What’s wrong with Labradoodles? Does this lovely breed have flaws?
The Labradoodle breed has been tied to several diseases. It has also inspired dozens of unethical works. Even the creator of the breed said that he regretted making it!
Find out the real truth about Labradoodles.
What’s Wrong With Labradoodles?
The Labradoodle breed first came about in 1989 as a hypoallergenic guide dog for a blind woman.
Despite the breed’s laudable traits, it still has some flaws and a dark history.
Two possible Labradoodle flaws are their destructive tendencies and overly-friendly attitudes.
Destructive Tendencies
Similar to other dog breeds, a Labradoodle can turn wild and destructive whenever he/she doesn’t receive a sufficient amount of attention and exercise.
Aside from lack of training, there can be cases where this type of dog behaves annoyingly. A Labradoodle may randomly bark and chew things because of too much energy and boredom.
Overly-Friendly Attitudes
Labradoodles are easy to train, pleasing to the eye, and suitable dogs for families with small children.
As good watchdogs, they will bark to alert you of intruders. But Labradoodles may not be as effective guard dogs since they could be too friendly.
Bonus: Find out whether Labradoodles make good service dogs!
Labradoodle Health Problems
Labradoodles have a lifespan of approximately 12 to 14 years, which you can afford to lengthen. Keep them healthy with suitable meals, lots of exercise, and regular veterinary checkups and vaccination.
According to www.embracepetinsurance.com, Labradoodles have the possibility of being diagnosed with health conditions from the original breeds. It is important to do enough research and take necessary precautions in choosing the place where you buy your dog.
What are some Labradoodle health problems?
Hip and Elbow Dysplasia
This is a condition where the elbow and/or hip joints are not formed normally. Hip and elbow dysplasia may result in mild to extreme joint pain and early onset of arthritis.
In general, dogs of this breed are considered healthy, according to the Australian Labradoodle Association of America.
However, Labradoodle owners had continuously reported that their dogs are diagnosed with illnesses similar to those of Poodles and/or Labradors.
Eye Disease
These dogs are prone to around 15 genetic eye abnormalities. These include progressive retinal atrophy and other ailments that may surface when your puppy gets older.
Von Willebrand’s Disease
Von Willebrand’s disease is a bleeding disorder, which is commonly inherited in both dogs and humans. This is caused by a deficiency in the population of a certain type of protein that helps platelets clot and plug damaged blood vessels.
Addison’s Disease
This condition affects the dog’s pituitary gland and can cause random symptoms like vomiting, lethargy, and collapse.
A Dark History
30 years after he bred the Labradoodle, Wally Conron said, “I opened a Pandora box and released a Frankenstein monster”.
In an interview back in 2019, Wally called his charming creation “his life’s regret”. He stated that he hasn’t “got a clue” why some people are sticking with it.
Wally was the breeding manager in the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia back then. Th breed started with a letter that Wally received from a blind lady from Hawaii.
The lady’s husband had an allergy to long-haired dogs. In three years, the idea of “a dog with a Labrador’s working ability and coat of a Poodle” came to life.
The Labradoodle has from then became a bandwagon, ‘Poodling’ became mainstream and was pretty much paired with everything:
Goldendoodle, Bernedoodles, Cairndoodles, Borderdoodles, Cavadoodle, Dobedoodles, Mini Poodle, Aussiedoodles, Mini Aussie Goldendoodle, Teddy Bear Doodles, Jackerdoodles, and Double Doodles.
Opportunistic people had then started jumping on the market stream. They started mixing inappropriate breeds with Poodle, creating puppies that Wally labels as either “existing with inherited problems or just crazy”.
A lot of owners disagree though, with testimonies saying their partners are healthy, loving, and intelligent.
The Hybrid Result So Far
Sultan, the first Labradoodle litter that Wally made, was successful. Sultan was able to live up to his creator’s goal by being hypoallergenic as Poodles and fitting guide dog like Labradors.
His fur samples were sent to Hawaii shortly after his birth for testing with the client, together with that of his siblings. His fur came back as compatible so he was sent to training before getting flown to the couple.
Other breeders learned about this successful breeding, thus the beginning of the nonstop pairing and experimentation.
Statistics however show that the consistency of traits passed down from the parents has high discrepancies and that within a litter, there were variations of puppy sizes.
Even though the first Labradoodle was successful in being low-shedding, the generations that followed were different with a mismatch in comparison of parents and children.
Despite the inconsistencies observed in these hybrids, Labradoodles remain popular as designer and therapy dogs.
Unethical Breeding Methods
Due to the high demand for the Labradoodle breed, a lot of illegal breeders offered cheap puppies.
This high demand had also led to the formation of a corrupt underground market that vacuums pitiful dogs into puppy mills, trafficking, and swap meets.
These Labradoodles are still possible to have as pets though, we would suggest you ask for the parents’ history of the puppy before taking it in. Dog lovers need to be mindful when adopting one of these designer breeds.
Overbreeding and Inbreeding
Labradoodles can be amazing as family dogs. The craze about these dogs, however, has also popularized overbreeding and inbreeding.
Unethical breeders riding in the mix has led to chronic personality and health disadvantages affecting even the responsible pet owners.
Overbreeding has become an issue to this breed, an issue that’s been plaguing a lot of animals in exchange for profit.
Overbreeding happens whenever a dog or any other animal is forced to mate more than what his/her body could handle which results in extreme pain, stress, and even life-threatening disabilities as the dog gets older.
In dogs, crossbreeding theoretically lessens the chance of genetically inherited diseases as opposed to inbreeding, where female and male dogs of the same lineages are forced together.
They didn’t stop there; now, inbreeding of Doodles to Doodles has also been added to the list.
If this has been an informative post, then you also like these posts:
- Do Labradoodles Make Good Service Dogs? [The Real Truth]
- What Does A Full Grown Labradoodle Look Like? [25 Examples]
- Do Labradoodles Get Cold? [Full Breakdown]
- Top 10 Best Collar For Labradoodle [Ultimate Guide]
Thanks for reading! You can get many more tips and tricks for your Labradoodle here.
