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Labradoodle

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Labradoodle
A brown F1B Labradoodle with a fleece type coat. The appearance of Labradoodles may vary.
Foundation stockLabrador Retriever
Poodle
Dog (domestic dog)

A Labradoodle is a mixed-breed dog created by crossing the Labrador Retriever and the Standard or Miniature Poodle.

History

The first known use of the term "Labradoodle" was by Sir Donald Campbell to describe his Labrador/Poodle cross dog in his 1955 book, "Into the Water Barrier". However, the Labradoodle became better known in 1988, when Australian breeder Wally Conron crossed the Labrador Retriever and Standard Poodle at Guide Dogs Victoria.[1][2]

Conron's aim was to combine the low-shedding coat of the Poodle with the gentleness and trainability of the Labrador, and to provide a guide dog suitable for people with allergies to fur and dander.[3] Although Guide Dogs Victoria no longer breed Labradoodles, they are bred by other guide and assistance dog organizations in Australia and other places.[4][5][6] The Association for the Blind of Western Australia have introduced Labradoodles into their training program, and their first, Jonnie, graduated in November 2010.[7][8] Labradoodles are now widely used around the world as guide, assistance, and therapy dogs[9][10][11][12] as well as being popular family dogs.

Appearance and temperament

Because the Labradoodle is a hybrid and not a breed, puppies do not have consistently predictable characteristics. While many Labradoodles display desired traits, their appearance and behavioral characteristics remain, to some extent, unpredictable. As such, Labradoodles' hair can be anywhere from wiry to soft, and may be straight, wavy, or curly. Many Labradoodles do shed, although the coat usually sheds less and has less dog odor than that of a Labrador Retriever.

Like most Labrador Retrievers and Poodles, Labradoodles are generally friendly, energetic and good with families and children (although as with any dog the temperament may vary between individuals). Labradoodles often display an affinity for water and strong swimming ability from their parent breeds.

Like their parent breeds, both of which are amongst the world's most intelligent dog breeds,[13] Labradoodles are very intelligent and quite trainable, often seeking commands and exhibiting behavior consistent with finding pleasure in learning [citation needed].

Types of Labradoodles

A group of Labradoodle Assistance Dogs.

There is no consensus as to whether breeders should aim to have Labradoodles recognized as a breed. Some breeders prefer to restrict breeding to early generation dogs (i.e. bred from a Poodle and Labrador rather than from two Labradoodles) to maximize genetic diversity, and avoid the inherited health problems that have plagued some dog breeds.

Others are breeding Labradoodle to Labradoodle over successive generations, and trying to establish a new dog breed. These dogs are usually referred to as Multigenerational (Multigen) or Australian Labradoodles. [14] Australian Labradoodles also differ from early generation and Multigenerational Labradoodles in that they may also have other breeds in their ancestry. English and American Cocker Spaniel/Poodle crosses (i.e. Cockapoos), Two Irish Water Spaniels and Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers were used in some Australian Labradoodle lines. The Curly Coated Retriever were used too, but these lines did not work out and these breeds were no longer used.[15]

Jonnie, the first Labradoodle Guide Dog to graduate in WA.

Labradoodle coats are divided into three categories: wool (with tight curls, and similar in appearance to that of a Poodle, but with a softer texture); fleece (soft and free-flowing, with a kinked or wavy appearance); or hair (which can be curly, straight or wavy, but is more similar in texture to a Labrador's coat).[16] Labradoodles coat colors include chocolate, cafe, parchment, cream, gold, apricot, red, black, silver, chalk, parti colours,[17] (i.e. generally, any color a Poodle can have). They can be different sizes, depending on the size of poodle used (i.e. toy, miniature or standard).

Health

Labradoodles can suffer from problems common to their parent breeds. Poodles and Labrador Retrievers can suffer from hip dysplasia, and should have specialist radiography to check for this problem before breeding. The parent breeds can also suffer from a number of eye disorders, and an examination by a qualified veterinary eye specialist should be performed on breeding dogs.

Australian Labradoodles have been known to suffer from progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), an inherited disease causing blindness, which occurs in both Miniature Poodles and Cocker Spaniels. It is recommended that Australian Labradoodles be DNA tested for PRA before being bred.

UK Labradoodles have a high incidence (4.6%) of multifocal retinal dysplasia compared to Labradors. Cataract is common as well (3.7%) but prevalence is comparable to that of Labradors.[1]

There is evidence of some occurrence of Addison's disease in the Labradoodle.[18] [19] The Australian Labradoodle Association of America is currently conducting a study to try to determine how widespread the problem has become.

A 2½ year old apricot Labradoodle with a wool type coat.
  • In 2005 the Oxford English Dictionary first listed the word "Labradoodle"[22]
  • Australian actor Bryan Brown played a Labradoodle in the 2008 movie, "Dean Spanley".[23]
  • Barack Obama announced in January 2009 that his family had narrowed down their choice for "first dog" to either a Labradoodle or a Portuguese Water Dog (PWD).[24] (They were subsequently given a PWD puppy, whom they named "Bo", by the late Senator Edward Kennedy).
  • In an interview given to The Australian in April 2010, Wally Conron said he regretted breeding labradoodles, as he believes their popularity has negatively affected the demand for pedigree dog breeds, and led to the introduction of other "designer" dog types[25]
  • In the TV show Big Bang Theory (Season 4, Episode 14) Bernadette refers to Raj as, "a cutie", but he protests, "Thank you, but cute is for bunnies. I want to be something with sex appeal, like, like a labradoodle". Later he adds, "And just for the record, labradoodles are hypo-allergenic, which is a very sexy quality to those troubled by animal dander." [26]
  • In the TV show Scrubs Doctor Cox says to Doctors Reid and Dorian, "What with Barbie here being ridiculously book-smart to the point where she has almost no interpersonal skills and you being warm and cuddly as an un-potty trained labradoodle and about as useful in high-stress medical situations as an un-potty trained labradoodle, *together* the two of you make one barely passable doctor... slash labradoodle."
  • In the TV show Psych, Shawn regularly distracts Gus by pointing and saying "Labradoodle."
  • In the TV show iCarly,(Season 2, Episode 2) Spencer takes part in a "Labradoodle" sculpture-making contest to try and gain a famous artist's wife's love for it.

References

  1. ^ Conron, Wally. "My Story: I Designed a Dog", Reader's Digest, 10 July 2007.
  2. ^ "The Australian Labradoodle Association". Laa.org.au. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  3. ^ Staff (1 January 2008). "Labradoodle". Labradoodles. Animal World. Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  4. ^ http://fernamber.com/pdf/summer_2006.pdf
  5. ^ http://aloha-labradoodles.com/fido-labradoodles.html
  6. ^ http://www.guidedogswa.com.au/resources/Wickham_Press-Release_Sep-2010.pdf
  7. ^ http://www.guidedogswa.com.au/articles/latest-news/busselton-guide-dog-graduation
  8. ^ http://www.guidedogswa.com.au/resources/Jonnie-Training-Press-Release-final_Sep-2010.pdf
  9. ^ http://www.mydesert.com/article/20110328/NEWS01/103280303/1006/news01/Two-guide-dogs-go-new-owners
  10. ^ http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/index.php?id=5669
  11. ^ Colchester: More than puppy love! (From Gazette)
  12. ^ Honolulu Star-Bulletin Hawaii News
  13. ^ Coren, John (1994). New York Free Press (ed.). The Intelligence of Dogs. New York, NY: New York Free Press. Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  14. ^ "The Australian Labradoodle". Goldendoodles.com. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  15. ^ "FAQ: Australian Labradoodles". Goldendoodles.com. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  16. ^ "Coat Types". Sunsethills.biz. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  17. ^ "International Australian Labradoodle Association, Inc - Australian Labradoodle Breed Standard". Ilainc.com. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  18. ^ "Addison's Disease". Goldendoodles.com. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  19. ^ "Addison's And The Labradoodle". ilainc.com. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  20. ^ The New York Times http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=990CEFD9103FF937A15756C0A963958260. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help) [dead link]
  21. ^ Gates, Anita (3 March 2010). "Uncommon Insight, Coming From a Dog". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  22. ^ "Oxford Dictionary hoovers lush new words. 11/08/2005. ABC News Online". Abc.net.au. 11 August 2005. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  23. ^ BY MICHAEL FIELD - Bang! Osama. "Yes to dogs, says Osama Bin Laden , but no to cats". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  24. ^ "Obama Chic: Finding the Perfect Pooch in a Shelter Will Be a Tough Task". Fox News. 12 January 2009.
  25. ^ Caroline Overington (1 May 2010). "Labradoodle pioneer regrets fashioning 'designer dog'". The Australian. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  26. ^ http://bigbangtrans.wordpress.com/series-4-episode-14-the-thespian-catalyst/
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