Where were labradoodles first bred as guide dogs and by what organization?

Answer 1

Labradoodles were originally bred by Wally Conron in 1989 in Victoria for the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia. A blind woman in Hawaii requesting a guide dog had a husband that was allergic to dog hair. The association agreed to try to train a dog that her husband could tolerate. For three years they attempted to find a suitable poodle candidate, but were not successful. So Conron decided to try cross breeding a good quality poodle with one of his labradors already known to produce good guide candidates in an attempt to produce guide dogs for people with Allergies or family members with allergies.

At first it was difficult getting puppy walkers to take on the rearing of the new cross-bred pups because they were viewed as mutts. Conron coined the term "Labradoodle" so he could avoid calling them mutts or mixed-breed dogs, and suddenly puppy walkers were eager to raise these pups.

One pup, Sultan, did not cause an allergic reaction in the guide dog user's husband and was eventually trained and placed as a guide.

As the program continued the success rate of producing guide dogs was only 35% and few of those were actually hypoallergenic. The Association received a great deal of criticism from the Kennel Club, which refused to register any of their other purebred pups and to disqualify any breeder used in the program from ever registering a litter again. The last dog bred in this program was bred in 1996.

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* Today Labradoodles are often used around the world as Guide, Therapy and Assistance Dogs, as well as being popular family pets.

* Rutland Manor in Darnum, Victoria and Teagan Park in Seaspray, Victoria were later founded to research and continue the breed, which became the Australian Labradoodle.

* It is not actually a breed. "Labradoodle" is a catchy "designer" type name given to mixed breed mutts to make them more attractive to the uninformed, along with others like "Puggle" (a Pug/Beagle cross) and "Goldendoodle" ( a Golden/Poodle cross). If the sire is a Lab, then the resulting offspring are Lab mixes. If the sire is a Poodle, then the offspring are Poodle mixes. It all depends on what breed the sire is. Now, this does not mean that they are not good candidates for service work; in fact, they are pretty good overall. Guide Dogs for the Blind uses a Golden/Labrador cross that is quite intelligent and has great stamina, but they are listed as a Golden/Lab or Lab/Golden cross,(once again, depending on the breed of the sire) not a "Goldendor" or a Labraden". They, like the so-called "Labradoodle", are NOT a breed. They are mixed breeds, which make them mutts in the eyes of the AKC. * Labradoodles are a cross between a Labrador Retriever and a Standard or Miniature Poodle. They were first deliberately bred in 1989 in Victoria by breeder Wally Conron for the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia. * A visually impaired woman in Hawaii whose husband was allergic to dog hair asked if they could help her. Their aim was to combine the low-shedding coat of the Poodle with the gentleness and trainability of the Labrador, and thus provide a Guide Dog suitable for people with allergies to fur and dander. * Three generations of Labradoodles were bred at first, and a surprising 29 out of the 31 dogs bred became guide dogs. Today Labradoodles are often used around the world as Guide, Therapy and Assistance Dogs, as well as being popular family pets.