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Labradoodle

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Labradoodle
A brown F1B Labradoodle with a fleece type coat. The appearance of Labradoodles may vary.
OriginAustralia
Breed statusNot recognized as a breed by any major kennel club.
Dog (domestic dog)

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

History

The first known use of the term "Labradoodle" was by Sir Donald Campbell to describe his Labrador/Poodle cross dog in his 1955 book, "Into the Water Barrier". However, the Labradoodle became better known in 1988, when Australian breeder Wally Conron crossed the Labrador Retriever and Standard Poodle at Guide Dogs Victoria.[1][2]

Conron's 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.[3] He'd received a request from a vision impaired woman in Hawaii for a guide dog that did not aggravate her husband's allergy to dog hair. Originally he planned to train a Standard Poodle, but hair and saliva samples of thirty-three different poodles sent to the woman's husband all caused an allergic reaction. A Labradoodle litter was bred, and the husband did not have an allergic reaction to one of the puppies from the litter. This puppy, Sultan, was successfully trained by Guide Dogs Victoria, and became the first Labradoodle Guide dog.[4]

Although Guide Dogs Victoria no longer breed Labradoodles, they are bred by other guide and assistance dog organizations in Australia and elsewhere.[5][6][7] The Association for the Blind of Western Australia have introduced Labradoodles into their training program, and their first, Jonnie, graduated in November 2010.[8][9] Labradoodles are now widely used around the world as guide, assistance, and therapy dogs as well as being popular family dogs.[10][11][12]

Appearance and temperament

The Labradoodle as a dog breed is still developing, and 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. Many 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 often display an affinity for water and strong swimming ability from their parent breeds.

Like their parent breeds, both of which are amongst the world's most intelligent dog breeds,[13] Labradoodles are very intelligent and quite trainable, often seeking commands and finding pleasure in learning.

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 (Multigen) or Australian Labradoodles.[14] 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 were used in some Australian Labradoodle lines. The Curly Coated Retriever were used too, but these lines did not work out and they were discontinued.[15]

Jonnie, the first Labradoodle Guide Dog to graduate in WA.

Labradoodle coats are divided into three 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).[16] Labradoodles coat colors include chocolate, cafe, parchment, cream, gold, apricot, red, black, silver, chalk, parti colours,[17] (ie generally, any color a Poodle can have). They can be different sizes, depending on the size of poodle used (ie toy, miniature or standard).

Health

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

Although most Labradoodles are healthy [18][19][20][21][22][23][24] they can suffer from problems common to their parent breeds. 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.

Australian Labradoodles have been known to suffer from Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), an inherited disease causing blindness, which occurs in both Miniature Poodles and Cocker Spaniels. It is recommended that Australian Labradoodles be DNA tested for PRA before being bred.

A significant number of Mutigenerational and Australian Labradoodles have also been found to suffer from Addison's Disease.[25] The Australian Labradoodle Association of America is currently conducting a study to try and determine how widespread the problem has become.

A 2½ year old apricot Labradoodle with a wool type coat.
  • In 2005 the Oxford English Dictionary first listed the word "Labradoodle" [28]
  • Australian actor Bryan Brown played a Labradoodle in the 2008 movie, "Dean Spanley".[29]
  • Barack Obama announced in January 2009 that his family had narrowed down their choice for "first dog" to either a Labradoodle or a Portuguese Water Dog (PWD).[30] (They were subsequently given a PWD puppy, who they named "Bo", by the late Senator Edward Kennedy).
  • In an interview given to The Australian in April 2010, Wally Conron said he regretted breeding labradoodles, as he believes their popularity has negatively affected the demand for pedigree dog breeds, and led to the introduction of other "designer" dog types[31]

Notable Labradoodle owners

A 3 year old cream Labradoodle with a hair type coat and dominant labrador traits.
File:Charliesittinginthefrontlawn1.jpg
A three-month old Labradoodle

References

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  2. ^ "The Australian Labradoodle Association". Laa.org.au. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  3. ^ Staff (1 January 2008). "Labradoodle". Labradoodles. Animal World. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ http://labradoodle-dogs.net/labradoodle-history/
  5. ^ http://fernamber.com/pdf/summer_2006.pdf
  6. ^ http://aloha-labradoodles.com/fido-labradoodles.html
  7. ^ http://www.guidedogswa.com.au/resources/Wickham_Press-Release_Sep-2010.pdf
  8. ^ http://www.guidedogswa.com.au/articles/latest-news/busselton-guide-dog-graduation
  9. ^ http://www.guidedogswa.com.au/resources/Jonnie-Training-Press-Release-final_Sep-2010.pdf
  10. ^ http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/index.php?id=5669
  11. ^ Colchester: More than puppy love! (From Gazette)
  12. ^ Honolulu Star-Bulletin Hawaii News
  13. ^ Coren, John (1994). New York Free Press (ed.). The Intelligence of Dogs. New York, NY: New York Free Press. Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  14. ^ "The Australian Labradoodle". Goldendoodles.com. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  15. ^ "FAQ: Australian Labradoodles". Goldendoodles.com. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  16. ^ "Coat Types". Sunsethills.biz. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  17. ^ "International Australian Labradoodle Association, Inc - Australian Labradoodle Breed Standard". Ilainc.com. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  18. ^ B.N. Bonnett, A. Egenvall, P. Olson, . Hedhammar, Mortality in Swedish dogs: rates and causes of death in various breeds, The Veterinary Record, 12/7/1997, S. 40 - 44) "Mongrels were consistently in the low risk category" (S. 41)
  19. ^ P.D. McGreevy & W.F. Nicholas, Some Practical Solutions to Welfare Problems in Pedigree Dog Breeding, Animal Welfare, 1999, Vol 8, 329-331 "Hybrids have a far lower chance of exhibiting the disorders that are common with the parental breeds. Their genetic health will be substantially higher." (P338)
  20. ^ A. Egenvall, B.N. Bonnett, P. Olson, . Hedhammar,Gender, age, breed and distribution of morbidity and mortality in insured dogs in Sweden during 1995 and 1996, The Veterinary Record, 29/4/2000, p. 519-57 "Mongrel dogs are less prone to many diseases then the average purebred dog." (S. 524)
  21. ^ R. Beythien, Tierarten- und Hunderassenverteilung, Erkrankungshufigkeit und prophylaktische Manahmen bei den hufigsten Hunderassen am Beispiel einer Tierarztpraxis in Bielefeld in den Jahren 1983-1985 und 1990-1992, 1998, Diss., Tierrztl. Hochschule Hannover "Mongrels require less veterinary treatment"
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  23. ^ G.J. Patronek, D.J. Walters, L.T. Glickman, Comparative Longevity of Pet Dogs and Humans: Implications for Gerontology Research, J. Geront., BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 1997, Vol 52A,No.3, B171-B178 "The median age at death was 8.5 years for all mixed breed dogs and 6.7 years for all pure breed dogs. For each weight group, the age at death of pure breed dogs was significantly less than for mixed breed dogs." (p. B173)
  24. ^ H.F. Proschofsky et al, Mortality of purebred and mixed breed dogs in Denmark, Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 2003, 58, 53-74 "Higher average longevity of mixed breed dogs (grouped together). Age at death mixed breeds (Q1 Q2 Q3 mixed breeds 8,11,13, purebreds 6, 10, 12)"
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