What is he ?

This question gets asked at least one or twice every day! If owning a dog is sociable then owning a Labradoodle is doubly so. Many people assume he is an Irish Water Spaniel or Curly Coated Retriever but he looks sufficiently different to spark them asking.

He is a Labradoodle. Essentially the breed is a cross between a Labrador and a Standard Poodle. Originally bred in the 1970s as Guide Dogs to obtain the placidity and trainability of the labrador in combination with the dry, non-shedding coat of the poodle, they proved rather too lively for the role. However, people liked what they saw and the breed has become more and more popular over the years.

Why did you choose him ?

With some tendency to asthma in the family we were finding it very hard to find a dog that we could live with. We loved labradors and retrievers but there was no way we would have been able to cope with one of them. We heard about Labradoodles quite by chance (reading a Daily Mail headline over someone's shoulder on the train!) and tracked down a breeder. Dougal was the largest and blackest of his litter and he chose us as much as we chose him.

What were Dougal's parents ?

His father, Wu-Li, was a Champagne Labradoodle and his mother, Blaze, a black labradoodle. Some of Dougal's brothers and sisters had white streaks when they were born though he was jet black. As he has grown his coat has become a more chocolate colour with a mix of shades between black, brown and grey.

What is Dougal's coat like ?

A sheep. He has a mixture of wiry black (and a few grey) hairs that stick almost straight out and curls of softer black or brown hair. He is by no means a smart, tidy dog but is rather scruffy and cute.

Do you need to groom him much ?

If left, the coat can get a little luggy. So far his coat has been slow growing and has not needed any professional grooming. We tidy him up with clippers and scissors every couple of months to keep his shape. We do give him baths occasionally and he likes to swim.

Does he moult/shed hair ?

No, not at all.

Does he smell ?

Although all dogs smell to some extent, Dougal really has no doggy odour at all. Sometimes when wet or dirty he will carry the smell of wherever he has been but when clean and dry, he smells very pleasant.

What is his character ?

Excellent. He is very easy-going and sociable. Never once has he shown any aggression to a human and nor has he shown offensive aggression to another dog (he will stand up for himself with an aggressor dog). He is very inquisitive and assumes everyone wants to meet him so early on he had to learn a few lessons with some dogs and with horses. As he reached one year old, he settled down a little and is now less boisterous.

What does he like to do ?

He loves swimming, sniffing around and, most of all, playing with other like-minded dogs. He will play with anything from the smallest to the largest and will be very gentle when the situation demands it.

Have you trained him ?

He is a very intelligent dog (we're convinced he'll come back as a human next time!) and thrives on training. being eager to please yet wilful, we have had to make a clear distinction between play and training. Basic training has been no problem though he is still very hard to distract and recallif he really sees something interesting. He has recently been attending gundog training and has appeared to love the competition with other dogs.

What do you have to watch out for ?

When he was young he suffered with allergy problems and skin irritation. This eased at around 10 months but he is still sensitive. We would caution that the breed is still new and any mix is somewhat experimental. Taking a puppy from a first-generation mix of Labrador and Poodle could be unpredicatble. Just because the coat characteristics appear to be ideal for us humans, they are not necessarily ideal for the dog.

Does he need much exercise ?

He needs two good walks a day. In winter he gets a long walk in the day and then around the block at night. The rest of the year he gets two 1hr+ walks off the lead on parkland. Anything less and he would become bored though he has no trouble sleeping.