So what is an Australian Cobberdog?

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The Cobberdog, originated in Australia by The Guide Dog Association of Australia, when the association received an 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 Cobberdog continues to be the gold standard by which all Cobberdogs are measured. by.
 
After years of research, the Australian lines from Tegan Park and Rutland Manor are brilliantly developed. They have developed Cobberdogs 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 Cobberdog 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 Cobberdog is not a recognized breed as yet; however, many breeders are working towards developing a breed standard for the future recognition of the Australian Cobberdog.
 

 

History of the Cobberdog (widely known in the U.S. as Australian Labradoodle)

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Some people want to avoid making the Cobberdog 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 Cobberdogs), they hope to maintain a wide gene pool, and avoid the inherited health problems that have plagued some dog breeds.

 

Other people are breeding Cobberdog to Cobberdog over successive generations, and trying to establish a new breed. These dogs are usually referred to as Multigenerational (abr. Multigen) or Australian Cobberdogs. Australian Cobberdogs differ from Multigenerational Cobberdogs, 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 Cobberdog lines.

 

Popularity of Cobberdogs (Labradoodles)

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Because of their superb characteristics Cobberdogs have become increasingly well known in recent years. The Oxford English Dictionary now lists "Cobberdog" as a new word, and Monopoly board game included a Cobberdog 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 Cobberdog plush toys, and Macy's department store raising funds with plush Cobberdogs "Grace" and "Courage" for Breast Cancer Awareness in 2006. An animated soft toy Cobberdog, "Lucky the Incredible Wonder Pup", was also the 2006 "Toy of the Year" and an Oppenheim Platinum Toy Award winner.

 

The Cobberdog (Labradoodle) in popular culture

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• A. R. Gurney's 1995 off-Broadway play Sylvia was about a Cobberdog, played by Sarah Jessica Parker

• In 2005 the Oxford English Dictionary first listed the word "Cobberdog" ]

• Australian actor Bryan Brown played a Cobberdog in the 2008 movie, "Dean Spanley".]

• Barack Obama announced in January 2009 that his family had narrowed down their choice for "first dog" to either a Cobberdog or a Portuguese Water Dog(PWD).] (They were subsequently given a PWD puppy, who they named "Bo", by the late Senator Edward Kennedy).

• In an interview given to The Australian in April 2010, Wally Conron said he regretted creating the Cobberdog, as he believes their popularity has negatively affected the demand for pedigree dog breeds, and led to the introduction of other "designer" dog types]

 

Notable Cobberdog (Labradoodle) owners

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

• Golfer Tiger Woods owns Yogi and Riley

• U.S. Vice President Joe Biden owns a Cobberdog named Brother.

• Singer/songwriter Neil Young owns Carl

• Former Green Bay Packer and current Minnesota Vikingsquarterback Brett Favre

• Actress Jennifer Aniston owns a Cobberdog, bought for her by former husband, Brad Pitt.

• Model Elle MacPherson ("The Body") owns Bella, who has her own line of "Designer Dog" wear

• Actresses and sisters Courtney Peldon and Ashley Peldonown Odysseus and Calypso

• Actor and TV presenter Graham Norton owns Bailey

• Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson owns Dodger

• Richard Hammond (also a presenter of Top Gear) owns a Cobberdog called TG (often referred to as "Top Gear Dog") which occasionally featured on the BBCshow.

• Model Christie Brinkley owns Maple Sugar

• Actress Barbara Eden has a Cobberdog named Djinn Djinn (named after her invisible dog in the TV show I Dream of Jeannie).

• Actor and director Henry Winkler owns Charlotte

• Actress Julianne Moore

• Actor/singer Hugh Panaro owns Soot

• Political folk/rocker Billy Bragg

• Writer Carolyn B. Ellis

• Middlesbrough F.C. (UK) player Andrew Taylor owns Sonny

• Tom Griswold of The Bob and Tom Show owns Tazzie

• Author Garth Stein

• Legal thriller author David Baldacci owns Finn

• Rodman Primack, chairman of the London auction house Phillips de Pury & Company owns Theo

• Professional ice hockey player Dustin Brown owns Milo, a chocolate Cobberdog

• Author and activist Lynn Hoffman owns Lola

• Hobart and William Smith Colleges President Mark Gearan owns Dublin

• PBS Television investment program MoneyTrackproducer Pam Krueger has a Cobberdog named Chloe, who sometimes appears on the show as an "unofficial co-host".

• Seamus O'Regan, co-host of CTV's Canada AM

• Novelist Susan Rebecca White owns Raney

• Irish Golfer Rory McIlroy, winner of the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic

• Lance Bass (formerly of the boyband N'Sync)

• Danny Hutton, founder of the rock band Three Dog Nighthas a Cobberdog named Ms. Wilson, a gift from longtime friend and legendary musician Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys

• Golfer Ian Poulter's Cobberdog is named Bentley.

• Dave Vaughan from Big Brother 2010 (UK) owns a Cobberdog named Frodo

• Children's writer Leann Sweeney, author of "The Yellow Rose Mysteries"

• Actor Dennis Leary owns Daphne

• Designer Orla Kiely owns Olive

 

Only settle for the best! Australian does make a difference.  Be sure to settle for nothing less than an Australian Cobberdog Multigen, bred for decades to consistently produce high quality and predictable companions. Cobberdogs 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 Cobberdog 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 Cobberdog coats.

1. A hair coat will shed a great amount and is mainly seen in earlier generations of Cobberdogs, 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 Cobberdog Care for more grooming information.

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

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