Shedless in Seattle Labradoodles | Family Breeder of Australian and Multigenerational Labradoodle Puppies

There is discussion within the Doodle breeder community as to whether this is the best route for the health of the developing breed. Some believe it will cause breeders to focus more on aesthetic conformation than on breeding incredibly trainable, loving companion dogs. An unbalanced emphasis on aesthetic conformation neglects temperament. However, the recognition of AKC is important to many and is sought after by many in the Doodle community. There are currently several Labradoodle organizations in Australia and the U.S. which provide leadership to the developing breed.

When you buy a Labradoodle puppy, you will find they are more than other popular breeds. Breeders purchasing breeder stock pay great sums for their dams and sires. Multi-Gen breeders testing for genetic problems stack up large bills to ensure the integrity of their breeding stock. For instance, a breeder testing for hip dysplasia may have invested at least $800 in testing for preliminary results and one-year results before a dam is bred for the first time. These tests further the genetic health of the breed, but the costs are passed on to the purchaser. Perhaps never before has technology offered such extensive screening for the genetic soundness of a developing breed, but it is not free.

The F1 is a delightful companion. It is however questionable in its non-shedding quality. The F1 may have a wispy-hair coat, which can be coarse to the touch. The Multi-Gen and F1B have shown higher reliability with the desired low- or non-shedding coat. They are also known to have a more desirable feel, particularly the soft fleece coat. The Multi-Gen Labradoodle is the coat which breeders purposefully breed toward for a pure Labradoodle. This is the dog which will be recognized by the AKC if that event should come to pass. The public has placed a great value and a high price tag on this quality. The Multi-Gen breeder has invested significantly more money and generations (time) in breeding stock than the breeder of an F1. Time being money, the investment is passed to the purchaser.

Absolutely. We actually are not a kennel—just a family who has developed a passion for Labradoodles. Our dogs live in our home, and our upcoming breeding dogs live with friends in a guardian home setting. We are an active family with four children in our home, which makes scheduling frequent visitors or drop-ins tricky. Additionally, constant visitors to our dogs can put them at risk of contagious diseases picked up from other kennels. We do invite new owners to visit our home when they put down a deposit or when they pick up their new friend. If you have further questions, please let us know. We hope that by viewing the photos on our site, you will get a comfortable feeling about the home in which our dogs are raised. We thank you for your understanding and will provide you with as many references as you request.

Our first two litters were delivered in December 2005. We were initially intimidated by the depth of knowledge in the breeding community. We soon discovered that even the most experienced of the U.S. breeders have only been practicing for a few years. The breeding community has been very open and supportive, mentoring one another via forums. Using the internet, we are all a click away from others as well as the vast resources of veterinary reproductive science.

When runners buy a Labradoodle puppy, once of the first questions is, when can my puppy start jogging with me? Between 8 and 12 weeks of age, your little Dood is not yet physiologically ready to jog or walk on leash. He is ready to begin preliminary leash training, however. Begin leash training by attaching the leash to his collar, allowing him to drag the leash around freely. At first this will feel awkward to him. When he is comfortable with dragging a leash, you will begin to pick up the leash, move a few feet away, call him to you, and give him a treat. Repeat several times and practice daily. You can sabotage leash training by pulling on the leash or letting your children pull on the leash.

Another reason he cannot jog and walk at 8 weeks of age is that it would put stress on his flexible joints (hips and elbows) at a time when he is growing rapidly. Repetitive exercise stresses joints before the age of one year.

The third reason to wait on jogging and leash walking is that your little Dood is not yet fully vaccinated. Allowing him to walk on the street puts him at risk of parvo (a deadly disease to puppies whose germs are carried on car tires, etc.).

At 16 weeks of age, little Dood may go to leash walking boot camp. Training should be done by adults only. Children can join in only after little Dood is comfortable with leash walking. See more on leash walking at training tips (HYPERLINK) and at our Gentle Leader recommendation.

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Gentle Leader can keep a dog calm and submissive in multiple situations aside from leash walking. I used it for a dog who went bizerk each time she saw a dog walking while she was riding in the car. The Gentle Leader is like Xanax for dogs! Link provided is a small collar for puppies.

This ball-throwing device acts as an extension of your normal throwing distance, making you feel like a major-league pitcher. It will maximize the amount of exercise your dog gets during fetching sessions.

The dematting comb is necessary during the first year after buying your Labradoodle puppy since the coat may matt between puppy and adult coats.

This concoction is expensive, but will pay for itself many times over as it reclaims your carpets and rugs from smelling like a litter box. Even with the best of training, accidents are bound to happen. By dousing the piddle spots with Nature's Miracle and allowing it to dry, you won't smell the urine at all. This has been a success with all of my carpets except for one.

This is a device that your dog wears around its neck, attached to a collar. It sprays a tiny amount of citronella each time a dog barks, triggered by the vibration of the vocal cords. This was very successful with our Lab. It does not harm the dog, but startles it with the spray. This was recommended by a Humane Society trainer as a means of behavioral modification. The only drawback of this device is that it cannot be worn with any other collar, such as a choke chain or I.D. collar.

Your puppy will be crate trained in a crate which it will quickly outgrow. You may need as many as three crates before he is full-grown. This option allows you to buy one crate and move a dividing wall, which will last throughout your pet's life. (I have not yet used this, but wish I had!)

Before our puppies were potty-trained, this pen was large enough for our puppies and kids to play together in an area of our kitchen which could not be gated because of wide doorways.

The above supplies are much of what you will need after you buy your Labradoodle puppy.

Care & Training Resources

The Monks have high hopes for you and your new friend. Training is serious business for them. They use stories of real clients to make their points. I must confess...a few times I had sinful thoughts while reading this book, such as "anyone can train a dog if it's the only one in your family...no kids and no spouse." I think they will forgive me.

This author uses the dynamics of the mother dog / puppy relationship to allow you, the owner, to take over. Very practical.

Labradoodles often have an excellent temperament to be used as visiting dogs. You may be interested in Therapy Dogs International, a volunteer organization dedicated to training dogs and their handlers for the purpose of visiting nursing homes, hospitals, and other institutions.

Our very own Ella earned recognition from Therapy Dog International in 2008. She is at work in the naturopathic medicine practice of Dr. Cynthia Buxton, ND, LAc, with her owners Cynthia and Rick.

GoldenDoodles.com - We are a member of this organization, which works to direct the future of this developing breed. Their website has valuable information for those considering a Doodle.

Veterinary Medical Resources - Diagnose your dog before going to the vet, or prevent some of those health concerns by visiting this Q&A-style site. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

International Doodle Owners Group - The International Doodle Owners Group is an incredibly dedicated team of volunteers whose goal is to match doodles who have lost their home with people desiring an adult doodle. These dogs are carefully evaluated for temperament, and placed accordingly. These may be Goldendoodles or Labradoodles, and they service all of North America. Please consider adopting an idog.biz doodle, and give a home to a waiting friend.

The Whole Dog Journal - The Whole Dog Journal is known for its expertise in training and in food quality ratings. I receive their journal bi-monthly, and highly recommend it. It accepts no advertising, so you can totally trust the opinions written there. They have come out with this series that I would like to recommend as well.

Rescue Organizations

My entire life, I have owned rescue dogs. Until I met a Doodle, I never understood why someone would buy a purebred when there were such incredible friends available in shelters. The first dog I had in marriage, Chelsea (pictured on the left), was a jewel. I'll never forget my husband's first response when I pointed Chelsea out to him in the shelter: "Jan, you picked the ugliest dog in this shelter." Yet when in public with her over her twelve-year lifespan, I'm sure we received no less than 50 requests as to her origins! We still have a rescue dog, Cheddar, who came to us with a broken leg from the Humane Society, who so generously operated on him even without an owner lined up.

I write this to say, if you are not set on buying a Labradoodle puppy, consider a rescue dog at a local shelter or a national Web site. Or perhaps a rescue dog would make a perfect playmate for your new Doodle. It is the privilege of every dog lover to support dog rescue efforts in one way or another. I have found Labradoodle lovers to be very philanthropic.

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