2015 Author Share Posted September 12, 2015 I'd object to the term "breeder" being applied to a small scale puppy mill, even with the adjective "commercial" attached. Bill So do I. Don't get me started. I can talk forever about this subject and will expand the issue until you beg me to STOP! Well, I have to come back to add two three PSA's: Don't buy puppies from a pet store -- they are from puppy mills. Don't buy puppies from the Amish -- they run puppy mills, along with many other unscrupulous people. Be really careful to research any "breeder" you buy from -- some are brokers for puppy mills and they lie about their home-based reputable breeding operation. Puppy mills stay in business because they make lots of money. The only way to stop them is to not buy puppies from them or their brokers. https://www.aspca.org/fight-cruelty/puppy-mills/puppy-mill-faq 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 Our Australian Labradoodle is a goofy dope. He is very obedient and laid back. We got him from a breeder as a guardian home - she ran numerous tests on all of her breeding dogs and homed them out between litters. My allergic/asthmatic kids don't react to him. He doesn't shed, but when his hair gets long he tends to pull out tufts of it while scratching - that's when I know he's due for a shave. He is 7 years old and has had no health problems at all. He is a medium sized 45lb with soft fleecy curls. He doesn't look that much like the picture above, actually. The only labradoodle I've ever seen that looked like that was also the only one I've met who was hyper and neurotic. I think it must have been poorly bred. My Mom has the half sister of our boy. She is a much smaller dog and does tend to have a number of health problems - however I think many of the problems are cause by my mom's own neuroses and need for drama. She is also very laid back and very smart. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 I just came from a home with one of these dogs. He's less than a year old and has the sweetest disposition. He's just wonderful. He still has a bit of puppy energy, but can control himself when told to do so. Also, he doesn't cause the dog-allergic family member any issues. I know they paid through the nose and were on a waiting list to get a dog because the breeder doesn't breed too often. I think this particular dog is 3/4 poodle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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