Breed Standards of the Australian Labradoodle
As established by Tegan Park and Rutland Manor Breeding and Research Centers of Australia and adopted by the Australian Labradoodle Club of America 2005 revised 2007.
Temperament and Soundness are the two KEY elements in a good family companion; they must not be sacrificed for any reason.
General Appearance: The Australian Labradoodle should be athletic and graceful, yet compact with substance and medium boning. Joyful and energetic when free, soft and quiet when handled. They should approach people in a happy, friendly manner with eye-to-eye contact. Keen to learn and easy to train, they have a free-flowing wavy or curly coat that does not shed and is possibly non-allergenic.
Size: Sizes are still “somewhat inconsistent”, with no definition between male and female at this time. Accurate prediction of size, even by an experienced breeder, is not expected at this time. Size is measured to the top of the shoulder blades (withers) while standing squarely on a level surface.
Much care is needed when breeding both large and small dogs. Large dogs can suffer from rapid growth that can lead to structural problems. Soundness is of utmost importance. Oversize is a major fault. Care must be taken to keep the miniature Australian Labradoodle a solid, athletic, robust dog. The dwarfing of dogs can lead to many genetic and temperament disorders. Minimum size attention is paramount to maintaining a healthy little dog. Most Australian Labradoodles will weigh more than their height reflects.
Standard - 21” to 24”: The “Ideal” size for a standard female is 21” to 23” and for a standard male is 22” to 24”. Weight range tends to be 50 to 65 pounds.
Medium – 17” to 20”: The “Ideal” size for a medium female is 17” to 19” and for a male 19” to 20”. Weight range tends to be 30 to 40 pounds.
Miniature – 14” to 16”: The “Ideal” size for a miniature is 14” to 16” with no correlation between height and sex of the miniature Australian Labradoodle. Weight range tends to be 16 to 25 pounds.
Body: Height (to wither) to length (from sternum to point of buttock) should appear square and compact. Shoulders should have good angulation with firm elbows held close to the rib cage. Hindquarters should be of medium angulation with short strong hocks. Top line should remain level with strong loin and level croup. Flanks should rise up from a brisket set just below the elbows, but should not be excessively deep. Ribs should be well sprung but not barreled. Overall, the dog should appear square, be balanced, athletic and with good muscling.
Movement: When trotting, should be purposeful, strong and elastic, with good reach and drive, giving the appearance of “going somewhere”. When happy, relaxed or at play, will prance and skim the ground lightly. Excessive tightness in the hips will produce a stilted action and is considered a fault.
Tail: Set relatively high and preferred to be carried in a saber, can be carried below the topline or “gaily” above. Curled possum-type tails are undesirable.
Head: Sculptured, broad, well defined eyebrows, medium stop, eyes set well apart, nose to stop slightly longer than stop to occiput. Foreface shorter than skull. The head should be clean and chiseled and fully coated as on the body, legs and tail. The muzzle is measured from the tip of the nose to the stop. The skull is measured from the occiput to the stop and does not include the muzzle.
Ears: Set moderately flat against the head, base should be level with the eye. Leather should be of medium thickness and when gently drawn forward, should reach the top canine tooth. Ear leather reaching beyond the tip of the nose is considered a severe fault. Ear canals should be free of excessive hair and not thick and bulbous. When inquisitive and alert, the ear set should rise to the top of the head. Thick, heavy, ear leather is a fault.
Eyes: “Slightly” round, large and expressive, always offering eye-to-eye contact when engaged in activity with a human. Protruding or sunken eyes are a fault. Watery or tearful eyes are a fault. Wide, round, or narrow almond-shaped eyes are considered a fault.
Eye Color: Eye color should complement and blend with the face color. Black, Blue, Red, Dark Chocolate and Silver dogs must have dark brown eyes. All shades of Café, Milk Chocolate, Gold/Apricot, Cream and Chalk should have dark hazel to brown eyes if they have black pigment. Caramel dogs with Rose pigment may have either dark eyes or “ghost” eyes. Ghost is hazel colors range much the same as it is in humans. Flecking with different shades of hazel with green and a blue/green make this eye color quite unique. Ghost eyes must always remain soft in appearance. Cold, staring, expressionless appearance in all eye colors is a severe fault.
Teeth: Scissor bite only is acceptable; being neither undershot nor overshot. Miniatures must not have crowding teeth.
Nose: Large, square and fleshy. Pigment: Black or Rose. Pigment should be strong. Black pigment dogs must have dark brown eyes. Pink spots or patches on the nose, lips, eye rims or pads is a fault. Dogs with rose pigment can have dark hazel, brown, or ghost eyes. Eye rims should be rose as should nose, lips, and pads. Pink spots or patches are a severe fault. Rose should be a rich liver color.
Neck: The firm, well-muscled neck should be moderately long, slightly arched and flow into the well-angled shoulders with no appearance of abruptness. The neck should not be course nor stumpy and should lend an air of elegance to the dog. A short, thick neck is a fault.
Color: Any solid color including Café and Silver is preferred. Minimal white on the chest and toes is acceptable. Light, chalky course hairs (kemp) sprinkled throughout a dark coast is permissible but very undesirable. Parti (patched) and Phantoms are considered an acceptable color. Parti can be any color (except Phantom) with white on face, head, and/or body. Phantoms are any shading or two tone coloration such as a black dog with lower legs showing a soft toning of silver or gold or a dog born dark with a golden shading at the roots or a slight brindling effect. True pure solid colors, with the exception of Silver or Café, are highly prized and are the ideal for the Australian Labradoodle. It is normal that all colors may show bleaching and discoloration over the topcoat. This is called sunning and is quite expected and acceptable as the Australian Labradoodle is an active dog and often a service dog that enjoys the outdoors. Weather bleaching or sunning must not be penalized.