Question:

My dog Betsy is a labradoodle and I want more of these funny dogs. There Great! But how can I get her pregnant and what do I breed her to a lab or a poodle? What is a stud fee anyway and what do you get for that fee?

From Pete K.

ANSWER:

Hi Pete,

I am glad you like your Labradoodle! They are a great development in the dog world as they tend to have the best of both breeds – the laid back, happy to please nature of the Lab with the intelligence and trainability of the Poodle.

However, unless you are ready to start a kennel and breeding program, I would leave the breeding to the pros. It is true that nature takes care of itself when it comes to reproduction – if you put a boy dog and a girl dog into a room when she is receptive to his attentions, a litter will probably be born between 58 and 66 days later. But that is the easy part.

The reality of breeding quality dogs is much different. First comes picking a puppy that is of breeding quality from a reputable breeder. This means the pup needs to be an excellent representation of the breed and is sold on a breeding contract. If the breeder does not feel that the pup has enough to offer the breed, the pup will be sold on a non-breeding contract and part of the contract is that the dog is spayed or neutered before they can be bred. Buying from a reputable breeder also means that both of the parents have passed health certifications and that this testing goes back at least three or four generations on their pedigrees – hips, eyes and elbows in the case of Labs and Poodles.

Your pup should be at least two years old before it is bred. It too has to pass the recommended health certifications and it is best to have your breeder go over the dog once it has hit maturity to make sure it is a good representation of the breed. If all these things are in place, ask the breeder to recommend a stud dog. If your dog is male, then you can start advertising him ‘at stud’. Most stud fees are a pup or equivalent value.

Chances are for your first litter, your breeder will whelp the litter and have them at their house for the first eight weeks. Raising a successful litter is a challenge and not something where you want to make any mistakes. The breeder will also help find good homes for the pups. Labradoodle breeders usually have a wait list of suitable homes as they are one of the ‘it’ breeds these days so most of the pups will be gone by the eight week mark.

Breeding dogs is not something you want to jump into without a ton of research. Many things can go wrong and you need to be prepared both emotionally and financially for the ‘blessed event’. Even when you think you have everything organized and you have thought through all eventualities, something can come along to derail your best intentions.

I do not mean to rain on your parade, just to make you think about whether you really want to breed a litter or not. If you still want to be a breeder, sit down with the breeder of your dog and ask them to be a mentor. Nothing like getting help from the experts!