ALAA Infusion Research Information & Justifications for Guidelines

The history of the Australian Labradoodle is fascinating, intriguing, and yet remains shrouded in mystery to most of us. In spite of breed heritage tests, statements by the breed developers, speculation, and vastly differing opinions, at best all we can do is admit that we will probably never know exactly how the Australian Labradoodle was created. Perhaps no one really knows, as the founders worked independently and later co-mingled their breeding stock, at times working together and at other times distinctly apart. Attempts to research the origins of the breed are stalled by seemingly insurmountable hurdles as innumerable questions are asked yet remain unanswered.

So what should we do? There are those who think the Australian Labradoodle has something unknown that sets it apart, something so unique that it could never be duplicated and shouldn’t be tackled as we have no real proof of what transpired. Others feel that developmental programs are acceptable, but the offspring of these should not be called Australian Labradoodles. Many others feel that we should proceed with developing new lines in a controlled manner with monitored results.

One undeniable truth is that no matter what the decision, it will not please everyone!

At this time, the ALAA Board has decided to re-open the infusion program under stricter guidelines and with more closely monitored results. We do not expect that the developers of the breed will reveal the exact steps they took to develop the Australian Labradoodle. In light of this we can only offer the theories behind our decision and agree to proceed in a careful and controlled manner.

The reasons for this decision are below:

• We believe that the label “Zp” in the pedigrees of Rutland Manor and Tegan Park dogs is coding to indicate dogs provided by Zippinalong, which were Cockapoos.
• We have traced approximately 600 Australian Labradoodles in the lines of dogs coded with “Zp”.
• At the time of the collapse of Tegan Park Florida, we know that Cockapoos were being quarantined there for export to Rutland Manor in Australia. We feel that the  intent was to use them in breeding Australian Labradoodles.
• Discussions with breeders in our sister organization, the ALA in Australia, indicate that the general consensus of breeders in Australia is acceptance that the parent breeds for new line development are the Labrador Retriever, the Poodle, and the Cocker Spaniel.