Labradoodle

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Labradoodle

A brown Labradoodle with a fleece type coat. The appearance of Labradoodles may vary.
Country of origin	Australia
Traits
Classification & standards Not recognized by any major kennel club

A Labradoodle is a crossbred or hybrid dog created by crossing the Labrador Retriever and the Standard or Miniature Poodle.

History

The Labradoodle was first deliberately bred in 1989, when Australian breeder Wally Conron^[1] first crossed the Labrador Retriever and Standard Poodle at Guide Dogs Victoria.^[2] His aim was to combine the low-shedding coat of the Poodle with the gentleness and trainability of the Labrador, and to provide a guide dog suitable for people with allergies to fur and dander. Guide Dogs Victoria continue to breed Labradoodles. Labradoodles are often used around the world as guide, assistance, and therapy dogs^[3][4][5][6] as well as being popular family dogs.

Appearance and temperament

The Labradoodle as a dog breed is still developing, and does not yet "breed true," i.e., puppies do not have consistently predictable characteristics. While many Labradoodles display desired traits, their appearance and behavioral characteristics remain, from an overall breed standpoint, unpredictable.

As such, Labradoodles' hair can be anywhere from wiry to soft, and may be straight, wavy, or curly. Some Labradoodles do shed, although the coat usually sheds less and has less dog odor than that of a Labrador Retriever.

Like most Labrador Retrievers and Poodles, Labradoodles are generally friendly, energetic and good with families and children (although as with any dog the temperament may vary between individuals). Labradoodles also often display an affinity for water and the strong swimming ability present in both their parent breeds.

Like their parent breeds, both of which are amongst the world's most intelligent dog breeds,^[7] Labradoodles are very intelligent and quite trainable, often seeking commands and finding pleasure in learning. Labradoodles can be taught to obey verbal or sign language commands, or both, and remain commonly used as guide dogs for disabled or handicapped persons with fur-related allergies around the world.^[8]

Types of Labradoodles

A group of Labradoodle Assistance Dogs.

There is no consensus as to whether breeders should aim to have Labradoodles recognized as a breed. Some breeders prefer to restrict breeding to early generation dogs (i.e. bred from a Poodle and Labrador rather than from two Labradoodles) to maximise genetic diversity, to avoid the inherited health problems that have plagued some dog breeds.

Others are breeding Labradoodle to Labradoodle over successive generations, and trying to establish a new dog breed. These dogs are usually referred to as Multigenerational (abr. Multigen) or Australian Labradoodles.^[9] Australian Labradoodles also differ from early generation and Multigenerational Labradoodles in that they may also have other breeds in their ancestry. English and American Cocker Spaniel/Poodle crosses (ie Cockapoos), Two Irish Water Spaniels and Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers have variously been used in some Australian Labradoodle lines. The Curly Coated Retriever were used too, but these lines did not work out and they were discontinued.^[10]

9 month old male Australian Labradoodle bred as companion dog still with a wool puppy coat.

Labradoodle coats are generally divided into 3 categories: Wool (with tight curls, and similar in appearance to that of a Poodle, but with a softer texture); Fleece (soft and free-flowing, with a kinked or wavy appearance); or Hair (which can be curly, straight or wavy, but is more similar in texture to a Labrador's coat).^[11] Labradoodles come in a wide variety of colours, including chocolate, cafe, parchment, cream, gold, apricot, red, black, silver, chalk, parti colours,^[12] and generally all the colours that can be found in Poodles. They also can be different sizes, depending on the size of poodle (i.e. toy, miniature or standard) used.

Health

Although most Labradoodles are healthy, they can suffer from certain problems common to their parent breeds.

Both Poodles and Labrador Retrievers can suffer from hip dysplasia, and should have specialist radiography to check for this problem before breeding. The parent breeds can also suffer from a number of eye disorders, and an examination by a qualified veterinary eye specialist should be performed.

Over the past couple of years, a number of Australian Labradoodles have also been found to suffer from Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), an inherited disease that causes blindness, which occurs in both Miniature Poodles and Cocker Spaniels. It is strongly recommended that Australian Labradoodles be DNA tested for PRA before being bred.

A limited number of Mutigenerational and Australian Labradoodles have also been found to suffer from Addison's Disease.^[13]

The labradoodle in popular culture

A 2 1/2 year old apricot Labradoodle with a wool type coat.

• Australian actor Bryan Brown plays a Labradoodle in the 2008 movie, "Dean Spanley".^[14]

References

• Rubin, Alex. "Dogs: I'm A 'Labradoodle' Dandy: The Appeal Of Mix-And-Match Pups", Newsweek, 8 July 2002.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Labradoodle

• International Labradoodle Association
• Australian Labradoodle Association of America
• Australian Labradoodle Club of America
• Labradoodle Association of Australia
• Labradoodle Training Information
• UK Labradoodle Association