Colors As Puppies and Adults

COAT TYPES There are Fleece coats - and then there are Fleece coats!   Beautiful Correct Fleece Coat -every strand the same. If shaved, it will not bunch into tight curls but will grow back its lovely loose tendrils. Poor Quality Fleece Coat   Poor  quality Fleece - Too Woolly This coat will matt very easily as it is a mix of two coats. This Fleece will have kemp fibres in it The almost 'hairy' texture can easily be seen.   Kemp fibres in a Wool Coat Kemp fibres in a Fleece Coat Kemp is a coarse micron fibre which is a chalky white in color.  It appears in goats with poor quality fleece, and in sheep with poor quality wool.  Kemp occurred in the Labradoodle during the coat mutation between Labrador and Poodle.  Kemp sheds.  It is rare to find it in the latest generations of the authentic Australian Labradoodle ASD but still appears frequently in early generation or back crossed Labradoodles.  Kemp is not present in the coats of puppies, but develops as the dog matures. SPIRAL  FLEECE                           WAVY FLEECE The correct Fleece Coat, whether Curly or Wavy, will ripple and flow when the dog runs.  The Wool Coat will stay put when the dog is in movement. Flat Coat Occasionally a Flatcoat will appear in a litter.  They have a distinct look and are quite beautiful but they do shed in varying degrees.     WHAT IS CONFORMATION ?   Conformation  describes the anatomy of the animal.  Conformation is 'form to function'.  Breed Standards go into a lot of detail about the required  conformation  for every breed whether it be dog, horse or other animal.  This is not done just for the 'look' of the animal, but to ensure that they continue to be bred in such a way that they remain suitable for the purpose for which they were originally developed.  Trotting dogs have different conformation to galloping dogs.  Dogs who hunt and run with their noses to the ground have different conformational structure than dogs who don't, and so on. In four legged animals all impulsion (movement) begins at the hind end.  But there needs to be balance between hindquarters and forequarters and a strong connecting back in between.  If the hind legs reach far forward in a deep stride but the shoulder angulation is too upright to allow a long enough stride in front for the hind legs to come underneath them, then the impulsion is interfered with, the stride becomes uneven and stress is placed on various parts of the dog's anatomy. A racehorse needs a tuck up in the flank to allow its hindquarters to come well underneath it for galloping.  But a draught horse who needs slow pulling power, does not have this tuck up in the flank.  Similarly, a galloping dog has a tuck up in the flank whereas a trotting dog doesn't as the mechanics of its movement are different. When we talk about 'balance' in the structure of the dog, what we mean, is that the angulation of bone and therefore the connecting tissues of muscles, ligaments and tendons, needs to have the same angles in front as it has behind.  This ensures an effortless flowing movement which puts the least strain on the anatomy.    A. Moderate length of well muscled neck provides strength to support the weight of the dog as it is propelled forward. B.  Short strong back slightly sloping to the croup (set on of the tail) C.  The angle where the Scapula and Humerus meet D.   Symmetrical angle of the Stifle E.  Short Strong hocks mean long powerful stifles. The photo above shows the effortless trot of well balanced structure.  Notice the symmetry of motion and complementary angulation which allows the back to remain level and straight during motion thus allowing the transfer of energy from the rear to the front.  This dog will avoid unnecessary wear and tear on his joints due to his balanced conformation.