Australian Labradoodle Association of America

The Australian Labradoodle Association of America (ALAA) is dedicated to the well-being of the Australian Labradoodle. We believe that educated owners are the best owners, and we are committed to being the breed’s leader of education. By cataloging helpful information about the breed and offering networking services to breeders and owners, we promote responsible dog companionship and strive to make a positive difference in the Australian Labradoodle community.

All purebred dogs began by crossbreeding dogs of two or more different breeds to achieve desirable traits.  Dogs displaying those traits were bred to each other  to continue the breed development.  This has been going on for hundreds of years.   The development of the Australian Labradoodle is no different.  In the 1980’s the first labradoodle was created by combining a lab with a poodle in an attempt to achieve a more allergy friendly guide dog.  Forward thinking breeders in Australia began breeding these labradoodles to a number of other dog breeds in an effort to produce litters with consistent conformation, coat type, and temperament.  Most often the English Cocker Spaniel and American Cocker Spaniel were the breeds used with the labradoodle, however, it is reported that a few other dog breeds were also introduced into certain early lines.  It is the combination of all these breeds that make up what we call the Australian Labradoodle today.

The Australian Labradoodle is a purpose bred dog, with its beginnings as a service dog.  Today it is also sought out as a family companion especially for those who suffer from allergies or prefer its non-shedding qualities.

Here in the USA, the Australian Labradoodle Association of America (ALAA) has been monitoring the development of this breed by maintaining a database of pedigrees and health testing of registered dogs for almost twenty years.  While the Australian Labradoodle is not considered an AKC recognized breed, we do have a breed standard that conscientious  breeders work towards.  We have elected to keep our stud books open which means we allow for the development of new lines using registered Labradors, Poodles and Cocker Spaniels in an effort to expand our gene pool and keep inbreeding to a minimum.  These new lines are then bred into existing lines that date back to the founding dogs from Australia.  This of course is an option for breeders and there are many who are only working with descendants of the dogs from Australia while others have dogs that are a combination of old and new lines. It is our breed standard and our pedigree database that dictates the breed development and breeders choose pairings to improve temperament, coat and structure working within the guidelines set out by the ALAA.

Since the Australian Labradoodle is not an AKC recognized breed, DNA testing companies have not developed a test specifically for Australian Labradoodles. That means DNA and other lineage tests cannot be relied upon to accurately report our dogs genetic makeup or to determine the validity of a breeder’s claims to the lineage of their dogs. The ALAA has made extensive efforts to track and verify the pedigrees of our registered dogs, therefore, an ALAA verified pedigree is the only true identifier of an Australian Labradoodle.   The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) has recognized the  ALAA’s commitment to the breed with the creation of the separate breed code for the Australian Labradoodle in the OFA database.

We hope you enjoy reviewing our website and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to send them to us through the “contact us” link.  To see a list of our breeder members please visit https://alaa-labradoodles.com/your-pet/find-a-puppy.