Quote Originally Posted by black and brindle
labradoodle? The f1 crosses are uncertain as to what they'll be like but an Australian labradoodle that's been bred true can give you a low shedding dog with lab and poodle qualities. Plus they are very cute.
NO NO NO!! Allow me to step on my rant box for a moment...

A "Labradoodle" is not a breed. I'm sure as we all know from basic biology that whenever you mix two pure parents, you will very rarely end up with a perfect 50/50 descendant. Therefore, a "labradoodle" will rarely inherit all the positive traits of both breeds. You are correct, however, that "F1" crosses are always uncertain. However, there is no such thing as an "Australian Labradoodle". Furthermore, it takes MANY generations to create a true breed. A true breed is not created in the only 30 or so years that "labradoodles" have been in existence.

Labradoodles were originally created for blind people suffering from allergies. However, it is worthy to note that this experiment was a failure. I simply cannot comprehend how a common backyard breeder can have success at creating "perfect labradoodles" while a controlled experiment could not...

The Guide Dog Association had minimal success, as they too never recognize the mutated gene that would go on to develop the allergy friendly Labradoodle as it is seen today.

-laa.org
What mutated gene is this? I would LOVE to see the research behind this reasoning. Allergies are caused mostly by pet dander, saliva, and urine. The reason Poodles and similar breeds are recommended for allergy sufferers is because Poodles shed their skin every few weeks whereas high-shedding breeds shed their skin every 3-4 days (i.e. Labradors). Now, you explain to me how that leads to a magical non-shedding breed?

If one is looking for a curly-coated retriever-type dog, why not try the Curly-Coated Retriever? It just blows my mind sometimes!