Labradoodles and many other doodle-type breeds such as cockapoos and bernedoodles have recently become popular. The labradoodle, the first of this trend, was bred with a very specific aim in mind. It is a fairly young breed and has its roots in the 1980s when the guide dog association of Australia aimed to breed a guide dog that does not shed and is asthma and allergy friendly. Keen intelligence and a steady temperament were a necessity. This brought two amazing breeds together: the Labrador and the poodle.
Note that there is a difference between the American / English labradoodles and Australian labradoodles. The American / English labradoodle is a breeding between a Labrador and a poodle and offspring of this match.
The Australian labradoodle is a mix of five breeds: Labrador, poodle, English cocker spaniel, American cocker spaniel, Irish water spaniel and the curly coat retriever. These labradoodles are not common in South Africa.
Labradoodles are bred in miniature, medium and standard size. At Paws and Play Labradoodles, we breed medium and standard labradoodles.
Generations:
The breeding of high quality labradoodles is not always straight forward. A responsible breeder will have thorough knowledge of how this should be done.
Newcomers to the breed are often confused by the terms F1, F2 and further generations.
A simple explanation:
F1 – Labrador x poodle (F denotes the word Filial. F1 is the first cross made, or the first generation.)
F2 – F1 labradoodle x F1 labradoodle
F3 – F2 labradoodle x F2 labradoodle
Multigenerational – F3 x F3
F1b / F2b / F3b – F1/F2/F3 x one of the parent breeds. A backcross to a poodle is done to improve the labradoodle’s coat – these crosses tend to shed less.
F1bb – F1b x poodle.
Though some breeders count the backcrosses as a generation, the most common trend is to only move up one generation from the lowest generation. Thus F1b x F3 is an F2 and F1b x F2 is F2 and not F3.
Earlier generations (F1 and F2) are more unpredictable in their looks, while F3 and multigenerational litters are more uniform, with the aim being soft, loose curls that do not shed.
Early generations tend to have a more scruffy look and still shed hair, such as our darling Rosie. They have great temperaments and grooming requirements are less. F1 and F2 litters tend to be very diverse – some pups will be curly, others have more Labrador type hair and others a mix between the two. Early generation dogs often have very few health problems as hybrid vigour (the crossing of unrelated dogs) avoid the problems some dog breeds have.
Pups from F3 and multigenerational litters will be more alike in looks, though now and again there might be a pup that looks like one of the grandparents again. They are not likely to shed and are suitable for allergy sufferers.
Coats:
Labradoodle coat types are referred to as hair, wool and fleece coats, with some falling somewhere in between. Some people have fallen in love with the scruffy look and want a labradoodle with a hair coat, while others prefer a curlier dog. Do enough research to be sure what your preference is. No matter the coat type – underneath is a great dog!
Hair coats are often straighter, though they might have curls too. These coats are coarser than a fleece type coat and sheds. This is not ideal for allergy sufferers. Early generation dogs often have hair coats. This coat requires much less grooming as it does not matt easily.
Wool coats, very curly like a poodle’s coat, are the least likely to shed. This is the best option for allergy sufferers. This coat requires regular grooming.
Fleece coats have soft, wavy curls that do not shed. These coats may also be suited to allergy sufferers. Fleece coats require regular grooming.
A pup’s coat will change quite a lot as it grows. Your smooth eight week old pup might sport a much longer, curlier coat by the age of a year. Your breeder should be able to guide you on what to expect.
Coat colour:
We love our chocolate labradoodles! The only thing we love more than chocolate is coffee… which is also the name of lighter colour most our chocolate pups become as they grow older: café au lait (milk coffee).
Labradoodles’ coats often lighten as they grow older due a dilute gene inherited from their poodle ancestors. Chocolate may become café au lait, lavender or caramel, black becomes silver, and reds fade to a lighter apricot colour.
At Paws and Play Labradoodles we mainly have chocoloate coloured pups, but also caramel, cream and black pups.
Temperament:
In our book, this is the most important trait in any dog, regardless of the breed.
Like their parent breeds, the labradoodle is a loving and social dog. They are easy to train and eager to please. They want nothing more than to be part of the family and household activities.
They are active and need a chance to work off their energy. If trained well they know to be active outside and calm when inside. They will go with you for a run or a walk, but will also happily lay at your feet while you watch TV.
As this is an exceptionally clever breed, training is important. Give their minds and bodies regular workouts, and you will have an amazing companion!
Health:
As with temperament, this is another aspect we focus on. There is nothing as heart-breaking as losing a much-loved family pet too early due to health issues.
All our own dogs are health tested. We choose our breeding dogs carefully to ensure we produce healthy pups. Because we know or own several of our dogs’ previous generations, we know if any health issues arise, even many years later. This offers those in the Paws and Play family peace of mind that we do our best to avoid health issues that may cost a dog owner thousands of rands in the long run. We prefer that vets only need to see our dogs when it is time for their yearly vaccinations!
A dog’s diet, strenuous exercises at a too young age, slippery floors (such as tiles), being overweight, vaccinations not being up to date, chemicals and other factors dogs are exposed to, influence their health. We guide our pup owners to raise a healthy dog.