Labradoodle

What is a Labradoodle?

A Labrador Retriever crossed with a Poodle, in Standard, Miniature or Toy. Not a breed: no standard, no closed studbook, no single breed health scheme. What you get depends entirely on the two dogs used and on the generation.

They are the crossbreed that started the whole doodle phenomenon, and they remain one of the better-conceived ones: two biddable, people-focused working breeds with complementary strengths.

History and origins

Wally Conron, breeding for Guide Dogs Victoria in Australia in 1989, needed a guide dog for a blind woman whose husband was allergic. He crossed a Labrador with a Standard Poodle and produced a dog called Sultan. He has since said publicly that he regrets what happened next - not the dog, but the industry that grew up around the name, and the number of poorly bred litters sold on the strength of it.

That is worth knowing, because it is exactly the risk you are navigating when you buy one.

Appearance and size

Enormously variable. From a Standard Poodle: 53-63cm and 23-30kg. From a Miniature: 43-53cm and 16-23kg. Coats run from a flat Labrador-like coat that sheds, through a wavy "fleece", to a tight "wool" curl. Colours cover the whole range of both parents.

Generation is the thing to ask about. F1 is Labrador x Poodle: the most predictable temperament, the least predictable coat, and roughly half will shed. F1b is an F1 crossed back to a Poodle: much more reliably low-shedding. F2 and beyond vary more, not less. An Australian Labradoodle is a separate multi-generational programme that also includes Cocker Spaniel and is bred to a standard of its own.

Temperament and personality

Friendly, busy, biddable and affectionate. They want to be involved in whatever is happening. They are usually excellent with strangers and other dogs. Adolescence is long and physical: a 70cm dog with the judgement of a teenager, for about a year.

They do not cope well with an empty house.

Intelligence and trainability

Very high, from both sides. They learn quickly, retain well and enjoy working. Assistance-dog organisations use them for good reason. Give them a job - retrieve games, scentwork, obedience - because a Labradoodle without one gets creative.

Children and other pets

Excellent. Patient, gentle and sturdy. The main risk is exuberance around toddlers rather than temper. Fine with cats when introduced young.

Health problems

Crossbreeding widens the gene pool; it does not remove inherited disease, and both parents carry overlapping conditions. Ask for:

• Hip scores and elbow grades on both parents.
• A current eye certificate, plus prcd-PRA DNA clear.
• Exercise-induced collapse (EIC) DNA - from the Labrador side.
• von Willebrand's disease Type I DNA - from the Poodle side.
• Patella grading, particularly with a Miniature Poodle parent.

Also common: ear infections (drop ears plus hair in the canal), Addison's disease from the Poodle side, and bloat in the larger dogs.

Daily care routine

An hour and a half of exercise plus training or scentwork. Ears dried after swimming and wet walks. Structured practice at being alone, from the first week.

Grooming and coat care

The commitment people underestimate. Brush three or four times a week, to the skin - a brush that only touches the surface leaves a felted mat underneath. Professional grooming every six to eight weeks, £50-£85 for a dog this size. The coat changes at eight to twelve months and mats appear almost overnight during that period.

A neglected doodle coat has to be shaved off under sedation. It is the commonest reason groomers refuse a dog.

Exercise needs

90 minutes to two hours for an adult, with swimming and retrieve if you can. Build up slowly through the first 18 months.

Feeding and diet

Two measured meals, £40-£65 a month depending on size. Deep-chested dogs: no hard exercise around food.

Price

£1,000-£2,000 from fully health-tested parents. Setup £350-£600; ongoing £110-£180 a month once grooming is included, which is the cost most buyers forget.

Buying advice

Because there is no standard, the breeder is the standard. Ask which generation the litter is, what size and coat the Poodle parent has, and get the health certificates for both parents with their registered names on them. See the mother.

Be sceptical of "hypoallergenic": no dog is. F1b crosses shed very little, which helps many allergy sufferers and not all of them. If allergies are the reason you are buying, spend time with an adult dog of the same generation first.