Not everyone is interested in this. But I admit to being a geek, a quintessential information-gatherer, and I know I would wonder about this topic if I was researching Labradoodle/Goldendoodle breeders. For any reputable Labradoodle breeder or Goldendoodle breeder, health and personality of the breeding stock are of the utmost concern. Genetic health concerns are addressed in a separate article entitled 'Genetic/Health Testing'. Other examples of health issues are disorders like diabetes, thyroid disorders, anemia, or bladder infections. Breeders will have their dogs checked for general health before any planned breeding. But what other considerations are there when breeders choose their breeding pairs? Personally, I think personality runs a very close second to health as far as importance. Different breeding pairings may be done depending on what plans the breeder has for the puppies. Some dogs have personalities more suited to service dog work, others for therapy dog work, others as solely family companions. Service dogs tend to have a competitive drive and a need for a focus, and those characteristics may make them more challenging as a family pet. Some people, myself included, like that kind of energy and prefer it over the 'couch potato' kind of pet. So at Westwood Labradoodles we try to blend a number of those characteristics differently in different breedings. We will be happy to help you choose the breeding and the puppy personality that best fits your family and lifestyle. Once the characteristics of personality are defined as a priority, breeders decide what physical characteristics they want to produce in their pups. Size, head shape, body shape, coat texture, thickness and color are all variables that are considered. Once goals of those types are determined, a Labradoodle/Goldendoodle breeder needs to determine how to reach those goals. Breeding hybrids is exciting, and risky, in that regard. The desired characteristic in the pups may not be present in its exact form in either parent! Unlike the breeding of purebreds, where the goal is to reproduce the desirable qualities of the parents, in the breeding of hybrids breeders seek to produce pups that are sometimes different than both parents. For example, I would like to produce F1B Labradoodle pups with relatively full flowing coats, but not so full they require daily grooming or monthly trimming. Those requirements are not uncommon in F1B Labradoodles. I know several owners of F1B Labradoodles that take nearly 15 lbs of hair off their dogs twice a year. That's right, 30 lbs of hair trimmed off per year, way more work than I would like! But F1B Doodles are roughly 75% poodle, and, in my opinion, limiting the fullness and thickness of the coat means choosing especially the F1 of the breeding pair carefully. A 'flat-coated', very Lab-like F1 bred with a poodle is more likely to give the kind of coat I desire than a fluffy F1 bred with a poodle. Hence my choice of a 'Labby' F1, Cider. I certainly could have purchased an F1 with a spectacularly full coat, who would have turned heads when we go out, but breeding her to a poodle would have given those high-maintenance coats! There is no thing as a 'perfect' dog. A good breeder not only recognizes the characteristics that need to be corrected in a breeding dog, they are willing to make the tough choices that allow them to produce puppies whose quality surpasses that of their parents. "Perfection is not a state. It is a process of doing your best with a sincere heart."Joon P. Choi Author: Helene Roussi Search our site to find what you need to know! |
How Does a Breeder Chose Which Dogs to Breed?
Westwood Doodles:
Labradoodles, Goldendoodles,
and North American Retrievers
Labradoodles, Goldendoodles,
and North American Retrievers
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