A Labradoodle… a Labrador crossed with a Poodle, right? Well
– no actually, it’s not quite that simple! There are several types of
Labradoodle, and they are all quite different, so it is important to understand
the differences between them.
If you take a Labrador and cross it with a Poodle, the
resulting puppies are usually referred to as first generation (or F1)
Labradoodles. Take that first generation (F1) Labradoodle and cross it with
another first generation (F1) [or higher] Labradoodle, and the resulting
puppies will be second generation (F2) Labradoodles. Take a second generation
(F2) Labradoodle and cross it with another second generation (F2) [or higher]
Labradoodle and the resulting puppies will be third generation (F3)
Labradoodles. So you get the gist…you just add one generation to the lowest
generation parent to determine the generation of the puppies… but that is not
all… it is very important to note that there are four common terms used to
refer to the Labradoodles we’ve just discussed.
These are:
1)
Labradoodle Origin
2)
Early Generation Labradoodle
3)
American Labradoodle
4)
British/UK Labradoodle
All of these terms can be used interchangeably and refer to
any dog which has come from Labrador and Poodle lines only. For our purposes
here, we shall use ‘Early Generation Labradoodle’ to refer to these dogs.
Now we’re going to introduce a very different type of
Labradoodle… The Australian Labradoodle is extremely different to, and very
distinct from the other Labradoodles we’ve discussed so far. Australian
Labradoodles have more than just Labrador and Poodle lines in their pedigree…
Australian Labradoodles have six parents breeds in fact,
namely these are:
1)
Labrador
2)
Poodle
3)
English Cocker Spaniel
4)
American Cocker Spaniel
5)
Curly Coat Retriever
6)
Irish Water Spaniel
We can categorise Australian Labradoodles by generation the
same way we do with other Labradoodles, but as opposed to the F1, F2, F3…
terminology, we use ALF1, ALF2, ALF3… where ALF stands for ‘Australian
Labradoodle Foundation’. However, since most Australian Labradoodles are now a
very high generation (they’ve been bred for over 35 years), we usually just
refer to them as multigeneration Australian Labradoodles since there is so
little difference.
But what difference does this make? What is the real
difference? Do Australian Labradoodles look or behave differently to other
Labradoodles? In short – yes they do. There are a multitude of differences in
fact, and having bred both here at Lomond Hills in the past, we have a great
deal of
experience in this area.
experience in this area.
Early Generation Labradoodles (Above)
Australian Labradoodles
(Above)
Consistency
Early Generation Labradoodles are, as the term implies, of
low generation. This means that there is very little consistency in the litters
of puppies produced. If you cross a Labrador with a Poodle, the resulting
puppies vary considerably in size, coat type and temperament. When you get to
the second and third generations, things get even more complicated as the
genetics play out and throw-backs start appearing. This means, for example,
that a second or third generation Labradoodle could look like a poorly bred
Labrador or a poorly bred Poodle rather than a Labradoodle. There is much, much
more consistency in Australian Labradoodle litters. This is primarily because
we are now so far down the generations, and as we breed further, physical
characteristics and attributes become more predictable and consistent. Every
puppy in an Australian Labradoodle litter will be recognisable as an Australian
Labradoodle and throw-backs to parent breeds are very rare.
The Coat
Being only a few generations away from a Labrador, it is no
surprise that the vast majority of Early Generation Labradoodles DO SHED their
coats and are therefore NOT suitable for allergy sufferers, despite what you
may have been led to believe from other sources! Australian Labradoodles on the
other hand, are many more generations away from the shedding Labrador; their
coats have been developed over the last 35 years such that they DO NOT SHED and
therefore have a very high compatibility rate with allergy and asthma
sufferers.
Temperament
Whilst there are some Early Generation Labradoodles with
fantastic temperaments, they do tend toward the lively and potentially
hyperactive side, particularly when compared to the calmer, better-balanced
Australian Labradoodles. In fact, Australian Labradoodles are particularly
intuitive, very intelligent, easily trained and are excellent with young
children making them an ideal family member. However, they are still full of
fun when playing outdoors and can be incredibly comical at times!
We have now stopped breeding Early Generation Labradoodles
and are focusing all of our efforts into preserving and developing the
Australian Labradoodle here at Lomond Hills.
