Labradoodles are an intentional cross between a Labrador and a Poodle. The breed originated in Australia in the 1970’s when Wally Cochran was prompted to breed a dog for a blind woman who suffered from allergies.
The result was somewhat of a success as some of the puppies inherited the genes from the poodle which provided the curly non-shedding coats combined with the trainable loving nature of the Labrador.
This was the beginning of the type of dog we know today as the Labradoodle. Labradoodles are now widely bred in Australia, America and in the U.K. The aim of the breed is to produce a puppy with either a curly or wavy, low or ideally non-shedding coat. Although no one can guarantee this with English Labradoodles, it would be fair to say that many are light shedding and some are non shedding while others do shed - a lot!
The Australian Labradoodles have a wool or fleece coat and they are non shedding, the English Labradoodles may have hair coats which can shed in varying degrees. Some puppies in a litter will be more smooth coated but they will still have the delightful Labradoodle personality!
Labradoodles are loyal, loving companions who prove to be good guard dogs in the home. They enjoy the company of people and other dogs and their temperament makes them an ideal choice for families with children. They are usually very energetic and agile and enjoy dog agility.Labradoodles are very intelligent and trainable. They are often used as working dogs and perform a variety of roles which is why they are a popular choice with the charities Canine Partners for Independence and Guide Dogs for the Blind. They can be taught many commands and can transform the lives of people with disabilities.
It is essential that the parents to have the relevant health tests.
WHY HAVE A LABRADOODLE?
This is a serious question that you MUST ask yourself before going any further.
Some Labradoodles shed (a lot!). Some grow to the height of the Standard Poodle (up to 28" at the shoulder) AND carry the bulk and weight of their Labrador ancestry ... In short you could end up with a canine "donkey".
Most doodles are HUGELY intelligent. Intelligence x boredom = mass destruction. Don't even contemplate this breed unless you are home for the VAST MAJORITY of the day or you won't have a house or garden left to be proud of!
They LOVE exercise and lots of it! All sizes will benefit from an hour to an hour and a half's off-lead exercise daily. That's not "play on your own in the garden" type exercise, its physical graft, chasing balls, smelling new smells and seeing new sights in the park, on the downs, on the beaches stuff. If you don't have the time forget this breed!
In short, they are hard work, so why bother?
Well, some of the pups will have light to non-shedding coats and if properly bred, all will be full of cross-bred vigor.
They are born with fantastic temperaments, they are intelligent, affectionate, playful, extremely sociable, friendly and non-aggressive which makes them perfect companions.
They are very trainable, quick to learn and eager to please, and yes, they are absolutely beautiful to look at.
Some people only breed first generation puppies (Labrador X Poodle) saying that these have the best ‘hybrid vigor’ and temperaments. These are referred to as F1 Labradoodles.
Other breeders will back-cross this first generation Labradoodle to a pure-bred – usually a Poodle - to strengthen the Poodle coat influence – saying that the resultant cross - an "F1b" - is most likely to have an allergy friendly coat.
Finally are some breeders who will only breed their Labradoodle to another Labradoodle producing multi-generational Labradoodles (also known as "Multi-gens"), and they will also claim that this cross produces the best ‘hybrid vigor’, temperaments and allergy friendly coats.
As yet there is no scientific evidence for or against any of these claims!!