Breeding Goals

Breeding truly ‘mans’ best friend’

Our breeding emphasis is on temperament and health which ensures your new best friend enjoys a long, happy and trouble free life.

We Specialise in First cross Spoodles, which are a hybrid of two purebred dogs.  English Cocker Spaniels and Poodle.  We breed 3 sizes of Spoodle, using the Toy, miniature and standard poodle over the Cocker Spaniel, this produces a small, med and large Spoodle. 

The characteristics of these two breeds produce a temperament perfectly suited to families and individuals. Their low allergy and low - non-shed coats make them ideal for indoor/outdoor living and those who suffer medical conditions.

We also have some lovely Cavoodles here at Hallmark, these are produced from breeding the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and either the toy or miniature poodle together.  These are an adoring dog, gentle and social.  They are relatively small in size so great for families that don’t have a lot of lawn or space.

All pups are vaccinated and vet checked by our Vet, and together with a seven day health guarantee you will get a puppy pak to help you and your puppy settle into a lifestyle on the right foot. We offer a lifetime support to all pups that leave here, we are happy to discuss any issues with you on an ongoing basis for the future wellbeing of your puppy.

Once you purchase a pup from us you also become a member of the Oodle Club, this helps you connect with other oodle owners, gives you the opportunity to get involved in all sorts of fun oodle outings and fun events including our annual dog show.  You will get a membership card with discounts for things like grooming, food, toys etc

Here at Hallmark kennels we also offering boarding facilities to any pups we have breed.  We are not a public boarding kennel so you can be assured your dog is going to have a great time catching up with aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers cousins etc in a safe environment.

Prices for all pups are available on request and we are happy to discuss with you options for ensuring you can secure the puppy of your choice. We use Air NZ which fly to all main airports in NZ, ask us for rates.

A personal home delivery is available and is conditional on location and time constraints, but ask for details about this service if you need some help.

If you have any queries about any information given above, please contact us.

Designer Dogs  (Hybrid Dogs)

 Designer Dog?? What the heck is a designer dog you ask?? A "designer" dog (as the media has labeled them) is a cross between two purebred dogs.

A purebred dog is one that has been bred over many generations to breed true.  . Purebred dogs are beneficial in that, when you buy a purebred dog you know what you are getting. You know how big your puppy will grow and you know basically what type of temperament and care the dog will. 

When one breeds purebred dogs great care must be taken to insure the lines to not become too thin. Even with all the best DNA testing available, genetic problems can occur, however with the proper testing these problems can be greatly reduced. To give you a simple analogy, let's say there was a law passed that stated only people with blonde hair and blue eyes with a high IQ could have children, with the end goal, everyone in the USA to be smart with blonde hair and blue eyes. If this were to happen, as you can imagine, our gene pool would eventually become thin, and many genetic problems would occur. This is why it is very important to ask breeders breeding purebred dogs what types of genetic testing they perform.

What's the difference between a designer dog and a mutt?

Generally, a mutt is of uncertain ancestry. A designer dog has documented purebred ancestry, and one knows for sure what it is.

So what's up with these hybrid, "designer" dogs? Are they healthier?

Hybrid dogs can still have genetic problems because you are still crossing two first generation dogs, however the percentage of hybrid dogs with genetic problems is much lower than purebred dogs because the gene pool is mixed.

Breeders, like myself, who breed purebred to purebred creating a first generation hybrid create the heterosis effect and hybrid vigor. Vigor means, "Physical or mental strength, energy, or force."

BE AWARE: It is important to be aware; not all of these designer hybrid dogs being bred are 50% purebred to 50% purebred. It is very common for breeders to breed multi-generation crosses. While a simple F1 generation cross is said to produce the most hybrid vigor in the dog and the further down the multi-generation chain, the more vigor is lost in the hybrid; there are some benefits to multi-generation crossing. If you want to greater your chances of certain traits, such as non-shedding, sometimes it is necessary to move further down the generation chain, risking less vigor.

Health Factor

(Heterosis Effect)

This goal in this scenario is not to create a new breed, but to create a happy and healthy pet.

Purebreds and inbreeds often carry genetic disease. Heterosis is the phenomenon where crossing two inbred lines can produce descendants with superior genetic foundation.

This increased health and vigor does not create a superior breed, but the advantages obtained from it are what produce hybrid vigor.

Heterosis effect results in a healthier, more vigorous dog with a reduced chance of genetic disease. It is well known in all domestic animal breedings, hybrids 50%-50% mixes of two different breeds will raise the chances of having less genetic diseases because all doubling of detrimental effects will stop in the first generation. The genetic term for this is HETEROSIS EFFECT. This effect often gives non-related individuals stronger descendants than inbreeds.

The purpose of these hybrids is not and should never be to develop a new breed. Once one goes beyond first generation purebred to purebred, you loose the heterosis effect, which is the goal for most hybrid breeders.

It is only in this first generation, the dogs could get the benefit of the greatly demanded HETEROSIS effect, and avoid genetic diseases, which are common among purebreds and inbreeds.