Australia’s most popular breed of dog, the labradoodle, is basically a poodle

A new study of the DNA of one of Australia’s most popular dog breeds has revealed a surprising truth: Labradoodles, with their soft, curly coats, are more Poodle than Labrador.

A study from the US National Human Genome Research Institute, published in Plos Geneticsjournal, made the discovery, and co-author Dr. Elaine Ostrander told The Guardian that researchers “were surprised to see that in it was actually quite dramatic. “

The dogs were first bred in 1989 by Australian Wally Conran, who crossed the two breeds to create a suitable guide dog for people with allergies or asthma.

Dr. Ostrander’s team compared the DNA sequence at more than 150,000 random positions in the genomes of Australian labradoodles, with the same positions in the genomes of standard, toy and miniature labradors and poodles.

The results revealed that while the offspring of the Labradors and Standard Poodles were a 50:50 genetic mix of their parent breeds, a different picture emerged when the breeds were mixed.

“What we didn’t expect to such an extent was that the Australian labradoodle retains a large amount of the poodle genome and does not retain much of the labrador retriever genome,” said Dr. Ostrander.

The team’s results could be explained by understanding the development of the breed, Dr. Ostrander said, with new purebreds added to the mix over the generations to maintain the dogs’ health and ensure they develop consistent traits, rather than of simply raising a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle together.

“People have been making planned and deliberate crosses with the idea that it will eventually be recognized in a registry as an established breed,” he said, adding that the labradoodles included in the study were at least four generations away from Conran’s original cross.

The desire for the poodle’s coat, which is less likely to cause an allergic reaction, is likely why dogs have become more poodle, less Labrador over the years, research suggests.

The research might have Labradoodle owners questioning whether they should simply have bought a Poodle, but Dr. Ostrander said the combination of the Poodle’s physical characteristics and the Labrador’s temperament is the reason cross-breeds do. a “great family dog”.

“Labs are a great family dog, they are a fantastic dog to have with children,” he said.

“Poodles have a reputation for being a bit aloof and aloof, but they are very intelligent dogs. That combination is really good.”