About the puppies…

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What is an F1b Labradoodle?

• An F1b labradoodle refers to an F1 Backcross.

• This is an F1 labradoodle bred back to a poodle.

• Some of these pups have lovely silky fleece / wool coats

• Some will have a more wiry feel like a lab.

• Some will pups be more curly like a poodle

• Some pups will have a flatter coat like a lab.

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What is an Australian Labradoodle?

Australian Labradoodles have six parent breeds: Labrador, Poodle, English Cocker Spaniel, American Cocker Spaniel, Curly Coat Retriever, Irish Water Spaniel

 

We categorize Australian Labradoodles by generation the same way we do with other Labradoodles, but as opposed to the F1, F2, F3… terminology, we use ALF1, ALF2, ALF3…  ALF stands for ‘Australian Labradoodle Foundation’.

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However, since most Australian Labradoodles are now a very high generation (they’ve been bred for over 35 years), we usually just refer to them as multi-generation Australian Labradoodles since there is so little difference.

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Which different generations of Doodles do you breed?

F1b Labradoodles

This cross is when we take an F1 Labradoodle and breed it back to a Poodle. This creates a 75% Poodle and 25% Labrador puppy. These dogs will quite often look very similar to the F1 Labradoodles in that many still keep that nice, fleecy coat type. The litters normally have a few with the fleecy coat types and a few with the curly coat types. The fleecy coat typed F1b puppies are typically extremely low to non shedding. The ones with curly hair don’t typically shed at all and if they do it is very minimal. The F1b is an excellent choice for those who suffer from allergies.

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Multigen Australian Labradoodles

Through our years of experience, we have now come to the point where we use our trusted genetics and we will breed two totally unrelated Labradoodles together.  We do all the proper DNA testing to ensure that we are getting the low to non shedding offspring from these matings. We have found that the Mulitgens are just as good as the F1b for those with allergies as they are also low to non shedding. The advantage of breeding Australian Labradoodles and F1b Labradoodles here at Doodle Sweethearts is that we are able to get more of the colours we are looking for in our puppies such as the tri colour, black and white, brown and white, or the merle.

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What sizes do you breed?

We breed medium and miniature labradoodles. The estimated size of your Doodle is determined by the size of both parents.

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Medium Doodles (35-50 pounds and 18-21 inches tall) - We have Moyen (Medium) Labradoodles here that we breed to miniature poodles or doodles. This results in a nice medium sized companion. They come in the F1b generation.

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Mini Doodles (25-45 pounds and 16-19 inches tall) - This is the result of mating a Miniature Australian Labradoodle with a Miniature F1b Labradoodle. We breed our Mini Doodles in F3 or multigen generations.

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What’s the difference between a male and a female?

This is a very popular question that comes through when speaking with potential clients. The reality is that in the F1b Labradoodle and Australian Labradoodle breed there is very little difference between a male and a female.

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Sometime the males are slightly larger than the females but we also have females within litters who turn out larger than some of the males. It just depends on the genetic traits they pick up in their DNA.

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As far as personality, there is virtually no difference between males and females in our Doodles. I always tell my clients that it is far more important that you are getting a puppy from parents who have sound temperaments than being concerned whether you get a male or a female. We put a lot of thought into matching the right parent dogs to make sure we are getting good temperaments consistently

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Are Doodles hypoallergenic and non shedding?

While no breeder is able to guarantee you a non shedding dog in the Doodle world, there are many who do not shed. We have found in the past that most people with allergies do very well with tolerating Doodles.

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Everyone has different types of allergies as well though, and that is something to remember. If you are allergic to dog saliva, you will likely not even be able to tolerate Poodles. If it is the hair or the dander you are allergic to, the Doodles are typically a great fit.

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An experienced breeder should be able to tell differences between their puppies. We have had great success in the past placing puppies with those who have allergies. I’m able to tell at eight weeks old what type of coat they will have and if it will work with allergies. If I know you have allergies, I typically will recommend going with the F1b curlier coat or Multigen Doodles as they have the very low to non shedding coats.

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What are the different colours available in your Doodles?

Doodle Sweethearts is unique in that we offer a whole host of different colours and colour combinations. This has taken over a decade of careful trial, ensuring that we maintain the temperament and personality traits while breeding different colours into our Doodles.

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Following are the colours we breed at Doodle Sweethearts:

• Cream

• Apricot

• Apricot/white

• Black

• Black/white

• Black tri colour

• Brown

• Brown/white

• Brown tri colour

• Blue Merle

• Blue Merle/white

• Brown Merle

• Brown Merle/white

 

*Most poodles (in fact almost all) experience fading in their coats as they age and this is somewhat carried through on the Doodles. We cannot guarantee colour will stay exactly the same in our adult Doodles.

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Do Doodles need to be groomed and how often?

Doodles have hair, not fur and so it grows continuously. Here at Doodle Sweethearts our F1b Labradoodles and Australian Labradodoles are groomed once every 8-10 weeks. If they are done regularly, and if you like the scruffy look, a lot of extra brushing is not needed.  If you like the well groomed look, you will need to brush more often and groom more often.

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When finding a groomer, make sure you find one who has Doodle experience! Take lots of photos of freshly groomed Doodles so your groomer knows how you want your dog to look. There are a lot of groomers out there who do not properly groom Doodles. Find one you trust in your area.  Doodles can look very different depending on the groom!

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Bathing doesn't need to be done more than once a month unless they are getting dirty in messy weather. Too much bathing will dry out their skin and cause itching and possibly hot spots if itching is excessive.

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How much exercise do Doodles require?

Doodles are playful, energetic breeds and they love to go with you wherever you go. They are found to have moderate energy levels for the most part and therefore two 30-45 minute walks daily will be sufficient. Remember, the more time you spend with your dog, the more the dog will bond with you and feel satisfied.

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What is a Doodle’s life expectancy?

The F1b Labradoodles and Australian Labradoodles tend to be healthy breeds over all and we have very few health issues. The average lifespan of the Labradoodle is 12-15 years. 

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Do Doodles do well with cats?

Doodles are a very adaptable breed and most will adapt to other pets within a household. Most Doodles do very well at adjusting to a cat if they grow up with one as a young puppy. Cats being who they are will often set the dog in place from the beginning and there is then a mutual respect that happens.  We recommend to introduce them to each other for short periods of time, and in a space that the cat has not claimed as his own.   We are not at all concerned if my clients have cats in the house when they purchase one of my puppies.

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About the breeder…

 

 

How do I choose a breeder I can trust?

Choosing a reputable Labradoodle breeder is of utmost importance. When you purchase a puppy, you want to be sure you are getting one from a responsible, ethical breeder who will provide support if needed; even years after the puppy goes home.

 

It is a buyer beware market; make sure your Labradoodle breeder has a well known reputation for breeding healthy dogs with sound temperaments!

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There are a number of things we do that provide evidence of the good reputation we have worked hard to build. Some of these principles include:

• providing puppies from health tested parents

• provide copies of all health testing reports done on the parents (posted as links on the profile pages of all our parent dogs)

• properly matching parent dogs to provide the best temperaments possible

• allow clients to visit us as breeders and to see the dogs and facilities

• keeping our dogs in a healthy, clean and spacious living environment

• health check all the puppies and administer first vaccinations

• microchip the puppies

• every puppy leaves with a two year health guarantee with the option to extend it if desired

• staying in touch with clients needing support after taking their puppy home as well as years into the future

• we ensure our puppies are going to good homes by having each prospective client fill out an Application prior to adopting

• we assist clients in the choosing process to be sure they are getting the puppy that suits them best

• we will always rehome puppies who can no longer be cared for by their owners

 

Good breeders will make sure their dogs are well cared for. They will do their due diligence to ensure clients will provide their puppies with good homes.

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How do I reserve a puppy from you?

After you've made the decision to purchase a puppy from Doodle Sweethearts, the next step would be to fill out our online Application and submit it to us. We ask that you fill out our the Application as accurately as possible so we are able to determine which of our doodle litters will best suit what you are looking for.

 

As a breeder, it is our responsibility to ensure that each of our puppies find loving homes and the Application process helps us with that.

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After reviewing your Application, we will then get back to you with further details regarding the completion of your reservation. If you are approved, we would then ask for a $500 non-refundable deposit. This can be sent via e-transfer.

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Do you offer a genetic health guarantee on your puppies?

Every breeder who takes the health of their dogs and the puppies they produce seriously will definitely offer a health guarantee. Our guarantee will cover any genetically proven illness should the disease appear within the duration of the health guarantee signed and agreed upon at the date of sale. We offer a standard two year genetic health guarantee with the option to extend it to a three year guarantee should you continue on with the TLC Dog Food we recommend.

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Please note that puppies are very prone to parasites such as roundworm, tapeworm, pinworm, giardia, coccidia, etc. We have taken every precaution possible to eliminate these parasites in our puppies through proper deworming protocol.

 

But since the mothers tend to be more susceptible to parasites while they are nursing, they may pass these parasites on to the puppies. Depending on the life cycle of the specific parasite, your puppy may go home with a parasite. This is why it’s important to have your puppy’s stool checked within the first few days at your vet. A puppy under the stress of moving to a new home will often have a weaker immune system and parasites are more prone to attack.

 

We do not cover parasites within our genetic health guarantee.

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Do you do genetic health testing on your parent dogs?

Being responsible, ethical breeders, we do our best to ensure you are getting a healthy puppy. This process begins by making sure we are breeding two healthy dogs to produce the litter we want to offer. We do a lot of research into the dogs we purchase for our breeding program and one of the most important aspects of that research is ensuring we are purchasing healthy dogs with a healthy lineage as well.

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While the F1b Labradoodle and the Australian Labradoodles are hybrids and tend to be healthier than their purebred ancestry, they can still be prone to the same genetic illnesses. This is why it's important to have all the breeding dogs tested for these specific illnesses.  We use a reputable company, Paw Print Genetics, for our health testing.

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Below are some of the health tests we conduct on our parent dogs prior to adding them to our breeding program.  If you wish for a further explanation for each disease, please see out health testing page.

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• Centronuclear Myopathy

• Cystinuria (Labrador Retriever Type) 

• Degenerative Myelopathy 

• Elliptocytosis 

• Exercise-Induced Collapse 

• GM2 Gangliosidosis (Poodle Type) 

• Hereditary Nasal Parakeratosis 

• Hyperuricosuria 

• Myotubular Myopathy 1 

• Narcolepsy (Labrador Retriever Type) 

• Neonatal Encephalopathy with Seizures 

• Osteochondrodysplasia 

• Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Cone-Rod Dystrophy 4 

• Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Golden Retriever 2Degeneration

• Progressive Retinal Atrophy 

• PRCD 

• Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (Labrador Retriever Type) 

• Retinal Dysplasia/Oculoskeletal Dysplasia 1

• Skeletal Dysplasia 2 

• Von Willebrand Disease I

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Can I choose my own puppy and how does that process work?

Yes, we allow our clients to choose their own puppy! Choice of puppies is given in the order we have received deposits when the puppies are eight weeks old and ready for their new homes.

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Having said this, we do help all our clients find the puppy that suits their needs best. If they are looking for specifics in personality, looks, coat type, colour, etc. we are here to help. It is in everyone's best interest to find a puppy that will match expectations of the client. Here at Doodle Sweethearts, we take this seriously and do our due diligence in guiding families to the right companion.

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It's easy to fall in love with a litter of bouncy little fluffballs but we all need to be realistic and find the one that will work best for your situation. Having bred Doodles since 2009, we have gained an intuitive mind to helping people find the right puppies. It's so rewarding to us when people thank us for guiding them to the right puppy a year or two after taking their puppy home.

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Do you allow visitors to come see the dogs and puppies prior to purchasing?

We do definitely allow potential clients to come meet with us as breeders and see the dogs puppies!  Being a family of 7, our family life is busy and full and we try to be flexible through the week for those who have deposits and are coming to choose their puppies! 

 

Prior to reserving, we only take appointments on Saturdays for clients to come meet us and the dogs.

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Do you ship puppies and is it safe?

We have shipped puppies for many years and have clientele across Canada. We have found shipping to be safe and nine times out of ten the puppy comes out of the crate wagging it's tail. :)

It's exciting to be able to bring joy to families no matter how far the distance. Our informative site is geared toward making this decision as easy as possible. We present all the facts about all the puppies in an open and honest manner to ensure clients are happy with the dog they are not able to meet in person. Don't hesitate to contact us because of distant; we will do our best to help you!

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