When asked, many “breeders” say that their Labradoodle puppies do not have a pedigree because they are a crossbreed. This is usually followed by muttering that the pedigree is unimportant anyway since the puppies are crossbred and cannot be registered with the Kennel Club anyway. Unfortunately, many puppy buyers are too trusting and believe what they are told, or simply are not aware of the ramifications of having a dog with unknown ancestry. If the puppies are truly Labradoodles, the breeder will be able to prove this by producing their pedigree. If they cannot produce their pedigree, then you must question if they are Labradoodles and why the pedigree is not available.
When a Labrador is bred with a Poodle stud, a litter of first generation Labradoodles is born. The Labrador and Poodle are purebred, Kennel Club registered dogs with pedigrees. The Labradoodle puppies’ pedigree is produced by combining the mother and fathers’ pedigrees. One of these Labradoodle puppies grows up and is later bred with another Labradoodle. The resulting puppies are second generation Labradoodles. Their pedigree is produced by combining the mother and fathers’ pedigrees. There will be two generations of Labradoodles with Labradors and Poodles behind that in the generations further back. Our Australian Labradoodles have six different parent breeds, so their pedigrees are formed in exactly the same way, but with up to six different breeds in there over many, many generations.
The pedigree is important because it shows the ancestry and serves as proof that the dog is or is not inbred. Without having a pedigree, you have no proof or evidence that the dog is not a result of breeding two closely-related dogs together. This is important because inbred dogs are more likely to genetically inherit health conditions. If you want to avoid these health conditions, you need to see the pedigree.
In one short word – NO! Absolutely no amount of health testing is a substitute for a pedigree. There are many, many more health conditions out there than there are tests available. Many conditions’ inheritance modes are not understood, and it could be a very long time before tests are available. A low coefficient of inbreeding is much more beneficial than health testing – you can read why by clicking here. The most effective way to reduce the risk of buying a puppy that will suffer from genetically inherited health conditions is to buy a puppy with a pedigree so that you can see for yourself that inbreeding has not taken place.
Breeding a Labradoodle with a Labradoodle, a Labradoodle with a Poodle or a Labradoodle with a Labrador without having the pedigrees for both parents is irresponsible. The breeder could be inadvertently inbreeding and producing puppies that are more likely to suffer from genetically inherited health conditions. The best thing you can do as a puppy buyer is avoid supporting such “breeders” and purchase your puppy elsewhere.
© Copyright of Lomond Hills Labradoodles
Lomond Hills Labradoodles is a trading name of LHL Limited, a company registered in Scotland
© Copyright of Lomond Hills Labradoodles
Lomond Hills Labradoodles is a trading name of LHL Limited, a company registered in Scotland
