Saturday, March 19, 2011

Abracadoodles of Washington State


If you get a chance, stop by Abracadoodle's website and check out the assortment of Doodles they offer! They have Labradoodles, Goldendoodles, Cairnoodles, and Ultimatedoodles (also known as DoubleDoodles). They are a featured breeder on our Labradoodle Breeder list.

They also have a page that lists some older dogs that are available and are already trained! Here is some information on their training program;

"Often at Abracadoodles we have older puppies (14 weeks & up) that are in training. This training consists of Introduction to Housebreaking, crate training, leash manners, socialization, house manners. We refer to it as 'PUPPY BOOT CAMP'. The puppy lives in the trainer’s home as part of the family. The course is a minimum of 3 weeks. A puppy who is now in training will increase in price from its original puppy price by $300.00. If you are interested in a puppy from this category you may contact Cindy at Abracadoodles and she will set up communication between you and that puppy’s trainer. It is also our policy to retire our breeding dogs no longer at optimal breeding age or just to rotate stock. These adult dogs, when available, will also be featured in this section."

Be sure to visit their website at Abracadoodle.com!


Smartest Dog Breeds | Dog & Cat Health, Wellness, Products and Breed Information

Check out this great article about the smartest dogs. Both the Labrador and the Poodle make the list! I'd say Labradoodles have a pretty smart gene pool!

Smartest Dog Breeds | Dog & Cat Health, Wellness, Products and Breed Information

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Labradoodle Generations

F1 Labradoodle
This is a First Generation Labradoodle. They are 50% Labrador Retriever, and 50% poodle. One parent was a Lab and the other was a poodle.

What Type Of Coat To Expect
Coats can vary, but generally F1 Labradoodles have a course – shaggy coat that can be slightly longer than the Labrador’s coat, or much lengthier. Coats tend to shed, some almost as much as a Lab, and yet others are lower shedding.

Allergy Friendliness
F1 Labradoodles generally are not very reliable for allergy sufferers. The coat quality of the parents is very important when looking for an F1 Labradoodle.

Disposition
They tend to have a little more of a ‘Lab’ personality, and have great dispositions. They are very smart and have a high level of trainability.

F1B Labradoodle
Second generation Labradoodles are the offspring of an F1 that has been bred back to a Standard Poodle to produce puppies which are 75% Poodle and 25% Lab.

What Type Of Coat To Expect
This breeding is done to bring more reliability in regards to being allergy friendly and low to non-shedding coats. The coats tend to be non-shedding most of the time. There are different coat results with F1b Labradoodles. A fleece/hair mixture, a fleece coat, and a wool coat are the most common ones. A responsible breeder will only breed parents with the best coat qualities AND personalities in an effort to produce puppies with optimal coats and friendly/trainable personalities.

Allergy Friendliness
F1B’s tend to bring more reliability to the allergy friendly aspect of the breed.

Disposition
The F1B breeding tend to retain most of the great personality traits that you receive with an F1. They are very playful in nature, yet extremely smart!

F2 Labradoodles
This is where the lingo can get tricky! F2 Labradoodles are second generation Labradoodles where both parents are Labradoodles. However, this can mean that both parents are F1 Labradoodles, or an F1 and an F1b. It is always good to ask the breeder what generation the parents are. Again, a responsible breeder will only breed parents with the best coat qualities and personalities in an effort to produce puppies with optimal coats & temperaments.

The allergy friendliness, shedding and personality traits of the F2 can vary greatly depending on the parents. It’s best to ask a lot of questions regarding the parents of this type of breeding. If the parents are an F1 & and F1, then you will probably have some shedding and perhaps allergy problems. If the parents are an F1 & F1B, then you may end up with great coats, no shedding and fabulous personalities.

Again, ask lots of questions regarding the parents coats and personalities!

F3 Labradoodles & Multi-Gen Labradoodles

This generations generally refers to a third generation Labradoodle. Many times third generations are referred to as Multi-Gen Labradoodles. Multi-Gens are generally considered to be third generation Labradoodles and higher.

What Type Of Coat To Expect
These Labradoodles tend to have more consistent coats and are very reliable in regards to being hypoallergenic and non-shedding.

Allergy Friendliness
Multi-Gen Labradoodles tend to be the most reliable when it comes to allergy friendliness.

Check with the breeder to ensure that only top quality breeding dogs were used in the breeding.

Australian Labradoodles
Australian Labradoodles are usually Multi-Gen Labradoodles. Many times Australian Labradoodle puppies are six generations or more into the Labradoodle breed.

What Type Of Coat To Expect
Australian Labradoodles have very high reliability when it comes to being allergy friendly and non-shedding. Most Australian Labradoodles have very consistent coats and the entire litter will look very similar.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Labradoodle Coat Colors

There are many different coat colors in the the Labradoodle breed. They are all equally beautiful! Here are details on the different Labradoodle Coat Colors.

Chalk
This color should be a white color but when compared to white is rather an off white. The nose pigment can be Black or Rose.

Cream
This color should be a creamy color, sometimes with apricot/gold tinting. All shades of cream are acceptable. The nose pigment can be Black or Rose.

Gold/Apricot
This color is referred to as Gold or Apricot and should be the color of the inside of a ripe apricot to varying shades of rich Gold in color. A true Gold should not have a lighter root than the outer coat and preferable have an even coloring over the entire body. This color may fade as the dog grows older. The nose pigment can be Black in color.

Caramel
This color ranges from a rich gold through to a deep red the preferred color is very much the same color as its namesake "caramel" with even coloring over the entire body. The nose pigment is Rose in color.

Red
This color should be a solid even rich red in color. A true red should not be lighter at the root than the outer coat. Reds can fade as the dog grows older. The nose pigment is Black.

Black
This color should be a solid black in color and should not have even a hint of any other color through the coat. The nose pigment is Black.

Silver
This color can range in shades from very light pewter in color to a dark charcoal in color, it is preferred to see an even color through the coat but acceptable to see uneven layering of color in the coat. Silvers are born Black with the coat color developing over time, although an experienced breeder can predict the possibility of turning silver. Nose pigment is Black.

Chocolate
This color should be a dark rich chocolate in colour. True chocolates maintain the rich dark color throughout their lifetime. Color should be even. The nose pigment is Rose.

Café Au Lait
This color ranges from a milk chocolate to silver-beige in color and will develop over time, although an experienced breeder can predict the possibility of turning Café Au Lait. The nose pigment is Rose.

Lavender
This color has a definite smoky lavender chocolate color giving an almost pink to lilac appearance. Lavender dogs are born chocolate and will develop over time. The nose pigment is Rose.

Parchment
This color is a creamy beige chocolate color. An example might be , a cup of coffee with a generous addition of milk. Parchment dogs are born milk chocolate and will develop over time. From a distance adult dogs have been mistaken for a dark or smoky cream. The nose pigment is Rose.

Parti
In this color, at least fifty percent of the coat is white, with spots or patches of any other acceptable solid color. The head can be a solid color but white muzzle, blaze, or white muzzle/blaze combination (preferably symmetrical) are equally acceptable. Full or partial saddles are acceptable, as long as they do not exceed the color proportion, but are not preferred. Any color nose pigment acceptable but preferable to follow pigment requirements of the patch color. For example, a black and white parti should have black nose pigment, a chocolate and white parti should have a rose nose pigment.

Learn more about Labradoodles at Labradoodle Locator!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Labradoodle Coat Types

The first type is the hair coat. This coat is often found on the first generation American Labradoodle or F1 Labradoodle. This coat can be easy to maintain and requires minimal grooming. This coat however is not very reliable when it comes to allergies, and being non-shedding. There are varying degrees of a hair coat. Some are only slightly longer than a Labrador Retriever, while others can have that cute shaggy look. The coats can be wiry or course but also sometimes very soft.

The second type is the fleece coat. This coat is soft and full and is also fairly easy to maintain. It can vary in texture. Sometimes a fleece coat is straight, but fluffy, or it can be wavy, or even a loose spiral curl. It does require more grooming than the hair coat to avoid tangles and matts. This coat does very well with allergy sufferers and is very reliable in regards to being low-non-shedding. This is the coat that many breeders strive for as it is hypoallergenic without being too hard to groom. You can find the fleece coat in many different generations of Labradoodles. Sometimes it can be found in the F1 labradoodle but is most commonly found in F1b, F2b, F3, multi-gen American Labradoodles and Australian Labradoodles.

The next coat is the wool coat. This coat is a tighter curl with a slightly course feel. These coats are very reliable with allergies and being non-shedding. They do however require the most grooming of all the coat types. These coats can be left to grow out and the curl will loosen up to a flowing curl, or it can be kept shorter. This coat is usually found in second generation Labradoodles, otherwise known as the F1b and further generations. For example, F2, F2b’s, F3’s or American mulit-gen Labradoodles. These coats can also be found in the Australian Labradoodle.

Another coat type to mention is the hair/fleece mixtures. Many times in the earlier generations of Labradoodles you can get a mix of hair and fleece. These coats are generally much softer than the hair coat, but not quite as thick as the fleece. They are more reliable when it comes to shedding, but still tend to shed a bit.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Dixie's Doodles

Meet another of our Featured Labradoodle Breeders!!! Dixie's Doodle from Central Texas! Dixie's Doodles is a small, family-owned Australian Labradoodle breeder. Their dogs live in my home as part of my family.

Here's an excerpt from their website;
"I discovered Labradoodles several years ago while researching dogs and looking for a puppy for myself. I was enchanted by these special dogs, however at the time I felt that importing a dog from Australia was beyond my financial means."



Saturday, March 12, 2011

Sound Labradoodles

Here's another Featured Labradoode Breeder from Labradoodle Locator. Sound Labradoodle is an Australian Labradoodles Breeder who raises their puppies in their West Seattle home with a view of Puget Sound. Visit their website for more information!