Dealing with children
The Australian Labradoodle is a true friend of children par excellence. Children really like the dogs and usually children also really like the dogs, because with their friendly appearance and soft coat they look like a teddy bear. Of course, a warning remains appropriate: they are still dogs and occasionally (especially when they are puppies) they need some rest and children must learn to let the dog sleep peacefully every now and then. But the interaction between the Australian Labradoodle and children is more than great. It is not without reason that they are such a success as a companion for children with disabilities or behavioral problems.
Quinten is an example of this! The moment he saw Sam he said Sam in his own way. Goosebumps and tears in our eyes. In the meantime, he reads from books, asks and answers in full sentences.
Text written by Quinten's mother:
This is our wonderful 'Sam'. Sam came to live with us in September 2020 and we are so happy to have him in our family!
Our son Quinten has a challenging life that demands a lot from him and us as a family. Sam often visits him and is visibly 'softer' towards him. When Quinten comes home from school tired, Sam snuggles up to him. Sometimes exciting for Quinten, but Sam also ensures that Quinten is sometimes taken out of the well-known 'comfort zone'.
We hope to have Sam with us for a long time.
AUSTRALIAN LABRADOODLE
If you are looking for a sweet, sociable, sensitive, cheerful, enthusiastic, intelligent, loyal four-legged friend who likes to be near you and also looks attractive, you should definitely consider an Australian Labradoodle. This is the human dog, which also turns out to be allergy-friendly when it comes to a Pure AL.
Historie
Australian Wally Conron is the spiritual father of the Labradoodle.
Conron, a breeder for the Royal Victorian Guide Dogs Association, first crossed a Poodle with a Labrador in 1989. His goal was to create a dog that has the coat structure of a poodle and the "will to please" of the Labrador retriever. It was also Conron who came up with the name labradoodle. The inspiration for this cross came from a Hawaiian couple who asked Wally Conron in the late 1980s to breed them a service dog that would suit them. The couple's wife was visually impaired and needed a seeing-eye dog, but her husband was allergic to most dogs.
This first generation of crossbreeds turned out to be very nice, but not yet stable in terms of suitability as an assistance dog and allergy-friendliness. Development continued and by introducing several other breeds, the Australian Labradoodle was created. The breeds that were “used” to achieve the development are of course the Labrador and the Poodle, but also the Irish Water Spaniel, the Curly Coated Retriever and the American and English Cocker Spaniel. So you cannot just get an Australian Labradoodle by just crossing a poodle and a Labrador.
Character
The Australian Labradoodle is cheerful, friendly and social towards all people and animals. He loves attention, cuddling, playing and children. An Australian Labradoodle needs a lot of people around him and is not fond of being left alone. In other words: the ideal house dog.
Australian Labradoodles are the most sweet, stable and cheerful dogs you can imagine. They have exceptional patience with children. They are affectionate, loyal, funny and… they are suitable for people with allergic or asthmatic predispositions. Because they are intelligent, sensitive and benevolent, they are also increasingly used as assistance or therapy dogs. It is difficult to explain how wonderful these dogs are if you have not yet met them in person.
The Australian Labradoodle is very suitable as a family dog, but can also be used very well as a therapy or assistance dog. They are regularly used as therapy dogs for children with autism, ADHD or other special needs.
Appearance
Physique
The Australian Labradoodle is compact, but gracefully built. The tail is preferably in the shape of a saber, it has hanging ears, and large eyes with very long eyelashes. His beautiful, long curly hair is of course striking.
Color
The Australian Labradoodle comes in many colors. You have single-colored dogs in the colors:
apricot, caramel, chocolate, cream, red, white, black.
Multi-colored are the parti and phantom.
Height at the withers
There are Australian Labradoodles in three different sizes:
Mini: height at the withers between 35 and 42 cm
Medium: height at the withers between 43 and 52 cm
Standard: height at the withers between 53 and 63 cm
Coat
The Australian Labradoodle has no undercoat, which means they shed little or no hair and are virtually odorless. There are Australian Labradoodles with a curly coat or a fleece coat. A fleece coat has a much looser structure and can appear with smaller curls (curly fleece) or with coarse curls to almost waves (wavy fleece).
Care
Caring for the coat takes the most time. The coat of an Australian Labradoodle hardly sheds, but does tangle. Once a week you should definitely expect at least 1 hour of very good brushing. Around the age of 8 months, when the puppy coat is exchanged for the adult coat, brushing should be done at least twice a week to prevent a very large ball of matting from developing. The coat must also be trimmed regularly, otherwise the hair will become very long and it will be virtually impossible to get through it properly with a brush.
Since we receive a lot of questions about coat care, we have chosen to sell these products through our webshop doodelsandmore.
It is also possible to bring your doodle to us for coat care such as washing, cutting out eyes, plucking ears, trimming, etc. so that you get back a beautiful doodle that has been cut correctly.
Exercise
Australian Labradoodles certainly need physical, but also mental challenge. They are not satisfied with a walk around the house, but love to go out with their owner for a long walk. Many Australian Labradoodles also love to swim.