Goldendoodle, Labradoodle, Labradore breeders

[setthehook17]

My wife and I are going to be looking for a Labradoodle or Goldendoodle for her and a Labradore for me in the near future. Does anyone know of good breeders or private owners that have pups frequently? We are hoping for a nice combination of hunting and companion dogs.

[wormdunker]

I can speak on Labradors. I recently purchased a British Lab from Royalty British Kennels. I researched the breed and breeders thoroughly. I chose Royalty after spending an afternoon watching various training sessions. The sessions included puppies working with LIVE birds at 10-14 weeks of age. Also I was able to see finished dogs and dogs that owners are training themselves. The overwhelming feeling we got from the kennel was one community. You really do feel like you are a part of something special. The dogs are unbelievable. The instincts are incredible and the dogs are mellow at heel but explosive while working. John is the owner and his passion for his business is evident at all times. I really enjoyed our time there and cannot wait to go back and begin training our puppy. He has over 300 acres to work the dogs. He also has a semi private shooting preserve for owners of his dogs.

Really unbelievable place and I have not even mentioned his kennel facility. You will not see better anywhere in the country. If nothing else you should go up to Hinkley and see it.

[riverview]

I have a black male and black female british lab that will be 9 weeks old 9-26. very calm companion and hunting dogs.

[setthehook17]

Wormdunker-

Thanks for the info. I checked out the HSOforum and it looks great. I never realized how much smaller the British labs are which would be really great for hunting out of a canoe, etc. The one thing I didn't find on the HSOforum was a price range. Can you help me out with that? Thanks again.

[riverview]

I got my british labs from kt british labs. I hunt my male out of a 17 foot canoe most of the time he lays down. KT charges 1000 per pup. they are a very calm and trainable dogs.

[CJH]

British labs are kind of the "hot" dog right now. Alot of nonsportsman are even buying them, so you are going to pay alot for them. My lab from champion lines is a great dog and went for $350 (male). Just trying to make the point that you don't have to spend $1k to get a good dog. There are tons of great lab breeders in the upper midwest.

[glenn57]

My wife and I are going to be looking for a Labradoodle or Goldendoodle for her and a Labradore for me in the near future. Does anyone know of good breeders or private owners that have pups frequently? We are hoping for a nice combination of hunting and companion dogs.

i bought a chocolate lab from a breeder west of upsala mn that breeds labrapoodles. its right by ceder lake campground. dont think i can post the name here.e-mail me if interested. [email protected].

[riverview]

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[Bertner]

I have a Standard F1B Goldendoodle who is almost 1 year. I would certainly recommend a Goldendoodle. She is very intelligent, does not shed, good temperment and is awesome with my 3 little boys. I don't hunt so I'm not sure how they are in the field but as far as a companion she is great. We bought her from a breeder in Montivideo. Good luck with whatever you decide on.

[wormdunker]

You will pay $1000-$1500 for a British Labrador from one of the reputable breeders however you get MORE than just a pup for that money. When considering a pup Royalty invites you up to visit as many times as you want. You have the opportunity to see all of his dogs in action, hang out with them in social settings, you are invited to participate and watch training sessions.

Prior to picking a pup we were thoroughly convinced that this was the place for us. The parentage really did not matter, all of the dogs we watched performed like you would not imagine. Once we made the choice we were once again invited up to visit our pup so he became comfortable with us and vice versa.

So all that was great and all, the night we picked him up we sat though a 2 hour training and information session with John Pesak. We were given time for Q&A and he also offered to feed us every time we visited and I am not talking about burgers and brats although that would have been fine. Great food and plenty of it. We left with a packet of lineage information, medical docs not limited to the guarantee papers but also docs that we can give to our vet so they know exactly what has been done to the pup thus far in his life.

So at that point you go home.....and deal with a puppy.

At about 14 weeks you are invited back to participate in an intro to birds and water day. On this day your pup is introduced to dead bird retrieves, live bird retrieves and water training. In addition to all this, the dogs are amazing, John is always available to help you train or just ask questions.

We could not be happier in our choice to purchase our pup from John. I am not a plant for his business just a guy that dropped $1500 on a pup and feel like I got a great deal. By they way I am no millionaire, not close. I decided to buy the pup because John Pesak supplies you with everything yo need to have piece of mind and confidence in the potential of your pup. he then follows trough with everything he commits to. Nice to deal with a business that is passionate but also follows though with everything they promise.

[kentuck_ike]

Wormdunker, you it the nail on the head. When you buy from a reputable breeder you are not just getting a pup. If you take the $350 for a pup and then put a dollar value on all the extras & tech support for 10 to 15 yrs. it really can be a good deal. A breeder wants you to succeed with your pup and most work very hard to help you do so.

[CJH]

My comments above weren't saying you shouldn't buy from a reputable breeder, I did. Just saying that Brit Labs are the hot dog right now and more expensive than a comparable American Lab. The poster asked about Labs in general, not specifically Brits.

Always buy from a reputable breeder and get what's the best fit for you!!

[wormdunker]

No I understand, I am just so impressed I feel people that have not experienced a good breeder need to know what $1500 or $1000gets you. Bottom line it gets you a life long relationship with a person that is passionate about dogs and satisfying customers.

Brit Labs are hot now you are absolutely right on that. Quite frankly my previous Male American Lab could have been mistaken for a british based on the characteristics of british, he was mellow at home and obedient driven hunter in the field. There are MANY American labs like this.

I shopped breeders both private and professional. On the professional side I chose John because he is proud of his breed and pups but NOT to the point of ARROGANCE as some other local British Lab breeders are.

On the private side, I was not given the opportunity to see the Dam and Sire work as I did at Royalty also the personal attachment was there and people loved their dogs but I just did not get the secure feeling I did from John.

[wormdunker]

By the way great discussion, this is what these forums are great for.

[LABS4ME]

I've asked this question before and I can never seem to get an answer.... At what point do the breeders of 'British' labs have to quit calling their pups 'British' Labs.

Here's where I am getting at with this. If they breed the offspring of direct imports and call these pups British, is that still O.K... how about when those pups are bred? 2 generations removed? ... still British? The closest I came to getting an answer was yes they are still British because of the line and the fact they were bred down from that line. Here is my point then... all labs came from Britain at some point! So when do we have to quit calling those dogs British?

Plain and simple folks, no matter how you slice it and dice it, you are paying a $500-$1000 premium for a dog with the label British put in front of it. Those same breeders taking away the title 'British' are looking at selling very nice hunting dogs, price? $500-$750 on average in the current market place. There is no way that one can argue that there is not a higher price paid for pups called 'British'. I've seen pups with a half British pedigree (one parent who was bred from an import) still be advertised as 'British' and sold for a $1000. Why? Because so many people out there want 'British' dogs. Pups born of Direct imported parents with a proven pedigree should probably command those prices, but simply applying the tag 'British' to a dog thinking that is the new wonder lab and it is a fair value is ludicrous.

I read all the time how they want smaller dogs... well I know several breeders who can breed size down, my last litter has a girl dog that weighs 49 pounds and is proportionate and can probably go in the ring. They say British dogs do not have hip problems... B.S.! In the 80s they had no way of recording hips and dogs were sold with a 5 year 'working hip' guarantee. They have been working as hard as most American breeders to rid the lines of hip dysplasia. We have more unscrupulous breeders still breeding uncleared hips as opposed to Britain where it is a rich man's game to breed and they generally go the extra mile. Field ability? You will get it in both our and their dog. Looks? Now is where you may find some difference. I agree that too many field dogs here in America are bred without regard to the physical standards set forth in the AKC book. Not just size, but structure, tail, head, ears, and coat. You can find all this if you choose the right breeder. Temperment? You will never know till your dog grows up. Trust me, they aren't made on an assembly line. I've seen wound up 'British' dogs... just as I've seen very docile high powered bred 'American' dogs. I had a son out of Lean Mac that was one of the calmest, most sensitive easy to train dogs I've laid my hand over.

I usually sit back and let the 'British' banter fly... but at times I want to chime in and ask these questions...? Do I think it is 100% fluff? No, I think the British lines are different than ours. I think there is good to come from those lines. Do I think all British dogs should carry the 'British' label? No. My feelings? Direct imports and their prodgeny can be called and sold as British, that is the end of it. You could still say they are bred down from British lines... but watch the price of the pups go down and now you can see the reason of the tag 'British Pups for sale'. It is no difference than when Fox Red became vogue. Back in the 80s nobody wanted a Red colored lab. I had them, people wanted a light yellow and the 'Snow' lab or 'white' lab was the dog du jour. They are all yellows. red, white and yellow. No different than the different phases of blonde in humans... I've seen them advertised as British Red Labs, huh? I bet they don't even have any dogs from Britain within 10 generations. But see the power that title British Red has?

So in the end, choose your breeder wisely. I am not saying that Royalty Labs are not worth $1500. They have a great operation. I've toured their facility, I hunted behind one of their dogs, that is up to each and everyone of you when you buy your pup to ascertain if the price is warranted. I certainly would NOT pay more for a dog because of the British tag applied to the ad solely because they are suppose to be British. If it all adds up, kennel, personal touch, like the parents, good reputation, good screening program for inherited disorders, good guarntee, happy referals, then base your decision on the price of pups on those factors, not a tag.

Good Luck!

Ken

[Jameson]

Not trying to get in an argument here, but from what I have read "American" often refers to a larger sub-breed, while "British" often refers to a smaller sub-breed.

So, I guess draw a line at a certain weight or height and that is when one is started to be called the other.

[wormdunker]

I do not think there is a scientific answer to this. I felt pretty confident in the value based on what I learned from researching and after I witnessed the dogs and pups at Royalty. If the dogs lineage is British throughout and the dogs within the lineage have been trained as British Labs then I have no questions about the number of litters etc....

If there is American Lab in the lineage then you have to question the breeder. I was supplied with United Kingdom Kennel Club papers and lineage with my pup. I feel pretty secure but also understand your question. I am pretty sure reputable breeders begin thinking about "refreshing" the blood every few years. By that I mean bringing in new dogs directly from over seas.

Further, most experienced dog owners can and will notice slight differences in the pups. I noticed that my pups and others I watched were mc more mellow and under control during live bird exercises. I mean 12 - 14 week old untrained pups sitting motionless and silent watching other pups work with live birds and then when it was their turn explode after the bird.

Your concern is precisely the reason we chose to go with Royalty.

[PGEHound]

Just purchased a british lab (avatar pic), yellow female, from .com. They are a kennel near stillwater. Check out the HSOforum, they have several articles on differences between the american and british bloodlines. They also have their own training HSOforum. Kennel owners are Dennis and Janice Anderson, he writes a hunting column in the Star Trib. I would highly recommend them. Have known them for years and they have been training/breeding for 20+. The british labs are one of a kind.