Labradoodle

[harajukubabe]

Anyone have experience with labradoodles? I have 2 DCs under 8, and will be a first time dog owner.

Why a labradoodle rather than a poodle or labrador? Not being snarky just wondering. It's just that with a cross you don't know if their coat and/or temperament will be more one breed or the other, or a mixture of the two.

I would say that all the ones I've met have a lot of energy.

My DM has two, my dd's are 2 and 5 and she's had at least one labradoodle since i was 15 and dsis and dbro 8 and 12- what sort of experience are you after??

They are incredible fun, can need a lot of clipping and brushing or they look like sheep in the summer, I wouldn't have them because I like small animals and they grow BIG

Other notes- they do need a lot of exercise and walking, and these like a lot of company. They get aggravated and puke because of stress if dm goes out for longer than 4/5 hours

Well you'd get a well bred poodle or lab for about £300 less than most labradoodles and it'd be predictable in terms of inherited traits...

So what is it you want from a labradoodle that you couldn't get with one of those?

I would for a poodle as at least you will a predictable coat to take care of, they're also much brighter than labradors and usually very healthy.

I always go for adult rescue dogs, straight into the fun parts without the messy, bitey puppy stage!

There's a lot of info here.

I suspect one could be fairly challenging as a first dog.

I recently helped rehome a ' Goldendoodle' - he a was a fabulous, stunning looking dog, but by the time he was 10 months old he was way too much for his novice owners to handle - a fairly common story :(

Look at the Doodle trust, they rehome labradoodles and other doodle breeds!

But prepare for weirdos to come in here and get angry because you didn't call them mongrels

We had a lovely labradoodle we regimes from a family as he was too bouncy for them. He was lovely tempered and manages to train him to be calmer etc and he was very much loved but sadly he 'went' for my DD when she was 8 months without provocation- I was in the room at the time. So we were forced to remove him to a couple with no children. Still miss him.
But as a rule they are lovely dogs live a nice long walk and can be very trainable and loving

Just wondering what has led you to this dog in particular?
I think it's a common pitfall of first time dog owners to choose a dog they like the look of then do the research around it - often choosing the bits they like and ignoring the negatives.
Apologies if this isn't the case with you OP, but may I suggest you think what traits would fit your family, look for dog breeds with them then narrow it down to puppy vs. rescue?

They are lovely dogs but quite hard work as they are very full on, and they grow BIG.

TBH they aren't great first dogs as they need firm and experienced handling.

I wouldn't recommend for a first time owner tbh.
Have you researched them?
They are lovely looking large dogs that need a good amount of exercise (at least twice a day) when old enough even when it's pouring down with rain & freezing!
Grooming & clipping will need doing regularly so you don't end up with a tangled mess.
It's a lot of work for a first time owner.
I think a smaller,short haired breed might be more suitable. Do as much research into the breeds you are looking at as possible.

I have a friend with a second generation labradoodle, so its mum was a miniature poodle and dad a labradoodle. It is tiny, But it's an f**ng nightmare to be honest. It's their first dog and they are not firm enough with it. But it is such a nuisance we all avoid it when we see it out. It is very highly strung and is on the go constantly. Obviously temperament is very much inherited so you might get a calmer one. I was also when I heard they had paid £1200 for it as compared with my lab who is a pedigree from really well established working lines, for which we paid £800.

Ps see thread about separation anxiety further down involving a labradoodle - my friends dog also cannot be left at all ever, without causing damage to itself or the home.

How about a cockerchon or a cavachon? Smaller and probably a bit more laid back but similar in looks. Poodles are very intelligent so they can be a bit highly strung and are more prone than many other breeds to separation anxiety.

Responsibly cross-bred dogs tend to be healthier than purebreds, at least in a first-generation cross (F1) as there is less likelihood of inherited disorders.

However, don't get your dog Joe Bloggs on Gumtree who has realised he can get £700 a pop for breeding his labrador to his mate's poodle. It is still necessary for parents to be health-tested, otherwise the labradoodle puppies will most likely be no healthier, or less healthy, than a well-bred labrador/poodle. You would be wise to talk to the Labradoodle Association for help sourcing a good breeder, advice on what to look for in the parents and required health testing.

Train your children that pulling tails, ears and teasing a dog is not acceptable. They also aren't horses

"Responsibly cross-bred dogs tend to be healthier than purebreds, at least in a first-generation cross (F1) as there is less likelihood of inherited disorders."

Not really, properly health tested is properly health tested, it doesn't make any difference if a dog that's got clear DNA tests, zero elbow scores and low hip scores is bred to the same breed it a different one, it's the same genetics it passes on and both breeds have almost the same inherited conditions.

If you're happy to own a mongrel/crossbreed (and I can personally recommend it!) rescue is definitely the way to go. If you want a dog with reliable, predictable and suitable traits for you, then you should look at ethical and responsible show/work breeders.

I am willing to put in the hard work and training sessions.

I like the breed as it is intelligent and if from the right parents, docile and of course cute looking.

I am leaning towards the more smaller medium sized or miniature labradoodle.

"I like the breed as it is intelligent and if from the right parents, docile and of course cute looking."

It's not a breed.

Docile is definitely not a word I'd use for any labradoodle I've ever met.

The one that I know is the very opposite of docile. Extremely bouncy, full on and energetic.

We had a Groodle in the past (Golden Retriever x Poodle). We suspect she was mixed with a mini poodle though, as she only got to 11kg at her highest weight.

She was sweet, very much a people dog and not a dog's dog. She didn't like other dogs at all. She was very flighty and scared of her own shadow. She barked incessantly. She was a picky eater. She was fairly obedient and could be off-leash with no problem (great recall). She learned basic commands easily, and came to us virtually house trained at 8 weeks old. She had A LOT of energy and needed walking twice daily. She also had serious grooming requirements: very fine, "wavy" (not tight curly) hair, that got matted like no one's business, and would grow out around her bum and then cause her poop to get stuck in it etc. I was permanently put off ever having another dog that needed grooming after her.

She was very sweet, very docile and a lovely dog. But the barking was extremely irritating and difficult to get under control, and the grooming requirements were next level. We now have a beagle and a puggle, who are fantastic but also present their own pros and cons.

The issue with a mixed breed is that you never know which breed is going to be dominant in their personality. Ours was almost completely poodle, with the only obvious retriever trait being her love of water and wanting to lie on the cold floor as opposed to in a bed.

Our puggle is aaaaalll beagle. He even looks like a beagle, just a black and white one! Not a pug trait in him.

I will specify that by "docile" I mean she was chilled out at home etc. But she had oodles more energy than my beagle/puggle (not as much as my previous JRT though). Because of this she got a bit neurotic in her old age, as her mentality was still youthful and energetic, but her body could no longer keep up. She would pace and stare at us intensely.

I wouldn't recommend them to anyone one without instant access to a beach or woods. They have an incredible amount of energy, are difficult to train, pull on the lead and ate more than a handful. I am a dog sitter/walker & have three friends with them, all of them lead restricted lives because their dogs are so difficult and they have put in masses & masses of time & energy into training them. A cockerpoo may be more suitable.