A HISTORY OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABRADOODLE

Crossing a Poodle and a Labrador was just the first step toward creating the ultimate family companion.

 

BY ANGELA CUNNINGHAM

With Curtis Rist

 

As dog lovers, many of us have become accustomed to a world in which there are a distinctly finite number of breeds, just as there are a finite number of planets in the solar system. We have German Shepherds, and Dachshunds, and West Highland White Terriers, just as we have Jupiter, and Mars, and Venus. The thought that a new breed of dog could suddenly emerge seems about as plausible to many people as a new planet suddenly forming in the sky. 

 

 This notion that purebred dogs have always existed is a mistaken one, however. Dog breeds have continuously evolved and developed, driven by the human need for an animal to haul or work or hunt, or simply to provide companionship through life’s sometimes lonely walk. Through the ages, breeders have combined the characteristics of multiple breeds in the hopes of creating a dog that can best suit the job for which it is intended. Haphazard crosses produce dogs with haphazard temperaments; careful crosses can produce new breeds, which are the sorts of dogs that are honored in show rings and prized as working animals or family pets throughout the world. This is the case with the Australian Labradoodle, which can trace its origins to Australia where it was first bred as an allergy-friendly service dog for the blind.

 

In 1988, a man by the name of Wally Conran, who was at the time the training manager at the famous Royal Guide Dog Association in Melbourne, carried out the first purpose bred mating of a Standard Poodle and Labrador. He was inspired in his efforts by a woman in Hawaii named Pat Blum, who had requested a guide dog that would not aggravate her husband’s allergies. Attempts were made to send the woman a Poodle, but hair and saliva samples had been taken from about 30 different dogs, and all seemed to aggravated the troublesome allergies. The file was closed--but not for Wally, who believed a solution could be found. Two years passed, when Wally went to the manager of the Guide Dogs and suggested crossing one of their Labrador guide dogs with a non-shedding breed--specifically, the Poodle. The goal was to create a Labrador in a Poodle coat. To begin, a white male Standard Poodle that had been imported from Sweden was chosen as the mate for a proven Labrador female, since she was a quality dog from working bloodlines. The first litter produced only three puppies.  Samples of hair and saliva were once again sent to Hawaii, and the samples from one of the three puppies proved to be successful. This dog was to be named Sultan.

 

It is traditional for the Royal Guide Dog Association to home their puppies at 8 weeks with families, where they are able to be socialized and prepared for their important life’s work. Wally unexpectedly bounced into a stumbling block, however: None of the waiting families, called puppy walkers, were interested in what they thought was a “mutt.” They all wanted a traditional Labrador guide dog, instead. Once again Wally took the challenge.  He went to a TV station to help promote this new breed of guide dog to the Australian public. Wally thought that naming the cross would give them a better chance at acceptance, so the LABRAdor-pooDOODLE was born--and so the excitement began, as did a new chapter in canine history.

 

In an effort to increase the ratio of allergy friendly dogs in each litter, Labradoodle was bred to Labradoodle. For want of a description to identify these dogs, they were called “Double Doodles,” and of course Double Doodle was bred to Double Doodle and aptly named “Tri Doodles.” Though these dogs were incredibly intelligent and willing trainees, they were strong-willed and few were allergy friendly. The program was ultimately abandoned, but not without an absolutely incredible record of 31 puppies bred and raised and a whopping 29 of these passing their temperament tests to become service dogs.

 

In the years since at Tegan Park and Rutland Manor breeding and research centers, there have been serious efforts to improve the quality of the Labradoodle and to elevate it to an authentic breed in its own right. All breeds have arisen from a combination of many different dog types , and the Labradoodle is no exception. In addition to the Labrador and Poodle origins, other breeds have been carefully chosen and exceptional individuals introduced to develop certain desirable characteristics. The result is now known as the Australian Labradoodle, which is characterized by robust health and a winning combination of unique qualities that include good looks, a playful personality, gentle social nature and a shed-free coat that is allergy-friendly as well as soft as silk.

 

While the Labrador-Poodle crosses and backcrosses yield mixed results, the true Australian Labradoodle as developed by Tegan Park and Rutland Manor has won universal acclaim for its status as the ideal companion dog. Warm and intuitive, energetic and welcoming to strangers, it has become the ideal family companion and service dog for thousands of families the world over.

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