History of the Labradoodle

In 1989, The Guide Dog Association in Australia began a breeding and research program to produce a dog that was highly intelligent, with a wonderful disposition, that would not shed and therefore be allergy friendly.

The Association carefully selected a female Labrador, and a male Poodle of superior quality to breed.

A man by the name of John Gosling, who was the Guide Dog Services Manager in Australia, was the first to actually breed the Labrador to a Standard Poodle. He did this because of a lady by the name of Pat Blum who lived in Hawaii and had lived with a vision impairment, but hesitated to apply for a Guide Dog because of her husband Rich’s allergy to dogs. John Gosling agreed to breed the first litter of Labradoodles in an attempt to lessen the likelihood of allergic reactions.

Pat Blum was overjoyed with the outcome and was able to finally get her much needed Guide Dog that she named Sultan.

Being such a desirable dog, the Labradoodle is still being bred by many people today.

Labradoodles are highly intelligent, making them very easy to train with ‘very little’ to ‘NO’ shedding. They are gentle, sweet and loving. These traits make them an ideal family dog that is much sought after in the general public.

The Labradoodle is a cross between a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle. In the late 1970's the Guide Dog Association of Australia set out to produce a non-shedding dog suitable for service training. Mr. Wally Cochran was the driving force behind this program, and the goal was to produce a non-shedding guide dog by using a Labrador Retriever and a Standard Poodle.

The Labradoodle can vary in size:

The result of this cross produced intelligent, easily trainable puppies that were the beginning of the Labradoodle as we now know it. Crossing these two breeds also gave the Labradoodle a hybrid vigor and a variety of coats.

Allergy and Asthma sufferers take heart, Labradoodles may be the breed for you!

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