Choosing Our Dogs….

If you have ever purchased a dog you might know how long of a process choosing the right one can be. Just like many of the people who have purchased from us have said they have searched for maybe months or years for a reputable breeder before us, we also have been through the same process. From the beginning we researched what we should look for. The more we have learned the stricter we have gotten with choosing our dogs. Genetics…This is something that can get really confusing for a beginner. Understanding breed Genetic diseases is also important. When choosing our dogs the first thing we began looking for was the basic Genetic issues. Being we started only with buying Labs OFA Hips and Elbow health was the main thing we were looking for. Chances are healthy parents than healthy offspring. We then have learned about EIC (Exercised Induced Collapse) which has begun to show itself in Labs. This is something that can be cleared by parentage. Meaning if the parents are clear the offspring is clear and can’t pass it on. Sadie came from cleared parents meaning she can’t have this nor pass it along. We have also decided starting with Luke to only buy from Champion Bloodlines. This makes the process long and tedious especially finding people who offer Full Registration but we feel that it will be beneficial to our breeding program in the future. I wasn’t really involved in purchasing Bella, Ella, or Bluebell as my dad found them and did all the research on them himself. At this point my dad wanted to make these decisions but after I did more research he realized it would be better for me to look. At the beginning I just went to look at them and bring them home. So our process became I research and look and then if I find something I like I call up my parents and they check him/her out. Pip was our next dog. We decided to add F1b’s to our program so keeping a puppy out of a litter while we were using a stud dog from another breeder for our Labradoodles was what we decided to do. Because of what we were looking for we decided to keep one out of Ella’s litter. We had two puppies that we had such a hard time deciding between. Not only were their personalities total opposites but they had different coat types as well. In the end we ended up going with Pip for the fact that she was so curly and we loved her sweet personality. I’m a sucker for lap dogs and snugglers. Luke was our first dog with Champion Bloodlines. We loved everything that we read about his parents. His dad had achieved his Good Citizen Certificate proving his great temperament and ability to stay calm. His parents were also completely health checked. The genetic coloring that he should carry was also desirable to us. He was in Illinois so he was shipped to us. When he arrived the people who cared for him on the plane had nothing but glowing reports of his calm temperament. He has continued to shine. Then next was Sadie. She was in Minnesota. We had been looking for months but nothing had worked out. Either they wouldn’t give full registration or the parents weren’t fully health checked. Something was always wrong. And then I saw Sadie. My first look at her and I fell in love. I read every page of her breeder’s website. Her parents were fully health checked above and beyond the normal testing done. Her dad was an International Champion in Conformation. It just didn’t seem it could get any better. Did I mention she looked like a tank! Just the look I wanted, that nice English Lab look. At such a young age her conformation was so good. I reserved her at 4 weeks and had to wait 4 long weeks on her to arrive. Sophie was the last dog for us to get. When we started our journey looking for a female poodle we weren’t quite sure what direction we wanted to go color wise. We knew what we wanted Genetic wise which was the most important. I got my heart set on a red tuxedo poodle( the rarest color pattern) After looking for a while I realized my dream might not be achieved to get the Genetic qualities I was looking for. I found a brindle parti female and she was adorable. Her parents had all the genetic testing and we loved that her breeder bred for not only that but for temperament, conformation, and color. They also are heavy into showing so Champion Bloodlines are running in all their litters. The only thing for the brindle parti puppy was I was second pick of the litter. I sent my deposit in but I ended up not getting her. Then there was a litter born from the same lady with great genetics. It was a black and white female. I was pretty sure she was the one but I would be fifth pick of that litter. Then something amazing happened. The breeder emailed me and offered me one of the females she had kept back from the previous litter for her to show. She sent some pictures and I was in love. A couple of weeks later Sophie flew to us from Texas and hasn’t left my side ever since. Choosing great dogs helps us to have great offspring. Without a solid breeding program your reputation can not stand. We decided to do everything in our power to create the healthiest puppies. We want stories of happy, healthy puppies for years to come. This all starts with us doing our job selecting our dogs.