Barking mad for Labradoodles
DOGGONE it! The first breeder of the labradoodle reckons the animal was a mistake, as we reported yesterday. Aussie Wally Conron bred the first ever mutt of its kind in 1989 by crossing a labrador with a poodle. But he now regrets it, saying he has created a “Frankenstein” and many of them are now “crazy” or have health problems.
Here JAMES MOORE reveals 15 facts about the controversial canine…
Sultan was the name of the first labradoodle, bred by Conron, manager of the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia.
He bred it as a guide dog for a woman in Hawaii who was looking for a dog with good temperament but wouldn’t spark her husband’s allergies by shedding lots of hair. The resulting cuddly mutts went on to soar in popularity. Wally recalls: “All of a sudden, people wanted this wonder dog.”
In a 2015 poll the labradoodle was voted the UK’s favourite type of dog. Celebs who love them include Jeremy Clarkson and fellow petrolhead Richard Hammond, whose white female one, TG, became the official mascot of Top Gear. Graham Norton loves his labradoodle Bailey, while rocker Sir Rod Stewart also owns one. Model Christie Brinkley and actor Orlando
Bloom are devotees.
Hollywood’s Brad Pitt bought actress Jennifer Aniston a labradoodle when they were married, while golfer Tiger
Woods used to take his dog Yogi to the course. In 2014 tennis ace
Andy Murray saved a labradoodle from being run over.
They weigh between 2565lbs and stand 14-22ins
tall. A labradoodle has a typical lifespan of 12-14 years, while an average litter is eight puppies. A labradoodle’s coat can be flat like a labrador or very curly like a poodle. Chocolate is one of the most popular colours but they also come in black, cream and apricot.
Known as good trackers, they are easy to train and love swimming. But they do need a lot of grooming – experts recommend taking them to the salon every five to six weeks. They cost around £800 each to buy and owning one will set you back an estimated £4,269 a year, according to Admiral Pet Insurance. The cross-breed is listed in the Oxford English Dictionary and was featured in the Australian version of Monopoly.
An Australian labradoodle called Reagan has his own book and over half a million Instagram followers.
The dog has given rise to other poodle cross breeds such as the jackapoo (a Jack Russell terrier and a poodle) and cockapoo (a cocker spaniel-poodle mix). Conron says careless breeders looking for “big bucks” left many labradoodles with hereditary problems. But Yorkshire vet John Whitwell says labradoodles are usually “happy, healthy dogs”.