We are guardians of two darling Australian labradoodles. What does it mean to be a labradoodle guardian or provide a “care home”? It is a program developed by breeders to give their female and male breeding stock an opportunity to be raised and nurtured in a home environment rather than in a kennel. I think it is a good thing to do.
Australian labradoodles are exceptionally connected to their “human”. They were bred to be service and therapy dogs. They need to be with people. To raise them in a kennel may not be the way to go unless they have a very conscientious breeder that can give them personal attention.
I really wanted to own a couple of these dogs. We wanted clean (non-allergenic), sociable, and smart dogs. Australian labradoodles meet these criteria. Rescue was not an option because many breeders insist that the dog comes back to them if their owner cannot care for them. Their price is high (around $2500) and we hesitated. After talking to a breeder here in San Luis Obispo County, who had beautiful dogs with lineage directly from Australia, we became guardians of Matilda and Madelyn. The agreement is that each of these two females will be bred and will produce two litters if they meet all requirements. The puppies will be sold and the profit belongs to the breeder. The two females, of course, belong to us.
Our breeder will breed the dogs at around two years of age. About a week before the puppies are due, the girls will be taken to her where she delivers the pups and cares for mom and little ones until they are ready to go to their forever homes. The mamas will come back home to us. I’m not sure we can give up these sweet dogs for two months. We have talked to the breeder about having the puppies here at our home but it is still not agreed upon.
All breeders have different agreements. Some want more litters. Some want a deposit. Some want a deposit that will be returned or will give you a puppy when the agreement is fulfilled.
There is a certain amount of trust involved in this agreement. While a contract is signed, there is a need to work with the breeder on coordination of breeding and whelping. Good communication is involved.
The girls are nearly two years old now. They are ready to become mothers. They have been thoroughly x-rayed and tested. There is just one test to go. I think they will make wonderful moms. Can I let go of them when it is time for them to whelp? Not sure.
When I was a kid growing up on our family farm we had all breeds of chickens….orpingtons, rhode island reds, plymouth rocks, wyandottes and a few leghorns. When I look at different catalogs and read about breeds it is so interesting to see how some hatcheries say rhode island reds are aggressive others say they are not, etc. This goes on with all breeds except the orpingtons. They all seem to agree that they are very tame and gentle. Being that i have been off the farm for a number of years what breed do you like? I know that you keep several different breeds but just curious your favorite. I am in the process of buying property in the country so I am curious. What hatcheries do you buy your chicks from and any ways to prevent or stop broodiness. Enjoy your website very much. Thanks. Kevin Lauffer
Hello Kevin…. It was good to hear from you. I have not been taking time for my website so did not see your post. Too busy in the garden. Now that the weather is cooling along the coast and I’ll be indoors. You must be excited about having chickens again. Let me tell you how I got back into it. I did a lot of research before getting into my first flock. Just wanted good layers and different breeds to enjoy the various personalities and pretty feathers (garden art). Over the years I’ve found the barred rock to be great layers and the healthiest all around. Best personalities-Buff Orpingtons and barred rock. Tameness depends on how much time you spend handling them. RIR hens are very sweet and good layers. I’ve heard roosters can be aggressive.
I’ve gotten my hens from our local Farm Supply, and I inherited my last flock from someone who got them from Tractor Supply so have not ordered from hatcheries My Tractor supply hens have been exceptionally healthy which was unexpected as I’ve heard the opposite. It probably depends on the area.
As far as breaking their “broodiness”, I close up their nexts at night if one is brood, forcing them to roost with the others. This cuts down on the length of time they are broody to about 2 weeks. The idea is to cool down their “hot little bodies”. It is kind of a pain to have a broody hen but one that you have to put up with.
Best of luck with your flock. I’d love to hear what breeds you choose.