Labradoodle
History
The Labradoodle first originated
in Australia in the 1980's when the mating
of a Labrador Retriever and a Standard Poodle was
initiated by Wally Conran of The Royal
Guide Dogs in Victoria Australia. The impetus behind
experiments with this type of cross was the desire
to achieve a service dog
that would not shed and so produce a hypoallergenic
dog that is suitable for people with allergies
to fur and dander.
There was always a long waiting
list of families waiting to puppy walk Guide Dogs,
but when these
new cross breeds needed homes, no one was prepared
to take them on. Mr. Conran approached
Channel 9 television station in Melbourne with
a story about "the new breed
of Guide Dog" and realising it needed to have
a name, he coined the word "Labradoodle".
After the show aired on television, the phones
rang hot with people wanting to puppy walk this
amazing "new breed" of Guide Dog!
The Labradoodle started out as a simple cross
between the Labrador Retriever and Standard Poodle
or Miniature Poodle and is still widely the case
in North America. Australian's, on the other hand
have taken the Labradoodle a few steps further.
In mid 2004 it was announced that the Australian
Labradoodle was not just a Labrador x Poodle cross
but was a breed in its own right developed over
many years with particular goals in mind. To accomplish
these goals, further development was done with
parent breed infusions added to the already blooming
Labrador x Poodle cross lines. The developers of
the breed sought out the best way in which to compliment
the Australian Labradoodle breed, and to develop
the qualities that they find and love in these
dogs. In 1997 the very first Australian Labradoodle
Breed Standard was written which reflected these
goals. The Australian Labradoodle currently consists
of 6 different breeds in its origin. The Confirmed
and Approved Parent Breeds of the Australian Labradoodle
are the Poodle (Standard, Miniature, Toy, Labrador
Retriever, Irish Water Spaniel, Curly Coat Retriever,
American Cocker Spaniel and English Cocker Spaniel. The Labradoodle is still under development. The
desired hypoallergenic coat has not yet been reliably
achieved, as Labradoodles have varying coat lengths
and textures, and crosses beyond the first generation
do not yield a predictable coat type.Strictly
speaking, the labradoodle cannot yet be described
as a dog breed because it does not breed true.
In breeders' terms, breeding true means that, when
two specimens of the same breed are mated, the
puppies will have consistently predictable characteristics,
and will resemble their parents, rather than exhibiting
random characteristics of the dog breeds in their
parents' ancestries. Further, the breed standards
of breeds-under-development are invariably freer,
more open to interpretation and cover more observable
types than those of established or kennel club-recognized
breeds.
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