The Reason for all the Confusion

The history of  the Australian Labradoodle is as fascinating as the breed itself, with twists and turns of intrigue, power struggles and political dramas which would rival a best selling mystery novel as many new breeders  clamber their way over the destroyed reputations of  other breeders they perceive to be their competitors.

Macys  followed suit in 2006 with proceeds going to Breast Cancer Research, and it was announced in September 2006 that the legendary Board Game Monopoly was replacing its Scottish terrier with a Labradoodle.

Thousands of Australian Labradoodles are Service and Therapy Dogs and one has recently  launched the 'Reading to Dogs' school program in California.  Watch the TV Clip

The Labradoodle has been featured on National Geographic, and countless magazines and newspaper articles and in 2005 was polled the third most popular dog in America.

In 2007 the Scottish Terrier play token of the board game MONOPOLY was replaced with a Labradoodle and a Sheridan Hotel  in the United States recognized the magnetic pull of the 'Labradoodle' by formally putting a  black Labradoodle puppy 'on staff' ' with his own email address; his portfolio being to greet guests and accompany them on walks around the grounds.

In some ways we think it is.  But the breed itself  is already paying the high price of over popularity.  The original  Australian Labradoodle was  first a cross between the Poodle and the Labrador, BUT it has since been carefully developed  with infusions of several other breeds, carefully selected at appropriate stages to maintain a  wide gene pool in the interests of canine health.  This carefully thought out program has spanned twenty one years to make the dog what it is today....the dog the whole world has fallen in love with.  But the Associations originally set up to protect the breed, the ILA, and LAA, later to become IALA, ALAA  etc  and now the combined forces of the so called 'Australian' Labradoodle Association of America have decided that they know best how the breed should be bred into the future, and have shocked many by the following open letter sent to their members -

A small handful of breeders are breeding the Labradoodle as developed by the Founders.   But increasing numbers are breeding  'copies' .  Either by  trying to re-invent the wheel,  crossing Labradors and Poodles, or back crossing to Poodles with no real knowledge of what they are doing.  Some Associations even sanction infusing with Curly Coated Retrievers and Golden Retrievers.  Because the breed is not recognized by kennel clubs, it is open slather for breeders to  say whatever they wish about their dogs and do whatever they like in their breeding programs.  Terms like 'multi generation'  'back cross' and 'infusion' have lost their meaning and significance in the hands of so many people playing at 'breeder'.

The TRAGIC result of this is that because the dogs they are mass producing  all parade under the name 'Labradoodle' or even 'Australian Labradoodle'  they are not the same dog at all.  Thousands of these are being abandoned or rehomed when their owners discover that the puppy sold to them as an "Australian Labradoodle'  ( even many of those registered in the various Associations )  DOES shed its coat, DOES affect their allergies and DOES NOT have the temperament they were led to expect in the breed.

Once upon a time when someone said they had a 'Shepherd'  you knew right off,  that it was a German Shepherd.  Now, you respond with   'What KIND of Shepherd'?   An 'Australian Shepherd'?   (which has nothing at all to do with Australia incidentally)   or a  'Belgian Shepherd?'   or a German Shepherd?  They are all Shepherds but are totally different breeds. 

Likewise, the many different  'registered grades'  and names given to the copycat Labradoodle are all designed to cash in on the reputation of the REAL and GENUINE Australian Labradoodle as first developed by the founders and exported across the world.