Choosing a new family member is a very important and time consuming thing. You are making a commitment for the lifetime of a dog and it is crucial to learn everything you can about the breed you have chosen as well as the characteristics and traits posessed by that specific breed. Obviously, you are here because you have discovered the qualities found in the Australian Labradoodle and are now at the choosing stage where color, coat type, gender and temperament decisions come into play.
The Perfect Match
We here at Sequoia Haven Labradoodles want the most perfect match for you and your family and strive wholeheartedly to make that happen. We are not here to farm puppies off to places where they are not an ideal fit. We want the best possible match for our lovelies and will do everything in our power to achieve that. We also feel very strongly that should your new pup not end up being that perfect match, or should life's circumstances cause you to be unable to fulfill the responsibility of providing a home for your dog, we request your cooperation in allowing us to take the pup back and find the right situation for him or her.
Temperament
We are very mindful of the fact that it is difficult to pinpoint various personality traits and temperament issues in the first few weeks of life. It is easy for an adoptive family to have a particular color/coat type or gender in mind and to overlook the temperament and character of a puppy. That is why it is of utmost importance that a family trusts the judgement of the breeder in seeking the best match of puppies and families. This is not an easy task; and, it is imperative that we conduct several personality trait tests in order to accurately designate families with puppies. The puppy's basic personality traits are measurable by eight weeks of age. Until 8 weeks of age, observations will vary from day to day as the puppies develop rapidly and learn new behaviours quickly. These tests are intended to give a general indication of what personality to expect from the adult dog. We test several pups at the same time to get perspective on differences using the Volhard Method.
Gender
Another area of concern is gender. Often, we get families asking for a specific gender for their new pup. All of our companion pups are de-sexed at an early age, and will be less likely to display gender related behaviour issues. Here is an excellent article regarding the early de-sexing of puppies and how it affects habits and behaviours.
Additionally, it is our goal that in choosing our breeding stock, that our gene pools have excellent temperaments and are highly unlikely to exhibit many unwanted behaviours known of specific genders. We will always do our best to provide the exact combination of characteristics you are looking for; however, sometimes temperament and personality matched with your lifestyle is more important than gender and color.
Here is an interesting forum conversation regarding choosing the gender of your pet.
Coats/Color
All of our dogs here at Sequoia Haven are bred to be non-shedding and hypo-allergenic. Wavy, fleece coats are what we strive for. While we all have color preferences it is important to find the dog with excellent form, great personality and temperament, vigorous health, and high quality bloodlines.
