What is an Authentic Australian Labradoodle?
The Australian Labradoodle is different from all other labradoodles. How you might ask?
History of the Labradoodle
In the mid 1970’s, The Australian Guide Dog Association received an inquiry from a blind lady in Hawaii, requesting a guide dog that would not cause her allergies to flare. The Australian Guide Dog Association did not have anything meeting her needs, so they set about trying to breed such a dog. Their Labradors were tried and proven, so breeding with them was the obvious choice. To achieve a hypoallergenic dog they needed to breed their Labradors to a dog that was already non-shedding, hence the Standard Poodle. The Guide Dog Association sourced an imported white dog from Sweden, as he was a quality dog from working bloodlines. The gentleman in charge of the operation was Mr. Wally Conran.
When the first litter was born he christened it LABRADOR-POODLE, and so the Labradoodle was born. The Guide Dog Association had minimal success, as they too never recognized the importance of the mutated gene that would go on to be the building block of the allergy friendly Labradoodle as it is seen today. Interest in the Labradoodle soon become apparent, and forward thinking breeders in Australia started to breed these dogs with a deliberate plan in mind. Within a few short years other breeders joined in, and together they developed the Australian Labradoodle we all know and love today.
The main attraction to the Labradoodle was the low and non-shedding coats, but more and more people were won over by the wonderful disposition and kindness the Labradoodle possessed. These dogs were becoming so versatile, their intelligence and tenacity started to attract people and trainers’ wanting special dogs for sports and assistance/therapy dogs. Today you can see the Australian Labradoodle around the world as an allergy friendly soul mate, family companion, seizure alert dog, agility dog, assistance dog to the physically and mentally disadvantaged, guide dog, and in the not too distant future a gun dog and show dog.
In the late 1980’s, Tegan Park Research Center 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 and in some lines the Wheaten Terrier. The resulting labradoodles subsequently have been bred to each other, continuing the multi-generational tradition without ever having to go back to the parent breed of the Labrador or Poodle.
About Their Coats
The Australian Labradoodle now comes in a variety of colors, from black, silver and cream, to reds, sable, chocolate and parti. They have also adopted their poodle ancestor’s size variation from:
- The Standard – 21 to 24 inches
- The Medium – 17 to 20 inches
- The Miniature – 14 to 161/2 inches
Weight is not the determining factor for size with the Australian Labradoodle.
There are two coat types that are considered allergy friendly. These are the Fleece coat, which has a soft textured fleecy feeling. The two variations of the fleece are the wavy fleece and curly fleece. Then there is the Wool coat. This has a definite dense wool feel, and is mild to very curly. By the time the Australian Labradoodle becomes a recognized breed, it will be a dog of three sizes with two coat types. We hope you have enjoyed learning about the Australian Labradoodle and we invite you to return to this site and watch the progress of this amazing breed in development.
The Labradoodle Today
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.
Today, the Australian Labradoodle Club of America, believing in the wonders of this amazing dog, forges on in the quest to gain pure breed recognition. A dog that can be owned by most all, because their allergies don’t get in the way of having such a life enhancing relationship, with an amazing friend. Bringing to the world the knowledge of the vitality, companionship, therapeutic nature, intelligence, trainability and fun loving disposition, of such a family oriented dog. One which is so very coveted because of these very traits. A perfect dog for those who struggle so much with allergies, relationships, special needs and just plain companionship.
Australian Labradoodle Club of America (ALCA)
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The Australian Labradoodle Club of America (ALCA), is the keeper of the registry in America and a guardian over this new developing breed. Gail Windom (Whispering Winds Australian Labradoodles) and her sister, Dorothy Moreau, (Primetime Australian Labradoodles), purchased and brought to America the very first Australian Labradoodles, which were purchased from Beverly Manners in 2002. The goal was to join with breeders across America in the development of a pure breed dog. To unite these breeding programs for one common cause, the preservation of the Authentic Australian Labradoodle. A dog, which in its final stage, had proven to be world renowned for its amazing traits and had proven to be more than what one could have imagined. Its intuitive nature, uncanny ability to sense and in some cases self teach the art of being a medical alert dog, the direct eye to eye contact and the desire to please made them one of the most trainable dogs in America. Couple this with its allergenic nature, non shedding coat and lack of a doggie odor, this dog surpassed all expectations and became one of the most sought after dogs in America.
The Australian Labradoodle Club of America (ALCA), was to be the keeper of the registry in America and a guardian over this new developing breed. The goal was to join with breeders across America in the development of a pure breed dog and to unite these breeding programs for one common cause, the preservation of the Authentic Australian Labradoodle. Our breed is in its final stage and is renowned for its amazing traits and has proven to be consistent and reliable. Its intuitive nature, uncanny ability to sense and in some cases self teach the art of being a medical alert dog, the direct eye to eye contact and their desire to please makes them one of the most trainable dogs in America. This breed is hypoallergenic, non shedding and is one of the most sought after dogs in America. Our goal is to protect and improve the breed health as we move towards pure breed status.