In the late eighties, Pat Blum, a vision-impaired woman from Hawaii contacted GDAV, the Guide Dog Association of Victoria (Australia). Due to her husband’s allergies, Pat hoped to find an “allergy friendly” guide dog. The manager at GDAV, John Gosling agreed to help. Wally Conron, the breeding manager for GDAV, bred the first intentional litter of Labradoodles. Harley, a poodle, and Brandy, a Labrador, produced three Labradoodle puppies. Out of the three pups, one fit the mold. Sultan, not only was an allergy friendly puppy, but his temperament and trainable nature made him the perfect guide dog companion. He was successfully trained as a guide dog, and at the age of 18 months was united with Pat. Over the years, this union has proven to be a superior combination. Not only are the pups as cute as can be, but they are also incredibly smart, trainable, and have excellent temperaments. These attributes along with their allergy-friendly and light-to-non-shedding coats make the Australian Labradoodle an increasingly sought after pet.

Because of the service dog potential, breeders in Australia began breeding Labradoodles with the hope of producing puppies with consistent conformation, coat type, and temperament. Organizations have been formed to protect the continued development of the Australian Labradoodle lines.  The Australian Labradoodle Association of America (ALAA) is the largest and most respected of those organizations.

The Australian Labradoodle is considered to be a cross between the Poodle and Labrador Retriever with intermittent infusion (a dash) of Cocker Spaniel or Cockapoo.  The Australian Labradoodle also includes the original Australian Labradoodle bloodlines from Tegan Park and Rutland Manor. Most Australian Labradoodle bloodlines originated in Australia.  You can learn more about Labradoodles at www.alaa-labradoodle.com