What is an original…
Authentic, Multi-generational Australian Labradoodle?
In the early days, the Australian Labradoodle was simply a cross between an Australian Labrador Retriever and a Standard Poodle (i.e. a mixed breed.) Dogs from this cross typically were bred to each other over future generations, whereby the Australian dogs are also known as Australian Multigen Labradoodle or Multigen Australian Labradoodles. It all started in the late 1980’s when Wally Conron, the visionary breeding manager of the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia, received a heartfelt plea from a blind woman, in Hawaii, seeking a guide dog / service dog that would not trigger her husband’s dog related allergies.
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, conformation, and size. The infused breeds include Irish Water Spaniel as well as the American Cocker Spaniel, English Cocker Spaniel and the Irish Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier. The resulting Labradoodles subsequently have been bred to each other, continuing the authentic multigen tradition.
Today, Australian Labradoodles are wonderful, intelligent dogs with lush, soft 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 or even the popular goldendoodle. Even when the other types of Labradoodles are bred on for generations, the result is not an Authentic Australian Labradoodle, as the attributes of the infused breeds were not included in their ancestry. Common generic terminology might be, aussie doodle, aussie labradoodle, lab a doodles, labpoodle, australian doodle mini or medium, but we like to clarify that we breed Authentic Australian Labradoodles, a highly intelligent dog, which make an excellent therapy and assistance dog and avoid some of the labradoodle problems that have been bred out by following the strict breeding guidelines of the ALCA.
To fully understand the difference between an Authentic Australian Labradoodle and any other dog with the “Labradoodle” name, let’s take a look at what the Australian Labradoodle Club of America (A.L.C.A) says. Which, by the way, has the most stringent labradoodle breeding standards, of the three primary Australian Labradoodle breeder organizations, to assure their breeder members continue with the authenticity of the true Authentic Australian Labradoodle quality.
Straight from ALCA’s “Breeder Requirements” page…
“Originally, Labradoodles were bred using only two dog breeds – Labrador Retriever and Poodle. This type of breeding is identified by the below type designations:
F-1 = A first generation Labradoodle created by breeding a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle.
F-1b = A F-1 bred back to a poodle.
F-2 = A first generation Labradoodle bred back to another first generation Labradoodle”
But many years ago, breeders in Australia, Tegan Park Breeding & Research Centre and Rutland Manor Breeding & Research Centre were trying to consistently produce allergy friendly dogs starting with this formula. They believed that working with only two breeds was too limiting and began infusing other parent breeds into the recipe. Slowly, through careful breeding and a keen eye for mutations of the genes that would produce the desired results, both Australian labradoodle centers began to have consistent success using up to six different breeds. Angela Cunningham of Tegan Park and Beverley Manors of Rutland Manor are the co-founders of the Australian Labradoodle. Together they have built a dog breed type that has taken the world by storm.
The ALCA is the premier club, dedicated to preserving and continuing the work that was done by the founders of the breed. We are focused on the development of the Australian Labradoodle in America and work to maintain the temperament, conformation, coats and allergy friendly traits that make these dogs so special.
The infusion of foundation breeds ceased in 2010. After which, Australian Labradoodle to Australian Labradoodle, is the preferred breeding and the only one accepted as a “Pure Breed in development” by the ALCA. Which means, no dogs with infusions after 2010 can be considered a pure bred Australian Labradoodle. However, those previously accepted after 2010 are on track to become pure bred Australian Labradoodles.
Dog owners often question the difference between Australian labradoodle vs golden doodle. How about an Australian labradoodle vs Aussiedoodle? It could be a labradoodle Australian shepherd mix, but most likely it’s a poodle and Australian shepherd mix, which looks great is no where close to an authentic Australian labradoodle! Other “doodles” may look the same, but nothing beats the Authentic Australian Labradoodle, which is non-shedding, allergy friendly, consistent in temperament and form, highly intelligent dogs with great eye contact, companion oriented and very therapeutic in nature. No matter the size, miniature labradoodles, medium labradoodles or standard labradoodles, every Authentic Australian Labradoodle small or large share the same traits. Choose a breeding program that clearly states their breeding stock as well as upcoming litters are “Authentic Australian Labradoodles.”
The following is a list of dogs not able to be registered as Australian Labradoodles with ALCA.
Doodles identified as F1, F1b, F2, Double Doodle, Merles, Wheaten Terrier, Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Cobber dog, Australian cobberdog, CockaPoo, Poodle, golden retriever, miniature poodle mix or any labradoodle with a new infusion of any breed cannot be registered with ALCA as a pure breed Australian Labradoodle. Australian labradoodle vs cavapoo. Cavapoo’s are wonderful dogs, just remember that there maybe very little breeding oversight by registered organizations with the cavapoo. Always good to deal with one of the best Australian labradoodle breeders.
A dog that has a F1, F1b, or F2 on one side and an Australian Labradoodle on the other side, will not be registered as Australian Labradoodles. Australian Labradoodles are to be bred to Australian Labradoodles in order to be identified as Authentic Australian labradoodles or, the infusion must have occurred before 2011.
The ALCA no longer accepts infusions that were not already in the ALCA database as of 12/31/2010. Only infusions from those dogs registered within our database prior to 01/01/2011, are allowed to be registered. Offspring of those earlier infusions are also allowed to be registered. Regardless, at least one side of an ALCA registered Australian doodle pedigree must date back to Rutland Manor or Tegan Park.
Does an Australian labradoodle shed? While there is truly no hypo-allergenic dog breed, some dogs may cause fewer allergy symptoms. This is often attributed to the lack of shedding or very little shedding thereby not leaving allergens in the air to react to.”
What about the question, Is your Australian Labradoodle full grown? Since many people are familiar with goldendoodles, which are typically rather large dogs, they are often surprised that Australian Labradoodles have three basic sizes as follows: miniature Australian Labradoodles, medium Australian Labradoodles, and standard Australian Labradoodles. (Please refer to the size spec chart below.)
Australian Labradoodle breeders typically specialize in one or two of these sizes so make sure you ask how big their Australian Labradoodle puppies will be as a full grown Australian Labradoodle.
COAT TYPES:
Fleece Coat: Length is usually around 5 inches long. The Fleece coat texture should be light and silky. Appearing “to contain a silky lanolin”, the fleece coat can be from loosely waved giving an almost straight appearance to deeply waved. Kemp ( Short, coarse, brittle hairs ) is often found around the eyes and topline. The absence of kemp is highly prized. Fleece coats, straight or wavy, rarely if ever shed. A slight shedding may occur and may be determined to the degree of wavy / curly. During the age of 8-12 months, during the adolescent/maturing time you will need to groom your fleece every week. After this “transition” period, the coat will settle down and maintenance will return to normal, requiring a comb out at least once a week. The fleece coat has been found to be allergy friendly.
Wool Coat: Wool coats are more dense to the feel like a sheep’s wool. The “Ideal” wool coat should “hang” in loose hollow spirals. Most wool coats are still exhibiting a good texture but take the appearance of a Spring not a Spiral. The spring wool coat is not desirable. A thick (dense) coat is also not desirable. The Australian Labradoodle has a single coat. Both the Fleece and the Wool coat should naturally grow in “staples” and be of a soft texture. Both the “Ideal” Fleece and Wool coats spin successfully. Hair coats (Hair texture that shed) is a fault and are undesirable. It is extremely rare for a wool coat to shed, and is the preferred coat type for families with severe allergies. To keep the wool coat long and flowing will require more maintenance. The wool coat looks beautiful cut shorter and is very easy to maintain. Grooming and a trim or clip every five to six week is all that is required to keep the short wool coat looking great.
DOODLE
DIMENSIONS
The Australian Labradoodle average lifespan is 12-15 years. They come in a variety of sizes ranging from 15 to 65 pounds and 14 to 24 inches, spanning from the wither to the ground. One often asks, “Just how big do Australian Labradoodles get?” They are classified into three major sizes including miniature, medium and standard. (A full grown male labradoodle may be a bit bigger than the female but gender does not make a lot of difference in size.) Size guide shown below.
MINI
MEDIUM
STANDARD
AUSTRALIAN LABRADOODLE ASSOCIATIONS:
Are Australian Labradoodles a recognized breed? Is the Australian doodle considered a purebred dog? Is there a national or an international Australian Labradoodle association that dictates an Australian Labradoodle breed standard?
These are all very important questions. So let’s take a deeper look at some labradoodles info…
The Wikipedia definition of “purebred dogs” is as follows:
“Purebreds are ‘cultivated varieties’ of an animal species achieved through the process of selective breeding. When the lineage of a purebred animal is recorded, that animal is said to be “pedigreed”. Purebreds breed true-to-type which means the progeny of like-to-like purebred parents will carry the same phenotype, or observable characteristics of the parents. A group of purebreds is called a pure-breeding line or strain.”
The Australian Labradoodle, having over 40 years of recorded lineage of mating selective breeding dogs, fits the description of a recognized breed. And even though the Australian Labradoodle has not been officially classified in the “purebred dogs” category perhaps this is a good thing. One of the negatives of being a “purebred dog” is the danger of possible inbreeding as the gene pool diminishes.
There are three primary Australian Labradoodle associations. Two are national and primarily have USA based breeder members, The Australian Labradoodle Club of America (ALCA) and the Australian Labradoodle Association of America (ALAA.) The third Australian Labradoodle association is international, World Australian Labradoodle Association (WALA.)
All three have extensive pedigree records, with the ALCA having the most stringent requirements for accepting/allowing registration of a new breeding dog, hence a greater assurance of receiving a more “Authentic” Australian Labradoodle puppy when you purchase from a currently registered ALCA breeder member.
