About Labradoodles in general

There have been many developments in breeding Labradoodles over the last 35 years since the first was bred in the 1970s to fulfil the purpose of an Assistance Dog. The Australian Assistance Labradoodle which is in most cases said to be multi-generational and the UK Labradoodle are not the same. Multi-generational Labradoodles are available from some UK breeders who have either developed their own breeding lines or have imported breeding stock from Australia or the United States.

Labradoodles are enormous fun. They are energetic, quick witted and love the company of other dogs and children. (see note of caution for under-fives)/p>

They are cross bred dogs- the result of mating two unrelated pedigree dogs. They are not ‘mongrels’ which are the result of unknown breeding. The value in cross breeding is to produce crossbreed offspring (F1) possessing a hybrid vigour with less likelihood of developing the hereditary problems often associated with the pure breed from which it is derived. The level of hybrid vigour is likely to diminish if the first cross progeny are then bred on. Each Labradoodle increases the generation and is denoted by F2 F3 etc. The terms F1B, F2B and so on refers to breeding from a labradoodle back to a Poodle or a Labrador.

We advocate that the cross breeding of two unrelated breeds, in this case the Poodle and the Labrador, should be carefully planned and one should select the best representatives of the breeds in both conformation and temperament; only breeding from appropriately health screened dogs. Labradoodle puppies like their pedigree ‘cousins’ will only be as good as the breeding lines of their parents.

Labradoodle size

Labradoodle sizes can vary greatly. Prospective owners should do their research and if possible talk to other owners/breeders to get a good idea of what to expect. Obviously the size of the parents plays a big part but the sizes of puppies within a litter can vary. The labradoodle bred using a Standard Poodle can grow to be larger than the average household can cope with if space is restricted. Some families looking for a small sized family dog will look for a Doodle bred using a Miniature Poodle where the height at the shoulder of the full grown offspring could be expected to be less than 20” tall and in many cases around 14-17”.

Labradoodle coats

As in size there can be a great variation in coat type too of F1 puppies even within the same litter. There are families who decide to buy a labradoodle because they have heard of the (mistaken) non shedding reputation. Some F1 puppies may shed very little, if at all, whilst others with have a hairy coat which will shed to varying degrees. A reputable breeder will never sell you a puppy claiming it to be ‘non-allergenic’.

Find out about the Labradoodle puppies by clicking here