This is an interesting look at Labradoodles, written from the other side of the cross ~ the Poodle side. Did you know this unfortunate “crossbreed fad” was initiated by the needs of just ONE person? This article is from the Poodle breed column, in the June 2006 AKC Gazette - page 67, by Anne Rogers Clark.

LABRADOODLES

“The following is offered to clear up any misunderstanding concerning the breeding of Labradoodles by The Royal Guide Dogs of Australia. [Poodles breed column, June 2005] This is reprinted with the permission of the Guide Dog Association of Victoria.
Labradoodles are a cross between a Labrador Retriever and a standard Poodle. Royal Guide Dogs Association of Australia bred its first litter of Labradoodles in late 1989, in an effort to produce a dog that would be more suitable for people with allergies.
The coat of the Poodle is generally recognized as being more suitable for people with allergies, because it does not shed as much as coats of other dogs. The Association aimed to produce a dog the would combine the temperament of the Labrador (which is suitable for Guide Dog training) with the coat of a Poodle.
The Association does not claim that Labradoodles are allergy-free, or non-allergenic, as has been often written about these dogs.
They were bred as part of an experimental process aimed at finding a dog that is trainable for Guide Dog work, but has a coat more suited to people with allergies. In a litter of 10 Labradoodles, a person who is allergic to most dogs could find they were allergic to 8 of the 10 Labradoodles, or even all of them....and this only applies to "dog HAIR" allergies and cannot help those allergic to dog dander or saliva.
The project was initially designed to meet the needs of one particular woman from Hawaii, whose husband was allergic to most dogs. This woman had requested that the Association try to find a dog that could be trained as a Guide Dog and would not produce an allergic reaction in her husband.
Samples of the coats of all three dogs, from the first litter of labradoodles, were sent to Hawaii. The woman’s husband showed some allergic reaction to two of the three coats. The dog which did not produce
an allergic reaction in the husband went on to be trained and is working most successfully in Hawaii.
A vision-impaired person, assessed as suitable for a Guide Dog, but who has allergies, is thoroughly tested by a qualified allergist for a reaction with the hair, skin scraping and saliva sample of the Labradoodle, before the dog is allocated to the person as a Guide Dog.
The last labradoodles to qualify as Guide Dogs were bred in 1996. Guide Dogs Victoria has no plans to continue any further development of this particular crossbreed. The success rate of the cross was less then 35% for use as Guide Dogs, with only a small proportion of those being utilized in the allergy situations as outlined above. The testing process outlined above found that many Labrador Retrievers could also be utilized in these particular circumstances.
Guide Dogs Victoria is a not-for-profit organization and utilized its own breeding program to provide dogs of sound temperament and physical requirements for use as Guide Dogs.
Our thanks to the Guide Dog Association of Victoria for this information."
~Anne Rogers Clark

Someone should send this article to President elect Obama!!!!

I have always respected this lady.

That is an excellent article. Factual and to-the-point. Thanks!

That said, in my personal opinion, and I know this is a VERY touchy subject on this forum, but I belive there are two distinctly different types of Labradoodles:

1) The Hybrid (Lab/Poodle Cross, or even the mutligeneration backcrosses which are still only of Lab and Poodle origin) These dogs SHOULD NOT be bred by breeders and DO NOT have consistent traites such as being hypoallergenic or non-shedding. They are mutts and certainly should not cost more than a shelter's adoption fee.

2) Then you have the Australian Labradoodle which is a dog bred from more than just Labs and Poodles by people who, for their own reasons, are trying to develope a new breed. (Now weather or not you personaly believe we need another breed is besides the point. If enought people want it as a breed, and enough breeders follow the careful and disaplined breeding porceedures, that is there right. Each breed came about from carefuly mixing dogs for a certain purpose.)

The following is an excellent explaination of the two different Labradoodles:

"WHAT IS AN ORIGINAL AUSTRALIAN LABRADOODLE?

The Australian Labradoodle is different from all other labradoodles.

In the early days, the Australian Labradoodle was simply a cross between a Labrador Retriever and a Standard Poodle. Dogs from this cross typically were bred to each other over future generations, whereby the Australian dogs are also know as "Multi-generational" Labradoodles.

Then, in the late 1980's, Tegan Park and Rutland Manor, the two founders of the Australian Labradoodle as we know it today, began carefully infusing several other breeds into early generations of their Lab/Poodle crosses, to improve temperament, coat, confirmation, and size. The infused breeds include Irish Water Spaniel as well as the American and English Cocker Spaniel. The resulting labradoodles subsequently have been bred to each other, continuing the multi-generational tradition.

Today, Australian Labradoodles are wonderful, intelligent dogs with lush coats that are more reliably low to non-shedding and allergy friendly than other types of Labradoodles such as first generation Lab/Poodle crosses, or first generation crosses bred back to Poodles. Even when the other types of Labradoodles are bred on for generations, the result is not an Australian Labradoodle, as the attributes of the infused breeds were not included in their ancestry.

The Australian Labradoodle Club of America was founded exclusively to foster and protect the original Australian Labradoodles that have come directly from Tegan Park and Rutland Manor breeding stock, or their offspring. Our mission is to maintain and improve the quality and soundness of the Australian Labradoodles, and to carefully monitor the further development of the breed. All member breeders are carefully screened to help ensure the future of the Australian Labradoodle. Our member breeders must breed to the highest standards. We have Breeder Mentors to assist member breeders and to help new breeders get off to a good start. Our breeder members must comply with the ALCA Code of Ethics, Breed Standards and Infusion Scheme."

And here is the Breed Standard for the " Australian Labradoodle:"

"Breed Standard of the Australian Labradoodle

As established by Tegan Park and Rutland Manor Breeding & Research Centers of Australia and adopted by the Australian Labradoodle Club of America 2005 revised 2007.

Temperament and Soundness are the two KEY elements in a good family companion; they must not be sacrificed for any reason.

General Appearance: The Australian Labradoodle should be athletic and graceful, yet compact with substance and medium boning. Joyful and energetic when free, soft and quiet when handled. They should approach people in a happy friendly manner with eye to eye contact. Keen to learn and easy to train. They have a free flowing wavy or curly coat that does not shed and is possibly non-allergenic.

Size: Sizes are still "somewhat inconsistent" with no definition between male and female at this time. Accurate prediction of size, even by an experienced breeder, is not expected at this time. Size is measured to the top of the shoulder blades (withers) while standing squarely on a level surface.

Much care is needed when breeding both the large and small dogs. Large dogs can suffer from rapid growth that can lead to structural problems. Soundness is of utmost importance. Over size is a major fault. Care must be taken to keep the miniature Australian Labradoodle a solid athletic robust dog. The dwarfing of dogs can lead to many genetic and temperament disorders. Minimum size attention is of the utmost importance to maintain a healthy little dog. Most Australian Labradoodles will weigh more than their height reflects.

STANDARD: 21" TO 24" The "Ideal" size for a standard female is 21 to 23 inches and for a male 22 to 24 inches. Weight range tends to be 50 to 65 pounds.

MEDIUM: 17" TO 20" The "Ideal" size for a medium female is 17 to 19 inches and for a male 19 to 20 inches. Weight range tends to be 30 to 40 pounds.

MINIATURE: 14"TO 16" The "Ideal" size for a miniature is 14 to 16 inches with no correlation between height and sex of the miniature Australian Labradoodle. Weight range tends to be 16 to 25 pounds.

Body: Height (to wither) to length (from sternum to point of buttock) should appear square and compact. Shoulders should have good angulation with firm elbows held close to the rib cage. Hindquarters should be of medium angulation with short strong hocks. Top line should remain level with strong loin and level croup. Flanks should rise up from a brisket set just below the elbows, but should not be excessively deep. Ribs should be well sprung but not barreled. Overall, the dog should appear square, be balanced, athletic and with good muscling.

Movement: When trotting should be purposeful, strong and elastic, with good reach and drive, giving the appearance of "going somewhere". When happy, relaxed or at play will prance and skim the ground lightly. Excessive tightness in the hips will produce a stilted action and is considered a fault.

Tail: Set relatively high and preferred to be carried in a saber, can be carried below the topline or "gaily" above. Curled possum type tails are undesirable.

Head: Sculptured, broad, well defined eyebrows, medium stop, eyes set well apart, nose to stop slightly longer than stop to occiput. Foreface shorter than skull. The head should be clean and chiseled and fully coated as on the body, legs and tail. The Muzzle is measured from the tip of the nose to the stop. The skull is measured from the occiput to the stop and does not include the muzzle.

Ears: Set moderately flat against the head, base should be level with the eye. Leather should be of medium thickness and when gently drawn forward should reach the top canine tooth. Ear leather reaching beyond the tip of nose is considered a severe fault. Ear canals should be free of excessive hair, and not thick and bulbous. When inquisitive and alert the ear set should rise to the top of the head. Thick/heavy ear leather is a fault.

Eyes: "Slightly" round, large and expressive, always offering eye to eye contact when engaged in activity with a human. Protruding or sunken eyes are a fault. Watery or tearful eyes are a fault. Wide round or narrow almond shaped eyes are considered a fault.

Eye Color: Eye color should complement and blend with the face color. Black, Blue, Red, Dark Chocolate and Silver dogs must have dark brown eyes. All shades of Cafe', Milk Chocolate, Gold/Apricot, Cream and Chalk should have dark hazel to brown eyes if they have black pigment. Caramel and dogs with rose pigment may have either dark eyes or "ghost" eyes. Ghost is a hazel color range much the same as it is in humans. Flecking with different shades of hazel with green and a blue/green make this eye color quite unique. Ghost eyes must always remain soft in appearance. Cold staring expressionless appearance in all eye colors is a severe fault.

Teeth: Scissor bite only is acceptable, being neither undershot nor overshot. Miniatures must not have crowding teeth.

Nose: Large square and fleshy. Pigment: Black or Rose. Pigment should be strong. Black pigment dogs must have dark brown eyes. Pink spots or patches on nose, lips, eye rims or pads are a fault. Dogs with rose pigment can have dark hazel, brown or ghost eyes. Eye rims should be rose as should nose, lips and pads. Pink spots or patches are a severe fault. Rose should be a rich liver color.

Neck: The firm, well muscled neck should be moderately long, slightly arched and flow into the well angled shoulders with no appearance of abruptness. The neck should not be coarse nor stumpy and should lend an air of elegance to the dog. A short thick neck is a fault.

Color: Any solid color including Cafe' and Silver is preferred. Minimal white on the chest and toes is acceptable. Light chalky coarse hairs (kemp) sprinkled through a dark coat is permissible but very undesirable. Parti (patched) and Phantoms, though undesirable, are considered an acceptable color. Parti can be any color (except Phantom) with white on face, head and/or body. Phantoms are any shading or two tone coloration such as a Black dog with lower legs showing a soft toning of silver or gold or a dog born dark with a golden shading at the roots or a slight brindling effect. True pure solid colors with the exception of Silver and Cafe' are highly prized and are the ideal for the Australian Labradoodle. It is normal that all colors may show bleaching and discoloration over the top coat. This is called sunning and is quite expected and acceptable, as the Australian Labradoodle is an active dog and often a service dog that enjoys the outdoors. Weather bleaching or sunning must not be penalized.

The Breed Standard of Excellence colors are:

Apricot/Gold, Red, Black, Silver and Blue - must have black pigment

Caramel, Chocolate, Cafe', Parchment and Lavender - must have rose pigment

Chalk (appears white but when compared to a true white it is a chalky white) - may have rose or black pigment

Cream and Apricot Cream (all shades and combinations of cream shades are acceptable) - may have rose or black pigment

Caramel: A rich Gold/Apricot very much the color of its namesake - caramel through to a deep red - must have rose pigment.

Red: A solid, even, rich red color which should have no sprinkling of other colored fibers throughout the coat. A true Red must not be lighter at the roots than at the tips of the coat. Red can fade somewhat with age, and senior dogs showing paling of coat should not be penalized.

Apricot/Gold: The color of a ripe apricot on the inside. A true Apricot must not be lighter at the roots than at the tips of the coat. It can come in varying shades and may fade as the dog grows older. Senior dogs should not be penalized for paling of coat color.

Blue: A dark to medium smoky Blue. Blue also belongs to the Rare Color Group. Blue dogs are born Black but will have Blue skin and undertonings at a young age. Any other color throughout the Blue is undesirable.

Silver: Born Black but will have more of a grey skin and will develop individual silver fibers at a young age. Silver dogs can take up to 3 years to color out and become a beautiful smoky grey through to a light iridescent platinum and varying shades in between at adulthood. Uneven layering of color in the silver is normal.

Chocolate: Dark and rich, born almost Black, they maintain a dark chocolate throughout their lifetime. Color should be even. Any other color throughout the Chocolate is highly undesirable. Chocolate belongs to the Rare Color Group.

Cafe': Born Milk Chocolate of varying shades, and have the same gene as the silver dogs, often taking up to 3 years to fully color out to multi shades of chocolate, silvery chocolate and silver throughout. When given plenty of time in the sunshine, they develop stunning highlights.

Lavender: A Definite, even smoky lavender chocolate, giving almost pink/lilac appearance. Lavender dogs are born Chocolate and can be difficult to distinguish at a young age. Any other color throughout the Lavender is highly undesirable. True Lavender belongs to the Rare Color Group.

Parchment: Born Milk Chocolate, will pale to a smoky creamy beige. Paling usually starts from an early age often as early as 6 weeks. As adults they can be mistaken for dark smoky Cream from a distance. Parchment belongs to the Rare Color Group."

Yes, the AKC should send it. Or we all should get a copy and send it.

I just believe they are mutts. Nothing more. Go to the pound, they have been there for years. They need to just decide and get a nice Labrador or Poodle or nothing would also work well. They don't seem to be getting direction from anyone who even know more than they do. And he sure does not know. Just trying to please his kids and the public that he has a dog in the White House. Fish are good.

I thought the Australian Guide Dog breeders stopped producing Labradoodles because even after 10 generations, they were not breeding true and type and coat were completely hit and miss.
Might be a bit premature to call this mish mash of dogs a 'breed' and assign it a standard but live and let live I suppose.

You are quite correct. The original 'designer' of these dogs has said that it was a big mistake & regrets having gone down that path.

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Replying to:

I thought the Australian Guide Dog breeders stopped producing Labradoodles because even after 10 generations, they were not breeding true and type and coat were completely hit and miss.
Might be a bit premature to call this mish mash of dogs a 'breed' and assign it a standard but live and let live I suppose.

Please do not use the term "hybrid" when describing MUTTS! There is NOTHING hybrid about crossing different breeds of the same species-the domestic dog!

Hybrids are created when different species are crossed togther such as a wolf to a domestic dog, then you have a wolf hybrid, or a horse with a donkey, you have a mule.

Hybrids tend to be healthier by what some call "hybrid" vigor, but domestic dogs all have the same kinds of genetic disorders and do not escape these health problems simply because they are mixed with another breed!

I would have paid good money to have watched any of the labradoodle folks (Australian or otherwise)try to debate Annie in person that any "doodle" was more than just a mixed-breed.