International Doodle Dog Day
Who knew there was a day dedicated specifically to Doodles? Our labradoodle, Paris, would certainly expect us to celebrate, especially if it involves treats. The first Labradoodles were bred by Australian Will Conroy, whose job was to breed the best Labrador guide dogs. When a blind woman requested a non-shedding dog because her husband was allergic, Mr. Conroy tried to train poodles (33 dogs over three years) to be guide dogs. His experiment failed. In 1989, he mated a standard poodle with a Labrador guide dog with the goal of the low shedding of a poodle and the trainability of a Labrador. He called the resultant litter of three “Labradoodles.” We adopted our male Labradoodle puppy, Paris, at six weeks. Labradoodles are hybrid or “designer” dogs who are friendly and HIGH energy animals. They weigh an average of 50–65 pounds and are 22–24 inches tall. They are generally easy to train, but you may encounter independence and stubbornness because they are very intelligent. We say Paris h...