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A lot of you have asked about my background with dogs and my credentials for raising your next best friend. I suppose it started when I was old enough to remember with loving every dog I encountered. Coming from a family of nine children my Mom and Dad thought there was not enough room in the house to add a pet. Well, by the time I was about 9 or 10 I wore them down and got my first house dog. This was only after smuggling my dads' hunting Beagles into the house to play with. After teaching them to climb out of their pen to play with me. Thus, the first of many to come.
As soon as I left home and got my own place I got my first breeding/show dog. I raised Cairn Terriers as a satellite breeder for a show kennel and puppies I had bred went to show homes all over the US and Canada. I did this for about 10 years but was not totally enamored of the terriers. When I started having children I had problems with my males and older dogs snapping at the human babies. I also did not care for all the coat and ear problems that came with the breed.
After a short break from breeding dogs while I had my family and rescued strays and re-homed them I once again had to get my dog breeding fix. While my children were little and I was a stay at home mom I made extra money by tending several show kennels and stables. One of the show kennels I worked for was owned by my good friend who was also a licensed veterinarian. I assisted with her in surgeries, ran IV's, milked goats and delivered goats, puppies, calves and foals. I learned a lot for the 10 years she was my friend and neighbor. I saved all I made and then got my next show dog. My oldest daughter and I then got hooked showing our new breed, Dalmatians, for the next 12 years. We also bred these dogs on a very small scale and showed our puppies. During this time we were also very active in our local kennel club and helped teaching puppy socialization classes and obedience classes. Although we loved our Dals we didn't love the shedding and the health problems associated with them. After are last Dals, at about 12 and 14 years old, passed away I went looking for my 'perfect' breed. I had always been drawn to the herding dogs because of their super temperaments. Now, who would be my by perfect match? I wanted a dog without a lot of health problems and who didn't shed so they could share the couch and even the beds if we so desired. I researched and tried several of the herding dogs until finally, about 4 years ago, I found my first Aussiedoodle. I was hooked!!
Now, with my extensive background in owning, breeding, and seeing show dogs, I have made it my lifes' goal to develop this hybrid into a true breed that has its' own type and will breed true generation after generation. My ideal that I am breeding towards looks like a tiny Old English Sheepdog that doesn't shed. I absolutely demand soundness, with no major faults, and also they have to have a super, loving temperament to be the best family dog I can breed.
I'm sure you can find cheaper Doodles on the net. (It's reputation is getting known) But, I don't think you'll find anyone more concerned with breeding only the very best dogs out the top stock available. My poodles are all from show kennels and range from 2500 down to 1000 dollars each. My Aussies are also the best I could find, with the best temperaments. I am very distressed by some of the Doodles I'm seeing online and by talking to other Doodle breeders. I have so often heard that they got their stock because they weren't good enough to breed true but that they were good enough to make 'Doodles'. I have talked to other breeders who have bragged that they haven't had to pay more than 200 for any of their breeding poodles. I have also seen that some unscrupulous breeders have discovered that if you breed two merles together that you can get an all merle litter. Since the merles are MUCH harder to get if you do it correctly, and safely, they are higher priced. If you see a litter without any solid pups please RUN the other way. Yes, they are beautiful, but with the double merle gene you also get eye, ear, and skeletal problems you can't see. Shame on these money grubbing opportunists. They are trying to ruin a potentially excellent dog by infusing it with health problems where none exist. Also, this is the ONLY breed I'm doing. I'm not a long-time Labradoodle breeder who decided to breed AD's also because of their reputation and prices. I do this from a true love of the herding dogs!
Enough of my past, now to my current breeding program.
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