Calling all dog experts! Hoping to get a Labradoodle, any information to be aware of, and do you recommend them?

[FlarryEyeGrey]

Can't speak to labradoodles, but my poodle is hands-down the best-behaved dog I've ever owned. Absolutely ideal temperament, and the only dog of my three who I trust to accompany me on my homestead rounds unleashed. He stays close, responds immediately to commands, and never harasses the chickens or goats. Pretty darn close to the perfect dog!

I agree that with a cross you're not guaranteed any particular combination of the parent traits, though this is technically also true of any particular purebred puppy (to a much lesser extent, if you've got a good breeder). There are now some doodle breeders with third and fourth generation dogs that breed much truer than a first generation lab x poodle cross, so that's what I would look for, personally.

Grooming is a commitment, although it's not necessarily a terrible thing to just shave the dog on a regular basis if you live in a mild climate. It's a choice to maintain a long coat, and if you do that it will definitely take up a lot of your time (or money) and require early conditioning so your dog doesn't become resistant.

People have all sorts of opinions about these things, but the most important thing with a dog is to commit to the unknown. You never know what sort of issues are going to arise, and you have to be prepared to seek help and dedicate yourself to tackling issues that may seriously test your patience and wallet. So it goes with everything worth doing in life. My personal opinion is that it is a wonderful thing for a young person to take on. Good luck!

 

[froggyphore]

as others have said labradoodles can be unpredictable and many are poorly bred. its a shame because they’re quite cute and can be good pets but i’ve never met a “dog person” who is a fan, and even the guy who first made the mix regrets it. (good article about it here) it would probably be better for you to look at other non-shedding breeds. they’ll also have the benefit of being a bit less expensive and probably better bred. make sure you choose a responsible breeder who health tests their dogs, and maybe skip the breeds that are prone to separation anxiety or difficult to train, thats how you would get something like your sisters dogs (no offense to her). also make sure they don’t have a super high prey drive, i’ve heard some horror stories about dogs getting into chicken runs and birdcages while their owners are out.

 

[Cecisflock]

as others have said labradoodles can be unpredictable and many are poorly bred. its a shame because they’re quite cute and can be good pets but i’ve never met a “dog person” who is a fan, and even the guy who first made the mix regrets it. (good article about it here) it would probably be better for you to look at other non-shedding breeds. they’ll also have the benefit of being a bit less expensive and probably better bred. make sure you choose a responsible breeder who health tests their dogs, and maybe skip the breeds that are prone to separation anxiety or difficult to train, thats how you would get something like your sisters dogs (no offense to her). also make sure they don’t have a super high prey drive, i’ve heard some horror stories about dogs getting into chicken runs and birdcages while their owners are out.

x2!!! Please don't.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Thank you for all the info! I'll have my twin read through this.

Dogs will do what you (or their owner) let's them. Training goes a long way.

Thanks! I think my older sister (who was ten when she got the poodles) thought she could totally train them, and meant well, but I think they were so adorable she got caught up in that instead of actually training them. If I got a dog, I would probably hire a trainer who could help her and me, as I don't think I'd really know what I'm doing.

I do not recommend getting a labradoodle. They are full of false promises, because they are crosses. Coat type varies from short to long to wirey to soft to curly to straight to a full double coat to an extremely thin coat. You don't know what you'll get. Doodles aren't actually a 'no shedding' cross. In reality, you either end up with a dog that sheds, or a dog that sheds, but because of coat texture, the shed hair gets caught, forming painful, dense mats. Most doodle coats are very, very high maintenance, a fact that many breeders lie about.

Similarly, with temperament- you won't necessarily get the 'best' of both breeds. You could get the snappiness of a miniature poodle and the extremely high energy of a lab. The chance of having a puppy with a whack temperament is made so much higher because no reputable breeders of labs or poodles will sell to a doodle breeder. Therefore the foundation dogs are likely poorly structured, unhealthy, and not temperament tested. It is SO easy to get a hyperactive dog, or a snappy dog, or a fearful dog, or a dog that has no will to please, or a dog with some combination of those traits. There IS NO WAY for breeders to test a dog's worth ethic or temperament in any official setting, because AKC canine partners registrations (what allow mixed breed dogs to compete) require the dog to be neutered.

My neighbors' labradoodle puppy is hyperactive and has no will to please whatsoever, making her an extremely difficult dog to manage.
Size is also not guaranteed- going back to the previous puppy, she was supposed to be 30 pounds and now weighs 60.

Many say that mixed breed dogs are healthier, but this could not be further from the truth. There's no reason that you couldn't end up with a dog that has cancer and joint problems from the lab line, and a skin condition and food allergies from the poodle line. The healthiest dog that you will get is from a breeder who has complete health testing going back generations. Also, with the foundation dogs being from poor breeders, they will likely not be correctly structured. Some things are cosmetic, like tailset, but, for example, a dog with straight, incorrect angles will have restricted movement and a higher chance of developing joint problems.

Finally, consider two things that don't affect the dog itself.


There are breeders that have dedicated their lives, their time, their money, their everything to bettering their chosen breed. In my eyes, buying a doodle is a huge slap in the face to those who have done their absolute best to improve and protect the breed that they care so deeply about.

The price- keeping this short and sweet. Would you pay $3000+ for a lab x husky? what about a lab x shiba inu? What about a lab x chow chow? What about a lab x great dane?

I hope that you read this through. I'm not going to debate this point beyond this post, but this is my honest opinion as someone who is involved in dog showing, training, and breeding.

Thank you! Definitely seems like a labradoodle is not a good option.

Seems like a handler error, and not the dogs fault. Poodles are extremely intelligent dogs and if they aren't trained its simply the owners fault (same goes for all breeds, actually). The health issues also probably stems from poor choice of breeder. No reputable breeder will produce a dog with such issues.

Thanks! I think that my parents when getting the dog for my sister thought the breeder was reputable, but maybe they didn't really know. I'd look into it more but I have no clue where they got them. Finley, the one without major health issues, seems pretty healthy, but did have giardia when he was a pup, so he has a sensitive stomach.

This!! Some dogs are more biddable than others, but you should NOT get any dog unless you can and will commit time to train the dog to at least a basic obedience level. It's not fair to the dog to do anything less, because the dog will be constantly stressed out. It won't know why you're punishing it for peeing on the floor, or chewing the chair, etc, and will be confused and live in a higher stress state.

How many hours a week does training a puppy take? I can spare maybe up to 15 hours a week for training, maybe less, maybe more, but would an ok alternative be to hire a trainer?

 

[FlarryEyeGrey]

With a puppy, you are always training. When you go outside, you are training good potty behavior. When you play, you are training a gentle bite and good manners with toys. When you put the dog to bed, you are training kennel tolerance and/or furniture rules. When you go for walks, you are training leash manners. When you go to puppy socialization meets, you are training sociability. Sit, stay, down, etc. take hardly any time on a daily basis, and the most important training is fluid and natural.

With a puppy, it's very important to learn how to instill good habits with each of these activities, which isn't hard to do but does take a lot of time. No puppy is going to tolerate being left alone for hours per day. If you don't have anyone to leave a puppy with during the day and can't stay with him or her yourself, it's best to consider getting an older dog.

If you already have a dog (one who is amenable to puppies), they can do a bit of babysitting and help the little one learn the basics by modeling good house behavior. But an only puppy is always, always tricky — no way around it!

 

[Cecisflock]

Thank you! Definitely seems like a labradoodle is not a good option.

Thank you for listening!! It's much appriciated.

 

[LaFleche]

Considering your family situation with already two persons allergic to dogs and yourself halfway allergic, PTSD and other mental health issues (as you described), lots of other animals and already two badly behaved and hardly trained dogs, I suggest to not add even more challenges and stress to the situation.

How old are your sister's two dogs? Maybe you could start to train one of them or even both to be enjoyable, well mannered family members, instead of getting another dog.

Puppies will pick up very quickly on bad behaviour being displayed by other family dogs, so I would consider it an absolute precondition that the dogs already in the home should be well behaved and well trained before bringing in another one.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Considering your family situation with already two persons allergic to dogs and yourself halfway allergic, PTSD and other mental health issues (as you described), lots of other animals and already two badly behaved and hardly trained dogs, I suggest to not add even more challenges and stress to the situation.

How old are your sister's two dogs? Maybe you could start to train one of them or even both to be enjoyable, well mannered family members, instead of getting another dog.

They're a little over 10 years old, so definitely getting older. They get pretty stressed out when one isn't there, so I also thought getting another dog, once, unfortunately, one passes, might help them cope.

Puppies will pick up very quickly on bad behaviour being displayed by other family dogs, so I would consider it an absolute precondition that the dogs already in the home should be well behaved and well trained before bringing in another one.

That's really good to know, thank you!

 

[LaFleche]

They're a little over 10 years old, so definitely getting older. They get pretty stressed out when one isn't there, so I also thought getting another dog, once, unfortunately, one passes, might help them cope.

Even older dogs can get trained, and the breeds you mentioned them to be often live to become 15 or even 18 years old, so still many years ahead to enjoy their then good manners.

A dog that gets daily exercise and training will be a relaxed and self-assured dog and not anxiously depending on the other one to always be by his side.
He will focus more on the human and the activities they enjoy together, which will make him even more receptive for training etc. A win-win situation for all involved.