Labradoodles are first thought to have been bred in the 1950s when a labrador retriever was crossed with a standard poodle. Some years later a blind woman living in Hawaii, whose husband suffered from dog hair and dander allergies, approached the Royal Guide Dogs Association of Australia (RGDAA) for help. By crossing a labrador retriever with a standard poodle the RGDAA aimed to produce a guide dog with the non-shedding coat of a poodle and the trainable loving nature of the labrador, suitable for families with allergies.
After several generations of mating labrador and poodles together it became apparent a large proportion of litters had shedding coats. To achieve a consistent non-shedding coat and to influence the size and conformation of the dogs, other carefully selected breeds were introduced. These breeds are: the soft coated Irish wheaten terrier, the Portuguese water dog and the cocker spaniel. This was the beginning of the Australian labradoodle.
One of the best results from the breeding of Australian labradoodles, so far as we are concerned, is their wonderful temperament - not to mention being clever, easy to train, affectionate, loyal, intuitive...... ...........the list goes on and on!
The temperament of labradoodles is not gender specific, therefore both males and females make excellent family members.
