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Breed Registries:
NOTE: The Australian Labradoodle is a breed under development. The "breed" is not approved by the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC), United Kennel Club (UKC), nor the American Kennel Club Foundation Stock Service (AKC-FSS) due to it NOT meeting the requirements as of yet. For further details regarding breed registries, see Dog Breed Registries in North America.
Because the Labradoodle is a breed under development, the importance of learning about the breed and the Breeder before you buy cannot be stressed enough. The links provided here are strictly for information purposes and convenience in finding relevant details about the breed and/or breeders and should in no way be viewed as a recommendation, endorsement or support of any one site over another.
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Breed Description:
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| Height: |
Standard: 22 to 26 inches
Medium: 18 to 21 inches
Miniature: 13 to 17 inches |
| Weight: |
Standard: 25 to 40 kg
Medium: 15 to 25 kg
Miniature: 10 to 20 kg |
| Origin: |
Australia |
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Morning Smile Indiana
Photo courtesy of Coulee Labradoodles
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The Australian Labradoodle has been bred in Australia since the late 1970s and was originally a simple cross between a Labrador Retriever and a Standard Poodle. In 1988, Mr. Wally Conran of the Royal Guide Dogs in Melbourne, Australia, purposely bred a Labrador and Standard Poodle in an effort to develop a dog which would not only become a good Guide Dog but also be a good breed for those suffering from dog related allergies. The first breeding produced three pups who all successfully passed their Guide Dog training and, from these first dogs, Labradoodle was bred to Labradoodle. However, though the dogs were incredibly intelligent and easily trained, few were found to be tolerant to those with allergies and even fewer were non-shedding. After 31 puppies were born — of these 29 went on to become Guide Dogs — the Royal Guide Dog Association abandoned the breeding program.
Tegan Park and Rutland Manor Labradoodle Breeding & Research Center took up where Mr. Conran left off and through the years, the "breed" became known as the Australian Labradoodle. Since the begining, the foundation for the breed has always been the Labrador and Poodle (Standard, Miniature, and Toy); however, other breeds were introduced in the breeding programs — including the Irish Water Spaniel, the Curly Coated Retriever, and the English and the American Cocker Spaniels. For further information on the parent breeds used, see the LAA website. — today's Australian Labradoodle breed type was built from this foundation. The "breed" is still very young and still developing but it must be stressed that the Australian Labradoodle breed is not simply a cross between a Labrador Retriever and a Standard Poodle.
Although today's Labradoodle is a wonderful companion, with a friendly and social disposition, the breed is not for everyone. They are highly intelligent and exceptionally intuitive which in turn demands a lot of time and training during the first years. Today's Australian Labradoodle is generally considered "allergy friendly", non-shedding and with little or no doggy odour. In addition to being exceptional assistance dogs, the Labradoodle breed has also retained some of their natural instincts and are soft-mouthed retrievers that love the water.
The Labradoodle's coat comes in various solid colours and in different types:
- The Fleece Coat: A single coat which has a distinctly soft, fleecy feel.
- The Wool Curly Coat: Softer than that of the purebred Poodle but can be quite tightly curled. It should, however, be the breeder's goal to breed a looser curl than that of the Poodle.
- The Hair Coat: This coat type may be straight, wavy or curly and either short or long. This coat type is not non-shedding or allergy friendly and is most often seen in breeding programs where Labrador Retrievers are genetically close in the ancestry.
For further details on the coat types and colours, see the Breed Standards listed below.
A Word of Caution: The popularity of this new and evolving breed is enormous, with some estimates indicating that it is the third most popular breed in the United States. With this popularity, extreme caution must be taken in finding a breeder. The breed was first developed less than 20 years ago and yet, in 2004 alone, over 380 new Labradoodle Breeders established themselves in the U.S. — many simply breeding Labradors to Poodles. It must be noted that there are now two entirely different types of Labradoodles: the Australian Labradoodle (as described in these pages) as well as the American Labradoodle which is simply a Poodle cross Labrador Retriever — this is a breed cross, a mixed-breed dog and not the same as the Australian Labradoodle type. The Australian Labradoodle breed is presently being prepared for recognition by the Australian Kennel Club.
Australian Labradoodle / Labradoodle — Are they the same?
The Australian Labradoodle and the Labradoodle are two entirely different types.
An Australian Labradoodle is a new breed developed in Australia several years ago by combining a Labrador and a Poodle as a foundation, then adding several other breed types to create the breed now known as the Australian Labradoodle. This breed has been invited to prepare for recognition by the Australian Kennel Club.
The Labradoodle is a cross breed dog and, with all cross breed dogs, some are wonderful and some are a disappointment. The common Labradoodle is a Poodle cross Labrador with the Poodle being the dominant factor.
To help understand this further, consider the difference between the German Shepherd Dog and the Australian Shepherd. They are both Shepherds and if you told someone: "I have a Shepherd," the first response would be: "What kind?" Though they are both called Shepherds, they are two entirely different types of dogs — The same is true for the Labradoodle and the Australian Labradoodle.
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Health Issues:
Well bred Labradoodles are generally a very healthy breed. However, it is still very important for breeders to continue health testing their breeding stock in order to maintain this current healthy status. If you are considering the adoption of a Labradoodle puppy, or any breed, it is very important to be selective in choosing a responsible and reputable breeder. Ensure that the prospective puppy's parents have all health clearances. (For more information on selecting a breeder, see the articles on the main Breed Listing and Breeders page.)
Additional Health Resources:
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Breed Standards:
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Grooming the Labradoodle:
- Grooming Tips & Techniques — This section of Canada's Guide to Dogs includes Grooming information, tips and techniques, as well as listings of Groomers from across Canada.
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Training Resources:
- Training — For information on training your Labradoodle, see this growing section of Canada's Guide to Dogs for tips, articles, as well as listings of training centres across Canada.
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Additional Information:
- Labradoodle Coats & Colors -
Your questions answered on shedding, odor and maintenance — From Rutland Manor Labradoodles — The data presented on this website has been gathered over almost sixteen years and taken from more than four thousand Labradoodles, and several thousand families suffering from dog related allergies. As at 2004, there has been no known scientific study done on Labradoodles and their effect or lack of, on allergy sufferers. The information found on this website are the results of Rutland Manor's research todate.
- Is That A Labradoodle? — A must read article regarding "Doodles" and "Poos". The cross of a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle does not make an "exotic new breed". Also see the Mixed-Breed Information section for additional articles on the crossing of breeds.
- Clubs, Sports & Activities — This section of Canada's Guide to Dogs provides information on several dog sports and activities that you can get involved in with your Labradoodle. Also included here is a listing of non-breed specific Clubs from across Canada (Note: For Labradoodle specific clubs, see the Breed Clubs section.)
- Working Dogs — The intelligence and versatility of the Labradoodle breed makes him an excellent candidate to be involved in several dog jobs, including Guide Dog, Assitance Dog, Search and Rescue, Detection work, etc. This section of Canada's Guide to Dogs is dedicated to these wonderful working dogs and includes information on various dog jobs as well as listings of organizations from across Canada.
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Copyright © P.Mitchell 2004-2007. All Rights Reserved.
All content, including graphics, on the Canada's Guide to Dogs Website is Copyright©P.Mitchell,
unless otherwise noted, and may not be copied or reproduced without prior written permission.
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Last Updated: 30 March 2008
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