`Australian Labradoodle Breed Standard 1997`

(revised 2005, revision approved by membership 2-2006) Temperament and Soundness are the two KEY elements in a good family companion; they must not be sacrificed for any reason. General Appearance: Should be athletic and graceful, yet compact with substance and medium boning with a free flowing wavy or curling coat that does not shed. Joyful and energetic when free, soft and quiet when handled. They should approach people in a happy friendly manner with eye-to-eye contact, keen to learn and easy to train. Size:

	`Standard: 21 to 24 (not over 25) inches (or about 53-63 cm) from the wither to ground measurement. The ideal size for the female is 21-23 inches and the male is 22-24 inches. Weight range tends toward 23-30 kg (about 50-65 lbs). Oversize is a major fault.`
	`Medium: 17 to 20 (not over 21) inches (or about 43-52 cm) from the wither to ground measurement. The ideal size for the female is 17-19 inches and the male is 18-20 inches. Weight range tends toward 13-20 kg or (about 30-45 lbs).`
	`Miniature: 14 to 16 (not over 17) inches (or about 35-42 cm) from the wither to ground measurement. There is no correlation between height and sex in the Miniature size. Weight range tends toward 7-12 kg or (about 15-25 lbs). Undersize is a Major fault.`

Body: Height to length ratio should be 10 to 12 [being slightly longer in leg, than body]. But still appearing square and compact. Shoulders should have good angulation with firm elbows held close to the rib cage. Upright shoulders is a fault. Hindquarters should be of medium angulation with short strong hocks. Top line should remain level with strong loin and level croup. They are a galloping dog therefore flanks should rise up from a brisket set just below the elbows, but should not be excessively deep. Ribs should be well sprung but not barreled. Overall they should appear square, balanced, athletic with good muscling. Movement: When trotting should be purposeful, strong and elastic with good reach and drive, giving the appearance of "going somewhere". When relaxed, happy or at play they will prance and skim the ground lightly. Excessive tightness in the hip will produce a stilted action and is considered a fault. Top line should remain level with strong loin and croup. Tail: Is relatively high and is preferred to be carried saber. It is allowed to be carried below the top line or gaily above. Curled possum type tails are undesirable and a fault. Neck: Firm well muscled neck should be moderately long, slightly arched and flow into well angled shoulders with no appearance of abruptness. The neck should not be coarse or stumpy and should lend an air of elegance to the dog. A short or thick neck is a fault. Head: Sculptured, Broad, well-defined eyebrows, medium stop, eyes set well apart, nose to eye slightly longer than eye to occiput. The head should be clean and chiseled, and fully coated as on the body, legs and tail. A long, narrow or blockhead is a fault. Ears: Set moderately flat against head and should be level with eye. Leather should be of medium thickness, when gently drawn forward should reach the top canine tooth. Ear leather reaching beyond the tip of the nose is considered a server fault. Ear canal should be free of Excessive hair and not thick or bulbous. When inquisitive or alert the ear should rise to the top of the head. Thick, heavy ear leather is a fault. Eyes: Slightly round, large and expressive, always offering eye-to-eye contact when engaged in activity with humans. Protruding or sunken eyes are a fault. Watery or tearful eyes are a fault. Wide round or narrow almond shape is considered a fault. Teeth: Scissor bite. Undershot or overshot bite is a major fault. Crowding teeth in miniatures is a fault. Nose: Large, square, and fleshy. Coat: Coat length should be 4-6 inches long. It should be straight, wavy or forming spirals and should naturally grow in staples with a soft texture. It should not be too thick or dense nor should it be fluffy or fuzzy. It should be a single coat, any sign of a double coat is a fault. The ideal Fleece and Wool coats can be spun successfully. Hair coat [Hair texture that sheds] is undesirable and is a major fault. It is important that the coat gives the impression of being a fleece in type rather than dog hair.

	`Fleece: Texture should be light and silky similar to the texture of the Angora Goat. Appearing to contain a silky lanolin in texture. Appearance can range from an almost straight loosely waved to an obviously waved coat, Kemp is often found around eyes and along the top line. The absence of Kemp is highly prized.`
	`Wool: Texture is denser than that of the Fleece with a similar texture to that of Lambs Wool. Appearing to contain a sheep lanolin in texture. The ideal wool coat should hang in loose hollow spirals. It is acceptable to exhibit a spring appearance rather than spiral but a sprung wool coat is undesirable. An overly thick or dense coat is also undesirable. There should be no body odor or shedding in the Fleece and Wool coat [with the exception of the`
	`Hair coat, which both has odor and sheds in varying degrees, (usually seen in the early generation dogs). It is acceptable to see a coat change from the puppy to adult coat, and also during hormonal changes in fertile bitches. This coat does not shed, but should be groomed out.`

Pigment: Black or Rose. Pigment should be strong pink spots or patches on nose, lips, eye rims, or pads are a fault. Dogs with rose pigment should have eye rims, lips, nose and pads with rose pigment. Pink spots or patches are a severe fault. [Rose should be a rich liver color]. Eye Color: Should complement and blend with the coat color. Black, Blue, Red, Chocolate and Silver dogs must have dark brown eyes. Café, Gold, Cream, Chalk should have Hazel to Brown eyes If they have black pigment. Caramel, Lavender, Parchment and dogs with Rose pigment should have Brown or “ghost” eyes. [Ghost is a Hazel color range much the same as it is in humans]. Flecking with different shades of Hazel with Green - Blue make this eye color quite unique. Ghost eyes must remain soft in appearance. Cold, staring, expressionless appearance in all eye color is a major fault. Colors: To see pictures of the Australian Labradoodle Colors click here NOTE: It is normal that all colors may show bleaching and discoloration over the top coat, referred to as sunning, this is quite expected and acceptable. The Australian Labradoodle is an active dog and often a service dog that enjoys the outdoors. Sunning or weather bleaching MUST NOT be penalized. Any solid color (including Silver, Café, Lavender, Parchment) is preferred and considered the ideal for the breed. In the solid colors it is preferred to have a solid color coat with no white markings though a small white mark on the chest, and/or toes is permissible. Kemp [course hairs] sprinkled through a dark coat is permissible but very undesirable. Parti [Patched], Phantom, Brindle and Sable though not preferred are considered an acceptable color. The preferred colors are as follows:

	`Chalk This color should be a white color but when compared to white is rather a chalky white in color. Nose pigment to be Black or Rose.`
	`Cream This color should be a creamy coloring sometimes with apricot/gold hinting, all shades of cream are acceptable . Nose pigment to be Black or Rose.`
	`Gold This color has also been referred to as “apricot” should be the color of the inside of a ripe apricot to varying shades of rich Gold in color. A true Gold will not have a lighter root than the outer coat and preferable have an even coloration over the entire body. This color may fade as the dog grows older, senior dogs should not be penalized for paling of coat color. Nose pigment to 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 coloration over the entire body. Nose pigment to be Rose in color.`
	`Red This color should be a solid even rich red in color. A true red must not be lighter at the root than the outer coat. Reds can fade as the dog grows older, senior dogs should not be penalized for paling of coat color. Nose pigment to be Black. [Rare color group]`
	`Black This color should be a solid black in color with no sprinkling of any other color through the coat. Nose pigment to be 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 (1-3 yrs) . Nose pigment to be Black.`
	`Blue This color should be a dark to medium smoky blue in color. Blues are born Black but will have a Blue/Grey skin pigment. The blue coat color will develop over time (1-3yrs) but as a developed adult should have an even coat color, any other color throughout the Blue is undesirable. Nose pigment to be Blue/Grey [matching the skin pigmentation]. [Rare color group]`
	`Chocolate This color should be a dark rich chocolate in color. True chocolates are born almost black in color and maintain the rich dark color throughout their lifetime. Color should be even, any other color in the coat is undesirable. Nose pigment to be Rose in color [matching the coat color]. [Rare color group]`
	`Café This color ranges from a milk chocolate to silver-beige in color and will develop over time (1-3yrs). Nose pigment to be Rose in color [matching the coat color]. 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 (1-3yrs). Any other color in the coat is undesirable. Nose pigment to be Rose in color [matching the coat color]. [Rare color group]`
	`Parchment This color is a creamy beige chocolate color reminiscent of a cup of coffee with a generous addition of milk. Parchment dogs are born milk chocolate and will develop over time (1-3yrs). From a distance adult dogs can be mistaken for a dark or smoky cream. Nose pigment to be Rose in color. [Rare color group]`

Temperament: Extremely clever, sociable and joyful. Easily trained. Quick to learn unusual or special tasks. Active, a little comical at times. Can attempt to outsmart their owners if undisciplined. Friendly though obviously loyal to own family. Non Aggressive. Severe Faults: Yappy, Highly strung, Dominance/Aggression, Fearful/timid, Aggressive to other animals. SPECIAL ATTENTION must be directed to soundness in the breed. It is the responsibility of conscientious breeders to health test their breeding stock and protect the Australian Labradoodle from developing recurring genetic disorders in the breed. It is good to keep in mind that the Australian Labradoodle is a family companion, we do not want the heartache of illness or the expense of less than sound dogs. There is no Scientific Laboratory proof that the Australian Labradoodle is “Hypoallergenic”. Practical research indicates that the fleece and wool coats of the Australian Labradoodle are very successful with Asthma and Allergy sufferers. In these infant years of breeding the Australian Labradoodle some throwbacks will occur, with wiry, sparse, or combination coats that have partial shedding. These dogs need not be discarded for breeding, but should be assessed as to their soundness of body and temperament. Many of these individuals offer valuable hybrid genetics and will breed on excellent offspring. The same applies to dogs displaying undesirable color or size traits. In order to produce a breed with a broad genetic base of quality dogs, haste should be made slowly. Genetic resources must be kept broad to protect the Australian Labradoodle breed from the disasters that many other breeds are suffering, "the genetic dead end". Please note that the Australian Labradoodle Breed Standard has been set for review every five years. The next review and possible revision of the Australian Labradoodle Breed Standard is scheduled for the year two thousand and ten.

This site was last updated 05/25/06