The Labradoodle is not just another “designer dog”. It is a relatively new breed. These dogs were first bred in 1988 by Wally Cocran, a member of The Royal Guide Dogs in Victoria, Australia.
The story is that a blind woman in Hawaii needed a guide dog that her husband’s allergies could tolerate. Hair and saliva samples from 33 poodles in Hawaii were sent to the couple to see if the dogs would cause an allergic reaction to her husband. They all did. Wally consulted with the manager of the Royal Guide Dogs about crossing one of their Labrador Retrievers with a Standard Poodle. He agreed, and hence the Labradoodle came to existence. Wally bred Labradoodles to other Labradoodles. He called them “Double Doodles”. Then he bred Double Doodles to Double Doodles and called the offspring “Tri Doodles”. Out of the 31 Labradoodles that were bred at Royal Guide Dogs, 29 made it as Guide Dogs. Over several years there was much testing and breeding of only the finest genetically healthy dogs.
This breed is so amazing. They are so friendly, sociable, non-aggressive, and extremely intuitive. Labradoodles are very intelligent and highly trainable. They are well suited for guide dogs, therapy dogs, and great for people who have allergies to dog’s coats. The breed comes in a variety of colors and they rarely shed. They can have a woolly coat or a curly coat. Some puppies look like Golden Retrievers with a thinner haircoat, and others look similar to a Labrador. The breed also comes in Standard, Miniature, Toy and Petite.
At Manchaca Road Animal Hospital, we have had the joy of knowing a few Labradoodles. Our most recent addition is a beautiful Golden Labradoodle puppy named “Walter”. What a sweetheart! He is growing by leaps and bounds. Then we have 5-year-old happy go-lucky “Fenwick”. He is a very handsome standard black Labradoodle who loves everyone. He is considered an F1B Labradoodle because his father is full poodle and his mother is half poodle, half labradoodle. If you are interested in the Labradoodle breed there is a huge breeder directory on the internet. By doing your homework and taking your time choosing the right breeder and puppy, I do not think you will be disappointed in the Labradoodle breed.