NO. The Labradoodle is intuitive, sociable, loving, and easily trained, BUT they are intelligent almost beyond belief.. As such, they need early training to reach their full potential. If left to run wild during their first year, they can become a naughty, attention seeking brat child, who will do anything to get your attention. So if you are not prepared to put in the early training with your puppy, then you should seek out another breed less intelligent, which may suit you more.

The Labradoodle is very much a 'people' oriented dog. They long to serve and please you. They also need to know that they are a loved and true family member. Their active mind does not do well in situations where they are left alone day after day whilst the entire family works. The practice of crating all day every day may soon produce a hyperactive frustrated unhappy dog who may be difficult to control.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a dog to be a true member of your family, and whom you are prepared to train for the first year, then I can think of no other breed more superlative as a family member who will continually delight you with its endearing and loveable ways.

There are many breeds in which a female makes the better pet, as the males can be dominant. In the Labradoodle, however, it has been found that the nature is not gender related. Therefore a male makes the same excellent companion as a female

Labradoodles are athletic dogs and need regular exercise although not excessively so. It is just as important to exercise their minds ( through training ) as their bodies.

Sometimes an overly energetic Labradoodle is trying to get the message across that it's MIND needs more to occupy it. An untrained Labradoodle can become naughty, and attention - seeking. They will get your attention any way they can if they become bored through lack of stimulation of their very clever and intuitive minds. In fact Poppy has a habbit of putting her paws on the keyboard of this computer if she feels that she is being 'ignored'.

Any effort put in during the early formative months to a year and a half, will be repaid a hundredfold with a dog which is pure delight to live with.

But if you don't have the time or the desire to put in quality time when your Labradoodle is still young, then you should consider another breed.

Yes, they make fabulous children's dogs. But all puppies will mouth and bite when young, and as with all dogs, this should be corrected early on.

Children should never be given the responsibility of training a puppy, and should be supervised when playing......for the puppy's sake as well as for the children's. Some dog breeders refuse to let families with children have their puppies, because they will not subject their puppies to the non-stop play and overtures of young children.

Puppies need lots of time away from young kids, to chill out, and have their own space for sleeping where they will not be continually dragged around by the children when they need their 'time out' to rest their little minds and growing bodies.

The mature Labradoodle tends to gravitate towards the young members of the family and will usually be found wherever the children are. They are non aggressive, but seem to take on baby sitting roles by choice when allowed to grow and develop properly when young puppies.

Labradoodles are so far relatively disease-free. But they do share with other long eared, coated dog breeds, a tendency towards ear infections. With regular cleaning, and the hair trimmed away from the underneath of the ear flap and on the cheeks beneath the ears, better air circulation will help prevent ear infections from developing. It is important for breeders to continue health testing their breeding stock so as to maintain the well bred Labradoodle's current vibrant health status.

You can help prevent your Labradoodle from re-occurring ear infections with the maintenance above. Some Labradoodles need to have the hairs plucked from the insides of their ears once a year, others don't need this attention.

There are roughly three sizes of Labradoodle. STANDARD is anything from 20 inches at the shoulder and above, MINIATURE which varies from 12 inches to around 17 inches at the shoulder, and MEDIUM which comes somewhere in between.

Black, Browns, Silver, different shades of Cream from pale Chalky White, through to Golden Cream and Apricot Cream, Apricot (rarer) and Red (rarer) and the newest color, Caramel, which is a reddish caramel color often called 'true' Apricot.

It should be noted that most dogs with the red colored gene, will fade to some degree with age, although still beautifully colored.

Labradoodles are an intoxicating blend of clown and intuitive intimate friend. They love to make you happy and will go to great lengths to see you burst into laughter.

They have moments of solemnity, and are just as happy to lie at your feet for hours, soaking up your company as they are ready to run outside and have a game. They make great running/jogging companions, excel at Agility and Obedience, adore a game of frisbee or fetch, but are just as content to snuggle up with you whilst you read or watch TV or work on the computer. They crave your approval and long to serve and please you. They need to know that they are a part of your family, and thrive when living close to you. They are tough and healthy physically, adapting well to severe changes in climate. Their lifespan is 14 to 16 years.

A Pictures Speaks a thousand words!

NO NO NO. NEVER EVER feed cooked bones of any description.

RAW meaty bones are excellent sources of nutrition for your dog as well as providing beneficial jaw exercise and natural teeth cleaning. Dogs have powerful stomach acids ten times stronger than a human, and these stomach juices are designed by nature to dissolve and assimilate RAW bone. Thin, flat rib bones from a young animal will be eaten up completely by your dog and are emotionally and physically satisfying.

It is recommended that flat young rib bones from lamb, or beef. Raw Chicken Backs Wings or Chicken Necks are loved by most dogs and they will crunch up and eat the whole thing with immense satisfaction.

Yes, this is true with multi generation Labradoodles. In fact if they are bathed too often a self perpetuating cycle is set up and they then need to be bathed whenever they get dirty, as the protective coating of natural oils in their hair is stripped away by the frequent bathing with shampoo. Even a light coloured Labradoodle, dripping in mud, will dry clean itself if kept in a dry clean area until dry. Try it..it really works !!!

Unfortunately the two do not really go together.

WAVY or HAIR coats are easiest to care for. Require no trimming, except perhaps around the eyes and chin, and very little grooming. But most of them will shed in varying degrees. Shedding has not conclusively been linked to allergy friendliness however.

CURLY or WOOL coats do not shed at all. But they do require trimming or clipping two or three times a year. They also need to be groomed thoroughly about once each week or so. They are the 'safest' coat type around people who have dog related allergies or asthma. Curly Wool Coat

SHORT STRAIGHT COATS "Flat Coat" These are always more hair, than wool or fleece textured, and will definitely shed to some degree. Are lowest maintenance of all, and can sometimes not be allergy friendly. An experienced breeder can usually tell either at birth or by six to eight weeks which way a short straight coat ( flat coat) is likely to go. Very few multi generation Labradoodles have flat coat any more, although it is still common amongst the earlier generation Labradoodles.

FLEECE Coats (USED TO BE CALLED 'BORDERLINE) These are a relatively new coat type and still being developed. Some are wavier or curlier than others, but they all have the distinctive 'fleecy' feel to them which is different to the wool or hair coats. Just as the Angora Goat has fleecy stapled coat, so does the fleece coat in the Labradoodle. Best examples do not have any kemp fibres, once again like the top quality Angora fleece. Until recently the Fleece coats were called "Borderline" coats. But because they were being confused with 'look alike' coats in earlier generations, which don't have the same feel or low shedding trait the name was changed to Fleece, more in keeping with the feel of this particular coat.

Fleece coats require practically no maintenance until between eight and fourteen months of age, when the adult coat starts to grow through the puppy coat. The puppy coat needs to be stripped or raked out weekly until the change is complete. If this is not done, then the coat will form matts and the dog may need to be shaved.