Budgets Dad,
I have some questions and comments for you, as I'm not quite sure what exactly you are expecting from buying some mixed breed dog.
Let's agree on the premise that a responsible, ethical breeder has the goal of producing healthy, structurally sound, temperamentally stable dogs.
First of all, if you want a Labradoodle so badly, of course you'd buy from a breeder who is actually working on developing the breed and not just breeding F1 crosses (Lab x Poodle) for a quick buck because they are the current fad, right? After all a breeder has a goal and he won't get any closer to it just breeding the same dogs over and over again.
You'd pick a breeder who doesn't always happen to have puppies available all year long and just willy-nilly sells them to anyone who has enough cash. This person will plan their breeding in great detail, choosing a stud dog that complements the traits of the bitch instead of just breeding two animals because they are "cute" or "nice". They will have a waiting list for their puppies and will interview you in great detail about what kind of home you will be offering. I'd expect nothing less from a responsible, ethical breeder of purebred dogs, so it applies to doodles as well.
Next, you wouldn't buy from a breeder who doesn't do the appropriate health testing for all of their breeding stock. Again, conscientious breeders do this for their purebred dogs, so I'd expect the same of a "good" breeder of mixed breeds. Since more than one breed is involved, it would be wise to test for problems that can occur in both poodles and labs, so you'd want to see original documentation for testing for hip and elbow dysplasia, progressive retinal atrophy, cataracts, thyroid, cardiac problems, von Willebrand's Disease, sebaceous adenitis, epilepsy, etc. Some of these need to be done every year, since problems can develop at any point in life if a dog is genetically predisposed. If any such disorder is confirmed in a breeding animal, any good breeder will exclude it from his breeding program and spay/neuter it.
Are the puppies well socialized from the beginning, raised inside the family home, or do they live in a kennel until they go to their new owners? Social contact and frequent handling are critical in the early developmental stages and keeping puppies in a pen in the barn or kennel is not preparing them to be good companions later on in life.
Last but not least, since a good breeder has a goal, just what exactly is that goal? Just breeding dogs? Or are these dogs actually proven in any way? Does the breeding stock have any performance titles, be it at the very least Canine Good Citizen, or Therapy Dog, Obedience or Agility titles?
If you find a doodle breeder who holds up to these standards, which are all the same I would hold a breeder of purebred dogs to, by all means, get that doodle. ANd please do me the favor and forward me the name and if possible a website for that person so I can pass it on to other folks who just "have to have" a doodle - after all why should they be satisfied with a second rate puppy?