Should Labradoodle Breeders Be Part Of A Regulatory Body?

There are many who feel it is imperative your labradoodle breeder be a member of a regulatory body.

Beverly Manners of Rutland Manor recommends, “A prospective buyer who is dealing with an F1 breeder, or any other labradoodle breeder who is not a member of a governing body such as the ILA or the LAA needs to be asking the questions why is this breeder not a member?

Is it because their pedigrees could be inaccurate? Is it because the labradoodle breeder is not carrying out health testing? Is it because the parent or parents of the puppies may not be who they are represented to be?

Is it because the labradoodle breeder is reluctant to have their breeding practices under scrutiny, or are in some other way misrepresenting the breed?

“Governing bodies such as the ILA and the LAA have been set up in order to protect the consumer as well as the Labradoodle itself, via the keeping of accurate records, DNA profiling of parentage, Codes of Ethics, monitoring of breeding practice, and other initiatives designed to give the purchasing public confidence.

It could be foolhardy to ignore the support and education available and the prospective purchaser needs to feel comfortable with their Labradoodle breeder of choice before moving forward with purchasing their Labradoodle.”

“Occasionally there could be a Labradoodle breeder who does not belong to an Association for political or other issues, which may not reflect on the quality of their breeding program. However it is still important to ask the question...why?”

Angela Cunningham of Tegan Park was more blunt when asked what a prospective buyer should do if they encounter a Labradoodle breeder who is not a member of a regulatory body. Her response? “Find a different Labradoodle breeder.”

When asked her opinion, breeder Dixie Moore of Dixie’s Doodles response was, “I’d say for a lot of people that are looking for Labradoodle breeders, it gives you at least the knowledge they have the code of ethics and then, like with the ILA or LAA, if they’ve got a complaint then they’ll investigate that. So, at least you know they are subscribing to something and that someone is watching over.

Somewhat. But there are a lot of really good Labradoodle breeders that don’t believe in this.

“So if they belong to an association, that’s good, but if they don’t it is not necessarily bad, it is not in any way a bad reflection on the breeder.

“It is the relationship you have with your Labradoodle breeder and the sense you get from them. They need to be knowledgeable about the Labradoodle.

I don’t mean they have to have all the beginning history memorized and know the first person to breed them… but they need to know what generation they have and what generation they are breeding. They should be able to explain the coat. They should also be able to explain the different subtypes.

“They also cannot promise non-shedding, cannot promise that you won’t be allergic to it, and things like that. I would be wary of anyone who is making promises about shedding and allergy.

Labradoodle and Goldendoodle breeder Michael Waggenbach of Sunshine Acres states, “When calling breeders, if you have a comfortable feeling with the person you’re talking to, that’s a very good indication. It may not be the actual questions, but does the conversation go well, do you feel comfortable with the other person? I would say that would be one thing to do.

The other thing is go to websites and there is one I specifically recommend which is www.goldendoodles.com . Also, get involved in a discussion forum and ask others about Labradoodle breeders.”

Michael continues, “More than likely, there’s someone who has purchased from the Labradoodle breeder. If they are closer, they may have been to the facility. Just weigh everything and make the decision whether or not you feel comfortable.

Also, I wouldn’t say it’s the best indicator, but I’d look at the people to dog ratio. There isn’t a magical number for a ratio, because it depends entirely on the steward. Some may only be able to manage one or two dogs and another can handle 50. I’ve found my care starts to diminish when I am caring for over 30 dogs at a time. However, I do have the help and support of my family.”

He also adds “For F1 puppies I would say it is important the parent dogs be registered with reliable pure breed registry, but it is not the highest priority that it be AKC.

Because really what people are looking for are cute, healthy pets, not necessarily pedigree. But, we have health, good looks, good attitude, good personality. That’s really what we want.”

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Article written by:

Edie MacKenzie