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                               Australian Labradoodle - Breed history

 

Through selective breeding and training, man has learned to use dogs to full fill specific roles. In addition to traditional tasks such as breeding, hunting, tracking or guarding, dogs have been used for other tasks in the last century.

Today we are dealing with dog guides, therapists, dogs seeking missing persons, detecting drugs or explosives.

The authentic Australian Labradoodle are two dog lines:

  • working line

  • therapeutic line

and have been successfully used for many years special tasks.

At first, the Australian Labradoode was a hybrid of Labrador Retriver and Poodle, but infusions of other breeds have been introduced in recent decades for specific purposes.

In the seventies of the last century, the Australian Blind Organization made the first attempts to combine the intelligence of Poodle and a typical human-centered Labrador Retriver. Some individuals from this combination were easy to train, did not moult and did not have the typical dog odor.

Initially, these positive properties were not noticed. It wasn't until 1989 that the Institute received a request for a guide dog for a blind woman. However, it had to be a dog that would not cause her husband an allergic reaction.

Wally Conron, the responsible breeder of The Royal Victorian Guide Dogs Association (the name of the Australian Assistance Dogs organization at the time), remembered this combination and decided to repeat it. The first litter consisted of three puppies and not all of them had the desired properties.

 

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                                                       OFFSPRING

 

He named the offspring Conron LABRADOODLE. After many tests, only one of the puppies turned out to be allergy friendly, but unfortunately it was moulting.

With great enthusiasm, this success was published in the Australian media. Due to media interest in the special features of Labradoodle, the breed suddenly became very popular. Wally Conron repeated the combination several times. But in an interview with Reader's Digest, he told the interlocutor that many Labradoodles had a difficult and stubborn character, because of this, after several attempts, he decided to end the breeding program.

Due to publicity around the crossword, Labradoodle has become a popular dog in Australia and the USA. Publicity inspired two Australian breeders, Beverley Manners and her daughter Angela, who decided to continue the work started by Conron. They wanted to create a dog that did not show any aggression, had allergy-friendly features, would like to work and would be easy to train as a working dog or therapist dog.

Both breeders have bought their first Labradoodle from a farmer named Don Evans, who has already bred several generations. These Labradoodle and other infusions (poodles, F1) became the foundation for their breeding program.

To increase the gene pool, both breeders created a new Labradoodle base material by introducing a miniature poodle to existing Australian breeding lines. This is how smaller versions of Labradoodle were created.

Despite the selective breeding with the best offspring, the hyperactive and stubborn character remained. Mother and daughter decided that in order to soften the character, it was necessary to use an infusion with a different breed.

And so the Irish Water Spaniel and then the English and American Cocker Spaniel joined the genetic pool.  

Unfortunately, however, puppies with short hair began to appear in many litters and the dog did not resemble Labradoodle at all.

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                                                    Cymbrogi

 

It wasn't until July 2012 that Cymbrogi, a Dutch breeder of Australian Labradoodli, discovered a strange type of coat hair was caused by a genetic mutation in the RSPO2 gene.

Breeders in Australia, the United States, Great Britain and other countries began to copy the successful breeding program of Australian pioneers. To distinguish their unique dogs from other Labradoodles, Beverley Manners and her daughter named their breeding lines Australian Labradoodle, then ASD Australian Labradoodles. ASD is short for Australian Service Dog.

The last infusion introduced to the line was the Soft Coated Irish Wheaten infusion added in 2004.

The purpose of this infusion was to improve the coat structure. Australian Labradoodle hair, enriched with the latest infusion, has a coat that is easier to care for.

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Source:

"History of the Breed" - ALFA-EUROPE (https://www.alfa-europe.org/puppy-buyer/breed-history.html)

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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE AUSTRALIAN LABRADOODLE AND THE LABRADOODLE?

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A Labradoodle is created through the union of a Labrador retriever and a Poodle. These standard Labradoodles are known by many different names such as American Labradoodle, British Labradoodle, Early generations Labradoodle, and Labradoodle origin.

Standard Labradoodle can be bred to create a second generation of Labradoodle. Similarly, second-generation is used to create the third generation and so on.  It is worth noticing that all Labradoodles come from a single lineage that is solely made up of poodles and Labradors.

In contrast to this, Australian Labradoodles have a more complex lineage. They are a cross between six different parent breeds:  

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  • Labrador

  • Poodle

  • English Cocker Spaniel

  • American Cocker Spaniel

  • Curly Coat Retriever

  • Irish Water Spaniel

 

AUSTRALIAN LABRADOODLE VS LABRADOODLE:

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A Labradoodle can be F1, F2, F3, and multi-generation but it will posses both Labrador and poodle genes. Whereas Australian Labradoodles are all fifth generation or higher and may possibly have genes from other breeds.

Due to the different parental breeds and high generations of the Australian Labrador, there is quite a difference between Australian and standard Labradooodles including:

 

1. AUSTRALIAN LABRADOODLES ARE MORE CONSISTENT

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As compared to the standard Labradoodle, Australian Labradoodles are more consistent. The reason is, they are first or possibly second generations which means their physical appearance and attributes are more predictable and consistent. Every Australian Labradoodle will look like the original Australian Labradoodle. 

On the other hand, you will find little consistency in the puppies of standard Labradoodle. The crossbreed of Labrador and Poodle varies in size, coat type, and temperament. This variation increases and gets more complicated as you move to the second or third generations. The higher generation of a standard Labrador will look like a poorly bred Labrador and a Poodle.

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2. AUSTRALIAN LABRADOODLES DO NOT SHED

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Some Labradoodles may be ideal for  people who are allergic to pet dander but again,  it has to do with their breeding.  Although Labradoodles don’t shed as much as other breeds, they are not a hypoallergenic breed as they may be only a generation or two away from being a Labrador retriever. 

Australian Labradoodles however, since they are further away from a Labrador’s gene pool, shed very little and are typically more compatible with allergy sufferers. Their coats do require professional grooming to keep them soft and mat-free.

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3. AUSTRALIAN LABRADOODLES ARE CALMER

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When it comes to temperament, Labradoodles are great family dogs who are highly intelligent and quite lively.  Because of that, the require training and socialization along with an abundance of stimulating games to keep them from getting board and hyperactive. On the flip side, Australian Labradoodles are calmer in nature. This doesn’t mean they are lazy, but more controlled.  They are excellent family members if you have young children and take well to training.  

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