The Australian Labradoodle

The Australian Labradoodle is a dog that is becoming more and more common on the streets. Its popularity stems from its friendly nature, funny appearance, and its allergy-friendly traits. However, it is not just a cross between a Labrador and a Poodle, as is often believed, but it was created from a mix of multiple breeds that together make this dog what it is today.

History

In the 70's and 80's people in Australia were looking for a service dog that was suitable for a blind woman with allergic complaints. They crossed a Labrador with a Poodle in order to get the combination of service dog, which the Labrador is known for, and the allergy friendliness that the Poodle is known for. The man who supervised this was called Wally Conran and named the cross Labradoodle. This first generation of crossbreeds turned out to be a lot of fun, but not yet stable in terms of suitability as a service dog and allergy-friendliness. They continued to develop and by introducing a few other breeds, the Australian Labradoodle as we know it today was created as a secret recipe. The breeds that have been "used" to develop are of course the Labrador and the Poodle, but also the Irish Water Spaniel, the Curly Coated Retriever and the American and English Cocker Spaniel. 

Types and occurrence

The Australian Labradoodle is a dog that people often turn their heads for. He is athletic and supple, with lots of hair and with soft and kind eyes. They come in 3 sizes. The mini is a fairly small dog that grows to a maximum height of 42 centimeters, while the standard is a hefty dog that can grow up to 63 centimeters in height and weigh 30 kilos. The medium format is somewhere in between. You have Australian Labradoodles in pretty much all the colors of the rainbow, plain, but you also have the two-tone doodles.

Coat

The coat of an Australian Labradoodle is special because in practice it appears that many people who have an allergic reaction to dogs do respond well to an Australian Labradoodle. Unfortunately, this does not apply to all allergic people, so it is extremely important that you always test first to see if there is a good reaction to it. There are two types of coats: the woolen coat and the fleece coat. The woolen coat resembles the fur of a sheep and the fleece coat is soft and wavy. Both coats do not have a moulting period, but just like humans, dogs always lose some hair. The coat must be well maintained, otherwise quite a few tangles can form. Brushing and trimming are things that should certainly not be underestimated.

Social behaviour

The Australian Labradoodle is friendly and social towards almost every human and animal. He is quite curious and will almost always come to look happy when someone is at the door, will often beg for some attention and a hug and clearly shows that he appreciates attention and cuddles very much. Australian Labradoodles can take a lot from children. They are real children's friends and they love nothing more than to play to the fullest, but they also sense the moods of children very well and they will often sit or lie down quietly next to the child when a child is sad to offer comfort. Australian Labradoodles are also regularly used as therapy dogs for children with autism, Down syndrome, or other special needs.

Australian Labradoodles are also curious and friendly towards other dogs. They are hardly dominant and love to play and romp around. Of course, they don't always like all dogs equally, but they don't like to pick fights. Then they prefer to avoid another dog. 

Temperament

The Australian Labradoodle is very intelligent, sociable, comical, and gentle and easygoing. Because of his intelligence, he is easy to train. He will go through the regular obedience courses as well as special agility courses or training to become a therapy dog well and quite easily and also like it very much. His intelligence also has a downside. If he is not properly raised or trained, he will use the intelligence to teach himself as many mischievous pranks as possible and then he can become quite a stubborn and annoying dog. So give him enough good spiritual challenge.

His social character makes him very happy to be in the presence of his owner. It is definitely not a dog to keep outside. That's when he gets really unhappy. It's also not a dog to leave alone for a lot. Of course you can teach him to stay alone for some time and he will certainly accept that, but he is only really happy in the presence of people and other dogs. He loves to go out with his boss and also needs a physical challenge. He is not satisfied with just a walk around the house, but really wants to get at least 1.5 hours of exercise every day. Many Australian Labradoodles also love to swim and you do them a big favor by letting them romp with and in the water. When he gets enough exercise, he is a very relaxed and calm dog indoors.

Activities with an Australian Labradoodle

Australian Labradoodles are not real working dogs, but they like pretty much everything they can do with their owner. Obedience, agility, flyball, doggy dance, frisbee, fetch, swimming, in fact, there is very little that he will not like, although he is certainly not a typical hunting or racing dog.

As a guard dog, the Australian Labradoodle is probably not the most suitable dog. It is precisely because of his friendly and social character that he is happy to meet everyone. They also don't bark very quickly, but they will catch on when something really strange is going on.

Very specific is that they can be trained as assistance dogs. Originally, of course, that is what they were bred for and fortunately they are still used very regularly for that. Very recently, an organization has even been started in Japan to use Australian Labradoodles in nursing homes and in the Netherlands there is experience in training the doodles to become assistance dogs for children with special needs.

Who is an Australian Labradoodle suitable for

Initially, there are many people with an allergy to dogs who are attracted to an Australian Labradoodle. Especially if after a test it turns out that they do respond well to an Australian Labradoodle, it is like a dream come true. Never thought of it, but now I have a dog in the house. These are mostly people who have never had a dog before. But because of the easy and well-trainable character of an Australian Labradoodle, that is almost never a problem. Most breeders of Australian Labradoodles also test the puppies for character traits at about 7 weeks of age and then assign a puppy to a family that best fits, so that the match has the greatest chance of success.

However, there are now more and more people without allergies who choose an Australian Labradoodle, because his character and his appearance as a living teddy bear make him very suitable as a real house dog.

Whatever the reason you choose an Australian Labradoodle, it is very important that you have time for him. When he has to entertain himself too much and is not challenged or does not get enough exercise, he languishes and that is something that should always be avoided.

Health

An Australian Labradoodle lives to be between 13 and 15 years old. For the time being, there are no specific health problems that occur in this breed. Parents are rigorously tested for hip, elbow and eye defects. In addition, various disorders are also examined via a DNA test: prcd-PRA (hereditary eye disorder), Degenerative myelopathy (neurological disorder of the spinal cord) and Exercise Induced Collapse (neurological disorder). Of course, there are sometimes animals that have something wrong, but there are not many common problems now.

What's more?

If you are interested in an Australian Labradoodle, it is important to research where you are getting a puppy from, especially because it is not yet a recognized breed. There are two active associations in the Netherlands: the WALA (Worldwide Australian Labradoodle Association) and the ALAEU (Australian Labradoodle Association Europe (www.alaeu.com), to which most breeders are affiliated. You should always make sure that the parents have undergone the necessary health tests, that you are dealing with a real Australian Labradoodle and not a cross between a Labrador and a Poodle (which cross is often offered under the name Labradoodle) and of course you should always be able to get to know the parents. It would be nice if the Australian Labradoodle would be a recognized breed in the future. But even as long as it is not, they are and remain cheerful and sociable dogs with special characteristics.

Source: Alaeu