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We're not lost, we're nomads.
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Molly, an Australian Labradoodle dog was a retired breeding bitch from a kennel in rural Ontario, which we thought was a reputable Australian Labradoodle breeder. Alas, it was arguably a puppy mill, and poor Molly came to us out of condition, a bit overweight, with ear infections and with five pounds of badly matted fur. She was also a mental basket case, rather zombie like yet afraid of everything. She had no socialisation whatsoever with either humans or dogs. Even though she was about three years old, she did not know how to play, or even know what a toy or treat was. If we tied her on a long lead outside she would hide under the motorhome or in any nearby hedge and would not come out. She would not climb stairs or go into buildings; we had to carry her into the motorhome. However, with a lot of care and the help of a professional trainer, she became a healthy, well-balanced dog.
Molly lived until she was just over 14 years old; we still miss her.
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What's an Australian Labradoodle?
The Labradoodle is a type of designer or hybrid dog, first bred in Australia to create a hypo-allergenic service dog for a blind lady in Hawaii, by crossing a Labrador retriever with a poodle. The Labrador/poodle cross was not particularly successful as a service dog, as they do not breed true. They are, however, a fantastic family pet and are now very popular, and often called American Labradoodles. The success of this new breed spawned a second cross, between a golden retriever and a poodle, called a golden doodle; it too is primarily bred as a pet.
The original breeders of the Labradoodle still wanted a hypo-allergenic service dog, so they went back to the drawing board for a much more ambitious project. To the original poodle/lab cross they bred in other breeds, including cocker spaniel, Irish water spaniel and curly coat retriever. They then selectively bred and culled these dogs, eventually creating a new, stable breed, they called the Australian Labradoodle. Eventually, a society was created, along with a registry and a breed standard. Here is a link to the society in Australia https://www.laa.org.au/. There is also an Australian Labradoodle society in the USA. Recently, some breeders have renamed the breed Australian Cobbadog, to differentiate them from common Labradoodles.
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Australian labradoodles are wonderful, intelligent dogs with lush coats that are low to non-shedding and are more allergy friendly than other doodles, such as first generation Lab/Poodle crosses (F1), or first generation crosses bred back to Poodles (F1B). Even when the other types of Labradoodles are bred on for generations, sometimes called multi-gen Labradoodles, the result is not an Australian Labradoodle, as the attributes of the infused breeds were not included in their ancestry.
The Australian Labradoodle is good with people, including children, and other dogs. Because of their breeding as service dogs, they are quick to learn unusual or special tasks. But, because they are very intelligent, they can attempt to outsmart their owners if undisciplined. They are generally calmer than other doodles but they can be active, even comical at times. They are good swimmers and some have been trained as gun dogs.
The only downside to the Australian Labradoodle is the cost. Pups from a reputable breeder usually cost about $2400, about twice the price of other doodles. | |
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