"The dog was created especially for children. He is the God of frolic."
~ Henry Ward Beecher

So what is an Australian Labradoodle?
The Labradoodle, originated in Australia by The Guide Dog Association of Australia, when the association received a enquiry from a blind lady in Hawaii requesting a guide dog that would not aggravate allergies or asthma. Mr. Wally Conron was the driving force behind this program, which originally bred a Labrador to the Standard Poodle. The Australian Labradoodle continues to be the gold standard by which all Labradoodle are measured by.

After years of research, the Australian lines from Tegan Park and Rutland Manor are brilliantly developed. They have developed Labradoodles that are consistent in gentle temperaments, allergy/asthma friendly, non shedding coats and wonderful intelligence. These are the qualities we want in our dogs. We have benefited from their incredible knowledge and expertise, and are honored to continue this incredible line!

The Australian Labradoodle is a fun loving, quiet, calm yet comical, loving companion for families as well as a fantastic service animal, being easily trainable, loyal and intelligent.

The Australian Labradoodle is not a recognized breed as yet; however, many breeders are working towards developing a breed standard for the future recognition of the Australian Labradoodle.

History
Some people want to avoid making the Labradoodle into a recognized breed, in order to maximize genetic diversity. By restricting breeding to early generation dogs (i.e., bred from a Poodle and Labrador rather than from two Labradoodles), they hope to maintain a wide gene pool, and avoid the inherited health problems that have plagued some dog breeds.

Other people are breeding Labradoodle to Labradoodle over successive generations, and trying to establish a new breed. These dogs are usually referred to as Multigenerational (abr. Multigen) or Australian Labradoodles. Australian Labradoodles differ from Multigenerational Labradoodles, as they may also have other breeds in their ancestry. English and American Cocker Spaniel/Poodle crosses, Two Irish Water Spaniels, Wheaton Terriers and a Curly Coated Retriever have variously been used in some Australian Labradoodle lines.

Popularity
Because of their superb characteristics Labradoodles have become increasingly well known in recent years. The Oxford English Dictionary now lists "Labradoodle" as a new word, and Monopoly board game included a Labradoodle icon in its "Here and Now" Edition. Their popularity has been used to good effect, with New York department store Lord and Taylor raising $50,000 in 2004 and $55,000 in 2005 for Guiding Eyes for the Blind selling Labradoodle plush toys, and Macy's department store raising funds with plush Labradoodles "Grace" and "Courage" for Breast Cancer Awareness in 2006. An animated soft toy Labradoodle, "Lucky the Incredible Wonder Pup", was also the 2006 "Toy of the Year" and an Oppenheim Platinum Toy Award winner.

Notable Labradoodle owners

• Sir Donald Campbell, who broke land speed records in the 1950s in Bluebird, was one of the first Labradoodle owners.

• Golfer Tiger Woods has an Australian Labradoodle named Yogi.

• Actresses and sisters Courtney Peldon and Ashley Peldon have two Australian Labradoodles named Odysseus and Calypso.

• Actor and TV presenter Graham Norton has a Labradoodle named Bailey.

• Top Gear presenter, Jeremy Clarkson and his wife Francie have a Labradoodle named Dodger.

• Richard Hammond (also a presenter of Top Gear) owns a Labradoodle called Top Gear Dog which has been occasionally featured on the BBC show. Its real name is 'TG' or 'TeeGee' - an abbreviation of 'Top Gear'.

• Model Christie Brinkley owns a Labradoodle named Maple Sugar.

• Actress Barbara Eden has an Australian Labradoodle named
  Djinn Djinn (named after her invisible dog on the TV show I Dream of Jeannie).

• Actor and Director Henry Winkler of Happy Days has a Labradoodle named Charlotte.

Only settle for the best
Australian does make a difference.  Be sure to settle for nothing less than an Australian Labradoodle Multigen, bred for decades to consistently produce high quality and predictable companions. Labradoodles seldom need a bath and are naturally blessed to not have that "doggie" smell. Their fleece is almost resistant to dirt. The more you bathe your Labradoodle the less natural oils will be in their coat. Fleas are also rare and if you live in an area with a high flea population we encourage you to use Revolution. There are three types of Labradoodle coats.

1. A hair coat will shed a great amount and is mainly seen in earlier generations of Labradoodles, such as a lab/poodle cross (F1) or an F1B (F1 back crossed with a poodle) or sometimes an F2B (F1B crossed with an F1B).

2. A wool coat is the most allergy friendly coat. If your family suffers from asthma, this would be the coat for you. Wool coats are easy to care for with attentive grooming. We shave our wool coat dogs 2 to 3 times a year and clip as needed.

3. A fleece coat is gorgeous, and a true fleece coat should not shed and is also an allergy friendly coat. It offers medium maintenance and can be scissor-ed or clipped like a wool coat and grow back to its long flowing style.

See Labradoodle Care for more grooming information.

Shedding and allergies should be expected with an early generation dog.  If you have these concerns an early generation Labradoodle should not be your first choice.