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| 5019 McKinney Avenue, Dallas, TX 75205 Phone: 214-526-2033 Fax: 214-526-2036 Wellness Center Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-6pm Country Retreat Drop-off Only: Saturday 8am-10am Country Retreat Pick-up Hours: Mon-Fri 3pm-6pm |
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BREED OF THE MONTH Labradoodle The Labradoodle is a crossbred dog, created by crossing the Labrador Retriever and the Standard or Miniature Poodle. Purpose The combination of these two dogs gives you the low-shedding coat of the Poodle with the gentleness and trainability of the Labrador. This dog is also suitable for people with allergies to fur and dander. Labradoodles are widely used around the world as guide, assistance and therapy dogs as well as being popular family dogs. Temperament Like most Labrador Retrievers and Poodles, Labradoodles are generally friendly, energetic and good with families and children. Like their parent breeds, both of which are amongst the world’s most intelligent dog breeds. Labradoodles are very intelligent and quite trainable, often seeking commands and finding pleasure in learning. They get along with other dogs, are sociable and well-tempered. Labradoodles are happiest when they are with people. They require a moderate amount of exercise and display an affinity for water and strong swimming ability from their parent breeds. Appearance Labradoodle coats are divided into three categories wool, fleece or hair. Wool is with tight curls, similar in appearance to that of a Poodle, but with a softer texture. Fleece is soft and free-flowing, with a kinked or wavy appearance. Hair can be curly, straight or wavy, but is more similar in texture to a Labrador’s coat. Labradoodles coat colors include chocolate, café, parchment, cream, gold, apricot, red, black, chalk, parti colours. They can be different sizes, depending on the size of the poodle used. Health Although most Labradoodles are healthy they can suffer from problems common to their parent breeds. Poodles and Labrador Retrievers can suffer from hip dysplasia, a number of eye diseases and Addison’s disease. This breed is prone to getting hot spots otherwise known as acute moist dermatitis. The life expectancy of the Labradoodle is about 15 years. Goldendoodle The Goldendoodle is a crossbred dog, a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. Purpose The Goldendoodle is usually bred to be a family companion dog. Some are bred and selected for careers in service to humans as guide, therapy and other types of assistance dogs. Many people select a Goldendoodle because they love Golden Retrievers, but would prefer a dog that sheds less hair and that may not affect their allergies. Though they do shed less than Golden Retrievers, the degree of shedding will vary from dog to dog. Goldendoodles make excellent bird dogs because Golden Retrievers are bird dogs. Goldendoodles also can retrieve water fowl, and many are very good swimmers. Temperament Goldendoodles are an intelligent and obedient family companion. They are everybody’s friend and devoted to their family. They are friendly towards children, other dogs and pets and easy with strangers. They are social dogs and are happiest when with people. Goldendoodles are likely to get into mischief and develop behavior problems if they spend most of their lives alone. Their intelligence, eagerness to please, and love of learning make them very easy to train. Appearance A Goldendoodle’s size is generally somewhere between that of the Poodle and the Golden Retriever parents, and the range includes Standard, Medium and Miniature. Goldendoodles have different coat types: wool, fleece, hair or a combo. The wool coat is more like a traditional poodle coat. Fleece can be curly, wavy or straight and the hair is more like a Golden Retriever. As a general rule, the curlier the Goldendoodle coat, the less shedding there will be as they are taking on more of the poodle coat. Common colors are white, cream, apricot, gold and red. Less common colors are black and silver. Rare colors are brown, parti and phantom. Health Although most Goldendoodles are healthy they can suffer from problems common to their parent breeds. Poodles and Golden Retrievers can suffer from hip dysplasia and a number of eye diseases. This breed is prone to getting hot spots otherwise known as acute moist dermatitis. The life expectancy of the Goldendoodle is about 15 years. GROOMING When it comes to Labradoodles & Goldendoodles they need to be groomed on a regular basis in order to keep their coat in the best possible condition, and to avoid excessive tangling and matting. Depending on which coat your dog has there can be minimal shedding. It is only a myth that these breeds do not shed! At approximately seven months, these breeds gain their adult coats. You should begin regular grooming as soon as your pet has had all its vaccines. Both of these breeds are prone to getting hot spots. Hot spots are inflamed, infected areas of skin that spread rapidly due to licking and scratching. Redness, oozing, itchiness and sometimes hair loss are all symptoms. Excess moisture underneath the dog’s fur is a major cause of hot spots. Owners should always keep up with their dog's grooming schedules and watch out for matted, knotted fur. Clipping your dog's hair in the summer and drying after swimming and bathing will help to prevent hot spots. Professional grooming should be done every 3 – 4 weeks unless specified by your pet’s groomer to keep these breeds looking beautiful & healthy. In between professional grooming, you always want to use shampoo and conditioner when bathing these breeds and daily brushing is also critical. |
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 © 2007 Dr. John Vandermeer and Dr. Wendy Dearixon Site by Oliver Site Design |
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