Black Labradoodle Facts

A black labradoodle is an animal member of the scientific family Canidae and is the bred offspring of a poodle and labrador. While not yet officially recognized as a pure dog breed by the American Kennel Club, the labradoodle is an official dog breed in other parts of the world, including Australia. Labradoodles come in a wide range of colors, including black.

  1. Breed Attributes

    • Labradoodles have an average life span of 13 to 15 years. They grow 14 to 26 inches in height and 22 to 92 lbs. Labradoodles have three types of coats that are categorized by texture including ̶0;wool,̶1; which is the most hypoallergenic, is not prone to shedding and has no dog odor; ̶0;fleece,̶1; which is moderately hypoallergenic with a minimal amount of shedding and also no dog odor; and ̶0;hair̶1; which is the least hypoallergenic and produces light shedding. The coat colors include gold, café, silver, blue, cream, chocolate, apricot cream, apricot, red, chalk and black.

    Coloration

    • A labradoodle formally categorized as black in color, has a solid, jet black coat with no other mingling colors and a completely black nose. However, black labradoodles can gradually develop an interspersing of silver-white hairs -- primarily on their back --if they are carrying a recessive silver gene. They can also develop sprinklings of brown hair, usually on their tail, legs or face, if they have a recessive brown gene. Blue -- which is a rare color -- and silver labradoodles are born with black coats, but develop their permanent, adult color usually within three years.

    Genetics

    • A phenotype is the visible manifestation of the effects of a gene, whereas a genotype is the technical genetic composition of an organism, whether it is expressed visually or not. Also, dogs have two primary pigment granules for their coats: pheomelanin, which is red/yellow, and eumelanin, which is black/brown. According to Westwood Labradoodles, Goldendoodles and North American Retrievers, while there are other codes and interactions within the genetic series of black labradoodles, part of their phenotype and genotype genetic coding is ̶0;BbE̶1; which is dominant black gene or ̶0;B̶1;; a recessive brown gene or ̶0;b̶1;; and an eumelanin pigement or ̶0;E.̶1;

    History

    • Labradoodles were first bred in 1988 by Wally Cochran, of Victoria Australia̵7;s Royal Guide Dogs. After a Hawaiian blind woman requested that the organization send a guide dog that wouldn̵7;t exacerbate her husband̵7;s allergies, Cochran conducted numerous tests involving dog saliva and coat specimens. The result was the first generation of labradoodles, bred from the Royal Guide Dogs̵7; labrador retriever and a standard poodle.

    Pet Care

    • Overall, labradoodles respond positively to diets that include poultry and fish. Labaradoodle grooming needs vary with the coat types. Common vaccinations for labradoodles include those for the Corona virus, hepatitis, parvo, distemper, rabies, leptospirosis and parainfluenza. While labradoodles adapt well to indoor or outdoor housing, they are more inclined to indoor housing and are very people-oriented.