Australian Labradoodles is the first in a series of subjects that I specifically want to cover.
How are they different from the Labradoodle? Firstly, we will start with how the breed began.
Wally Conron is the name associated with the very first Labradoodles. Wally was working with the Royal Guide Dogs Association of Australia known as Guide Dogs Victoria when he was approached by an Hawaiian woman whose husband has a dog allergy. Wallys breeding and training programme consisted of Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers, not the most allergy friendly breeds, this is when he came up with the idea of training Poodles for the job as it is well known that the Poodle coat is hypoallergenic. 3 years later and 33 large poodles in the process, the mission was unsuccessful.
Time passed and after pressure from Wallys boss, the decision was made to cross a Poodle with one of his Labradors in a hope that the result would satisfy the woman from Hawaii and her request for a hypoallergic dog that could assist with her blind husband. The first hypoallergic pup was born with the necessary aptitudes to become a guide dog.
So, the Labradoodle breed started off in Australia, but this is not what we today, call an Australian Labradoodle. Tegan Park and Rutland Manor are establishments responsible for the development of the Australian Labradoodle. The names behind Tegan Park and Rutland Manor are Mellodie Wooley but also uses many other names, one being Angela Cunningham, and her mother Beverly Rutland Manners. There is much controversy around these names and their practices, but we will stick to the facts in hand and only concern ourselves with what an Australian Labradoodle is and how it got here.
Wallys Poodle / Labrador mix was a roaring success, if it was not, I would not be writing this article now, and you would not be reading it. Promoting the breed did however have some very interesting twists and turns, in which we will discuss in another Let’s Talk issue when we discuss “Prue Breeds”.
Angela Cunningham, (Tegan Park) was attending an Open Day at the Guide Dog Centre in Melbourne, she was captured by the potential she saw in some of the Labradoodles, she went on a mission to do better and develop a new dog breed.
The Labrador Poodle mix had a low percentage of allergy friendly non shedding pups in a litter and the breed were deemed to hardheaded and easily distracted for a successful training programme. Angela has a keen interest in genetics and worked on the belief that just 2 parent breeds rarely produce consistency. Research started to find individual dogs as well as bure breeds to infuse into the Labrador Poodle cross. Angelas mother, Beverley Rutland, also an accomplished breeder, continued to develop the breed with her daughter and the Australian Labradoodle was born.
Angela and Beverly both had their ideas and experience to offer. Various other breeds of dog were bred in with a focus on a sturdy , medium boned dog with an easy-care non shedding coat along with a friendly easy going nature that would be suitable for therapy work.
Breeds tried in the early days will never be known, while we do know that the American Cocker Spaniel and cockapoos of various generations were bred into the existing lines of the Australian Labradoodle, along with the Irish Wheaten Terrier. This helped with a shorter muzzle, more pleasing head shape and coat type. For the chocolate colour the Irish Water Spaniel and the Curly Coated Retriever was used although most other traits were breed out, one being the hairless “rat tail” During this time both Angela and Beverly were members of the Labradoodle Association and worked closely on a development plan to achieve “pure “status.
The Australian Labradoodle Association of America (ALAA) has a continuing interest in working with the Australian Labradoodle Association (ALA) and other sister organisations under the umbrella of the International Labradoodle Association (ILA) to guide and develop this breed. In the UK we hear the “WALA” bouncing about on breeders’ websites, Worldwide Australian Labradoodle Association, where a fee can be paid and rules agreed to, to use a registration number and the belonging of a “club”. Almost all the clubs stipulate early neutering/spaying as did Angela and Beverly when their breeding programme was in full swing.
Angela and Beverly now breed Australian Cobberdogs. Angela states that the Cobberdog was born from the ashes of the Australian Labradoodle as “those who initially expressed interest in joining her on the careful development of a new breed, got lost in the trap of breeding for money only” and have moved over to the development of the Cobberdog.
Where are we today? If you want an authentic Tegan Park or a Rutland Manner Australian Labradoodle and are prepared to pay the price tag and deal with early neutering ( some as young as 8 weeks) , have a google and bit of light research will take you there, alternatively you could purchase a Cobberdog .
WALA’s website offer a whole page dedicated to how an Australian Labradoodle should look from head shape right down to feet and hindquarters along with what is not acceptable and what will result in an immediate disqualification, https://www.wala-labradoodles.org/breed-standard It is quite simple to register to become a member with the right criteria and an application fee if you own a Labradoodle or an Australian Labradoodle. The real question should be what you want from a dog. Angela and Beverley wanted a dog that was easier to train, had a more manageable consistent coat, that was sturdy with a medium bone structure. Wally Conron wanted a hypoallergic assistant dog. Our relationship with dogs has shifted over the centuries and the base core of our relationship today is one of companionship. The success of the “doodle” in my opinion is born from the non-shedding coat. Other traits like trainability and an affectionate, intelligent, calm nature are all attributes that add to their popularity.