Things to know

Early-Age Neuter/Spay

Early spay/neuter  is endorsed by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Humane Society of the United States, the American Kennel Club, the Cat Fanciers Association, the American Humane Association and many other organizations

Many veterinarians practice safe early sterilization. Some of the many benefits of early sterilization: faster healing and recovery time, and the earlier a pet is spayed or neutered, the less chance of developing a number of serious diseases and disorders. For example, a female spayed before her first heat (six to nine months of age) has one-seventh the risk of developing mammary cancer as does an intact female.

Our vet practises a less invasive method of spay called ovariectomy where just the ovaries are removed. This method is less invasive, less trauma and much quicker recovery.

The best age to do early spay/neuter is between 12-16 weeks of age as the puppies are big enough to lessen the irritation from the tube going down their throat during surgery. There is much less of a chance of aspiration if you wait to do early spay/neuter at this age.

Under bites

Please note slight under bites can sometime (although rarely) occur in Australian Labradoodles. A puppy/dog is not deemed unhealthy or unsound due to an under bite. A juvenile under bite is a minor issue that should correct itself when adult teeth come in.

A slight underbite in a puppy is what makes a good pet-quality Australian Labradoodle. Sun Valley Labradoodles does inform all families if this is expressed in a puppy, it is not possible to actually see until teeth come in around 6 to 8 weeks of age. These are slight underbites, and are typically gone by the time the adult teeth come in. It is uncommon in our program but does occasionally occur. We do not discount a puppy if he/she has a slight underbite, as this is a very minor issue. We do have our vet look at the jaw and teeth. At this point we are looking at the puppy teeth that have grown in from age 6 weeks to 4 months then they fall out and the adult teeth come in. If she determines it is a positive approach to remove some of the puppy teeth while under for spay/neuter to allow the jaw to grow correctly on its own, we may do so.

Colour

Please note: Sun Valley Labradoodles raises many beautiful different coloured puppies- usually with genetic colour coat testing we can determine what colours each litter will have. Colours may range in shades and can not be an exact science. Sometimes puppies can darken or lighten in colour as they mature. Many of our red colours do darken due to a rufus gene that some of our dogs carry but we can never guarantee that any of the different coloured puppies will not change some and either lighten or darken in colour.