The Irish Water Spaniel brought more good things to the breed than just color.  This infusion helped to fix the soft retriever mouth and also modified the  'hard'  boisterous and hyper active nature that was so common  in the early Lab x Poodles. It also helped to bring down the size which at the time  the infusion was done, was usually at least 26 inches tall. But experience also taught us that this infusion should not be over - done and it was not brought back in after the first generation.  The 'rat tail' which is prized amongst IWS'\s kept popping up in later generations, as did the smooth muzzle and some individuals were inclined to be shy and non sociable.  These were not traits which were wanted so some lines were culled from breeding and the infusion was not repeated.  Only the best examples were kept for breeding on with and were very  successful.

 

The Australian Labradoodle is still a very young and developing breed barely eighteen years ( nine or ten generations) in the making since the first intentional purpose bred crossing of the Labrador Retriever and the Standard Poodle by Royal Guide Dogs in Melbourne Australia.    Because of the Australian Labradoodle's huge popularity hundreds of new breeders have sprung up across the world, some working with established Australian breeding lines, and others choosing to breed Lab to Poodle and back to Poodle indefinitely, and some mixing it all together! With the experience and knowledge  Tegan and Rutland have amassed we believe that this practice will inevitably lead the breed into the 'genetic dead end' which has befallen so many other breeds.  To protect the origins, purity and future of the breed the ASD has been formed to assist families and individuals to learn and acquire a true Australian Labradoodle. The ASD Logo was chosen as it symbolizes what the Australian Labradoodle was created to do and be in the world of Canine Companions An Intuitive friend, An Intelligent helper, A protective helper of medical issues [seizure alert, guide for blind]  An answer to the prayers of families all over the world needing a non shedding non smelling allergy friendly animal companion.       A Australian  S service  D dog

FORM TO FUNCTION Ear problems had become a consistent and worrying health problem and Labradoodles in the hands of inexperienced or non observant hands were in danger of suffering pain and even worse, brain damage from neglected ear infections. Toplines, (backs) were becoming slack from too much Standard Poodle influence, along with  weak loins, especially in the larger sizes, a condition which if not checked, would ultimately lead to similar skeletal structure diseases as seen in breeds such as the Basset Hound and Dachund. The very best non shedding coats were becoming high maintenance with the majority of Labradoodles being shaved to the skin when their coats became too matted for the average busy family to manage. As most people are aware, there is no dog breed in existence which has been created from the combining of just two parent breeds, with many having had infusions of up to five additional breeds to either widen the gene pool or correct problems which were appearing at certain stages of the new breed's development TIME TO ACT In 2002 Beverley decided that it was time to introduce another breed into the development of the Labradoodle. Angela on the other hand was not so sure and chose to wait and observe. The search was on yet again for a suitable breed that was available in Australia, But what breed would that be? Beverley researched dozens of different breeds, but always came up against either health or temperament problems which would not benefit the Labradoodle  Ground already made must not be lost!

What has been done is by no means new or different when developing a new breed.

Have a look at the following excerpts from the breed history archives of the Labrador and the Poodle -

The Labrador's Exact Origin is Unknown

Origin and History of the Chocolate Labrador   - Excerpt -

"Further more we should keep in mind that there are a lot of missing links in our database, and sometimes the reasons for this are rather obvious. I found 21 interbred or fullbred Flatcoats or Chesapeake Bay retrievers in our Labrador retriever database, all born in the U.K. between 1914 and 1933. Of all the 21 interbred or fullbred Flatcoats or Chesapeake Bay retrievers, most of them being Field Trial champions, we could only track the ancestors for more than two generations of two dogs. The information about the ancestors of the other 19 interbred dogs was simply removed from the files in the 1930s. It seems that some well known Labrador breeders didn't want the public to know that their succesful dogs were partly the offspring of interbred dogs. 

Two well known Chesapeake Bay retrievers were a dog called Jolly, who sired the male Labrador retriever Jolly Sam, born before 1933, and the bitch Corydalys, who was the dam of the female Labrador retriever Micklefield Juno, born before 1925. Clyde, born before 1923, was the "liver" (chocolate) Flatcoat retriever who sired the male yellow Labrador FTW Folkingham Bexter (1925), who in turn sired the yellow bitch FTW Limekiln Rhoda (1927). She and the yellow dog FTW Golden Morn (1926) had a litter that was registered as "half Golden Retriever and half Labradors". The separation was by coat length, because all puppies were yellow. Apparently the third generation showed some traits of the original breed involved. "

Excerpt from the Canadian Labrador Club:

Origin: The Labrador descended from dogs taken to Newfoundland by explorers, fishermen and settlers and evolved by natural selection. The breed was known by several names, among them the black Water Dog, the Lesser Newfoundland and the St. John's Dog. Excellent retrievers of fish and game, they often sailed with the fishermen and in the early 1800s, English sportsmen acquired a few of the hardy dogs off the fishing boats.

The British further developed the breed by crossing it with other sporting dogs, notably the Flat-coated Retriever, the Curly-coated Retriever and the Tweed Water Spaniel.

It wasn't long before the Lab took over as Britain's most popular gun dog. The breed was first recognized by The Kennel Club (England) in 1903. In addition to its prowess as a gun dog, the Lab has distinguished itself as a police and war dog as well as a guide dog for the blind.

'Norwegian Elkhounds were crossed into yellow Labrador lines in the 1940's to correct the lack of undercoat in the yellows but they never stopped calling them labs.'

So much for the Labrador Retriever.  Now let's take a look at the Poodle.

The Poodle's Origin - reprinted

"Tracing the origin of the Poodle is difficult. Today's Poodle probably originated as a water retriever. Some speculate the Poodle could be the original Water Spaniel. In sixteenth century Europe a dog called the Water Dog of England was popular among hunters. Others speculate the Irish Water Spaniel, which sported a curly coat, is the forerunner of the Poodle.

 The Poodle is believed to have originated in Germany, but to name a specific country of origin is impossible. Germany, Russia, France, and practically every European country has claimed the Poodle as their own.

Spain could also claim the origination of the Poodle. This idea is based on the Poodle coming from the Spaniel family, and the word spaniel is derived from the word Spain.

German writings from the sixteenth century describe the Pudel as a fairly large black water retriever. In the 1600's the Water Dog was begun to be called a Pudel.

The dog was also found in Belgium and Holland as a working dog called the Poedel. Most likely, the English name Poodle, descends from these terms.

The French have long claimed the Poodle as their own. The dogs found a devoted following in France. First known as the Barbet , a term that means beard, and is used to describe any dog with long hair, and later called the Caniche , meaning duck dog. "

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Look for this Logo - it is for your protection and assurance that you are receiving a genuine Australian Labradoodle as developed by the founders of the breed.

MISSION STATEMENT

    To preserve, protect and nurture the qualities of the Labradoodle dog
   To be guardian over its well-being
   To carry out judicious research and development
   To safeguard its endearing and very special ways for future generations
   And to encourage responsible ownership

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