Labradoodle More “Oodle” than “Lab”

Unlike the goldendoodle, which is only four or five generations out from either a straight poodle or a straight golden retriever, Labradoodles (officially called Australian Labradoodles) have been bred for decades and are on their way to becoming a recognized breed. Now a new study that has looked at 150,000 locations along the Labradoodle genome has found that this breed cross is predominantly poodle, with smaller genetic contributions not only from Labrador retrievers but also certain types of spaniel. That’s why, for instance, they tend to have curly hair.

Labs and poodles were originally bred to capture the cooperative qualities of Labs that make them good service dogs and the curly hair believed by some to make a dog hypoallergenic (although no dog can be guaranteed to be hypoallergenic, no matter what the shape of his hair). Breeders appear to have gone for curly locks over temperament, although, anecdotally speaking, Labradoodles seem pretty friendly as a whole.