With so many different Australian Labradoodle breeders out there how do you know the difference? There is also a variety of prices that play in the decision-making process. So how is someone to choose who to go with in this very important family member who will hopefully be part of your family for the next 10 – 15 years?
Many breeders will say they have a puppy for you no matter who you are, where you live, and what your home is like. Can this be accurate? Can any puppy be a good fit for each home? The answer is NO, not every puppy is suitable for every environment. Each puppy has strengths and weaknesses just like humans. We cannot all excel at everything.
Here at Ashford Manor Labradoodles we breed multigen Australian Labradoodles that are allergy friendly and non-shedding. We are part of the Australian Labradoodle Association of America (ALAA) where we have breed standards and testing that we adhere to. All our puppies are registered with the ALAA. All our breeding dogs are tested and submitted to the ALAA. This is a start when finding a reputable breeder.
Our puppies go through daily socialization starting at 3 days old. This begins with puppy exercises also known as super dog exercises. At Ashford Manor we continue these exercises daily and build on them until they go home. These exercises help desensitize them to having their ears cleaned, paws and tails messed with, laying on their back, and so much more.
Puppy Culture is a program designed to help you socialize, bond, and train your dog. Several of Ashford Manor employees have studied the program to help in our socialization program. We use different methods of feeding our puppies so they are not just eating out of a bowl but learning to find food with their noses, following trails, eating from your hand as well as sniffing mats. This goes a long way in many ways of training your puppy.
We have pups follow inside, outside, in big open spaces, and tight spaces. We teach a puppy to follow toys, hands, food. We work with different types of toys, sounds of squeakers, and going over and under things. Pups learn to follow and retrieve things around 6 – 8 weeks of age, this is part of our program as they are ready.
It is important to expose puppies to many different people, textures, sounds, other dogs, and situations. Ashford Manor has a daily regime of all these things. We work with our puppies with all of these items on a daily basis from the time they are young until they go home. Each puppy is treated as if they are going to be a service dog! This means they go through a lot of obstacles, meeting many people, here sounds all day long, go places, and experience many different things while they are with us for the first 8 weeks.
Ashford Manor introduces a potty area when pups are about 3 ½ weeks old. This potty area grows and changes until they are ready to go home. This is key in making potty training easy for their new families. We also begin saying “go potty” when they are going to the bathroom to help them put the phrase and action together. This way if it is hot outside, cold outside, or you are in a hurry you can give them a command (if you continue this) and they will go on command. It is so helpful throughout their lives.
Ashford Manor pups have a lot of different people working with them and meeting them. This gives them exposure to people who talk very quietly, are boisterous, are not confident in being with pups, or are very experienced. Because every puppy family has a different level of experience this has been a great asset with our pups.
We start crate training when our puppies are about 6 weeks old. We start two pups in a crate for a few days and then down to one. Sometimes they need a blanket over the top to settle down, music playing, or a chew bone. Whatever the need, we work on getting them used to the crate for short periods throughout each day. Most Ashford Manor puppies can sleep all night in a crate without having to get up and go to the bathroom if you follow our schedules.
Puppies do not like to be on a leash, they do not like to have something constrain them. The typical response to getting used to a leash is pulling back or sitting down, either of these shows they are not happy and do not want to have this thing attached to them! So here at the Manor we work on loose leash walking 4 times a day starting at 6 ½ weeks of age. They get used to walking around and not being able to get more than 5 feet away from their handler. We encourage walking pups on the left side and not using a harness nor a retractable leash.
Once pups are 6 weeks old we work on teaching them to sit and eventually down. We do this with luring the pups, we do not introduce words as they are still working on mastering the commands. This gives a great head start for your pups future and introducing them into your home.
Ashford Manor Labradoodles has every puppy temperament tested to determine what lifestyle best suits them and will set them up for success. This is done through Ultimate Canine near Indianapolis where Julie Case, the owner, has created and modified a test that is the most accurate on the market. The test does the group and each individual puppy. The results are shared with the puppy families, not the scoring as U.C. has proprietary rights, to help them see what the temperament of the puppy is like and why they are or are not a good fit for their home.
Ultimate Canine has created several levels of scoring. There is service qualified pups, therapy qualified pups, companion pups, and calmer lifestyle pups. They all have different levels of learning new things, levels of fear reaction and recovery, as well as response to various other dogs and situations. These levels determine what types of homes/jobs they are most suited for.
Some service qualified Ashford Manor Labradoodles have worked with Ultimate Canine and are now part of Police Departments, Dentist Offices, Schools, Ronald McDonald Houses, Therapists, and so much more. These dogs have also been trained to be seizure alert, glucose alert, Autistic support, PTSD support, and so much more.
Many therapy qualified Ashford Manor puppies live in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, or other cities because they can handle the loud and busy lifestyle. Some have gone on to work in therapy settings meaning they work with many different people, others have become emotional support dogs, or work in guidance counselor offices. These dogs are suitable for most any home as they are pretty resilient.
Our companion puppies are good for most homes. Homes that may have a few children or none, that have a calmer or active lifestyle, that go on daily walks, and experience life as a family member. They have fears and are able to overcome them when worked throughtthem and not coddled, coaxed, or reprimanded.
A calmer lifestyle dogs is a bit timider. This does not mean they are calmer puppies. They need to be encouraged through more fears. We rarely have pups in this category, but when we do we often keep them around to encourage them through fears and get them to a level they can be in the companion category. This can mean through our boot camp or just letting them develop a little as sometimes that is all they need.
These are a few things that make Ashford Manor Labradoodles different than many other breeders. We work with puppies for at least 8 hours a day once they become 6 weeks old!
Ashford Manor Labradoodles
Cheryl Sabens
765-714-1436
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