Are All Labradoodles Equal? What About "Australian" Labradoodles? or "Multigen" Labradoodles?

When you have finished reading this page, have fun exploring the links to the left of the page, for a variety of topics which may be helpful to you if you are considering welcoming a new puppy into your home.

The Australian Labradoodle is NOT a Designer Dog! It is a purpose bred dog, bred for form to function, hybrid vigor, and originally intended to be the ultimate Service and Therapy Dog especially for, although not limited to, those people with special needs, who are afflicted with dog allergies. "Multi Generation" Labradoodles are not necessarily Australian Labradoodles. They are often Lab x Poodles bred back to Poodles or more Labs.

Sometimes they are referred to by the uninitiated, as a 'mutt'; a synonym of the word 'mongrel'. Even after twenty two years of careful and selective breeding by the founder and a small handful of genuine and committed breeders, there are still those who refer to this purpose - bred dog as a cross bred 'mutt' rather than a carefully developed new breed.

Why Do You Think This Can Be?

One good reason, is that many breeders of 'pure' or 'recognzed' breeds forget how their own breeds were created in the beginning.

Another good reason is that there are so many people carrying out indiscriminate crossings and uneducated mixing and matching of even the original bloodlines, that the resulting progeny are often NOT predicatable, often do NOT exhibit the true charactistics of the breed ... and yet ... the current Associations originally set up to protect the true breed, are endorsing many of these irresponsible practices and allowing these uncharacteristic dogs to parade not only under the name 'Labradoodle" but also as "Australian" Labradoodles!

WHY Are They Doing This?

I believe that it is because it is much cheaper to use next door's Lab or Poodle, or Cocker or whatever, and it takes much less knowledge or expertise to produce their puppies.... yet they get the same price for their puppies which go to unsuspecting families who are trusting in the legitimacy of the aims and goals of these Associations.

And The Labradoodle Associations? Why Are They Doing This?

The IALA (formerly the ILA) and the ALAA (now sister to the IALA) came right out into the open and informed their membership that they do NOT 'agree' with the vision of the very founder of the breed for its future development. In other words they are capitalizing on the GOOD NAME AND REPUTATION of the breed whilst they go about changing it according to their own whim.

Not every Labradoodle who comes from Australia is necessarily an 'Australian Labradoodle' ! The word 'Australian' is often used and mis-used according to someone's own particular agenda. Take for example the beautiful 'Australian Shepherd' with obscure origins, but definitely not from Australia!

Impassioned defenses put aside, let's take a more clinical approach, have a look at how the dictionary defines a 'pure' breed or a 'mutt' and then make up our own minds about the genuine Australian Labradoodle, which is suffering at the hands of those who either attempt to emulate it, make 'copies' of it, breed something entirely different yet call it by the same name, or else try to discredit it by saying amongst other things that it does not breed true.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | Date: 2008

mongrel mon·grel / ˈmänggrəl; ˈməng-/ (Noun)

1. a dog of no definable type or breed
2. anything produced by indiscriminate mixture

breed (Noun)

1. a group of animals, esp. domestic animals, within a species, that have certain clearly defined characteristics
2. A group of organisms having common ancestors and certain distinguishable characteristics, especially a group within a species developed by artificial selection and maintained by controlled propagation.

Now we're getting somewhere. How are we going with our check list?

Does original Australian Labradoodle have a "definable type"? You Decide......

Has the Australian Labradoodle been developed by "indiscriminate mixture"?

Most Definitely Not! Rutland Manor Australian Labradoodles have been developed over twenty one years (as of 2008) with four only one-off infusions at carefully selected intervals and after much research, before allowing them to filter into the already established mainstream bloodlines.

First a VERY SMALL DOSE of the American and English Cocker Spaniel to downsize from the huge dogs of the early days - secondly A VERY SMALL DOSE of the Irish Water Spaniel (itself a close relative of the Standard Poodle) and finally the IRISH line Soft Coated Wheaten. We believe that there is no further need of infusion as the broad based bloodlines have provided a strong and stable foundation for the future of the the breed and are already in excess of the foundation bases of most if not all other 'pure' breeds in existence.

Now Let's Take This Exercise a Little Bit Further!

Historically, a dog breed is considered to be 'pure' bred once it has been 'recognized' by a Kennel Club such as the AKC or ANKC etc. But when reading the definition of a 'Purebred' such as found in Wikipedia, one can not help but wonder if the kennel clubs have got it right.

See what you think. It would be interesting to see the outcome if someone were to make a test case of this very situation!

Purebred From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Purebreds, also called purebreeds, are cultivated varieties or cultivars of an animal species, achieved through the process of selective breeding. When the lineage of a purebred animal is recorded, that animal is said to be pedigreed.

Selective breeding in domesticated animals is the process of a breeder developing a cultivated breed over time, and selecting qualities within individuals of the breed that will be best to pass on to the next generation. The term is synonymous with "Artificial selection". Breeding techniques such as inbreeding, linebreeding and outcrossing are utilized by breeders in the maintenance and improvement of their chosen breeds.

Breed In Peril !
Australian Labradoodle in Danger of Extinction

How Can This Be ?

If you are interested in a Labradoodle for you and your family, chances are that you have already met one or have heard what wonderful dogs they are. You NEED to read this before adopting your new puppy!

OK, let's try and keep this simple by using an allegory.

Imagine that it is a hot day and you walk into a store to purchase a nice icy cold drink. You know that Coca Cola quickly quenches your thirst so you take one from the refrigerator cabinet, pay for your drink and you go outside into the shade to drink it and cool down. You open your drink and take a long refreshing draught.....but what's this? Instead of cooling your tongue and soothing your thirst, it burns all the way down and tastes just like hot soy sauce. Wait a minute.... on closer inspection, it IS hot soy sauce.

How can this this be?

The store owner sold it to you as Coca Cola, it is packaged in what LOOKS like a Coca Cola bottle or can and it even says 'Coca Cola' on the label! What on earth is going on here? Has someone deliberately misled you into thinking that soy sauce was really Coca Cola?

Just as the name Coca Cola has led you to expect a particular experience when you drink it, so has the name 'Australian Labradoodle' or even 'ASD Australian Labradoodle' led you to expect a particular kind of dog, one which is not only reliably allergy friendly, sociable and friendly, and amazingly easily trained, but who also breeds true with a peculiar and wonderful blend of intellect and intuition in a joyful yet mellow nature

Rutland Manor has spent twenty one years painstakingly developing and 'setting' not only the outer traits of the breed but also the equally if not more important unique inner qualities which make it so endearing and so suitable as service dog, medical alert dog, seizure alert dog , safe children's companion and superlative therapy dog.

It is now being mutilated in power hungry uncaring hands interested only in quick profit.

Who by ?

Puppy mills? Sometimes. And even worse there are some high profile breeders who are purchasing whole litters from other breeders including puppy farms and selling them on for a profit.

Designer Dog backyard breeders? Yes

Unregistered breeders? Yes

But Worse ..... This damage is being done by the very associations which were originally set up to prevent this type of thing ever happening!

Rutland Manor founded the first two Labradoodle associations in the world, both of which now openly state that they 'disagree with the vision of the founders'. That's okay, we don't mind. But we DO mind them using the name of the breed if they intend to mangle it to their own way of thinking! Remember the Coca Cola and the Soy Sauce?

Infusions

GENUINE Australian Labradoodles need no further infusions. The four breeds infused in the course of developing this breed have provided more than ample genetic diversity, actually much more than most of the pure breeds in existence today.

Developing a dog breed is an art and a science which should never be undertaken lightly. When Rutland Manor infused for example, the American Cocker Spaniel and English Cocker Spaniel to reduce size from the huge Labradoodles of those times, each infusion was done at a specific time for a specific reason and only once. There were very good reasons for not carrying out repeated infusions of any of the four breeds used. The breeding partners were meticulously researched and selected for a variety of reasons with decisions made being based on Beverley Manners' thirty plus years experience (at that time) in the breeding exhibiting training and judging of several different breeds of dog,

The associations are approving infusions by breeders lacking in experience, and are basically now encouraging and sanctioning the breeding of mixed breed mongrels and registering them as Australian Labradoodles.

Just one example

The Australian Labradoodle Association of America (ALAA) has approved COCKAPOOS as suitable sires to use in the breeding of Australian Labradoodles. Unbelievable? Yes, but true. You think this is bad?? The ALAA officially changed the pedigree of an influential little Miniature Rutland Manor Australian Labradoodle stud dog exported to America without referring to his breeder, Beverley Manners. The ALAA CHANGED his pedigree to show SEVEN COCKAPOOS in Lil Brett's pedigree! How can an Association which does something like this have any credence.

They obviously do not understand or do not care about the profound influence that any male dog has on its breed or developing breed for the future, with the potential to sire thousands of puppies. And what about the experience or lack of experience amongst the breeders who innocently go ahead and use breeding stock from the mixed up progeny?

Australia is not exempt from this practice either.

A typical example of the emails Rutland Manor receives from people who are justifiably confused -

Hello,
I came upon your impressive website today. We are in the process of adopting a mini australian labradoodle. I am told the father is a cock- a-poo approved by the Australian Labradoodle Association of America for Infusion Breedings.

Is this common? Desirable? This is confusing to me.

Thank you for your time.

(name supplied)

Ever heard of the term 'multi generational '?

This term was originally used to differentiate between the dogs who were of pure Australian origin and those who were American Poodle/Labrador crosses. When these dogs were bred back to a Poodle, or to another Labradoodle, breeders started calling them 'multi generation' or 'multi generational'. The term is so mis-used now that it has completely lost its meaning and those using it fail to fully understand the complexities of developing a new breed and even more importantly not losing the advances already achieved.

So what is the answer?

Because the associations are not interested in the views of the Australian Labradoodle founder, perhaps the only recourse is for breeders who are dedicated to maintaining the purity of the Australian Labradoodle, to educate those who are willing to listen. That is the purpose of this page.

Are you safe if your breeder has Rutland Manor breeding stock?

Sadly, not necessarily so. Many breeders have imported Rutland Manor breeding stock into their own country, but very few have kept the breed pure. They are not entirely to blame when the associations they trust sanction cross breeding outside of the pure lines.

What can YOU do?

REFUSE to purchase from any breeder who is going down the path of uneducated experimentation.
INSIST on seeing the pedigree of any puppy you are interested in and if you don't understand the pedigree, contact the Australian Labradoodle Foundation Alliance for verification of the puppy's ancestry.
ONLY purchase your puppy from a breeder who will provide you with the DNA Profile number to verify the identity of the puppy's parents, and who will authorize you to check with the DNA registry if you wish.

We CAN help stem the growing tide of mongrelization of our beloved Australian Labradoodle.

Support breeders of integrity and help protect the future of the dog we all love.

Important Copyright Infringement Notice

This article may be only be reproduced with written permission from Beverley Manners. No partial reproduction is allowed. No word, phrase, sentence nor paragraph is permitted to be deleted or altered in any way. Any deviation will constitute breach of copyright.

Some of the Questions we are Regularly Asked

We receive so many emails at Rutland Manor from people who are confused at the conflicting information they are told that I hope this information may be helpful. Beverley

Q. A breeder recently told me that their breeding stock goes back forty years to the founders of the breed in Australia. Could this be possible?

A. Absolutely not! There are no Labradoodles in the world today who have forty or more generations of Labradoodle behind them. Both Breeding and Research Centers in Australia commenced their developmental breeding programs in the late 1980's and breeding stock were not let out until around the year 2000.

Q. If a breeder tells me that her/his Labradoodles are 'multi-gen' does that mean I am getting a genuine non shedding allergy friendly Australian Labradoodle with the temperament that they are known for ?

A. Perhaps, but not necessarily. The term 'multi generation' was first coined by American breeders who wanted to be able to distinguish their Australian Labradoodles from the first generation Labrador X Poodle being prolifically bred throughout the United States. The name caught on quickly but soon lost its significance as breeders back bred their Lab X Poodle ofspring to another Poodle, thus breeding a dog which was 3/4 Poodle.

Without several generations of solid Australian Labradoodle bloodlines behind them, these dogs were not (and are not) consistent in their temperament, type or coats. Some breeders do have several genuine Australian Labradoodle generations behind their breeding stock and use the same term. But because the name 'multi generation' has been so mis - used it is basically useless as an indicator of quality of the dogs.

Q. I purchased my Australian Labradoodle from my breeder because my puppy had dogs behind her which came from Rutland Manor and I thought my allergies would not be affected. Why are my allergies being triggered by my puppy?

A. Breeding any animal is a science and an art which is an ever ongoing process. What has been accomplished in previous generations can be quickly lost if an educated breeding program is not continued. Let's consider for example a pure bred lovely athletic Borzoi who has many years of beautifully bred athletic Borzois behind her. Breed her to a Bulldog or even to a non complementary Borzoi, and despite her wonderful ancestry, the results of her litter would not be expected to reflect her own excellence.

Q. I have heard people say that more infusions need to be made because the Australian lines have too small a genetic base. Is this true?

A. In my opinion this is most definitely not true. My background for thirty one years revolved around (so called) pure breeds and I abandoned it all because I became so disheartened with the inbreeding and health status amongst the recognized breeds. This resulted in me being particularly careful to establish a wide genetic base which would carry the breed forward into the generations that lie ahead after I am no longer around.

Over twenty one years Rutland Manor has carefully planned and woven into the tapestry of Rutlands Australian Labradoodle ancestry, Irish Water Spaniel (one time infusion of 2 separate bloodlines) English Cocker Spaniel (one time only) American Cocker Spaniel (one time only) IRISH Soft Coated Wheaten (2 different sires with unrelated bloodlines) This diversity of blood has the potential to safeguard the breed from the ills of inbreeding, as long as other breeders entrusted with Rutlands breeding stock choose their breeding partners with care.

Note: Breeders need to understand that indiscriminate outcrossings/infusions can do as much damage, if not more in some cases, to ensuing generations than even inbreeding practices can do. Once desirable traits are established in a new breed, badly timed or careless outcross matings can quickly undo consistent 'true to type' results and reliability especially with regards to nature and temperament as well as conformation and coat type all of which can be lost.