Not breeding again until spring.

With winter coming, I don’t plan to have another litter of pups till spring. Wisconsin winters are too harsh for me to want to be out several times a day, and too harsh for a newborn litter of puppies to struggle through. My Dr tells me I should avoid being outside for any length of time when it’s below 20 degrees, so if I can’t handle it, I sure can’t expect babies to!

I’ve got extra food and antibiotics on hand for the dogs, an extra bale of wood shavings for bedding, first aid supplies, and if worse came to worse, would just bring the ones I have now all in the house with me. We could keep each other warm. A puppy pile is 101 degrees of love and warmth and I know my dogs well enough to be welcomed into the middle of it.

I have Moses, an apricot Standard Poodle male who is a house dog full time and thinks of himself as my shadow. He is a big baby, but surprises me occasionally with a big deep bark. He’s Daddy to my litters, but prefers to have the house to himself.

Canada, a Black Lab female who has big healthy beautiful Labradoodle pups with Moses. She’d always been an outdoor dog, so when I got her just a few months ago, she showed me that she had no idea of house manners, house training, and was quite a bull in a china shop when brought in. We built her a deluxe doggy duplex, a 32’ x 32’ dog run and bring her in only when we have time to spend with her. She’s a sweet mellow lab, but doesn’t know how to be a lady inside.

Lily is the runt pup of Canada and Moses’ doodle dozen litter that was born just 8 weeks ago. She’s white, angelic, and developed a kidney stone, so has been on medication,. A special diet, and will be with us for quite some time to get her back to health. We’ve accepted that we’re going to get too attached to her to let her go after all this special attention, so she’s living in Moses house (whether he likes it or not) and learning to be a house dog while she recuperates. She may get sold later, but it’s doubtful. I don’t think my heart could take it.

I’ve sold 6 of the doodle dozen so far. I have 5 males left, and many people checking out my Tinkerdoodle web site to check them out. The pups that have sold so far are doing wonderfully in their new homes, so I’ve been getting rave reviews from their new families which makes all my work worthwhile.

The cuties that are left, aren’t the lesser quality ones by any means. One thing you learn with Labradoodles is that they’re as unique as the people who love them. They come in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and coat types. The most predictable thing about them is that they’re highly intelligent and have wonderful temperaments. The ones I have left to sell are cream, apricot, and white. They’re all starting to sprout the gorgeous doodle coats they’re so identified by, and I’m confident they’ll sell soon. It’s simply a matter of connecting with people who want a male of these colors. Until that happens, I get to enjoy them.

I would love to find another female to breed, but I will take my time since she has to be a good quality Lab with a mellow personality, great health, etc. I can’t compromise on any of these qualities since they will be reproduced. So between now and spring I will keep my eyes and ears open and when the time is right, I know she will come along.

Until then, I’ll just enjoy what I have and take a breather over winter. Come spring I’ll pick up the pace again.