Labradoodle Information

Labradoodles are a joy to own. They are great with children and are easy to train. They get along well with other dogs and animals. They are extremely smart, sociable, and well tempered.

Labradoodles – Have the Best of both breeds!

Labrador Retriever – is a loving, affectionate, lovable, patient dog. Highly intelligent, loyal, willing and high-spirited. Lively and good-natured, they love to play, especially in water. They have an excellent, reliable, temperament and are friendly, superb with children and equable with other dogs, keeping in mind that Labrador puppies are full of energy. They crave human attention and need to feel as though they are part of the family. Labs are easily trained. Some may be reserved with strangers unless very well socialized as puppies. They can become destructive if left too much to their own devices. Train Labradors early not to pull on the leash, as they have very strong necks. These dogs are watchdogs, not guard dogs. The Labrador Retriever is not an aggressive dog, but it will bark to ward off strangers. The Labrador retriever has a stable temperament and adapts to new surroundings easily. The breed is often trained as Guide Dogs.

Poodle – is good-natured and eager-to-please. He’s also cheerful, loyal, proud, dignified, and extremely smart. When most people think of a “Poodle” they think of a feminine, girly dog. But nothing could be further from than the truth. He’s actually very rugged and athletic. He’s incredibly intelligent — one of the most intelligent breeds — and is easily trained. He thinks of himself as a person and demands to be treated like one. He’s very affectionate and craves your love and companionship. He wants to be with you always. He’s highly playful and loves to clown around. He possesses a keen sense of humor! He’s highly energetic and very active around the home. He’s playful and can learn to play fetch! He’s a strong swimmer and loves the water. He’s highly social and loves all people. He’s gentle and patient with children. He gets along well with other dogs and pets. If he’s bored he will get into mischief, so you need to give him something to do to occupy his mind. He is house trained easily.

Body Description

A Labradoodles body is heavier than that of a Standard Poodle. Their coat can be anywhere from 2 to 6 inches long as well as F1b coats continue to grow throughout their lifetime. There are several coat color possibilities that can be seen below.

Sizes

  • Standard-predicted to be 45lbs or more at adulthood. Our’s range from 65lbs or more
  • Medium-predicted to be 30-45lbs at adulthood.
  • Miniature-predicted to be 15-30lbs at adulthood.

Living Conditions & Exercise

Labradoodles need moderate exercise and their coats are typically low maintenance. They are social and love to be around people. They are suitable for a city or a farm.

Life Expectancy – The average lifespan is 15 years

Grooming – The first generation Labradoodles or F1, normally have lower maintenance coats that can be kept up with brushing every other day. Their coats can become matted if you don’t keep up with the brushing though so it is very important. F1’s don’t need to be trimmed that is personal preference as their coats grow to a certain point and stop. I do a face, feet, fanny trim on mine. F1b’s and beyond are high maintenance as far as keeping up with their coat. It continuously grows and requires regular grooming every 6-8 weeks. I recommend brushing every day to every other day making sure to get down to the skin. If a matted dog is brought to the groomer it will get shaved bald so it is important to brush good and often. I am always happy to show you how to properly brush.

Labradoodle Generations

F1 – A first generation Labradoodle is the cross of a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle. First generation has added health benefits associated to Hybrid Vigour.

Hybrid Vigour is when unrelated breeds of any species are crossed the offspring in the first generation will be more healthy, fertile, and mentally stable than either parent breed.

Coat Maintenance: Low Care

Coat Description: Coat grows to about 2-3 inches in length and requires occasional combing every other day some coats can handle twice a week brushing. Coats are often hair coats, and others can have wavy or curly coats.

Shedding: light to non-shed

Allergy Friendliness: usually successful in families with mild allergies. When a family has moderate to severe allergies a backcross in recommended.

F1b – A backcross pup is a result of breeding a labradoodle to one of its parent breeds. Normally a poodle being breeders are breeding towards nonshedding and allergy friendliness.

Coat maintenance: moderate to high care

Coat description: Coat continues to grow in length and requires regular combing and grooming every 6-8 weeks. It is usually thicker and curlier than a first generation Labradoodle with a wavy or curly coat.

Shedding: very light to non-shed

Allergy Friendliness: F1b are recommended for families with moderate to severe allergies.

F2 – This cross is an F1 with an F1. This cross is not one that we breed and is not one that is ever recommended to do. It is a cross that is the most varied when it comes to genetic possibilities. Breeding an F1 to an F1 is unwise unless the breeder is trying to create a new breed and doesn’t mind breeding a lot of funny looking, and possibly unsatisfactory, dogs on the way.

Coat Maintenance: varies on the coat type

Coat Description: The coat can be a hair coat, wavy coat, or curly coat.

Shedding: varies greatly from shedders to nonshedders

Allergy Friendliness: not recommended for families with allergies, due to the varying coat types.

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Coat Types

In F1b's and this coat continues to grow. Rarely in F1's and won't continue to grow.
Only in F1b's and this coat continues to grow.

Color Types

Caramel should be the color of real caramel. The range of color can vary between gold and red. Caramel colored dogs need to have rose pigmentation.
This color comes in a wide variety of shades but it should be creamy in appearance. It can have tinting of gold/apricot. The nose pigment can be black or rose.
The color has been referred to as “apricot” because the standard calls for the color to resemble the inside of a ripe apricot to varying shades of rich dark gold. The color should be even throughout and the roots should not be lighter. The pigment for the nose is black.
This color is a creamy beige chocolate color. It has been described as a cup of coffee with a generous addition of milk. These dogs are born milk chocolate and will develop their parchment coloring over time. The nose pigment is rose.
True reds should be rich and dark in color and the roots should be no lighter. Sadly, this coat color tends to fade over time. The nose color is to be black.
This color can range between a light milk chocolate to an almost beige. This color develops over the first 1-3 years. Nose pigment should be rose.
This color is a white looking color. However, if you were to compare it to a true white, it would appear to be more chalk-white in color. Nose pigment can be either black or rose.
Black Labradoodles should be solid in color with no sprinklings of other colors throughout the coat. Their pigment color should be black.
These pups would start out black and their silver coloring develops over the first few years of their lives. The color range can be anywhere from a light pewter to a dark charcoal. Ideally, the color should be solid, but it’s acceptable to have uneven layering of color in the coat. Silver dogs need to have black pigmentation.
These pups are born black with blue/grey pigmentation. The blue coat will develop over the first few years. The color should be solid once they are full grown. It should be a dark-medium smoky blue.
This color has a smoky lavender chocolate coloring that almost gives off a pink to lilac appearance. These pups are born chocolate and will come into their beautiful lavender coats over the first few years. Their pigmentation should be rose in color.
These dogs need to be at least fifty percent white, with spots or patches of any other above solid color. Full or partial saddles are acceptable, but are not preferred. Ticking in the white of the coat is acceptable but not preferred. The nose pigment needs to match the solid color.
Phantom colored dogs have a solid base color with sharply defined markings of a second color appearing above each eye, on the sides of the muzzle, on the throat/ forechest, on all four legs and feet, and below the tail. Any combination of acceptable colors is allowed. Nose pigment should follow requirements listed above based on the solid base color.
Abstracts are less than fifty percent white, with the remaining percent any other acceptable solid color. ​

This video on YouTube is a good description of a labradoodle, and why we love them so much.