About The Breed
The overall appearance and purpose of the labradoodle
The Australian labradoodle is a well balanced, intelligent dog with a cheerful, friendly disposition. It is often used to assist people with allergies, asthma. The labradoodle is not loosing fur. It also serves people with disabilities as a guide dog.
Dimensions and the body build of the labradoodle
Specific dimensions are not as important as the proportions of the dog: The dog’s height to length ratio should be no more than ten to twelve.
There are three basic sizes of the Australian labradoodle
- Standard (more than 60cm)
- Medium (from 45cm to 60cm)
- Miniature (less than 45cm)
„The female” labradoodles are usually somewhat smaller than the male ones. The Australian labradoodle should not be too chubby, nor too thin. It should be muscular without being able to feel the ribs and spine. The dog ought to be able to perform its basic duties without much effort.
Head of the labradoodle
The labradoodle has moderately broad skull, wide muzzle and large, fleshy nose.
The face gives the impression of a gentle, friendly, happy dog, which never gets bored.
The eyes are oval or round, large and visible. The labradoodle’s look is lively, interesting, clever and focused on the person.
One of the Characteristic features of the Australian labradoodle are generally long eyelashes that protect hair from getting into its eyes. The eye color should be consistent with the pigment of the dog’s fur. Black and dark eyes belong to dogs which are dark and cream, hazel eyes occur in labradoodles with caramel pigment, or chocolate and coffee coloured. The dogs with blue, two-tone eyes or sharp, piercing eyes are not acceptable for breeding. The ears have a lot of fur, set slightly below the top of the head. The ear (without hair) should not extend beyond the nose of the dog. The correct bite of the labradoodle breed is a scissor bite.
The teeth and gums should be strong and healthy.
Labradoodle’s neck, back, tail
The neck is strong, muscular, slightly arched and of moderate length.
The back is horizontal, with upper trunk line falling slightly behind the withers and moderately sloping to the hips. The tail is saber-shaped, and should be set low. When the labradoodle is excited, the tail may extend happily over the back.
The Australian labradoodle’s legs:
The shoulders should be muscular, well developed, but not too heavy. They are relatively long, wide, with moderate angulation. The elbows should not turn to the inside or to the outside, and should be firmly positioned in front part of the ribs. The torelegs are well boned, set vertically into the ground, with short, moderately strong wrists.
The hindquarters have well developed thighs with big muscles, moderate angulation. The knee-ankle part of the leg should be longer than the ankle-foot one.
Feet should be oval or round, strong and compact, with well-arched toes and thick pads. Dogs should be born with no rear dew claws.
The Australian labradoodle’s coat does not have an undercoat (it’s single-layer).
There are two types of the coat:
- Wool-coat-type hair, similar to that of a poodle
- Fleece-type hair, wavy or slightly curly.
The hair is a very important feature of the dog, even more important than the temperament and conformation of the dog. The labradoodles generally do not lose hair, nor have a distinctive smell. However, this does not mean that dog doesn’t lose hair altogether. In order to keep the hair in a good condition the dog should be combed once a week.
Labradoodle in motion
During the run it may seem that the dog is hovering above the ground. It moves gently, airy and athletically. The front and the back legs should not be twisted inward or outward.
While running, its step should coincide with the direction of the line of gravity. Viewed from the side, the front legs should be pulled smoothly to the end without the need of bending and moving up to the top. The hocks are strong, short, well-angulated, well pulled forward under the body.
Colours of the coat
- Shades of cream, caramel and apricot
- Coffee with milk
Allowed, but not preferred is the so called “parti” color.
Any differences from the above mentioned points should be considered abnormal.