The Puppy & Dog Owner Thread: Dog owning for dipsh*ts (2024)

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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Pet Island >

Residency Evil: Jul 28, 2003; 4/5 godo... Schumi

I've known several people with labradoodles who have always been fantastic. They've become my favorite dogs and we're thinking that we might want to get one in the next year or so. From reading the OP and looking for a "good" breeder, it seems like 2.5-3k is the going rate for a dog. Is this the ballpark we're looking at? Does anyone have any suggestions? Are the dogs I see on Hoobly locally for ~$700 going to be from puppy mills?

#¿Mar 4, 2017 05:52

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The Puppy & Dog Owner Thread: Dog owning for dipsh*ts (8)

#¿May 24, 2024 18:24

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Residency Evil: Jul 28, 2003; 4/5 godo... Schumi

learnincurve posted:

Honestly it's all down to the breeder, you could get a puppy mill charming 3k so they look legit, or you could have someone home breeding with perfect examples of each parent for 700. You need to be able to see both parents no matter what, a legit high end breeder may very well have a waiting list and give an intimidating interview before they put you on it, but that's often a tactic designed to put you off asking questions like "how old is the bitch and how many litters has she or will she have and at what frequency". Find out of there is a breeders association or club, they are run by obsessive people who refuse to put people on approved breeder lists unless they jump though hoops.
I own something called a "chorkie" and once owned a Chinese crested powderpuff, so I'm in no position to judge the pet choices of others tbh.

ImplicitAssembler posted:

Yes, a $700 dog is most likely going to be from a puppy mill. I would also stay away from sites like Hoobly.
Look for local breeders, who have health tested parents that you can meet.

Psychobabble! posted:

2.5-3k is pretty standard for labradoodles which just, lol you're paying that much for a mutt but okay. 700, as others have pointed out, is probably puppy mills and since doodles (and poodle mixes in general) are the hot designer mutt, puppy mills are common.
See if there is a breed club in your city or one close by, chances are there are. See if they have any meet ups and if so, go to them and talk to owners about the breed, meet their dogs, and ask about local breeders that are good (I did that when I was looking to get a shiba puppy and almost everyone recommended the same breeder).
As mentioned find one who does health testing, and not just "the parents get vet check ups and the vet says they're healthy!" Ideally they'll do offa(ofa.org) testing. Also, see if their dog has any titles in any dog sport. That's not a requirement at all but a dog with some agility, flyball, or some other sport titles (since the breed isn't recognized by the akc they can't do confirmation), it shows the breeder is actually doing something with their dogs instead of just throwing them together. Since both poodles and labs are very sporty breeds, I'd pass on a breeder who didn't participate in at least some sports

Thanks for the posts guys. I don't consider paying for a labradoodle any more silly than paying for any other dog breed, but w/e. All of the breeders I've found have been through the websites of breeder's clubs/associations. I guess all of these are considered "high-end" breeders? We have zero interest in getting show dogs, but presumably that's the case for most people that get dogs. Cost isn't the primary consideration for something that will presumably spend 10 years+ with us, but 2.5k for any dog seems kind of crazy. Is there any way to find the "middle ground" breeders between puppy mills and the high-end breeders I'm finding via associations?

#¿Mar 4, 2017 16:50

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Residency Evil: Jul 28, 2003; 4/5 godo... Schumi

learnincurve posted:

Labradoodles are at the stage where they are a breed in their own right but the kennel clubs have yet to recognise and ruin them. I rather suspect there is no middle ground on this one, you have the added complication of them being bred as helper dogs for the disabled which is going to take a huge number of puppies out of circulation. If you talk to people on labradoodle websites then you might find that there are older puppies who failed training going cheaper.

pizzadog posted:

For a 'designer breed' mutt dog like this, probably not. Doodles aren't usually found at shelters, so those are pretty much your options. You can look more places like FB groups or craigslist for rehomes of dogs previously purchased at breeders, but you know there's always reasons for rehomes, behavioral issues, etc. Your best bet for what you want, clean slate puppy and all, is meeting a breeder's sire/dam and getting on a waiting list.

Thanks again guys. The "cheap" dogs I've found have been ads like, say, this one: http://www.hoobly.com/yuhgd/f-labradoodle-puppies-red-apricot-family-raised-micro-chipped-lifetime-breeder-support.htm Most likely a puppy mill?

#¿Mar 5, 2017 20:58

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Residency Evil: Jul 28, 2003; 4/5 godo... Schumi

Crooked Booty posted:

Look at the seller's other listings. They've got 3 large litters of puppies born within 6 weeks of each other - two litters of doodles and one of Irish Setters. They're breeding multiple breeds. Parents have no health clearances or titles. There's also no way someone with 3 litters on the ground is spending much one-on-one time working with these puppies.
Aren't you an MD? Why not spend the money to get a puppy that you know won't be crippled by hip dysplasia at age two? You're going to be stuck with this dog's genetics (both health and temperament) for over a decade.

learnincurve posted:

That actually looks legit right up until they start talking about money and "we have puppies in 35 different states" and then awooga. If legit breeders can automatically get a premium price from disability groups then why would they need to advertise in the paper? It's a really odd combination of dogs to own, the only people who would really have them are people who have specifically bought them to breed.
I know you have your heart set on a labradoodle but there are issues you should be aware of, temperament specifically. Second generation seem to be chilled out and loveable, first generation can have the temperament of whichever poodle it has been bred from. The premium dogs will probably be second or third generation which are the ones you want.
My alternative suggestion if you like labradoodles would be an old English sheepdog who are ludicrously friendly and chilled out and have very simalar looks when groomed and personality.

Thanks you two. The 35 states definitely made me worried, but you guys confirmed it. I think we'll talk and take a look at local breeders. We're definitely looking at an second+ generation dogs (Australian Labradoodle, I think?), but we'll also check out Old English Sheepdogs/Wheaton Terriers. Thanks for the suggestion!

#¿Mar 6, 2017 01:13

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Residency Evil: Jul 28, 2003; 4/5 godo... Schumi

A few questions for you guys:
1. Is Heartguard the best medicine to prevent heartworm?
2. Is Nexguard the best med to prevent fleas/ticks?
3. What's the cheapest place to get Heartguard/Nexguard?
4. Should I vaccinate for lepto/lyme?

#¿Jul 5, 2018 15:03

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Residency Evil: Jul 28, 2003; 4/5 godo... Schumi

StrixNebulosa posted:

1-3, not sure.
4: Yes. Especially if you live in a rural area with ticks, like I do.

Super Grocery Kart posted:

One thing to keep in mind about Nexgard and other chewables for flea/tick control is that it doesnt repel them; it only works once the parasite bites. If your dogs spend a lot of time outside theyre still gonna have ticks crawling on them and likely bring them in the house, if thats a concern for you. I use Advantix topical because it seems to do a pretty good job as a repellent. The few ticks that do ignore the repellent are almost always already dead when I pick them off.
You need a prescription from your vet for Heartguard, but check Chewy.com for pretty good deals on flea/tick stuff. They do a lot of half off sales, especially off season so I usually just stock up then.

Crooked Booty posted:

1. Heartgard is great and also cheap. There are also a lot of equivalent generics that are even cheaper. All of the oral heartworm preventatives are super effective and super safe.
2. Nexgard, Bravecto, and Simparica are closely related drugs, all relatively new, very similar efficacy, and are arguably the best medicines for fleas/ticks these days.
3. If you want the cheapest, you can probably save a few dollars a month buying Nexgard online. Or you can buy it from your vet where you can feel good about supporting a local business, and also feel confident that youre not buying diverted or counterfeit product which is a real issue with products like this. Heartgard is pretty darn cheap no matter where you get it. If you want cheaper, get a generic.
4. Depends on where you live and what sort of stuff you do with your dog . Find a vet you trust and get the vaccines they recommend.

Thanks everyone. We live in downtown Philadelphia, so not really a rural area, but we do take him out to parks on the weekend. I'm fine with Heartgard since it's cheap. Seems like Simparica is the cheapest out of the three flea/tick medications?

#¿Jul 5, 2018 16:12

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The Puppy & Dog Owner Thread: Dog owning for dipsh*ts (30)

#¿May 24, 2024 18:24

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Residency Evil: Jul 28, 2003; 4/5 godo... Schumi

I don't know why, but I get the impression the entire dog industry (breeders, groomers, etc) is built around the principle of making it as hard as possible to give them money by never picking up the phone, returning messages, or responding to e-mails.

#¿Jul 25, 2018 21:47

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The Puppy & Dog Owner Thread: Dog owning for dipsh*ts (2024)

learnincurve posted:

ImplicitAssembler posted:

Psychobabble! posted:

learnincurve posted:

pizzadog posted:

Crooked Booty posted:

learnincurve posted:

StrixNebulosa posted:

Super Grocery Kart posted:

Crooked Booty posted:

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