ALD Truth vs Web Information

When researching Australian Labradoodles, this is the first description that comes up.

They sound great don’t they!

No wonder everyone who contacts me thinks they are the perfect dog.

But as we know nothing is as good as it sounds, so let’s have a few truths from 18years of doodle owning experience.

- horrific mouthing stage. Doodles pretty much invented the ‘Land Shark’ name in my opinion. You will bleed, your family will bleed, your clothes will have holes in them. This period is not fun.

- jumping up. This breed excel on two feet and will swipe anything they can reach (resulting in emergency vet trips), or jump up at strangers with muddy paws.

- love chasing small furries. You are nothing, and of zero interest when a bunny or squirrel is around.

- they aren’t overly loyal on a walk and love a bounce over to play with other dogs without so much as a backward glance. Social butterflies!

- they are filthy beasts. They love rolling in horse urine, fox poo, human faeces, dead things.

- they love to carry things in their mouths. Cute, yes. Until that object is a dead pheasants head, a cats paw, a half eaten mouse, a dead baby bunny, a decaying frog, and anything that looks like it came off a Jurassic park film.

- but who cares, they are hypoallergenic. Absolute utter utter tosh. No animal (well maybe a fish) is hypoallergenic. As someone who has allergies to dander, saliva and coat, I can tell you right now that I can and do react to my dogs at times.

People with mild allergies to shedding coats are usually fine, but if you have dander and saliva allergies, well you will still react!

- I want a therapy dog. Brilliant. That’s just a well bred and well raised and well trained dog. There is nothing special or magical, there is no fairy dust involved, it’s just your commitment to training, socialisation and good breeding. One of the best dogs for therapy work is a greyhound!

- Medical detection dogs. Ok. Serious stuff now. I will never promise or agree that any pup or dog will ever, or could be responsible for intervening in a medical situation. That’s down to the dogs desire to work, their nose, their drive, and training, training and more training.

So now we have some of the honest truths about this breed.

I love this breed, they are brilliant.

But they are not for the couch potatoes, the fair weather walkers, the worriers, the OCD organisers, the high anxiety owners and immaculate homes.