WHAT IS AN ORIGINAL…
AUTHENTIC AUSTRALIAN LABRADOODLE?
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 known 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, conformation, 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, 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. 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.
An excellent description of what this breed is all about is best explained on the following webpage Australian Labradoodle Club of America
To fully understand the difference between an Authentic Australian Labradoodle and a “Labradoodle” let’s take a look at what the ALCA says. Straight from their “Breeder Requirements” page…
“Originally, Labradoodles were bred using only two breeds – Labrador Retriever and Poodle. This type of breeding is still being done today by many people and is now considered the American version of the Labradoodle. It 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 breeds into the recipe. Slowly, through careful breeding and a keen eye for mutations of the genes that would produce the desired results, the 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 breed type that has taken the world by storm.
The name Labradoodle was retained because the foundation is and will always be the Labrador and Poodle. But, in order to differentiate between lab/poodle cross breeds and the dogs that were developed by the aforementioned breeding centers in Australia, the term Australian Labradoodle is now being used in America and Cobberdog (Companion dog) in Australia.
The Australian Labradoodle Club of America (A.L.C.A) 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 working 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.
There are other “doodles” that may look the same, but nothing beats the Authentic Australian Labradoodle, which is non-shedding, allergy friendly, consistent in temperament and form, highly intelligent with great eye contact, companion oriented and very therapeutic in nature. No matter the size, all Authentic Australian labradoodles share the same traits. Below is the acceptable grading scale for the Australian Labradoodle.
Below is a list of dogs not able to be registered as Australian Labradoodles.
Doodles identified as F1, F1b, F2, Double Doodle, Merles, Wheaten Terrier, Irish Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Cobberdog, CockaPoo, Poodle, or any labradoodle with a new infusion of any breed cannot be registered with ALCA as a pure breed Australian Labradoodle.
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.
One side of the doodles pedigree must date back to Rutland Manor or Tegan Park.”
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.
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.
- MINI sized Labrdoodles range from 13 -16 inches tall and they are typically 15-25 lbs.
- MEDIUM sized Labdradoodles range from 17-20 inches tall and they are typically 25-45 lbs.
- STANDARD sized Labdradoodles range from 21-25 inches tall and they range in weight from 50-65 lbs.
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