Mini labradoodles ireland

That's a strange and less than helpful attitude. All breeds have come from some people crossing other breeds to create a dog to their design. Are you saying that pure poodle breeders are not charging money or that all doodle breeders care nothing for the quality of dog they produce?

Surely if the OP wants a dog of a specific breed they are doing the right thing asking for breeder recommendations, how else should they choose a breeder?

How’s about you just go to a local pound/rescue and save some poor unfortunate dog from an uncertain future.

They’ll thank you for it many times over.

The sticky is about puppy farms, the OP is specifically asking for reputable breeders. You're saying that there are no Labradoodle breeders which are not puppy farmers, which is silly. That only breeders of existing breeds recognised by specific groups are somehow legitimate. This is nonsense.

Worse it's dangerous - If you make it impossible for people to differentiate good breeders from bad by lumping any breed you consider "designer" together, then you make it easier for puppy farmers to get new customers.

The fact that every time someone asks for a recommendation for a reputable breeder they have to wade through "that's not a breed" and "You should get a rescue dog" is sickening. Every time it happens. The moral seniority only helps puppy farmers.

I'm curious and not judging but why not just get a 100% Poodle. Why would someone want to mix an intelligent dog with a less intelligent dog? I'm not saying a lab is stupid but they aren't as smart as a poodle, they are also food obsessed, have health issues, aren't as great with kids as their owners like to make out etc.

Are Labradoodles considerably cheaper or is it to do with their coat/maintenance etc?

I don't mean my post to be insulting, I'm genuinely interested to know what's so great about these?

What do you mean by a reliable or reputable breeder? I'm curious what your criteria are.

Question isn't a trap. I'd like to understand your point of view so I can explain the answers you see from other posters and show you why people are so militant about the subject. Apologies in advance for the length of the post!

There are 5 ways (I can think of) to acquire a dog in Ireland. Breeders are a spectrum, there is excellent, reliable and reputable at the top end, there is the middle and there are puppy farms and there are blurred lines between all.

1. Rescue or Pound
2. Reputable Breeder. Few and far between. You will be on a waitlist longer than a rescue. Both parents can be viewed and have been health tested and genetically screened. The breeder has had proven litters before and interviews you about why you want one of their dogs and why you would make the best possible home. They will assess the personality of each puppy and try to match it to the interested purchasers. The breeder will understand animal husbandry, genetics and how to care for and socialise puppies in the vital first weeks. Even if they are on the Irish Kennel Club or breed club website, it still does not guarantee the breeder is doing these checks or providing this level of care. Have your questions ready and ask to see vet/health reports. This is what everyone wants in theory but do not have the money to pay or the patience to wait.
3. Amateur/Backyard Breeder. Probably what the OP is looking for. They are Mary and Joe Soap that love their Golder Retriever and decide that their bitch "should have a litter" for sentimental reasons, they want to make a few extra bob or there was an accidental litter. Basically, throw any two dogs together (purebred or crossed, doesn't matter) and hope for the best. It is thought that crossbreeds have fewer health conditions but that is entirely dependent on the parents. In this scenario, by allowing their bitch to mate with a random Golden Retriever down the road or a random Poodle- honestly, the puppies might be fine. They would probably be adorable either way. However, Mammy Golden Retriever turns 5, she has had two litters and they notice she is limping. She gets diagnosed with hip dysplasia, super common in dogs, especially retrievers. She has now passed that condition on to a certain percentage of her puppies. Health testing dogs before breeding is vital to ensure the continued health of the dog population. Just because a dog is healthy at 2 when they are having the puppies, doesn't mean they will be healthy at 5. . Mary and Joe might be lovely people that care about their dogs but are just willfully ignorant about puppies and animal husbandry. The dogs could be IKC registered, doesn't really mean the dogs are healthy and fit to breed. Some of the best dogs may come from an accidental litter but these dogs should be free to a good home or maybe pay a nominal amount towards vet fees. Again it is a spectrum, some might take it more seriously than others and take time to find a good stud and they probably love their dog and will gush over their puppies. Honestly, you might find the perfect dog from this type of breeder. There might be no health issues and your dog will live with you happily ever after. This is why I asked what reputable means to you, it means different things to different people. You might think this category is reputable or reliable. I know I don't. Also, there is nothing to say that you could find the best breeder in the country, get a pup and they might have a health issue that wasn't found in the health screening. However, you are massively increasing your odds of a healthy puppy if parents have been health checked and screened first. No guarantees though like everything. I would still advise you to avoid this type of breeder though as they are the reason that a lot of amazing breeds such as the GSD, labs and retrievers are in serious health decline- they are breeding sub-standard dogs and way too many of them.
4. A stray- Please make sure it is a stray before claiming obviously.
5. Puppy Farm- Already explained. Often disguised as Mary and Joe though so it is very hard to tell. I think the line between puppy farm and amateur breeding is also blurred. Many people may love their dogs but got greedy with unnecessary breeding during the lockdown and were only in it for the money. As someone mentioned above the difference in size between a mini poodle and a retriever is significant. It is likely these dogs are created through artificial insemination and not by a vet. The legality and ethics of this was debated in the Oireachtas Canine Agricultural Committee on Monday. https://www.newstalk.com/news/surgical-insemination-happening-increasingly-on-puppy-farms-around-ireland-1314754

I volunteer with an animal charity, you have no idea how bad the situation is if you are insulting the rescues. The reason everyone screams rescue is that the really high-quality breeders are a tiny percentage and their waiting lists are a mile long. The main issue I have with amateur breeders is that they are contributing massively to the populations in the rescues and generally don't care about breed standards or programs. There have been way too many dogs produced over the last two years that have nowhere to go. I understand the frustration with the rescues but they are dealing with enormous numbers of dogs, many with serious issues.

The advice for looking for a reputable breeder is always the same. Go to the Irish Kennel Club (www.IKC.ie) website, find the club for the breed and start contacting recommended breeders from there. Do serious research even if they are listed. You won't find a mini labradoodle there because they are not a recognised breed. As above, due to the size difference, it is likely that they have been inhumanely artificially inseminated by someone unqualified-no one reputable would do this. I could write pages more about breed standards and breeding programs and the criminality involved but fair play if you got this far 😂

This is an excellent and detailed answer and I really appreciate the time you took putting it together. I would say that there is probably a spectrum contained in type 3, and our current system in Ireland gives no way to discern the difference. That said, I can't really disagree with anything you say here. The point I was making earlier was that when everyone who asks about a breeder recommendation get slapped down unhelpfully then they are left on their own to find one, making it much more likely they'll end up with type 3 or 5.

I recognise it's not your job to educate people and I appreciate your doing so here.

As for the advice to go to the IKC and find the breed club that's not nearly as helpful as one would hope. For instance for Standard poodles you end up with a mobile number and an anonymous email address, with a bit of digging you might get to the Facebook page, with completely different contact details and links to websites that seem to be advertising clothing (https://www.poodleclubireland.com/welcome.htm). none of this would make me think I'm on track to find a reputable breeder.

Once again thanks for taking the time here.

Why not a poodle

Poodles are more expensive to buy and ours is a F1B so only 1/3 lab. There are health benefits with a cross breed too

Sorry, I only see this now. Generally speaking, dogs with a higher percentage of heterozygosity will have a lower risk of genetic disorders and other complications associated with their breed background. Cavalier King Charles, for example, have been banned from breeding in Denmark due to homozygosity leading to a lot of diseases. I got my mutt DNA tested, no genetic conditions apart from Obesity risk. Both poodle and labrador are prone to genetic disorders, so I am happy with that.

I used wisdom panel, yes. Screened for most of the breed related genetic conditions that I wanted. While the father is an ikc registered poodle, our poodles when I was a child had so many health conditions, despite being registered. I just wanted to know. Only thing that came up was 1 copy of obesity risk, must come from the lab side. Not sure how scientific that test is, I know the Engage test is slightly better but also more expensive. The father must come from England, a lot of related poodles there.

I agreed contractually with the breeder that I could return her within 6 weeks. His offer I should add. I don’t think I would have done so if the test flagged anything serious but still.