Labradoodles: The Ideal Family Pet
The Labradoodle dog is a crossbreed between a labrador retriever and a poodle. It was first deliberately bred in Australia by Wally Conron who worked for the Guide Dogs Association in Victoria. He wanted to get the trainability and gentleness of the labrador combined with the low-allergy coat of the poodle, for people who needed a guide dog but were allergic to pet fur.
The labradoodle has acquired the best temperament traits from both parents, which are surprisingly similar to each other. Both labradors and poodles are intelligent, social, friendly, active, easily trained, great with children and make a wonderful family dog because they genuinely enjoy human company. All dogs need at least basic obedience training so that they have good manners and follow the house rules, and you will find that your labradoodle really wants to learn and so will be easy to train.
There are 3 basic variations in labradoodles - their coat type, coat color and size.
There are three coat types called:
- Wool – this coat is soft and has tight curls much like the coat of a poodle.
This coat is the one that has the lowest allergen rating because it doesn't
shed.
- Fleece – this coat is soft with a fleecy feel to it. It is free-flowing
and may be kinked or wavy. It is similar in appearance to that of a Golden
Retriever. It has a moderate allergy rating but it does shed a little.
- Hair – this coat is similar in texture to a labrador's coat but it can still be wavy, curly or straight, long or short. It is the least allergy-friendly of the coat types.
When the puppy is born, it is difficult to tell what type of coat it is going to have. Some have a short smooth coat while others have longer hair with a scruffy look about them.
The labradoodle comes in many colors, including black, brown (called chocolate), white, cream, gold, apricot, red, silver and parti-colors (this means two or three colors in the one coat). Like the coat type, the coat color will change as the pup grows older, although a breeder will have a fairly good idea of the color each dog will eventually be.
The size of a labradoodle is defined by the size of the poodle it was bred from. So you can have a standard, miniature or toy labradoodle.
- The adult standard labradoodle can be between 23" and 29" tall at the shoulder, weighing between 55 and 75 pounds for a male and between 45 and 60 pounds for a female. The miniature labradoodle, as an adult, will be between 18" and 22" tall at the shoulder and weigh from 30 to 60 pounds. The adult toy labradoodle will be between 14" and 17" tall at the shoulder and weigh between 26 and 55 pounds.
A labradoodle is energetic and intelligent and will need lots of activity,
attention and exercise. The standard labradoodle, in particular, can be
boisterous, so keep this in mind if there are young children in the family.
Before you decide to take a labradoodle into your home, be sure you have
the time and the energy for the exercise the dog will need, the training
and the regular grooming that are an important part of dog ownership and
are prepared to allow one of these wonderful animals share your daily
life.