Dogs have always been important in my life and I wholeheartedly believe that “Life is Better with a Dog!” My first dog was a Cockapoo that my parents surprised my siblings and I with when we were young. My second dog was a rescue my husband and I had when we were first married. Hava was a mixed breed and had some quirky, unpredictable behavior which was fine when we didn't have kids. She was like our baby and we loved taking her in the car with us wherever we went. By the time she died at age 13 we had 2 young children and weren’t ready to get another dog right away. But 6 years (and one more kid) later, we are grateful our oldest son never gave up asking for another dog. We eventually said yes (with his promise of helping take care of the dog!) and went about doing some research.
We were thinking of getting another rescue dog since there’s so many dogs out there that need a loving home. But when I looked, all I could find was pit bulls mixes and I wasn’t comfortable having a pit bull around small kids. So then we started thinking of going with a breeder so we could have the kids be part of choosing the puppy. We were initially thinking of a Golden Retriever because of the breed's well known qualities of being great with young children. But we didn't want all the shedding and hair everywhere! Someone told us about Goldendoodles and it sounded like the right choice for us.
Coco was born in November 2017 and we purchased her from Toomeys Golden Dudes, a breeder in Lansing, MI. Mom Gracie is a smaller than normal AKC Golden Retriever from Jessi’s Gold https://jessiesgold.weebly.com and Dad Oliver is a AKC standard apricot Poodle with white markings (4+ generations of pedigree available for Coco’s lineage). Both mom and dad were family pets of the Toomey’s and with all the puppies until they went to their new homes.
After getting Coco, we discovered how wonderful Goldendoodles can be! Coco has a very loving temperament. She often comes near myself or one of the kids when she senses we are upset and nudges our hand until we pet her (comforting and calming us). I’m a stay at home mom who is always curious to learn and do new things. Resourcefulness and asking questions is a strong suit for me so getting into breeding Goldendoodles seemed like a good fit. I also wanted our 3 young kids to have the experience of the birth of puppies and taking care of them so when the vet gave us the go ahead, we decided to breed Coco to a red standard Poodle named R***r.
R***r is AKC and CKC registered. R***r has had OFA testing for hips, elbows and knees and passed with flying colors. CERF eye exame showed him to be free of inheritable eye disease. All genetic testing was clear for hereditary health conditions (he is negative for Von Willebrands, a poodle disease). He is fully furnished (+/+) and carries +/+ for curl. R***r has an e/e gene which means he throws red with shades of cream and apricot. See more about R***r here https://pecksoodledoodles.com/ruger. R***r’s embark results available here https://my.embarkvet.com/dog/ruger125
Coco has a cream coat with apricot markings. She has a wavy hair and carries +/- for curl. Coco has furnishings but since she is an F1 Goldendoodle (golden retriever mom x poodle dad) she carries +/- for furnishings. This just means that if I bred her to another Goldendoodle (multigen) there is a chance some of the puppies could have a flat coat (-/-) and no furnishings (-/-) and look like a golden retriver (and shed)! But since she was bred to R***r, all the puppies will have furnishings (the longer facial hair, including eyebrows, mustache and beard that give the “goldendoodle” look). Interestingly, furnishings are connected to the shedding gene (furnishings=lower shedding).
Embark testing cleared Coco of 180 hereditary/genetic conditions. Embark results available here https://my.embarkvet.com/dog/coco568 Genetic testing is a whole new world for dog breeding. If you want to know more about the specific health testing that should be done on a Goldendoodle, click here http://www.kentfamilyfarms.com/health-testing.html
Coco had 10 gorgeous F1b puppies in June 2019 and all found wonderful, forever homes!
Since we got such great results and Coco was an extraordinary momma, we bred Coco with R***r again and the puppies were born February 5 and are all keeping their new owners busy and happy while confined at home during the global pandemic.
Coco recovered extremely well from the last litter and vet exam indicated all clear for another litter with R***r. Estimated dates for fall litter include puppies born at the end of September and ready to go to forever homes right around Thanksgiving. A list of interested people is being kept and those folks will receive communication during this time. Deposits will not be accepted until pregnancy is confirmed via ultrasound.
In order of deposit paid, new owners will be invited to come and meet all the puppies and see which puppy picks them! Or vice versa. That will happen when puppies are 5 weeks old. Weekly photos and videos of puppies will be provided to those that have paid a deposit.
Puppies will receive a thorough wellness exam and vaccinations from the veterinarians at Lakeview Animal Hospital https://www.lakeviewanimalhospitalpc.com/ . The puppies receive deworming medicine at 4 and 6 weeks. We do not remove the puppies dew claws as per our vets recommendation. We do require puppies be spayed and neutered by the time they are 18 months old (many veterinarians are now recommending spay/neuter at a later age based on new research, but new owners encouraged to follow advice of own veterinarian). Puppies will be ready to go to their forever homes after they’ve had their vaccinations at 7 weeks old.
The puppies will be kept in our house with momma Coco and our human family. Much love will be given to them as well as socialization (riding in the car, clipping nails, sounds of vacuum, little children, etc). We use Puppy Culture Protocols by Jane Killion to ensure each puppy gets the best start. Early Neurological Stimulation begins on day 3. ENS along with other enrichment protocols have been proven to help increase resilience to stress and enhance emotional stability. For more information see: https://breedingbetterdogs.com/article/early-neurological-stimulation and https://shoppuppyculture.com/pages/puppy-culture-1
Potty training and crate training is part of this as well. Did you know puppies will not soil their “den”? We use that knowledge to help facilitiate the potty training and there should be very few accidents happening once you take them home.
Male and female puppies are all $1800 each. Deposits of $300 are non-refundable as they hold your spot in line for puppy choice. Deposits can be made by cash, personal check or cashiers check. The advantage of a deposit is the opportunity to choose gender, color (red, apricot, cream), coat (wavy, curly), etc. The remaining $1500 will be due when you come to bring your puppy home sometime between 7 and 8 weeks old.
If interested in learning more, I can email the Puppy Deposit Agreement form as well as the Puppy Sales Contract.
If you live in the Kalamazoo area, you are welcome to come and visit your puppy between puppy pick week and going home week as often as you like. If you live out of the area, I’ll make sure to provide lots of pictures and videos of the puppy you chose.
When you come to pick up your puppy we will send home a 5 lb bag of the puppy food your pup has been eating, vet records, a blanket with moms scent on it and tips about training.
If you live in the Kalamazoo area, we’d love to reunite mom and pups from time to time to see how they’ve grown and changed. Boarding your puppy at our house may also be an option if you live in the area and are going away for vacation. We also plan a one year birthday party for the puppies and welcome all puppy owners to attend able. For those who love to share pictures of their puppy, a private FB group is available to new puppy owners as a place to share pictures and experiences and ask questions of other owners of Coco’s puppies.
Ready to make your life better with a Goldendoodle of your very own?
WHY CHOOSE KZOO GOLDENDOODLES?
Goldendoodles are a very popular dog and there are alot of breeders out there - some with more knowledge and experience than others - and prices can vary widely. Getting a dog is a 13-15 year commitment so prospective owners are encouraged to do their research. I have noticed more than a few people on Doodle FB groups posting pictures of their dogs and asking why they don’t look like a Goldendoodle or why they shed, etc - unfortunately, some eager Goldendoodle owners are easily taken advantage of by breeders who don’t health test their dam/sire, don’t advertise truthfully about who the dam/sire is or what generation of Goldendoodle the dog is, and don’t share truthfully about the drawbacks of the breed. Kzoo Goldendoodles keeps up to date on genetic research and understands what pairings will produce the healthiest litters.
An F1 Goldendoodle (what Coco is) is the result of a pure-bred standard poodle and a pure-bred Golden Retreiver (if the dam/sire are not pure-bred - the F1 is not really a Goldendoodle). F1s (first generation Goldendoodles) are moderate shedders (3 on a scale of 0 to 5) even though breeders sometimes claim they won’t shed.
F1bs (the puppies Kzoo Goldendoodles breed) are the result of a F1 Goldendoodle being bred (or backcrossed - hence the b) to one of the pure-bred parents. Usually it is a poodle but breeders could still call a puppy an F1b if backcrossed to a Golden Retriever (and the puppies will shed and possibly have incorrect furnishings). Kzoo Goldendoodles use a Standard Poodle for the backcross to ensure that the puppies are minimal shedders (1 or 2 on a scale of 0 to 5). Kzoo Goldendoodles is transparent with all information regarding the dam/sire and can provide more than 6 generations of the pedigree of dam/sire. With a Kzoo Goldendoodle puppy, you know what you’re getting.
One of the reasons a Goldendoodle is such a great dog is because of something called hybrid vigor. Because of the genetic diversity of the Poodle and Golden Retriever parent, an F1 Goldendoodle will have enhanced health and longevity as compared to the parents. Breeders cross back to the poodle to acheive a non-shedding dog (an F1b) while still being able to benefit from hybrid vigor. The farther down in generations a puppy is, F3, F4 or something breeders call multi-gen, the advantages of hybrid vigor disappear (although the non-shedding will be the same). If you are looking at a multi-gen puppy, you may want to ask the breeder what the coefficient of inbreeding (COI) percentage is for the litter. The higher the number, the greater the risk of detrimental effects. With a Kzoo Goldendoodle puppy, you can be assured your puppy benefits from both hybrid vigor (COI of 6%) as well as being a minimal shedder.
If wanting to know more, this is a great explanation of why it matters to know what generation of Goldendoodle you’re getting: https://welovedoodles.com/best-goldendoodle-generations-f1-f1b-f1bb-f2-f2b-f3/
Even though Goldendoodles are a terrific breed, just being born a Goldendoodle does not ensure a great dog. Good temperament is more than a lack of aggression - it’s a combination of emotional resilience, friendliness and enrichment seeking that no breed is born with. Kzoo Goldendoodles implements rearch based puppy protocols and puts in the work to raise GREAT puppies.
The enrichment window continues until the puppies are 16 weeks old so Kzoo Goldendoodles offers tips and recommendations for how new owners can continue to develop the puppy to be the best it can be. The first year of having a puppy can be alot of work and new owners may have lots of questions - Kzoo Goldendoodles is available to answer questions and give lifetime support.
