I had Labradors for years and my last one passed before I got married 12 years ago.

Now we have two sons that are 9 and 10 years old. My lovely wife has finally decided that they need a dog, but the requirement is no or minimal shedding.

So, I guess we are looking at poodle crosses. Either Labrador or Golden.

What else should I consider? Do you have any leads on either of these crosses?

Thanks

Dave

Get a well bred and from non-show dog bloodlines Labrador retriever. They only shed a couple times a year.

Pudelpointers have a wiry, coat that doesn't shed. Hypoallergenic as well apparently.

I've only met one, but she lived up to the breed's reputation of being gentle and affectionate and a good family dog. She was a really excellent hunter too, loved to retrieve ducks and equally happy to flush sharptail grouse on the prairies.



They love to be active and hunt and want a lot of exercise... so perhaps one could be a good dog to get (or keep) the family in shape perhaps?

John

That’s a great looking dog.

Drathaar/German Wirehair, Pudelpointer, Wirehair Pointing Griffon or even a standard poodle from field lines. I just went through the same decision process and put a deposit down on a GWP. I lost my lab almost 2 years ago but did not want to deal with the shedding yet still needed a great family dog for my 3 and 5 years old boys that could still retrieve doves and ducks . Everyone I have spoken to that has one is amazed at the versatility of these dogs.

I would prefer a full blooded lab, but it is too much shedding.

I will take a look at the GWP and the pudelpointer.

Any other ideas?

Thanks

Dave

You aren't giving enough information to get a good answer. Are you looking for just a pet, or a gun dog?

If you are just looking a pet, a doodle will be fine. If not, I will be surprised to find a doodle cross where both the lab/golden and poodle all come from solid hunting bloodlines.

If you're looking a gun dog, what type of hunting to you do, how often do you hunt, where do you hunt, and what type of weather/terrain conditions?