Anonymous wrote:^^Any advice on how to go about finding and contacting breeders who have adult dogs available? Is it just randomly emailing breeders or is there a better way?

It is tough. Many advertise them on their websites. Others are word of mouth. I am adopting a rare breed next week that is 2 years old and I found him through a friend that does dog shows and she happened to know this breeder. She reached out directly and the breeder had a perfect dog available. Many breeders who show their dogs do so for one or two years and then rehome them. Looking into that world is probably a good place to start - although intimidating.

Anonymous wrote:^^Any advice on how to go about finding and contacting breeders who have adult dogs available? Is it just randomly emailing breeders or is there a better way?

There is an excellent post by orangetangerine on the r/samoyeds reddit about how to reach out to a breeder and be taken seriously so they actually follow up with you. There is also one based on the C19 situation which is here https://www.reddit.com/r/samoyeds/comments/gm78vt/buying_a_samoyed_puppy_in_covid19_times_why_its/

My second thought is to look into more unusual breeds that are very similar to super common breeds. Usually these are the foundation stocks for them. There are plenty of rarer breeds whose breeders probably aren't getting swamped the way more mainstream breeds are. I'm thinking specifically of Otterhounds, French Spaniels (Espagneul Francais), more unusual retrievers, Shikoku, etc. In our case, we found that the foundation stock was actually a better fit than the original breed we'd been looking for because it married together all of the things we wanted that had been split in the resulting later breeds.

If you want an adult specifically, ask the breeder. They probably know everyone else and can put you in contact with someone who is looking to retire a dog soon but haven't been put up on the website yet. Usually they'll post them on their facebook first, though.

^^Any advice on how to go about finding and contacting breeders who have adult dogs available? Is it just randomly emailing breeders or is there a better way?

Are you looking for a puppy? If not, reach out to breeders and see if they have any adults that they are looking to home. While doodles may be hard because this happens mostly in the show world, and doodles are mutts, it may be the case in a stud or female dog that they are done breeding. We have gotten a few dogs this way and they are about 2 years old and sweet as can be.

12-18 months is pretty standard if you are looking for something rare like a bernadoodle that is tricolor. Those are hard to come by; everything else you should be able to find in under a year.

Anonymous wrote:We're on a waitlist for a doodle. The litter is due later this month. I've heard of waitlists going into early next year and was just wondering how many DCUMers are also on waitlists as well. (and yes, we looked to shelters/rescue orgs for over a year. Once the pandemic hit and they were getting 130+ applications per pup or never hearing back from them at all, we knew that wasn't going to work).

It is normal to be on waitlist for this long, we were also specifically looking for a doodle and were given the possibility of getting onto waitlist for next spring/summer. However, some breeders in the area advertise only a month before the next litter will be born, as they have more than one breeding dog-not in kennels but in guardian homes. We were going to put our application for a waitlist for next spring but saw this opening, and got a spot. These are reputable breeders and their spots (limited) are taken away in a matter of few hours.

I know doodles are mixed breeds, but are you dealing with a puppy mill that is churning out a litter every month or two, or with a reputable breeder who has maybe 1-2 litters per year? If it's the former, run far far away.

Our first dog we were on a wait list for about 9mos since we had to wait for the female to go into heat, and then it depended on the number of pups born and where we were on the wait list. Our second dog we got very lucky and contacted the breeder (not a doodle) when she already had a litter due and had a short list of prospective owners.

We're on a waitlist for a doodle. The litter is due later this month. I've heard of waitlists going into early next year and was just wondering how many DCUMers are also on waitlists as well. (and yes, we looked to shelters/rescue orgs for over a year. Once the pandemic hit and they were getting 130+ applications per pup or never hearing back from them at all, we knew that wasn't going to work).