Crossbreed · Australia, 1989
Labradoodle
Also called Labrador x Poodle.
What makes them remarkable
The first Labradoodle, Sultan, was bred in 1989 as a guide dog for a blind woman whose husband was allergic to dogs.
- Friendly
- Energetic
- Intelligent
- Sociable
- Willing
- Size
- Large
- Weight
- 23 to 29 kg50 to 65 lb
- Lives
- 12 to 14 years
- Energy
- High
- Trains
- Very High
- Barks
- Moderate
Training
Training a Labradoodle
Crossbreed breeds. Train the dog in front of you, not the label. Read both parents, then watch which one turned up.
Channel the bounce
Start here
A big, friendly adolescent that jumps up is the classic Labradoodle problem. Teach four feet on the floor before it is 25 kg of enthusiasm.
Brains need work
Two clever parents. Scent games, retrieving with rules and short training bursts keep a Labradoodle out of mischief better than mileage alone.
Lead manners early
Strong and keen to greet. Loose-lead walking from the first week, not once pulling has become a habit.
The app turns this into five to fifteen minutes a day.
Add your Labradoodle and it builds the plan around their age, where they came from and what they already know, on video with Atlas and Shango.
Free to start. iPhone. No card needed.
At home
Living with one
Deliberate crosses of two breeds. No standard, so more variety within the cross than within a breed; the two parent pages explain the range.
Gets on with
- ChildrenVery High
- Other dogsHigh
- StrangersHigh
- CatsModerate
Breed averages. Early socialisation and the individual dog matter more.
- Exercise
- An hour or more a day, including off-lead running and retrieving once recall is solid.
- Grooming
- Brushing two or three times a week and a clip every couple of months. Fleece and wool coats need more than hair coats.
- Drool
- Low
- Coat
- Wool, Fleece, HairCream, Apricot, Chocolate, Black, Red, Parti
- In a flat
- Needs more space than a flat gives.
Health
Things to ask a breeder or vet about
Hip and Elbow Dysplasia
Moderate
Joint conditions in both parent breeds; scored parents matter
Progressive Retinal Atrophy
Moderate
Inherited eye condition; DNA test the parents
Addison's Disease
Moderate
Adrenal condition seen in Standard Poodles
Where they come from
History
Bred in 1989 by Wally Conron for the Royal Guide Dogs Association of Australia, trying to produce a guide dog for a blind woman whose husband was allergic. The cross became a household name within a decade. The low-shedding coat is common but never guaranteed; it depends on which parent a puppy takes after.
- Sultan · The first Labradoodle, bred in 1989 as a guide dog for a client in Hawaii
The two sides
Labrador Retriever and Standard Poodle
A cross has no standard, so any one Labradoodle can lean either way. Read both parent pages, then watch which one turned up in your dog.
Similar breeds
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Temperament is the most reliably inherited thing about a Goldendoodle; the coat is the least.
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Sprocker
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Airedale Terrier
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