[ivaciousjewell]

I have two labradoodles that are bred for people with allergies. I am trying to mate them this was her second heat and he was very excited but kept grabbing my leg and I tried to hold her under him and nothing worked as soon as he touched her back end he quit thrusting. I think she is just to small for him to mount. Anybody had a similar problem . Any ideas? I may end up with artificial insemination but that will cost and I'd rather it happened natural.We had quite the Valentines weekend over here.

[Alty]

I'm going to ask that this is moved into the dog forum. This forum is for medical issues in humans. :)

Having said that, do you know what you're doing when it comes to breeding? Have you had both dogs genetically tested? Have you done your homework? Do you know that many dogs die when giving birth? Are you prepared to take your female to the vet (which can cost thousands) if there is a problem with the labor?

Labs have many genetic defects. I know this because I have a lab. You don't want to breed until you know what they may pass down to their puppies. It's what a responsible breeder does and yes, it will cost money.

If you don't follow these steps then you become what we dog rescuers call a backyard breeder. That's one step above a puppymill. I'm not trying to be harsh, just telling you the reality.

A real breeder rarely makes money off their pups. They put so much into breeding, testing, the health of their dogs, that when they sell, even if the pups sell for thousands of dollars, they usually don't break even. They do it for the love of the breed, to perpetuate the breed, to keep it clean and going strong.

If you really want to do this then get in touch with a breeder, someone who breeds labs would be preferable. Let them teach you what they know, get the genetic testing done and learn.

If you want to make sure that you produce nothing but the highest quality pups then it's going to take time and money. As it is, so many dogs, even dogs born of dogs with papers, end up in shelters. In Canada alone thousands are killed each year. There simply aren't enough homes.

I know you didn't ask for a lecture and honestly that's not what I'm trying to do. I'm sure you have the best of intentions, now I'm just telling you the educational part of breeding. :)

Good luck to you. I hope you take my advice.

[Aurora_Bell]

That's pretty sound advice!

One thing I can tell you from my experience, is that you can't force the dogs to mate. Holding her under him will only cause her stress. It will happen when they want it to happen. As long as all parts are intact the dogs will want to mate. Now one thing concerns me is that you said he is too big for her. That's one of the problems with breeding cross breeds. If the female is much smaller then the male, and the pups take on the male genes, a c section is almost certain. Which is another HUGE cost.

Have you thought about breeding a pure bred like a shih Tzu or just the Poodle? I believe both are hypoalergenic. Have you bred before?
Like Alty said breeding doesn't usually rear any extra money, and artificial insemination is only a minute cost compared to the big picture.

Unfortuantly I don't have any "tips" on MAKING then mate. Hope this helps even a bit :)

[shazamataz]

Good gosh, I'm a little pressed for time tonight but I just wanted to say that "Labradoodles" are actually just mutts, and should never, ever be bred on purpose!

If the female is a lot smaller than the male then you can quite easily kill (yes KILL) the female through a) the act of mating or b) during the pregnancy because the pups grow too large.

Don't bother spending thousands of dollars on artificial insemination when you have what can essentially be bought for $90 from a shelter.

Artificial insemination (or just breeding in general) is reserved for QUALITY dogs, a dog that has gained it's Championship title and is an EXCELLENT example of the breed... and unfortunately there is no way of telling if a "Labradoodle a.k.a Mutt is any good because they have no breed standard.

Not only that but I'll bet your dogs have not been tested for PRA, had Hip Scores done or Patellas checked.
PRA is one of the single biggest problems in the poodle breed and can be prevented with a simple test (which backyard breeders do not bother doing)

I'm sorry... this might seem like a rant or just plain mean but breeding mutts is just wrong. And yes, I do know the answer to your question, but my morals do not allow me to answer it.

(reddie me if you want, I probably deserve it for this)

[Cat1864]

How old are these animals and why are you so intent on having them mate at this time?

[Alty]

My bad. When I read the question I saw Labradors, I didn't see that she's trying to mate Labradoodles.

Forget everything I said and listen to Shazzy. If you're "breeding" mixed breeds then you aren't a breeder, will never be a breeder, you are at best a backyard breeder and like I mentioned in my post, that's one step away from a puppymill.

To mate a mixed breed on purpose is not a responsible thing to do, please don't do it.

Go to the shelter, look at all the dogs waiting for a home, the majority of them mixed breeds, all because someone wanted puppies, or wanted their dog to have a litter. It's all human greed and only the dogs suffer.

If you're not going to be a breeder, breed high quality purebred, genetically tested dogs, then you're part of the ever growing problem of too many dogs and not enough people.

Don't be part of the problem. Please.

[Cat1864]

To mate a mixed breed on purpose is not a responsible thing to do, please don't do it.

Go to the shelter, look at all the dogs waiting for a home, the majority of them mixed breeds, all because someone wanted puppies, or wanted their dog to have a litter. It's all human greed and only the dogs suffer.

If you're not going to be a breeder, breed high quality purebred, genetically tested dogs, then you're part of the ever growing problem of too many dogs and not enough people.

Don't be part of the problem. Please.

I have a feeling that the op maybe thinking about the so-called hypo-allergenic dog craze.

[Alty]

I have a feeling that the op maybe thinking about the so-called hypo-allergenic dog craze.

Yes, but there are so many others, too many others, that are already breeding these mixes. The shelters are full of them. For her to add more is irresponsible.

[shazamataz]

Labradoodles actually aren't hypoallergenic at all.
There are a few puppy mills (I know one personally) that breeds their dogs to a very loose standard but even they end up with different types of coat.

They even advertise n their website the 2 different coat varieties.

I know of 2 groomers just in my city who REFUSE to groom Labradoodles because their coat is just a matted, disaster.