Labradoodle: Your new pet
Sweet eyes, versatility, sponge-long fur, those are the most relatable characteristics in the Labradoodle.
In the doggie world, the Labradoodle is not known as a dog breed conceptually defined; basically, this is because it is a mix which characteristics and development will depend on its owners at the end.
The result of a particular mix between two breeds, the Labrador retriever and the Standard Poodle, were the origin of this enigmatic friend. Due to it, and that it doesn’t exist and unique criterion to this breed, it is hard to establish precisely the common factor they had as dogs, because their description may be very variable.
Some Labradoodle may have straight hair, others have it curly, and some others have it with a rough or soft texture.
The Labradoodle can be found in different sizes, and this is linked to its progenitors or fathers. In this sense, there are three types of dogs: the toy, which measures between 35 and 50 centimeters; the medium, which measures from 45 to 51 centimeters, being the most common in Latin countries, and finally the standard, which measures from 53 to 63 centimeters, and is mostly found in countries such as Australia, France, and Italy.
It is important to say that these measures are proximities because it doesn’t exist an agreement between canine experts about their size and weight. This last can be variable depending on its size, but it is estimated among 44 and 77 pounds.
This breed comes from Australia, and this is why in this country they are usually found. Although, they have extended to other countries as the United States, England, Russia, Norway, France, Italy, Colombia, Mexico, and Spain. This breed can be city’ dogs, countryside’ dogs, or islands’ dogs.
Thanks to its excellent company and attention with humans, it is very popular in much of the world. This has allowed that different organizations and canine club get interested in adopting or buying an exemplar of the breed, and also to make mixes with other dog breeds to obtain a dog with different characteristics but related with the Labradoodle standard, without caring about the country they are located.
Even when it can be found in giant sizes, this breed is considerate very adaptable to small environments, so they can be raised in small houses or departments without any issues. No doubt, their expansion around the world has reached levels that years before would be impossible to believe.
The Labradoodle lives between 9 and 15 years. It is a very strong dog, even when sometimes is seen as a weak and vulnerable animal. Generally, it doesn’t get sick, and if it does, its healing isn’t long to 72 hours.
Even when it’s known as a prolonged age dog, it is still important to proportionate a daily walk and running routine, as well as a well-balanced diet.
An important fact about this breed survival is the daily company. These aren’t dogs designed to guard or watch establishments, and due to this reason, if they are regularly left outside the house or alone in isolated places, they will probably get emotionally weak and die by depression.
These dogs are usually anxious, and this is why it is important to give them the right training. Besides, to prolong their living years, it is necessary not to submit them to big pressure situations or sound disturbing, that may cause damage to their heart.
Being a dog which comes from two opposite breeds, the Labradoodle has big adaptability to diverse environments. Nevertheless, it feels more comfortable in warm weathers, autumnal weathers, or summer climes, but due to its design, it can resist cold weathers.
It is known that the Labradoodles are commonly very emotive, faithful, and happy dogs. These canines are extremely passionate with the kids and balls games; also, they use to be the dogs that get most excited about their owner arrival, even if this was out just for a couple of minutes. For these friends, any human could represent a threat, but at the same time, anyone can be worthy of their love and affection; this all depends on the kind of approach of the foreign.
Funnily, these dogs may feel certain jealousness level by seeing other persons getting close to their owner with too much affection (kisses, hugs, petting), and could bark loudly as a protest o may try to get his attention by jumping to him.
They are distinguished due to they come from the smartest breeds of the world, and if they get trained with persistence could obtain big changes even in a week.
Labradoodle’ origin and history
The Labradoodle is one of the smartest dog breeds in the whole world. Its peculiar look makes it the perfect pet to the entire family because it has a valuable mix of qualities and physical characteristics.
This dog is also one of the recent between all the known around the world. Donal Malcom Campbell, its creator, decided to make the first mix close to the year 1955 using by the time one Labrador retriever, and a Poodle. Later, Malcom shaped the experience of the entire raising process and the final results in his book.
While the following years to its creation, the Labradoodle went by unnoticed in spite of its stunning beauty. Barely in 1988 when Wally Conron, a popular Australian raiser, started the raise and mix of the Labrador and the Poodle, to get a dog with guide abilities and hypoallergenic fur.
This important character of the breed ’history spends his life into the education, and the care of dogs that served as company and helpers to disabled, reasons that motivated the idea of the born of this incredible dog.
Conron had a puppy selection program where the animals went through a long socialization process until getting to the training, to finally being given to those who needed a guide dog. The Golden Retriever and Labradors were two of the breeds that were most frequently used, until one day he received the visit of a blind woman who came from Hawaii.
One of the requests of the woman was that she needed a guide dog that could serve to her without affecting her husband, who was allergic to dogs. This was a serious problem because the only breed which adapted to the situation was the Poodle, due to its hypoallergenic fur.
For over three years, Conor worked and experimented with more than 30 big sized poodles, searching for the fittest for the job, without getting the wanted results. This breed characteristics prevented to obtain the necessary aptitudes to get a guide dog.
The pressure by his bosses made Connor took the drastic decision to mix through a genetic crossing a female Labrador with a male Poodle, to finally get the ideal dog for the Hawaiian woman and her husband.
This way, thanks to his effort and after a very long raising process, Wally finally obtained a litter of three puppies. Through different tests, he concluded that one of them was hypoallergenic and had all the searched characteristics. No doubt, this was a big step in the career of this Australian character. This way, the Labradoodle was born, the perfect pet for those who have some disability, including being allergic to dogs.
The first Labradoodle
The name of the first known Labradoodle was Sultan and was designated to be a faithful company to kids who suffered from asthma or another kind of allergy. This dog had service vocation for the entire family, so its creation perfectly linked up with its final job.
Even though Sultan was the expected result after a very long mix process, it was just one success between so many mistakes, because not all the obtained puppies were hypoallergenic. Actually, from 10 exemplars, just 3 of them had this characteristic.
Those results at the end led Conron to a no scape labyrinth, so he finally decided to quit the project in spite of the big progress he had by the time.
Breed’ historical problems
Although being a breed with important aptitudes and easy human relationship, one big problem arose with the society: people didn’t want to acquire mongrel dogs born of the mix between multiple exemplars.
This negative contrasted with the increase of the already created Labradoodle, which life seems to be affected for not counting with a home to its development. Wally finally decided to send an announcement to the media to inform about the born of a new breed designed to assist. And is this way how they start to have a high valuation.
Once they were established at the home of hundreds of people, the next step was to be recognized as a breed, but to make it was necessary to have Poodle stallions, which he asked the Kennel Club, but received a negative answer.
This organization and their pure breed raisers didn’t see with good eyes the raising program of this mongrel dog. This was the principal reason why even nowadays the American Kennel Club or some other dog organisms recognize it as an official breed.
Once the Labradoodle’ raise process is over, and the bases were set, Wally officially quits. Many are the raisers that got interested in this exemplar, continuing with their development testes until nowadays.
Breed’s characteristics
The Labradoodle is a charming dog, born as a hybrid breed, due it is a mix resulting from the cross between a poodle and a Labrador retriever. This breed emerged as a special request from a blind woman who needed a hypoallergenic guide dos, and that was how this lovely dog appeared.
The Labradoodles aren’t accepted as a breed itself for some organizations due to it is one of the “design dogs”. This fact makes difficult the possibilities to characterize a standard at this dog image or talk about the Labradoodles generalities because many of these puppies’ characteristics will depend on every raiser and the kind of Labradoodle.
This hybrid breed created by Wally Continue has passed of being a therapy or assistance dog, to become in a beloved puppy in an aesthetic point of view, because it looks like a teddy, with the advantage that it doesn’t lose too much hair. The Labradoodle is a mongrel breed exemplar, being his progenitors a Labrador retriever and a poodle, and it inherited variable characteristics of both breeds, but these aren’t constant or predictable. Nevertheless, some common aspects in its look can be described, as well as its personality.
In this sense, we can say there exist different Labradoodles’ types. Generally, this dog is medium-sized, and its weight is among the 44 and 77 pounds; also its factions and body lines give the shape of a thick hair; about its head, is medium-sized and proportional to the body, and some may have an enlarged muzzle, but other dogs have a flattened face instead. Its nose is dark and has a couple of well separate round and dark eyes. The ears are at the top and at both sides of the head and are big and fallen.
From its body, a pair of rounded, thick and furry legs extend. As well as a rounded, large and furry tail.
The fur is very representative of this dog; commonly, this fur cloak is thick and dense, which makes it doesn’t lose too much hair, and sometimes can be straight, wavy or curly. It is abundant in the face, legs, and torso, which gives a charming look to this can, making the Labradoodle look like a teddy. Due to its look, it is also similar to the Portuguese water dog, but a little bit smaller. The most common color of this breed is black, beige, and reddish-brown.
Thanks to this curly and thick fur, heredity from the poodle, the Labradoodles have the advantage to don’t have too much smell. However, some exemplars heredity the Labrador fur characteristics reason why its fur can be straight so they lose it more.
The particularity of this hybrid breed is that the Labradoodle has a universal standard accepted unanimously by all the associations, due to this, many dog exemplar with multiple characteristics can be called as Labradoodles. Every Labradoodle’ raiser defines the breed’ criteriums under its own conception. There exist a dog variation known as the Australian Cobberdog for which it does exist and unique breed standard, and some people affirm those are the true Labradoodles.
Behavior with other dogs
The doggies of this new breed Labradoodle are charming exemplars, with numerously attractive physical characteristics, which makes it look like a teddy toy but also has charming personality traits that surely makes it look even more like a precious toy.
These mixed breed dogs inherit variable characteristics from its parents, the poodles, and the retrievers. They have a very curious personality, and are smart, balanced, and calm dogs; also, the Labradoodles are very sociable and friendly. This dog owner will be happy to have a faithful, stable, quiet, and independent dog that also has a nice, receptive, and loving attitude. Thanks to all these magnificent qualities the Labradoodle is an exceptional dog that fulfills the purpose for which it was created: being a therapy and assistance dog, and also be a mate to the entire family, from young to older.
The Labradoodle is truly a very loving and sociable pet, not only with humans, because it is also a good partner with other dogs of the same breed or another. The Labradoodles are friendly, charismatics, tolerant and not aggressive at all; contrarily, in this dog you will find a patience and compressive attitude the most part of the time. In the socialization process, just with any dog breed, it is very important to ensure the success in their relationships with other dogs of the breed, but those are successful in most cases.
Likewise, this dogs are very sociable and kind with other animals just as cats, parrots, turtles, or any other kind of pets, the Labradoodle is a good, loving, kind, and affective partner. This dog knows how to share a home, it doesn’t have territorial behavior and it isn’t jealous; all those characteristics makes the Labradoodle a very good company to live at the countryland and farms, around other animals.
If a Labradoodle has passed for a good socialization process, then the coexistence with others will be an easy task; this puppy is noble, friendly, tolerant, balanced, and sweet, you won’t have any trouble by walking with them at the Street or at the park where they can find another dogs or pets, and either by the time you get visited which brought other animals to your home.
Labradoodle’s diet and food
The Labradoodle is a dog which has a very good appetite and needs a healthy food with the best quality and the best nutrients, especially during the grown and development phase, to help them have a healthy maturity, sickness free and give them the chance to spend many years with the family it belongs.
The Labradoodles have similar food likes as the ones of its progenitor, the poodle. These dogs prefer rich in proteins and polyunsaturated fatty acids diets, just as those that have fish or birds. Products with these nutrients can be found at supermarkets or pet stores, and are the ideals and most recommended for the Labradoodle and the poodle as well.
Likewise, it is recommendable that the food you will give to this dog is of the best quality, not necessarily the expensive, but yes the richest in the essential nutrients that it needs. This is the case of the prepared foods for the medium-sized dogs with high nutritional values that are made based in beef, birds, and fish proteins, and that are free of rice, cereals, and other additives that may arise allergy problems in the puppy and that also are rich in carbos and consume it in excess can produce nutritional issues just as overweight.
In this sense, the commercial prepared food options for the Labradoodle diet are the dry dog food and purines, canned products, and wet food, and some snacks and croquettes, which are very helpful for training time.
Home diets also represent a modern option for the Labradoodle feed; however, you must be sure that each plate you give to the dog has the right needed nutrients to keep its health, preserve its beauty, and help it grown healthy and strong. Plates are basically made by a mix of proteins, like meat, chicken, or fish, and cooked vegetables, including turnips, carrots, garlic, onion, which you can use to prepare the daily food of your Labradoodle.
The Labradoodle daily food portions divide in two or three principal foods, the third part in each plate if it is three foods, two at the day and one at the dawn or night. By another way, if you distributed it in two foods, two-thirds of the daily food at the day and one at the dawn. After every food, the Labradoodle must rest between one and two hours to make the digestive process and avoid pathologies related to the digestion disturbance.
If you have any doubt, we recommend you to go to the veterinary for the proper advice about the right nutrition for the Labradoodle.
Health and general cares
The basics caring for the Labradoodle are similar to the cares that any other breed of abundant, and thick and dense fur, and with a familiar and guide and assistance, needs. So, looking forward to guarding its right feeding and nutrition for a strong and health grown, there is a couple of advice to support and develop measures that allow keeping the right hygiene of the dog, to care its beauty and preserve its health.
The cares for the Labradoodle’ hygiene will depend a lot of the physical characteristics each exemplar have. We have, for example, those Labradoodle that has a look-alike the Labrador, and need a bath occasionally every three months. If the fur is thick, dense, and wavy, lookalike the poodle, it will easily accumulate dirtiness and powder, so it’s going to need to have a bath frequently.
The Labradoodles’ variations which have straight fur needs to be brushed twice a week; the brushing stimulates the cutaneous circulation, what keeps a shiny look, and also remove the dead hairs, making clear that the hair loss is bigger in straight hair dogs. If the fur is curly o wavy, it can be brushed once a week, this Labradoodles are considered hypoallergenic because of it lose less hair and produce fewer allergies.
If it’s a dog to country lane activities or open air, it is recommendable to check its fur and legs after every session, to take off rest of plants and other dirtiness that it may accumulate on it. Likewise, they need regular clean in their eyes, ears, and teeth. The ocular secretions may affect the infraorbital area, and to avoid it it will be necessary to clean it frequently with sterile gauze, and solution, the same method used to clean its ears, and the teeth cand be brushed once a week.
About its health, the Labradoodle presents the big advantage of being the product of two strong and healthy breeds. However, as every hybrid breed, it presents diversity and genetic variations what force to check regularly its health, so you must get it to the veterinary at least twice a year and every time you suspect about any illness. The veterinary will keep their vaccines and deworming updated, which is extremely important if your Labradoodle makes outside tasks.
Some health problems that could affect this breed are the hip dysplasia, eyes disorders as the progressive retinal atrophy and the cataract, and some endocrine diseases as the Addison’ disease, and others. To detect in time any of this affections, it is prudence to take the Labradoodle to the veterinary, where it can be made radiographic, eyes tests, and others test to detect any of this illness.
How to teach and train a Labradoodle?
The Labradoodle has the advantage of being the result of the mix between two dogs that are very smart and which likes to learn new things as the Labrador retriever and the Poodle. This makes the Labradoodle had inherited a big learning sense; are smart dogs, ready for the training and to obey and learn new games and tricks.
These dogs behavior makes their training a relatively simple job because it basically needs just a trainer with a good attitude and a teaching character who can spend time teaching the Labradoodle. Its train will start at the age of three months, and it will start with orders and basic activities, for example, to make its necessities outside the house. It is also a good idea to keep an eye on your Labradoodle, to learn its daily routines and knows what time it makes its necessities, for example. This way, you can take it for a walk by that time, and the dog will relation the walk time with the time to make its necessities.
If you are at home, and you can’t take it for a walk, put it on a paper, and it will understand that that is the place where it has to make its necessities and not in any place of the house.
When you take him outside for a walk, your Labradoodles has to have the chance to interact with other people and pets. Say hi to others you see in your way and let your dog also get close to saying hi, and this way it will understand that not all strangers are dangerous, and will be educated to coexist with your home visitors. Also, by the walk time, make sure the dog walks by your side to let them know you are its leader and don’t let it go in front of you.
Teach its games, like sniff an object, for example, and then hide it and make it search for it. You will be surprised for snuff and memory capacities the Labradoodle has. As well, they are good for skill games, like to catch and bring objects, and obstacle games.
By last, incorporate techniques which make its training easier, just like the positive reinforcement, which consists in giving compliments or snacks to our dogs when he obeys an order; also the clicker technique, that is a device that emits a nice sound for the dog and let it know it made it right.
The Labradoodles are very smart dogs, and for many years are being successfully trained to be kind dogs, being guides, assistance, and companion for handicapped. These furry friends are wonderful pets for any family.
Behavior with humans
The Labradoodle inherits the best qualities of its progenitors’ behavior, the Labrador retriever and the Poodle, reason why it is a dog with a balanced temperament, with good energy and easy nature to coexist and treat almost all families.
Likewise, it has to be considered that Labradoodles are dogs from a hybrid breed that were created for specific functions, and that’s why it was thought to create a hybrid which came from two pure breeds that meet their best qualities. The Labradoodle is a dog with amazing qualities to be the company of any type of person, and you can find in it a sociable, friendly partner that can share moments with everyone and is usually very receptive and tolerant with other people, dogs, and pets. The Labradoodle is a loving, affective dog that likes to be next to its family at its house.
Besides, this doggie has the fame of being very active, and you can enjoy with him playing a lot of games and making daily activities; are smart, and good for memory and search games; also likes to work out daily. The Labradoodle has a very happy and active personality, and it is appreciated by its family.
The Labradoodles are experts at swim, loves to play in the water, the pools, and beach or river days. It likes to play in the water, and some have acted as lifeguards dogs; swim is one of the sports these dogs stand out. Also, they have an extraordinary nose and are capable to follow smells and find objects, even if those were buried.
More than a fad dog, the Labradoodle came as the necessity to create a dog breed with service and assistance to people objectives; this furry friend is very friendly, playfull and is never tired, always ready to learn and work and serve to people. Since their born, the Labradoodles has been used in works related to assisting humans, but also other animals; these dogs are even used as a company to other dogs, to end their shame and afraid and help them to relate better with the environment.
The Labradoodle has being used as a therapy and guide dog, to help and be the company of blind and disabled people. However, nowadays, this work has been replaced by the trend to develop this hybrid breed puppies with aesthetic finalities because its beauty reminds a teddy, which provoked many families want them as their pet.
Ideal environment
The Labradoodle’ environment has low requirements or particular demands, due to it is a dog with a great attitude and is easy for it to get adapted to most of the places and environments where it is raised. A Labradoodle is a very helpful dog, and it is dedicated to sharing with its human owners, so it needs a right familiar environment that gives it an emotional climate where he can manifest its big qualities and wishes with the people around it.
This dog is the ideal pet for any kind of families, couples, or even lonely people, young or old. For those people with disabilities such as blind, the Labradoodles are company dogs, as well as guide, and assistance dogs. For those who are allergic to animals’ fur, the curly or wavy hair Labradoodles exemplars are perfect because they are hypoallergenic and don’t lose too much hair.
In those houses where are kids, the Labradoodles are very happy by sharing and enjoying with the youngers, because they can play and make pranks with the kids; are patience, tolerant and actives, and likes to make many and diverse activities.
The Labradoodle lives in any time, environment or season of the year. If it’s cold, its dense thick fur protects it as a coat, if it’s hot, it can reduce its time outside and spend more time in a comfortable space inside the house. As well, in rainy times the Labradoodle will enjoy playing under the rain jumping from a puddle to others. Its health is strong and doesn’t get sick too often.
About the place they will live, the advantage of the Labradoodles is that they can live in big or small spaces. Of course, that they would be happier in houses with big backyards where they can enjoy of free air, games, and outside jobs, as well as in farms where they are the perfect company at country lane jobs and coexist pacifically with a diversity of animals.
In little city apartments it uses to be a little hyperactive, due to its necessity for exercise and recreation, that sometimes isn’t filled in a small place, but having an owner who takes it for daily walks and to the park regularly, the issues about hyperactive behavior disappears.
As you could see, the Labradoodles are excellent pet options for any family, it is a loving, affective, patience, tolerant a service dog.