Our Australian Labradoodle Parent Dogs: Family First, Never Kennels

At Willows Australian Labradoodles, our parent dogs matter just as much as our puppies. Many breeders only show you the puppies. We want you to see the whole picture: how our mums and dads live, every single day.

Every Willows parent dog is a much-loved family pet first. They live in our home or with a loving guardian family, never in kennels. As we always say, you can’t have healthy puppies without healthy, happy parents.

We are not a kennel

• All our dogs are raised in loving family homes.

• Our dogs have fun, fulfilled lives, with walks, play, cuddles and family time.

• A dog is for life, not just for breeding.

• Our 24/7 live puppy cam lets you see for yourself that our mums are happy, relaxed and content.

Guardian families: a loving home for life

Some of our breeding dogs live with a small number of carefully chosen guardian families. These families give our dogs the same love, stability and routine as any family pet, and they stay part of our breeding programme. This means every dog gets the attention of a real home, rather than sharing a breeder’s time with lots of other dogs.

What our guardian families say

“Jackson is hands down the best dog we have ever had. He is such a good boy and a complete mummy’s boy. Jackson comes to work with me every day as we have a gym and I have customers pop in just to say hello. It’s the highlight of their day. He helps out with the special needs children’s swimming. I would be lost without him.” – Jackson’s guardian family

“Noah: an absolute dream. The most loving, placid and calm dog anyone could dream of. He adores the children and they are besotted with him. We love having him as part of our family. Everyone deserves a Noah in their life.” – Noah’s guardian family

“Peggy is the definition of the most perfect dog in the world. I’m grateful every day that we are lucky enough to have her as part of our family. She is loving, happy, and incredibly cuddly. I would be lost without her.” – Peggy’s guardian family

“Everyone thinks they have the best dog in the world but I actually do! Ellie has completed our family in so many ways. She’s so sensitive. She’s a proper healer.” – Ellie’s guardian family

Higher welfare breeding

We breed to higher welfare standards because our girls’ health and happiness come first.

• Fully grown before health testing. Our dogs are health tested at twelve months old, once their joints are fully developed: hips, elbows and a full DNA panel, including DNA eye screening. See our health testing page.

• Never bred too young. We never breed a female under eighteen months old. Most of our girls have their first litter at around two years of age.

• Calm, stress-free matings. We use progesterone testing to find exactly the right days, so matings are quick and calm.

• Careful pregnancy care. Every pregnancy is confirmed by ultrasound, so we can plan each mum’s care, nutrition and rest.

• Born at home. All our girls give birth in our family home, in a calm and cosy whelping room filled with the sounds and scents of home.

• Mum comes first. For the first four weeks our focus is on caring for mum while she nurtures her puppies.

Thoughtful everyday care

We think carefully about everything our dogs receive. We titre test our dogs to check their immunity, rather than giving yearly boosters “just in case”. We never give our dogs oral flea and tick tablets, and we follow a considered flea and worming plan instead of routine monthly treatments.

Meet our mums and dads

Our girls include Pippa, Ellie, Dolly, Hazel, Alice, Skye, Millie, Lyra, Nala, Nelly, Bonnie and Luna. Our boys include Jackson, Noah and Bodhi. Every one of them is a multigenerational Australian Labradoodle, fully health tested, with their results shared openly.

Meet all of our Australian Labradoodle parent dogs and see their health results.

Why parent dogs matter when choosing an Australian Labradoodle breeder

A puppy’s temperament starts long before it is born. Happy, relaxed, well-loved parents raise calm, confident puppies. When you choose an Australian Labradoodle breeder, ask where the parent dogs live, how old the mums are when they have their first litter, and whether you can see them. At Willows, we are proud to show you.

Read our reviews, learn about our Australian Labradoodle therapy puppies, or see our Australian Labradoodle puppies for sale.

Would you like a puppy from our happy, healthy parent dogs? Fill in our puppy enquiry form.