First, fill out the adoption form on our website, and submit it. Anna will contact you via e-mail when the form is received. We will then correspond by e-mail or phone. If it is mutually decided that one of our puppies is right for your family, you will then need to send a deposit (see prices page). Unlike other breeders, we do not accept deposits on a litter until close to time for the mother to give birth (unforeseen things do happen). If the type of puppy you want is not born, we will gladly hold the deposit for a future litter.
Balances are due in CASH ONLY when you pick up your puppy in person. If you are shipping--payment in full, including shipping costs, must be made when the pup is 7 weeks old, to prepare for the shipping at age 8 weeks. We prefer postal money order for balance due and shipping costs. You must be ready for your pup when he/she is age 8 weeks.
THIS IS IMPORTANT: If driving, you must be able to pick up your pup on the date they are ready. This date is always posted on the website--on the same page that you view the pup's pictures. A time will be arranged with you for the pick-up on that date. If you cannot make it on your scheduled date and time, you might forfeit your place in line for the final selection process. If you are shipping, you must be available to talk by phone on that same pick up date to make final selection of your pup. You will be given a specific time for the phone call.
Several things are taken into consideration. First, we analyze your adoption form regarding environment, experience with puppies/dogs, number and ages of children, etc. Then, we determine your desires for gender, color, coat type, size, and temperament. When the pups are about 7 weeks old we start making preliminary selections (so if there is a young pup available in a given litter, it is no specific pup, it is just a 'spot' on the list). These decisions are based on temperament testing that we perform on the pups at age 49 days. You will be notified by e-mail of our thoughts. We will gladly incorporate any of your wants/needs into the selection process. If there are several puppies that would work for several different homes, the family whose deposit was received first will get to choose from those pups. Note: if you do not indicate a preferred gender, WE will be choosing the gender ourselves before the final selection process begins.
These numbers stand for the type of cross the puppy is:
F1=50% poodle, 50% golden retriever. Coats are usually long, slightly wavy, and require brushing about once per week, especially behind the ears and the belly. This type coat is very beautiful, but will shed in some dogs. This coat is usually allergy friendly (regarding dander allergies, not saliva), but not always.
F1B=75% poodle, 25% golden retriever. This is an F1 goldendoodle bred to a poodle. Coats are usually thick waves, loose curls, or tight curls. Requires more thorough brushing several times per week to avoid matting. The curly type coat can often require professional grooming, and can have the 'sculpted' look. Shedding is practically non-existent, and the coat is very hypo-allergenic.
We are no longer breeding F2B pups. It was determined that this cross produces about 10-15% flat coated dogs.
Regarding hybrid vigor, these crosses all have either parents or grandparents of different breeds, so therefore hybrid vigor will be high in each of the above three crosses. Of course, a pup is only as good as the parent that produced it, so genetic testing is still very important in all the parents.
Standards are a cross between a Standard Poodle and a Golden Retriever. They are typically fairly tall, and appear very large partly due to their long shaggy coats. They weigh about 50-80 pounds, usually.
Mediums are a cross between a Miniature Poodle male and a Golden Retriever female. Or, they may be a cross between a miniature Goldendoodle male and a standard Goldendoodle female. Toy sizes are not used by us for this cross--because the resultant pup can sometimes exhibit poor confirmation (short legs with long back). They usually weigh 30-45 lbs.
Miniatures are a cross between a Miniature Poodle or Goldendoodle male and a miniature Goldendoodle female. These dogs usually weigh between 18-25 lbs.
Pictures of the puppies are posted when they are born, and regularly thereafter. Also, we will usually post a video of the puppies playing at about 5-6 weeks. To reduce the chance of spreading disease (see next question), we only allow people to see the pups on the day of pick up. If for any reason you are not happy with your puppy when you see him, there is no obligation to take him, and your deposit will gladly be refunded. Because of our selection process, we are confident that you will be overjoyed when you see your pup. We also provide an extensive reference list--feel free to contact these past buyers, it will ease your mind.
Please see our visitation policy.
Our preferred method of correspondence is e-mail. Anna replies to e-mail messages daily, but often doesn't listen to phone messages but about once per week. Due to very busy schedules for both Charley and Anna (these dogs take a lot of our time!) e-mail just seems to work better. Of course, there are times when you just can't replace talking in person, we understand that--and sometimes we will need to talk to you in person also. We will be glad to discuss with you any questions, issues, concerns you may have by phone. And of course, we are always available by phone or e-mail to our past customers. Our e-mail address is: info@loveabledoodles.com. If you would like our phone number, we will gladly provide our home number via e-mail, along with best times to call.
CKC registration papers, two year health guarantee, health record, pet ID tag, link to baby pictures on-line, toy that smells like mom/siblings.
The pups are immunized with a five-way vaccine at age 6 weeks. Their next shot will be due at age 9 weeks, after you have the puppy home. We also deworm the puppies at age 2, 4, and 6 weeks of age. Your vet will decide if further worming is necessary after you get the puppy home. We give flea protection (Frontline Plus) at age 6-7 weeks. We do recommend you start heartworm prevention at your first vet visit.
Canidae "All Life Stages" dry dog food. After extensive research, we have determined this to be the best food for the price. We HIGHLY recommend you visit www.dogfoodanalysis.com to find out why we don't recommend ANY dog foods sold in grocery stores or most pet store chains ( you are just feeding your dog other dead dogs, and diseased, dying, decomposing meats along with corn and wheat that your dog can't digest). Sorry to be so graphic, just trying to make a truthful point. We feel very strongly about this. Canidae is a 'human grade' dog food. It is the least expensive of the human grade dog foods. There are some foods that may be a little better, but we find them cost prohibitive. Please visit www.dogfoodanalysis.com before bringing your puppy home, and choose a food. If you don't choose Canidae, you may transition your pup slowly from our food to yours (we will give you a zip-lock bag of Canidae with the pup).
Our puppies are born in our kitchen. They stay in our home the entire time. If we happen to have more than one litter, they may go to our attached garage (it's heated and cooled). But, they are brought inside daily for playing/interaction with us. If the weather is nice, they may go to our outside nurseries during the day for fresh air and play. The indoor and outdoor puppy nurseries are set up so that the puppies have to walk through a doggy door to go outside and potty. They do not potty inside where they sleep. This makes future crate training much easier. The pups are weaned from their mothers at age 6 weeks. We continue to play with them on a daily basis until they leave us for their new homes at age 8 weeks. Temperament testing is done at age 49 days.
Only the health guarantee, which is on our website for your review. There is also an adoption form you must complete, just so we have your information at hand.
Your puppy must live in your home--not outside. Crate training is the method we strongly suggest for house breaking. We prefer you start obedience classes with your puppy, and require it for first time dog owners. If you have young children, they must not treat the puppy as a toy. The children should be taught how to properly treat the pup, and should be supervised at all times with the puppy. Even though goldendoodles love children, no pup should suffer the abuse that some kids can dish out--it will definitely be detrimental to the puppy's developing personality.
Any dog can become a huge 'pain in the butt' by developing unwanted habits. With the goldendoodle, you are starting out with a wonderful, loving, intelligent breed. There is no reason except for poor training that these puppies will cause any problems in your household. It is imperative you know how to properly crate train and obedience train your dog.
First, please visit the website www.dog-obedience-training-review.com. We highly recommend, and agree with the training methods used here. Read everything carefully, several times, before you get your puppy. Start to implement the advice as soon as puppy arrives. Next, enroll your pup in 'puppy classes', or regular obedience classes if the pup is over 4-5 months. There's nothing like hands on training. Remember, a well-trained puppy is a well-loved puppy (and vice versa).