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COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q. What is a Labradoodle? A Labradoodle is a hybrid/designer dog breed. A
Q. What are the main reasons why we should consider purchasing a Toy/Mini Labradoodle over another small breed? We are glad you asked this question. Here is a list of the some of the reasons prior adoptive families have given for choosing to purchase our Toy/Mini Labradoodles. 1. They are practically a non-barking dog. One family said they had to actually teach their dog to bark when he wanted to go outside. They will, however, bark at intruders and their bark is a deep low sound, unlike other small dogs that yap continuously. 2. This breed is extremely intelligent. Several of our puppies have been reported to be so smart they can learn commands and tricks in less than 10 minutes. One of our dogs was quickly trained to be a Medical Service Canine. Another owner reported their little one has learned more than 15 tricks, with none of them taking more than a 10 minutes to learn. Once learned they never seem to forget. 3. They house train quickly (because they are so smart) 4. They love everyone in the family equally and show no favorites. 5. They are very clean, even as puppies 6. They love to play with children and are small enough that they will not knock over small children. 7. Because they usually have dry skin and hair, they have little to no doggie odor. 8. They do not need to be professionally groomed, unless you want them too. 9. They have very little to no shedding compared to most other breeds. They will shed hair when they lose their puppy coat, usually between 8 months to 14months. 10. They basically have no dander. and are low to non-allergenic for owners who have animal allergies. 11. They are very strong and healthy for a small dog. 12. They love to be cuddled and held, this makes them great dogs for senior citizens who are alone and need something to love and cuddle every day. Many sleep with their owners and they do not jump all over the bed during the night. 13. They are not expensive to feed because they do not eat very much, which means they do not leave big piles all over your yard. 14. Because they are small and love to travel, they can go just about everywhere with you and are happy to lie in your lap all the way there and back again. To sum up the reasons to own one of our Toy/Mini Labradoodles, we believe they are the perfect all-round small family dog. Be sure to read our reference letters page to see what our adoptive families have to say. Q. Are there any negatives regarding these small Labradoodles? The biggest negative we have heard from prior adoptive families, is that they wish they had more room in their lives for another puppy, they love them so much. In fact, several have purchased another puppy so they can have double the fun. Because of our knowledge of our dog's blood lines and ancestoral blood lines, we have never produced a puppy with health issues of any kind, no heart disease, orthopedic problems, luxating patellas, eye diseases, liver shunts, etc. We keep in close contact with our adoptive families so we can make this statement on our puppies health with confidence. Our vetranarian of 15 yrs plus supports this statement in his reference letter on the page "Referrals". Please take a moment to review his letter. A wonderful plus about these Toy/Mini Labradoodles is that there is not a single recorded case of hip dysplastia. All big dogs have the potential of this happening, but not the little ones, because they do not carry the weight that puts pressure on the hips and joints. Another wonderful thing about the Toy/Mini's is that their life span is 5-8 years longer than the standard full sized Labradoodles.
Q. How do we reserve a puppy from your current litter or a future litter?
Once you have reviewed all the material on this website and have made the decision that this is the perfect dog for you and your family, contact us either by phone or by e-mail. Many people have reserved our puppies before they are even born. We will accept an early deposit of $250.00 at any time up to the time the puppies are 4 weeks old. At that time they are available for selection by our depositors in the order the deposits were received. Once the selection is made, an additional $250.00 deposit is required and the total of $500.00 becomes Non-Refundable at that time. The balance of the purchase price is then due, in cash, at the time the puppy is picked up or at least 10 days prior to shipping, if shipping is needed. At time of selection, if you decide none of our puppies are right for you, you will get a complete refund of the $250.00 or you can choose to have us hold the deposit for a future litter, the choice is entirely up to you.
Q. Do all of your puppies reach an adult weight of 9-19 lbs? We want a larger adult dog but not as large as a full sized Labradoodle.
Because of the huge demand for small toy Labradoodles from our adoptive families, we have done everything humanly possible to continue to produce the smallest toy Labradoodles. With that said, we still can not completely control the millions of possible gene combinations that mother nature puts together at the time of conception, just as you can not order or control the weight that your own children will be when they reach adulthood. Now that we have had several litters, we have had reports from a few of our adoptive families, that their adult dogs have exceeded the upper end of our average weights. This is only natural as mother nature alone decides the genetic make up of each puppy and there is no way during the first 8 weeks to tell for sure what the adult weight will ultimately be.
Also there are other factors which can greatly influence the adult weight of the dog, such as the amount, type and frequency of the food the dog is consuming, or the amount of exercise it gets or does't get.
To answer your question, yes we do have puppies that do occassionally exceed the 19 pounds which we state as the upper end of our average size.
Q. I would like to adopt an adult Toy Labradoodle. Do you ever have any available? We get many calls for an adult Toy/Mini Labradoodle. The good news is that we have never had to re-home any of our puppies. To re-home a dog is sad for everyone, especially the pet. We do offer the service in our sales agreement, if it is needed. But, to date, no one has asked us to help them. The main reasons a dog needs to be re-homed is because of excessive barking, failure to house train, allergy problems or stressful behavior. So far, none of our adoptive families have had these types of problems. Q. Do you breed just the toy/mini size Labradoodles? After breeding full size Labradoodles, we realized there was a need for a much smaller Labradoodle. Full size ones can weigh up to 100 pounds. Even if the parents of a litter are small, the puppies can still inherit “BIG” genes from five generations back. Our goal was to breed the smallest Labradoodle possible. We did not want to use a miniature Poodle which can weigh up to 25 pounds. We choose a tiny 5 lb.Toy Poodle to be the sire of our litters. He was raised to think he was as big as a Standard Poodle. Our toy/mini Labradoodle puppies range in weights from approximately 9-29 pounds, with the average being around 15-18 lbs. My 20+ years of breeding experience and knowledge has enabled me to produce probably the smallest Labradoodles in the country. Many families are downsizing today, and desire a downsized Labradoodle to fit in with their lifestyle. Many enjoy their dog sleeping on their bed without taking up the entire bed. Many travel with their pets and enjoy having them settle on their laps during the trip. Many have small children and desire a companion pet that can play with the children instead of knocking them down. There was an overwhelming demand for smaller Labradoodles, that is why we now specialize in the toy/mini sizes only. See our Page called "Comparisons" to see the differences between full-sized Labradoodles vs our Toy/MIni Labradoodles. Q. I’m confused, what is a F1-B Labradoodle? F1-B Labradoodle is an offspring of a first generation Labradoodle (F1) that has been bred back to a Poodle. The resulting litter is a F1-B litter or if you break down the genetics is actually ¾ Poodle. This type of breeding does breed out many of the wonderful Q. Do you have any F1-B Puppies? No, Never! We believe strongly in breeding only pure AKC Labradors to pure AKC Poodles to produce original Labradoodles, as the breed was first developed. To breed any other combinations would dramatically compromise the true definition of a Labradoodle. Q. Are your puppies multi-generational? Please keep in mind that our Toy/Mini puppies are bred from an AKC Labrador mom, and daddy is a tiny AKC Toy Poodle. These puppies cannot be bred as they carry mom’s large Q. Do you ship puppies? Yes, we have shipped our puppies all over the U.S. The new owner is responsible for the all the costs of shipping which is usually between $150.00 - $250.00, depending on the distance or if the destination airport is a major hub or not. Q. Have you ever had any problems shipping a puppy? We live in New York. The airlines are always careful about checking the weather and conditions before a puppy ships out. In extreme weather, we have had to wait a day or two until the conditions changed. Food and water available for the puppy is always a requirement by the airline. We are always confident in shipping one of our little ones, as we know he/she will receive “First Class” care. We have never had any problems with shipping. Q. We live in North Carolina. How do you select a puppy for out of state families? Each one of our puppies is tested for temperament and personality. I spend time talking with families on the phone asking questions and learning what they are looking for in a dog that best fits with their lifestyle. For instance, a family with children that loves to camp or boat usually wants a dog that is full of energy. A retired person who has a quiet lifestyle usually desires a lap-dog that is content to be held and loved most of the day. After the right puppy has been chosen, we e-mail pictures to the new adoptive family so they can see their new baby grow until he/she is picked up at the airport. We have found that the entire family usually goes to pick up their new baby, and it is indeed an exciting moment when they first see their precious little one waiting for them. Q. Have your puppies been wormed before they go to their new adoptive homes? Our puppies are wormed 2-3 times before they leave for their new homes. Each puppy has a medical history document that lists the dates of worming and when the next worming is due. Q. What about shots? Each puppy is up-to-date on puppy shots, and in the medical history document, which you will receive when you pick up your puppy, the due date for his next shot is listed. Q. I know small dogs bark more then large dogs. Is this true with your little ones? A barking dog is usually a highly stressed dog. Our puppies are bred from very gentle sweet and quiet natured dogs. This nature is bred into their puppies. We have carefully chosen our breeding dog’s for temperament also. Our puppies are nearly a non-barking breed we are told by their adoptive families, (except for the first night or two). Q. We do not want to adopt a puppy from a kennel that has multiple dog runs outside and where the puppies are seldom held or played with. How are your puppies and adult dogs raised? Our adult dogs are raised as house pets and are really quiet spoiled. Each litter is raised indoors and is loved and held daily by family and friends. We do not believe in large outdoor kennels separated by chain link fencing where the dogs and puppies only time with humans is during daily cleaning and feeding. Be sure to go to the section “Puppies Available” and view the video of puppies playing. Also watch all the kisses and affection they are giving me. A kennel puppy is timid, shy and scared and only wants to run away and hide. The first 8 weeks of a puppies life is a critical time for setting his acceptance or non-acceptance to people and new situations for the rest of his life. Q. I am a school teacher and would like to have my puppy by the first of June. Will you have any available at that time?(Question asked in January). We do not always have available puppies. It is best to check with us if you have a certain date that is important to you and we will be able to tell you when our next litter will be available. We can usually estimate the time one of our girls will be in season and try to get a puppy to you by that date. We do not announce a litter on our web-site until they are about two weeks old. Usually, a litter will have several puppies pre-adopted before we even make the birth announcement on Labradoodles of Oregon. So, please call us instead of waiting for an announcement on our site. Remember that we cannot produce puppies to meet certain dates. That is when Mother Nature steps in and says “All in good time”. Q. Our son has allergies to dogs and cats. Are your Labradoodles a non-allergy breed? We have had many families adopt one of our puppies where one of the family members was allergic to animal fur and dander. We encourage each family to hold a puppy and watch for a reaction. People have different levels of allergies. One family came to hold a puppy, and the wife broke out in hives. This was a mystery to us as we had never before seen a reaction of any kind, with any of our puppies. We suggested the family come back in a couple of days after we had given the puppy a special bath which would rinse off the mama’s saliva from the puppy’s fur. The difference was amazing in the wife’s reaction to the puppy. There was no allergic reaction, I’m pleased to say. Q. Should we adopt a male or female and is there a difference in personality. Many families know which sex they want because sometime in their life they had a special dog that they loved and now they want that same male or female pet. Both of our little boys or girls make wonderful family dogs and display the same sweet personality traits and loyalties. Other breeds have noticeable differences between the sexes but the only difference it seems in our little ones is in their name, whether it is a girl name or boy name. One family wanted to adopt a little girl. They hesitated on making a decision on a puppy until the last little girl was adopted. When they called and told me they had decided on one of our girls, I told them I only had one little boy available. Their response was, “That’s OK, we are still going to name him Creamella”. Q. How often should we bathe our Labradoodle? Our Labradoodles do not have oily hair or skin. Because of this, frequent bathing is not necessary since they do not have a doggy smell. Many families bathe their pets once a week I am told and the reason is “Because she/he sleeps with us”. Frequent bathing will not harm your Labradoodle’s skin if a very mild shampoo is used like Johnson’s Baby Shampoo. Q. At what age can we expect our puppy to stop growing? Our toy/mini Labradoodles usually have their adult size in height by 6 months. After 6 months they will grow muscle and their rib cage will open so they will not look so thin. One family told us their little girl was 12 ½ pounds by 5 months and at one year old she was still 12 ½ pounds. Each puppy will have his/her own time frame for growth. Q. Our daughter has a cold, will our puppy catch it? No, human cold virus is not transferable to animals so relax, take off the face masks and give your puppy a hug and a kiss. Q. Our Labradoodle is 6 months old, why is he suddenly shedding? Puppies will shed their puppy coats at different times. Some start shedding as young as 4 months and others as late as 10 plus months. The Labradoodle coat is not fully developed until at least 14-16 months old. During puppy coat shed out, I suggest you have him groomed in a Sporting Style pattern at a professional grooming shop if shedding hair is a problem. A Sport Clip leaves the leg fur full and the body hair only ½ inch long. Do not let him be shaved, especially the legs. The Sport Clip is an attractive pattern, and many have found it to be great in the summer. Another cause of hair falling out could be a reaction to change in their diet or from human treats, which they should not really have. You may need to change the diet. Check with your veterinarian about which brand he recommends.
Cat food is all protein and can cause sever liver damage to your dog, which could result in his death. Do not allow any dog to eat cat food. Set your bowls of cat food up high where your dog can not get to it.
Q. What do we do when our new puppy does not want to eat? I always suggest that for the first week or so food be available at all times. The new puppy is usually stressed in a new home and may not want to eat. Take a minute and look at it from his point of view. He has just been taken from his litter mates by people he does not know. His food is somewhere in this strange house, and where can he go hide, especially if young children are chasing him. The new people are expecting him to play and fetch and do all kinds of things when all he wants is to go to a private place and be quiet for awhile. It is good to have the food available when he/she wants to eat. Keep watch to make sure your puppy is eating and if not, you will need to encourage eating. Mix his dry kibble in with a couple teaspoons of canned dog food. This mixture will smell so good he should start eating right away. It is important that a new puppy eat to keep his blood sugar level up. If he does not want to eat the kibble/canned dog food mixture then prepare ½ cup evaporated milk mixed equally with ½ cup warm water along with a tablespoon of white sugar. Never use honey as it is toxic to young puppies. If he refuses this, and is acting weak, sleepy or droopy, he needs to see a veterinarian right away as his blood sugar has dropped to a dangerous level. I always educate new adoptive families on what to look for in their puppy so that hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) should it happen, can be immediately treated at home. This is a common condition in all animal breeds, both large and small. The stress of a new home can many times cause a puppy to not want to eat. Just make sure your new puppy is eating well, especially during the first several days after his arrival to his new home. Q. What is the expected life span of your little Labradoodles compared to a full size Labradoodle? The average life span of small dogs is up to 15 plus years compared to larger breed at 10-12 years. This takes into account, care and proper feeding. Last week I met a small breed dog that was 18 years old and still going strong. Q. Are your puppy’s temperament and personality tested? Yes, each puppy is tested so we can let new adoptive families have an idea of what to expect in their adult Labradoodle. Q. Do you recommend taking our new puppy on walks before the puppy shot series is completed? Puppies get a series of three, sometimes four puppy shots, three weeks apart. The reason for this is because no one knows when the puppy’s immune system will accept the shot and provide the necessary immunity. Because of this, it is important to keep your little one at home where he is safe from possible infection of any kind. Please read the “Puppy Talk" page on this site, where I address the necessary precautions to take before going into the veterinarian’s office. Q. Should our puppy be crated every time we leave the house even for a short time? A small puppy left alone can quickly go into panic. Every room in your house is big to him/her and he is all alone in it. His family is gone and a puppy only lives in the present second of time. All he knows is that he is alone and he is scared. A scared puppy or dog when left alone can do a great amount of damage in a very short period of time. My advice is that until your Labradoodle is well grounded and knows your routines and knows that you will always return, KEEP HIM IN THE CRATE where he feels safe and cannot do any harm to himself or your home. Q. Will our Labradoodle coat mat? All dog coats over one inch can mat, however if brushed at bath time, this will take care of any mats. Usually, the Labradoodle coat is low to no matting. Q. Professional grooming is so expensive. Will our Labradoodle need grooming every 6-8 weeks like my mom’s poodle?
Labradoodle coats grow at a very slow rate and seldom, if ever, need professional grooming. Q. Our puppy will at times race around the house as if chasing an invisible ball. It is such a cute thing and makes us all laugh. What causes this and will it last? I call this behavior “Extreme puppy joy”. It is caused by a burst of adrenaline and can last for only a few seconds. While your puppy is racing around, do not interrupt him and just stand back and enjoy the show. If interrupted, this energy flow may cause him to suddenly take a quick nip. By 12 months of age, you will realize that you seldom see him being quite so energetic and you will miss this cute behavior. Q. Help! We went to a doggie park, and our little Labradoodle came back with fleas. What do you recommend before they become a big problem? A. Fleas are a parasite that can cause all types of health problems. Not only for your dog, but for you as well. I recommend using Advantage flea drops which you can get from your veterinarian. Advantage is a chemical, so discuss the possible side effects with your veterinarian. He will show you how to administer it to your dog, which should to be done every 30 days during flea season which is usually June-Sept. in cold climate areas and year round in warm climates. Q We really love our new puppy. Sometimes when she is playing with us or the children she will grab fingers and her baby teeth are so sharp! Is this normal puppy behavior or the first signs of vicious behavior? A Please understand that this is normal puppy behavior and not vicious behavior. Puppies play with each other and part of this play includes chasing and biting. Now that the puppy has “graduated” from puppy school it is time for him/her to learn some new rules. Let’s look at biting from the pup’s point of view. She is so excited and happy in her new home. She does not have hands to explore her new world but she does have teeth and she wants to interact with her new family so she will grab hold of fingers or clothing in her excitement. Imagine how shocked and scared she is if someone spanks her or yells words at her she does not understand. To correct the biting problem. I have never seen this in print but I know it works as I use it with my own puppies. You want to train her in a healthy loving way that will not scare her. Never use aggression in training! It does not work! When she is in play mode and starts to bite a finger, immediately move the finger that is in her mouth quickly to the back of her mouth. This is not the reaction she is looking for; in fact she will be very surprised by this action. Let me clarify. If she bites your finger tip, turn the finger so the side of your finger is sliding back into her mouth behind her teeth. Do not push the end of your finger into her mouth as this would gag her. She will learn quickly and realize this is not how she wants to play. I had a family bring a 2 pound Yorkie to me that was only 3 months old. I demonstrated the finger movement training. As tiny and fragile as this puppy was, she learned not to bite in about 5 minutes. Q. How can we teach our young children to respect and play well with our new puppy? A. As parents it is your responsibility to control the environment your new puppy is coming home to. It will take a few lessons to teach your children the correct way to play with your new puppy. Small children need to sit on the floor at first and let the puppy come to them. Educate them on puppy behavior. For instance, when your puppy runs under a chair or bed, do not pull him out but let him come out when he is ready. Children need to understand that their puppy has rights also and may need frequent time outs. Some children will chase a puppy all around the house. For a new puppy this is a very scary thing to happen. Watch your puppy! Is he/she running with the tail down? That means he is scared! Spend time with the new puppy and your children in a quiet environment. He will learn gradually that his new human family is nice and he will become more trusting and playful with everyone. Please remember that young children are impulsive. They are loud, they run and scream and are a whirl of constant movement and action. They tease puppies by pulling on ears, legs and tails. That is why it is so important for you as parents to watch carefully how your children play with the new puppy. Puppies are not toys. They can hurt and be scared just like people. Teach your children to respect them for the precious and wonderful creatures they are. Q I walk 4 miles a day. Will my puppy be able to walk with me? A. Little Labradoodles love to walk and have tremendous stamina as adults. I do not recommend that a puppy walk more then a block to start with. Puppy bones are growing and developing for several months. During this time walking should be at a minimum as damage could happen to the young developing bones. I do recommend training your little Labradoodle to walk on a short lead beside you. If a larger aggressive dog heads your way, you can quickly pick him/her up and out of harms way. If you use a 23 foot retractable lead, use it in a very safe place where there is no threat of danger because it will take you several seconds to cover that distance and help your dog. Q Is there a dog collar that would let me know where our Labradoodle is if he gets lost? A. GPS tracking systems now allow you to follow your dogs every footstep 24/7. Check out www.zoombak.com. This GPS tracking collar automatically locates your dog and reports the location to your cell phone or computer. Q Will our Labradoodle benefit from small frequent meals? A. Dog’s metabolic processes are remarkably similar to humans. Feeding your dog 2-3 times per day has significant benefits. By eating small meals your dog will not suffer from Bloat, officially known as gastric dilatation. Bloat occurs less frequently in dogs who are fed several small meals daily rather then one large one. Our little Labradoodles will eat small amounts of food throughout the day. We recommend that dry kibble and water are available at all times. If a puppy or dog is eating in excess, then it is time to measure the daily amounts.
Q. Can we feed our dog people food? A. Dogs were not designed to digest people food, especially with all the chemicals, artificial flavorings, etc that are in people food. For this reason we do not recommend that you feed any people food to your dog. There are some foods that you must never, ever give, or have accessible to your dog. They can cause serious illness or death to your little loved one. Here is a list of the worst foods that you should never allow your pet to ingest. Alcohol – Can cause your pet to go into a coma. Coffee - Can cause a high heart rate and seizures Chocolate – As little as 3 ozs of dark chocolate, or 7 ozs of milk chocolate in a 50 lb. dog can cause vomiting and can be fatal. Macadamia Nuts – Just a few can produce tremors and paralysis in the hind legs. Garlic - Breaks down the red cells which can lead to anemia and kidney failure. Onions - Damages canine hemoglobin and accumulates over time in the body.. Grapes & Raisins – Causes kidney failure ( as few as 6 grapes, raisins are more concentrated) Xylitol – This commonly used sugar substitute is found in all kinds of baked goods, candy and gum. It can kill dogs |
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