Is the Labradoodle a "Frankenstein"?

Wally Conron, who invented the Labradoodle 22 years ago, seems to think so.

He says he never would have bred it if he knew what was going to happen.

"I opened a Pandora's box, that's what I did. I released a Frankenstein. So many people are just breeding for the money."

Conron, now 81, was working as the breeding and puppy walking manager for the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia when he got a request from a woman in Hawaii for a guide dog that would not shed because her husband was allergic.

Thinking it would be easy to train a standard Poodle, he took the assignment. After trying to train 33 Poodles he gave up.

(I’m not sure what his problem is because I have written before about Poodles as guide dogs here and here. Probably Poodle prejudice.)

So anyway he had the idea of breeding his best Labrador bitch with a standard Poodle. Three cross bred puppies were born. But no one wanted to train and socialize them because they were not purebred dogs.

That’s when he came up with the name Labradoodle.

"I went to our PR team and said, 'Go to the press and tell them we've invented a new dog, the Labradoodle.' It was a gimmick, and it went worldwide. No one wanted a crossbreed, but the following day we had hundreds of calls from people wanting these master dogs."

When the puppies were five months old, he sent fur samples and saliva to Hawaii to be tested with the woman’s husband. Of the three pups there was only one that he was not allergic to. That puppy was trained and sent off to a happy customer.

In his next experiment with the Labradoodle, of the 10 pups only 3 had non-allergenic coats.

But suddenly breeders all over the world were breeding Labs with Poodles, advertising them as “hyper-allergenic,” and selling them at outrageous prices without even testing them. They were basically mixed breed mutts, but the selling prices were far more than for purebred dogs.

And it didn’t stop with Labradoodles. People started breeding every other breed to the Poodle and calling them “designer dogs” and advertising them as “hypoallergic.”

Celebrities began buying these Oodles for thousands of dollars and even President Obama was considering buying a Labradoodle.

Often the dogs ended up in shelters because people found that they were quite allergic to them and unscrupulous breeders wouldn’t take them back.

Also some people are dismayed to find that a dog who inherits the Poodle coat is high maintenance, requiring constant grooming and regular clipping.

Conron concedes there are some ethical breeders. It is up to the buyer to do the research.

He is currently writing a memoir about life with the Labradoodle and says that even though the dogs have helped so many blind people, he regrets creating the first cross breeding.

“People say aren't you proud of yourself, and I say, no. Not in the slightest. I've done so much harm to pure breeding and made these charlatans quite rich." Source

Comments

[Peggy Frezon @Peggy's Pet Place]

That is so sad. It seems Conron bred the Labradoodle for good intent. What a shame some breeders have taken advantage.

[Sherry in MT]

HERE HERE. Nice to see someone that actually stands up and admits when they did something that didn't turn out the way they planned. Bravo Wally!

[Tammy]

Unfortunately, good intentions often go this way. I think it is admirable that Conron realizes that he started a crazy thing. I personally think that labradoodles are adorable, but I probably wouldn't ever choose one. I want a "heinz 57" dog, from a shelter, if we ever do get a dog. (Though I am quite fond of standard poodles!) :)

[Julie]

I didn't know that not all labradoodles are alergy proof. How interesting.

[Anne Gibert]

I got my toy poodle,Daisy, from a breeder who bred lots designer pups. The designer dogs were more expensive than the pure bred poodles. People want these mixes. Personally, I have known and owned some lovely mutts; but I wouldn't think I needed to pay for one.

[MiloLabradoodle]

I'm a labradoodle (Australian labradoodle, i.e. a dog from fixed lines ). OK, I was not cheap and my family is not rich, but Mom says I was the best purchase she ever made. Australian labradoodles don't shed at all which is important to Mom. She's OK with paying for grooming. I also trained myself to heel beautifully off leash - I never run away. Mom's coworker also has an Australian Labradoodle and he is the same way. Plain labradoodles are just hybrids without any guarantee of characteristics. Mom tells me many are more hyper than the lab or STD poodle. (Without Wally there would have been no Milo *sigh*)

[elesabeth]

This may be a politically incorrect comment for this blog, but I feel that dog and cat breeding are generally unnecessary, except for working dogs such as police and service dogs. There are so many homeless animals now; why not give one a home and get it fixed?

[Anji]

I don't know much about these things but I can't help wondering how many other breeds of dogs would be okay for people with allergies if only they were tested.

[Anji]

I don't know much about these things but I can't help wondering how many other breeds of dogs would be okay for people with allergies if only they were tested.

[cube]

I think Conron is being too hard on himself. That unscrupulous people took his good work and bastardized it is not his fault.

[Tony]

I have seen lots of them around Tasmania. They are so gorgeous & one of the nicest looking Poody offshoots I have ever seen. I wouldn't like the job of grooming a very furry dog that big though as just looking after Dixie's coat is enough work

[Doggy Dish]

That Labradoodle does look like a Frankenstein!Thank you for sharing these wonderful posts! I believe that a dog's behavior is reflective of it's owner & your POODLES are as happy as can be! Reading this blog can brighten up anyones day!