Quarterly - Hudson Labradoodles

The
1
Australian Labradoodle
Quarterly
Pr e m i e r I s s u e
The Journal of the Australian Labradoodle Protection Society
April - June 2007 1
Volume I / Issue I
2
The
Australian Labradoodle
Quarterly
Issue I Table of Contents:
Editorial
________________
Curtis Rist
Article name…………………………...Page No.
Tom Higgins
Features
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Associate Editor
Let’s Breed Labradoodles!.……………………..11
Triple Doodled…...……………………………....23
Breeders Notes:
The Inbreeding Coefficient……………….35
Breeding for Type………..….…………...39
•
Beverley Manners
Contributing Editor;
Art
and Publishing
________________
Edwin Rist
Art Director; Fly Boys
Productions Inc.
Columns
•
•
•
•
•
Editor
Note from the Editor.…………....……………….3
Twelve Months…….…………….....……….……4
Pup Pinups……..…………………..…………….9
Grooming Your Australian Labradoodle……...28
Meet the Breeder…………………………….…41
Contact the Editor at [email protected] for information
on submitting articles, or for any questions or comments you
may have regarding the ALPS (www.ALPSdoodles.org).
Cover photo by Edwin Rist, Hudson Labradoodles
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EDITOR’S NOTE:
Welcome to the first issue of The Australian Labradoodle Quarterly, the world’s only
publication devoted exclusively to the Tegan and Rutlands ASD Australian Labradoodles.
There has rarely been such a versatile breed as this, whether trained for service work or as
a loyal companion. We hope to create a journal that will capture the varied aspects of the dogs
we love, and build an audience ranging from pet owners, to breeders, to those just beginning
their search for information about this most captivating breed.
The current issue contains articles on grooming, genetics, and the joy of living with an
Australian Labradoodle. Future issues will address vaccine controversies, health issues related to
the breed, and the other topics such as diet and training.
Please let me know what you think, and if you have suggestions for future articles. You
can reach me at [email protected].
Coming Next Issue….July 2007
Rabies: Do repeated vaccinations do more
harm than good?
Training a Service Dog: How to get started,
and test for a temperament that works.
The 2nd Annual Australian Labradoodle
Protection Society’s Conformation Show.
Raw Food: A guide to feeding raw meaty
bones.
Breeders’ Notes: Essential Health tests.
The Art of Crate Training….and more!
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TWELVE MONTHS IN THE LIFE OF…
By Maya Stewart
Photographs by
Stewart Davis
RUTLANDS WILDMAN’S TRAVELER
A few years ago my husband,
multitude of health issues, ranging from minor chronic irritations to terminal illnesses.
In a stroke of serendipity, Stewart met
a Labradoodle puppy while walking in Boston and became instantly enchanted by this
charismatic canine. His interest led me to research Labradoodles. I learned about the
Australian Labradoodle and Rutland Manor’s
emphasis on a healthy gene pool and a raw
diet. I studied feeding raw and immediately
put my remaining Golden, Angus, on a balanced raw diet. When I saw firsthand Angus’s almost immediate improvements, I developed increased confidence that RM understood dog health and that I’d found a
breeder I could work with.
Stewart, and I began a renovation of our current home, with our three carefully bred English Golden Retrievers in mind. We planned
with diligence the spaces for the various activitie, including indoor play during foul
New England weather, grooming, rest, and
food preparation. Sadly, within an 8-month
window, all three Goldens had been struck
with cancer: two had passed away and our
remaining Golden had a short life expectancy. In researching my dogs’ cancers I
learned more about the dismal state of the
gene pools of most purebred dogs and became discouraged about my ability to find a
healthy purebred dog not doomed to suffer a
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able within weeks of our application, we
jumped. All we really cared about was structure, temperament and expressiveness. Rutlands Wildman’s Traveler – “Wy” to his
friends and family -- promised all three in
spades! We saw intimations of an old soul in
this Rutland Manor allocation photo.
3 months
We’d had Wy just three weeks when we took
this photo. We quickly learned that we could
only photograph him outside and in bright,
direct sunlight! Over and over, upon first
meeting Wy, people commented that they felt
like they were looking at a little person in a
puppy suit. He grew in a very balanced way:
never out of sorts or in fits and starts; and his
graceful and elegant movements seemed to
express the self-confidence of an old soul. We
lucked out with the timing of Puppy Kindergarten: I started him within a week of joining
the family. With Angus as a wonderful mentor, Wy was
well socialized from the
start. He knew
how to play
fair, learned
quickly, and
expressed a
joyful spirit.
Above: Wy’s allocation photo, taken
by Rutland Manor at 2 months.
The name Wildman comes from Wy’s
Godfather, who is not a Wildman in the
“wild” sense, but rather in the Renaissance
sense, of a man talented in many directions
and brilliant in all of them. The name Traveler comes from Wy’s physical journey from
Australia to our New England home, as well
as the metaphysical journey that enabled us to
bring Wy into our family.
2 months
Wy at 3
Months
In our application, Stewart and I did not express a strong preference for color. We’d had
Golden Retrievers for almost 15 years and
had a bias for the golds, apricots, and reds.
However, when a black puppy became avail5
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5 months
By 20 weeks, Wy’s transformation from Black to
Silver was giving us
hints of the beauty that
was still to come. He
charmed the entire kindergarten class (both
humans and puppies) and
breezed through Graduate Puppy, with Stewart
sharing in the classes.
Our experience with his
sensitivity and intuition,
humor and intelligence,
as well as grace and movement confirmed our
commitment to the breed.
Above: Wy at 5 months
Below: Wy at 8 months
8 months
How to take a photo of a black dog in November?! Find a southern window, re-arrange
the furniture and shoot a lot of frames. We
watched in awe as his face developed the
browns and silvers – but this photo captures
his beautiful silver leggings. By now our second Australian Labradoodle (Rutlands Mr.
Woo) had joined the family, and Wy had
started to feel the responsibility for guiding
him through puppyhood as well as the happiness of friendship. Our training facility offers
low impact obedience and agility, so while
Woo attended Puppy Classes, Wy and
Stewart learned teamwork as Wy performed
fearlessly through tunnels, chutes, tires, and
jumps. He really shined through the weave
poles--a flow of black and silver!
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11 months
Above: Wy at 12 months
Below: Wy at 11 months
Everybody loves this picture. Angus at 12
years looks content; Woo at six months is a
little gold teddy bear; and Wy at 11 months
shows his lovely colors and maturing coat.
About this time, in an imperceptible moment,
Angus handed over Alpha status to Wy. That
change is visible in Wy’s posture in this photograph, which I think makes the photograph
so remarkable.
12 months
Stewart and Wy share a birthday--just days
before the Spring Equinox. On a cold blustery March day, Wy poses in all of his grandeur on a warm rock in
the front yard. His regal
appearance is an amusing
contrast to his sweet
sense of humor and gentle playfulness. In dog
years, Wy has reached 15,
but he expresses the wisdom and
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confidence of an older dog. It is uncanny how
the allocation photo captures that same wise
look. Wy was featured in a premier Japanese
toys in combinations he learned from Angus.
I laugh at Wei for doing the goofy things that
inspired Angus to get up and play when all he
really wanted was to snooze. They gave him
a wonderful last year for which we are
grateful.We have learned so much from these
remarkable dogs. We believe we have found a
breed that has the perfect combination of
qualities of health, temperament, intelligence,
beauty, conformation, humor, expression, athleticism, flexibility, tolerance, and generosity
of spirit. To live with an Australian Labradoodle is a gift and a privilege. Take care of
canine magazine article about Australian Labradoodles, along with some of his canine
friends, including Woo.
All in the Family
Here I am with Wy, Woo, and our third Australian Labradoodle, Rutlands One Wei. All
three of the boys had the chance to know and
love Angus and they will carry on his legacy.
I see Wy make gentle Alpha corrections he
learned from his mentor. I see Woo play with
your living treasure, and don’t forget the raw
diet.
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PUP PINUPS
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April 2007
Hudson
Photo: Edwin Rist Hudson Labradoodles
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“Bosco”
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PUP PINUPS
A Little Info About
Pup Pinups…
Show off your pup--and
your photography skills! Send us
some glamour shots of your
Australian Labradoodle of any
age to be considered for the
Quarterly’s Pup Pinup feature.
All photos must be high
resolution .tiff, .jpg, or RAW
images. Sorry, no people are allowed in the photo.
Please send photos with
your name, the name of the dog,
and a brief description to the Art
& Design editor at:
[email protected]
Photo: Edwin Rist Hudson Labradoodles
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FACT OR FICTION?
LETS BREED LABRADOODLES!
By Beverley Manners
Photo: Edwin Rist Hudson Labradoodles
Raising puppies for profit
is fun and easy--or is it?
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citement was rising, but she’d bring up the
subject again after he’d had his shower
and eaten dinner and washed it down with
a good wine.
Later that night, with the children in
bed, they both relaxed with a night cap in
the lounge and Sally knew that the soft
golden glow of the lamplight playing on
her blonde hair was attracting tender
glances from her husband. She turned
slightly in her chair and her silk gown
parted in soft ripples as she swung one
slender leg across the other and directed
her dreamy blue gaze straight into Bob’s
eyes. She sighed softly.
“What is it? What are you thinking?”
“Oh nothing...,” she answered, wistfully.
“C’mon, it’s not nothing. Penny for
‘em.”
“No, nothing really, I’m just dreaming.” Another wistful sigh.
Bob stood up. He crossed the room,
sat on the side of his wife’s chair and
kissed her forehead gently. “C’mon honey,
I know you too well. There’s something
on your mind. Out with it.”
Sally hesitated, just long enough so
Bob would know that she didn’t really
want to say what she was about to, well, at
least that’s what she hoped he would
think. Her idea was nearly bursting her at
the seams, but she had to play this carefully or she’d blow it.
“Well honey, you know how I’ve
been saying that I get lonely with the kids
gone all day, and you away so often on
business trips….” She let her voice trail
off and hoped she wasn’t over playing the
I
Sally and her husband, Bob, have
just visited their friends Judy and Jim and
have fallen in love with their dog, a beautiful and smart Labradoodle called Leah.
Leah has a litter of ten adorable fluffy
puppies and they have all spent a delightful few hours watching the puppies playing and tumbling about on the lawns behind the house. One by one, they pick up
the loving little bundles and tuck them
into bed for the night, and as Sally and
Bob are leaving, they are amazed when
Jill tells them proudly that all the puppies
are sold and that she will get $2,500 for
each of them.
On the drive back home, Sally
glances across at Bob. The setting sun is
casting dappled shadows across his face,
etching it into the lines she has come to
know so well when he is in a thoughtful
mood. She hesitates for barely a second
before turning and flashing her husband a
coy smile.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” she asks him.
“About their dog and how much
they’re getting for the puppies?”
“Yes! What a wonderful way to
earn a few extra dollars and have a lot of
fun at the same time!” she exclaims, “and
just think what a great experience it must
be for their children to see the miracle of
new birth, too.”
Bob goes quiet for the rest of the
drive home, and Sally puts a lid on it. She
knew from experience that it would be
best to let the idea sink in slowly. Her ex12
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part, “and I was thinking that maybe I
could get a part time job or something...”
My god she looks gorgeous, I’m a
lucky guy to have such a beautiful wife.
Three kids and she still looks like a teenager. “Yes, go on.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking”
“Yeah, that’s dangerous,” he says
with a smile.
“It’s just that when I was playing
with Jill’s puppies this afternoon, I realized that it’s been such a long time since
I’ve felt so fulfilled, so, so.... well, happy
and somehow complete. And it came to
me that maybe instead of going out to
work, I could breed Labradoodles, do
something worthwhile, something I’d love
doing, and make some money at the same
time, right here at home!”
There. It was out. She didn’t dare
look at his face; snuggled her cheek
against his shoulder. One last little sigh
and she’d let it be.
Bob’s eyebrows came together in a
slight frown. “Jim told me they paid
$25,000 for that Labradoodle female,” he
said.
“Yes, I know, but she was already
pregnant and a few weeks later she had all
those beautiful little puppies for them,”
she reminded him.
He put down his glass, took both
her hands in his and pulled her up out of
the chair. “Let me think about it,” he said.
She’d make sure he felt very loved
and adored that evening.
II
Sally had always had an eye for detail, and prided herself on never going into
any venture without carrying out a thorough investigation and equipping herself
with as much knowledge as she possibly
could. The next few weeks flew by in a
frenzy of internet research. It was so exciting to discover that there were a number of other breeders with fascinating
websites all about Labradoodles, and
Sally spent most of her time either on the
computer or doing her housework with the
phone hooked on one shoulder. These
other breeders were so friendly! She
couldn’t believe how helpful they were to
a newbie just starting off.
She learned about different coat
types, and which colors sold the best, and
temperament and hereditary diseases. And
several of the breeders were so kind that
they told her stories – sworn to secrecy of
course – about the terrible things some
other breeders were doing, and which
ones she should stay away from. There
was so much she needed to know! She
was thirsty for knowledge and drank it all
in like a parched flower soaking up a
spring shower of soft rain.
It was hot and stifling in Cargo at
the airport, but Sally shivered as she
waited for Teena to come out in her travel
crate. Had she bought wisely? Would this
pregnant Labradoodle like her, would she
like it? Her hair was clinging in hot wet
strands to the nape of her neck, but she
couldn’t stop shivering. Bob had offered
to take the day off from work and go with
her, but she’d declined, making up some
excuse about not wanting to take him
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away from the office. In reality she was
suddenly anxious. The photos Teena’s
owner had sent her were beautiful, but this
was real, it was actually happening and
she preferred to handle it alone, although
she wasn’t quite sure why.
“She’s real pretty ma’am,” said the
porter, who appeared from behind her. She
swung around and looked into a pair of
the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen
on a dog. The ties were cut on the crate,
and Teena stepped hesitantly out, her
plume of a tail wagging softly and cautiously.
Sally dropped to her knees, clipping
on the collar and leash and felt a rush of
love sweep over her that compared to the
feeling she had at the birth of each of her
children. “Teena,” she breathed, “you are
beautiful.” Teena licked her face gratefully and Sally stood up with a sigh of
profound relief. She bent and ran her fingers through the dog’s short clipped coat,
enjoying its soft silky feel against her
skin. She was just the right size, and her
belly was round and full with new life.
With her exciting new acquisition sitting
on the passenger seat beside her, Sally
hummed a happy little tune all the way
home. She wasn’t shivering any more.
val she hadn’t put a paw wrong, but today
was different. Sally went to the phone and
put in her fourth call to the vet that morning.
“Bill, I’m really worried. She can’t
stop panting and she won’t eat anything at
all!”
Bill came highly recommended by
several of Bob’s friends. He’d done his
training at one of the major and most
highly respected Animal Hospitals in the
country. Sally knew she was very fortunate to have such a highly skilled veterinarian on call and Bill’s calm warm voice
was so reassuring that she felt an immediate connection with him.
“Sally, you say she’s not due for
another four days. Are you sure the previous owner has the dates right?”
Sally’s voice was high pitched with
worry, “Yes, she’s very experienced, she’s
been breeding for five years already. She’s
been so helpful, and she’s taught me everything I need to know about breeding.
She saw the mating herself so the date is
definitely right. I’ve checked the calendar
over and over! But why is Teena so distressed? Could there be something
wrong?”
“If you’re worried Sally, bring her
right in and I’ll take a look at her for you.
I’ve a hectic schedule today, but I’ll
squeeze you in for an emergency consult
if you come right away”
Sally counted her blessings over
and over on the short drive to the vet
clinic. How incredibly lucky that she’d
had the referral to an understanding practitioner as well as such a highly regarded
one. On her arrival, she was ushered immediately into the consulting room and
III
It’s time.
Sally stared anxiously into Teena’s
distressed eyes. The expectant mother had
been panting heavily all day and had refused to eat even the most tempting of
morsels. In the three weeks since her arri14
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Bill’s reassuring face made her feel less
alone and much better right away. He
would know for sure if Teena was going
to “go early.” She’d learned in her studies
that this could happen.
Bill laid his stethoscope against
Teena’s heaving sides, and took her temperature, all the while uttering soothing
words of comfort to the panting dog.
“Everything seems to be just fine Sally”
he said eventually. “She’s had a litter before did you say?”
“She’s had two litters actually and
the breeder said she had no problems at
all.”
Bill lifted Teena gently back down
onto the ground and gave Sally a charming smile that lit up his kindly eyes. “Just
take her home, keep her cool, with plenty
to drink, and let nature take it’s course” he
advised her. “Just remember you can call
me any time if you’re worried,” and then
he left her with a last reassuring smile.
Sally paid the emergency visit fee
of $125 and drove back home, thankful
that her expectant mother was in such
good hands. Maybe Bill was right and she
was just worrying too much over nothing.
Let nature take its course he had said.
Teena’s heaving and panting diminished over the next day and night, her appetite returned to normal and Sally
breathed a sigh of relief. She’d gotten the
impression that Jill was getting tired of
her frequent calls asking for advice and
she felt hesitant about calling her again.
The following day was Saturday
and she and Bob had arranged a baby sitter for the children while they attended a
function at Bob’s work. The sitter had arrived, and Sally was dressed, and putting
the finishing touches to her hair and
makeup when she heard loud scratching
noises and high pitched whining coming
from the laundry where the whelping nest
was set up. She rushed to the room and as
she opened the door nausea engulfed her
at the revolting smell that assailed her
senses. The whole floor was covered in a
huge pool of vile smelling greenish black
diarrhea. In the middle of it stood a distressed Teena, her cream coat bedraggled
with slime and her soggy tail flicking liquid poo onto the walls and furniture, as
she waved it wildly from side to side in
obvious relief at Sally’s arrival.
“Aghhhh....” Heaving, and trying
not to vomit, Sally grabbed Teena’s collar
and dragged her to the door to let her outside. Where to start cleaning up! The
gooey mess dripped off the mop time and
again, and dribbled onto the washing machine and floor as she tried to rinse it off
in the laundry sink.
“Yuk, yuk yuk! Three toddlers had
never smelled this bad!” Finally the room
was clean and disinfected, but Sally noticed with horror that there were deep
scratch marks in the floor and her expensive new dress was flecked all over with
smelly black poop. She burst into tears of
frustration, stripped off her dress and was
under the shower when Bob called out
asking if she was ready as it was time to
go. Sobbing she yelled at him that her face
was all swollen and red from crying, she
had nothing to wear, Teena was definitely
going to start having her puppies because
another breeder had told her that black diarrhea was a sure sign, and that he would
have to go alone. Even the shower pelting
down into her ears, didn’t block out the
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squeal of tires on the driveway as the car
sped out and away up the road.
After the sitter was sent home, Sally
spent the night huddled crying in the
laundry, while Teena snored peacefully
beside her. Bob arrived home at two thirty
in the morning and went straight up to bed
without speaking.
In the quiet of early Sunday morning, Sally woke from a fitful sleep on the
floor. She stretched painfully, she ached
all over, and her head was throbbing. She
started to cry again as she let Teena out for
a run. I need a coffee and I’ll be just fine,
she told herself. But it really wasn’t fair
that Bob was being so unkind. It wasn’t
her fault that the laundry had got splattered with poo was it? And it was ridiculous to expect her to go out on the town
with him when the litter was going to be
born. With so much money tied up in the
dog and her expected puppies what the
heck was she supposed to do! A little sob
of self pity caught in her throat as she
watched an annoyingly placid Teena waddling around on the grass. Her belly
nearly touched the ground, and her full
udders dripped milk as she sniffed here
and there, and eventually lay down to
munch contentedly on a treat bone she’d
found somewhere.
How long was all this going to
take? Oh, how stupid she was, she’d totally forgotten that a bitch’s temperature
drops twelve hours before she whelps. So
if Teena’s temperature hadn’t dropped,
maybe she’d be able to slip into bed and
get some decent sleep for a few hours. She
might even take her into the bedroom so
she wouldn’t miss the first signs of labor.
Oh heck, no way, what was she thinking
of. Another awful pool of black diarrhea
all over the bedroom would see her in the
divorce court!
Good, the temperature hadn’t
dropped. She’d be able to get some sleep.
A tousled mop of black hair appeared around the door and it’s 14-yearold owner’s voice was hoarse with the effort to keep decibels below dad-waking
volume.
“Hey, don’t forget you gotta come
see me play this afternoon, will you!” the
tousled mop reminded her in a stage
whisper.
Her heart sank. It was her son’s big
baseball game this afternoon. But there
was no way she could leave Teena. The
game was clear to the other side of the
city and they’d be gone for ages. A sob
and a sigh got mixed up half way and she
hiccuped. “Josh....honey….” Their eyes
met, and she saw he had gotten the message. The door slammed hard and the tousled mop was gone.
A strong pang of remorse stabbed at
her heart as she shut the reluctant bitch
back into the laundry and went upstairs to
bed. It had been a tough year for Josh and
this game was very important to him.
Why, oh why does everything always
have to happen all at once!
IV
Sleep, precious sleep.
Loud barking woke Sally and she
sat up with a start. She glanced at the bedside clock. She’d only been asleep for
three hours. The house was quiet other
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than for the insistent barking downstairs.
She dragged on her robe as she trudged
down the stairs. Her headache was worse.
This must be what they mean when they
say someone is sleep deprived.
Teena was overjoyed to see her. She
didn’t want to go potty, didn’t want anything it seemed, except Sally’s presence.
Don’t LEAVE me! The big eyes implored
every time Sally tried to close the door to
the laundry and go back upstairs for more
sleep. Don’t LEAVE me please DON’T
LEAVE ME I NEED you the soft eyes
pleaded. Sally arched her aching back and
yawned. “Okay sweetheart, I won’t leave
you. I’ll just grab an aspirin and some pillows and sleep here on the floor again
right beside you.”
The barking and howling followed
Sally until she was back in the laundry
and down on the floor close beside her.
Blond head laid close to shaggy one and
the sounds of Bob and the kids as the front
door slammed behind them faded into the
depths of the dizziness that overtakes
when exhausted sleep takes hold.
The family’s back. Josh’s team
won. She gathered that by the excited
chatter as they came through the front
door. She heard them calling her name,
but she was too exhausted to answer.
Bob’s face was hard when he found her
there lying on the floor in the laundry. He
didn’t speak to her, just turned on his heel
and went to the kitchen to prepare a meal
for himself and the kids. Great. Now
HE’S in a MOOD. You’d think he’s the
one who hasn’t had any sleep.
Better take Teena’s temperature.
She’s DUE today! Nuh uh, still normal.
Maybe it’ll drop tonight and she’ll have
them tomorrow. She’ll still be sort of on
time.
V
“Doctor, she’s overdue!!”
Wish someone would drive Teena
and me in to the vet’s. But I daren’t ask
Bob. He’s been in a mood for days. Suppose I can’t blame him really. But what
the heck, I can’t be expected to get the
kids off to school, cook the meals AND
stay with Teena every minute of the day
and night. I WISH she’d hurry up and
have those puppies!
The emergency vet’s number rang
for quite awhile before Bill’s sleepy voice
answered. “Hi Bill, she’s just not doing
anything and she’s two days overdue. I’m
really worried.”
“Bring her right in, Sally”
Another $125 for “let nature take its
course” again. Yeah, right.
Jill sounded a trifle more than exasperated when she heard Sally’s voice on
the other end of the line.
“You’ve got to stop worrying, Sally.
Bitches can go up to four days either side
of the mating date, and that’s to just one
mating, so if she conceived on a second or
third mating you can add a week to that”
Sally wished she hadn’t called her.
She’d wanted to ask her if it was normal
for Teena to be so obsessed with having
her right there with her at all times and if
it would be harmful to leave her alone for
a few hours, but she bit her tongue and
kept her question to herself. Pleeeeese
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Teena hurry up and have those babies!
And then she did.
Sally was relieved and excited at
first, but surprised at how smelly and
messy it all was. Was she supposed to let
Teena eat all the afterbirths or only some
of them? She couldn’t remember.
The first four puppies were very
small and they couldn’t get their tiny
mouths around Teena’s big nipples. Sally
hadn’t noticed how big they were before.
Despite her most careful efforts to attach
little mouths to big nipples they just tumbled off again and her heart ached as the
tiny newborn creatures tried valiantly to
get a drink, and then fell asleep with
empty bellies, tired out from trying.
When the next five arrived, three of
them were in quick succession, and Sally
was kept busy making sure that their
mother didn’t lie on the others as she got
up, circled around and around driven by
the insistence of birthing pangs, and
flopped down again so intent on giving
new life that she didn’t seem to be fully
aware of those already born. Sally was in
a cold sweat wondering if she should tear
the sacks or let Teena do it herself. What
was it that she had read? It all seemed like
a blur now that it was actually happening.
She counted the squirming little
creatures, all nine of them, five boys and
four girls. She marveled at their beauty,
thrilled at the miracle of new life, but she
was relieved that the kids hadn’t wanted
to see it after all once the first surge of curiosity had passed. She was kept busy
enough without endless questions, most of
which she felt ill equipped to answer
anyway.
Teena had been in labor for seven
hours. It felt like twenty. Finally, she
seemed peaceful and content. Sally
cleaned up the last of the wet mess and
put the rubbish into a sealed plastic bag.
She arranged clean bedding and smiled
for the first time in days, as she looked
lovingly at the nine tiny creatures lined up
like little sausages along their mother’s
belly. Some creams, one black and two
chocolates and all were sucking away
vigorously at last.
The tired mother stretched out resting and didn’t seem to be at all concerned
about Sally leaving her any more, so she
dragged herself upstairs and was asleep
without remembering her head reaching
the pillow.
Shoot! Sally sat bolt upright in bed.
She’d better check on the puppies and see
if they were still all right. Forcing her eyes
open, she looked at the clock. She’d been
asleep a little over two hours.
She pushed open the laundry door.
Teena was still asleep, but her bed was all
wet again. Almost in her sleep, Sally
cleared away the bloody mess, and realised that two more puppies had been born
while she had been sleeping. Then suddenly, shock froze her as if a bowl of ice
water had been thrown in her face. Her
eyes were drawn to two tiny stiff little
bodies lying by themselves away from the
others. With dread, she lifted them up in
her hands. They were alive, but cold and
kind of hollow feeling. They needed to be
fed and quickly!
She was well prepared, and hurried
to the little feeding bottles she had bought,
warmed some puppy milk and tried to
feed the little thin cold puppies, but it took
18
19
ages, because they sucked so slowly and
she had to keep reheating the milk mixture. Several of the other puppies were
whimpering but their tiny voices sounded
weak. For the next couple of hours, she
fed them with the bottle, but they
wouldn’t stop crying. Teena was acting
distressed because she was worried about
her babies. What should she do? It was 2
in the morning, but Bill had said to call
her anytime if she needed him.
The harsh glare of the vet clinic’s
lights made her squint as she struggled in
from the darkness outside with the basket
of puppies. Bill was there waiting for her,
with his usual calm kind expression and
reassuring voice. Did he never sleep either
she wondered.
“Let’s take a look.” He picked up
one of the little late arrivals, and Sally’s
eyes pricked with tears as she watched its
peculiar jerky movements in the palm of
Bill’s large hand. It looked as if it was
convulsing, its head stretched up high
with gaping mouth as it gasped for air. Its
pitiful wailing was heart rending and was
a sound she had never heard before and
never wanted to again. She raised tear
stained cheeks to Bill and her voice was
barely a whisper. What’s wrong with it?
Is it going to die?”
“Not if I can help it, Sally.”
She watched as his deft fingers put
together a hydration pack and winced as
the needle was inserted into the tiny little
creature’s skin behind each shoulder and
each side of its back. When he finished,
the tiny creature looked like some grotesquely misshapen little monster with its
huge football shaped bags of fluid, but
Bill explained to her that the puppy’s sys-
tem would absorb much more fluid than
the stomach would be able to hold if given
by mouth so with severe dehydration this
was the best method to rehydrate it.
Bill placed the puppy in with its
siblings and asked Sally to hand him the
second little surprise packet. As she lifted
it out of the basket, and laid it against her
cheek, she could feel the icy chill of its
body and its tiny face was stiff with tortured pain. The little female writhed her
last contortion and died in Sally’s hand,
bathed in her salty tears.
Bill quickly took it from her and
laid it away out of her sight, then rehydrated each of the remaining puppies in
silence. How he hated this sad side of the
breeding scene. His heart filled with pity
for the suffering Sally, and he kept his
voice matter of fact and as cheerful as he
could.
“I’ll send you home with some antibiotics Sally. Follow the directions carefully, keep all the puppies warm, and top
them up each two hours with this special
newborn puppy milk. It has added colostrum, because we don’t know if the puppies have got that yet from their mother. If
you can tube feed them you’ll find it
much easier and quicker than using a bottle. Would you like me to show you how?”
“Oh dear, I wouldn’t dare to try
tube feeding. I’d be scared that I’d drown
them! No, I think I’ll stick to the bottle
thanks Bill.”
“No problem, bottle feeding it is
then, but it will take you much longer,
that’s all. Good luck Sally. Remember I’m
here any time day or night if you need
me.”
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20
The fifteen minute drive home
along the dark streets seemed more like an
hour to Sally. Teena was still obviously
distressed, sensing that her babies were
not well, and Sally was aware that she
would be picking up on her own anxiety,
too. What a nightmare this was turning out
to be!
tices and feeding and rehydrating the puppies and administering the antibiotics am
too sleep deprived to bother what time it
is.
Husband not talking to me. Kids are
sulky.
Teena’s breasts got gangrene! She’s
had surgery, and it’s all my fault!
In desperation, called Jill and told
her puppies won’t stop crying and won’t
drink and the vet can’t work out what’s
wrong. She asked me what color their
poops are and I said I’ve never seen their
poops. She said I must have seen their
poops when I was massaging their bottoms with warm water and cloth. Told her
I haven’t been doing that and she was surprised the vet never mentioned that young
puppies can’t go to the toilet without massage which is why their mothers lick them
to make them go potty. Why didn’t the vet
tell me this? She said most vets wouldn’t
think of telling you because breeders
know these things but most vets wouldn’t
think to tell you something so...BASIC.
Basic???? What??!! She said I’m lucky
the puppies didn’t all die the first two
days! Just lucky that Teena did have some
time with them before she got sick.
3 a.m. Teena rushed to the vet for urgent
surgery. She got gangrene and has had all
her breasts removed! Bill said her mammary glands were a weird shape. I
snapped that if he had mastitis his boobs
would look a weird shape too. Yikes.
Jill’s been much more patient with
me thank goodness. I think she feels sorry
for me now rather than impatient. After
I’d gone step by step with everything that
happened and what I did, she explained
that the reason the first two puppies died
VI
SALLY’S DIARY
Tuesday.
4a.m. Bottle feed all the puppies. Finished at 5.30 a.m. Clean up and prepare
for next feeding.
6a.m. Bottle feed puppies. Getting quicker
finished 7a.m. Set alarm for 8a.m.
8a.m. Puppies appear to be in pain and
won’t drink. Teena very distressed.
9.30 a.m. Took puppies and Teena to the
vet. Rehydrated again and came home
with more antibiotics.
12 noon. Got an hour’s sleep but puppies
are worse. Back to vet.
2 p.m. The puppies are in more pain and
Teena won’t let them drink from her at all
any more. The vet is puzzled.
Thursday
4 p.m. Teena seems sick. Puppies still
won’t drink. Take all back to the vet.
Teena has mastitis so now her milk is bad.
Maybe that is why the puppies are colicky
the vet says. Take the puppies off her and
bottle feed them all. Teena is frantic wanting her puppies back.
Don’t know what time it is. Between bathing Teena’s udders with poul20
21
was because I bottle fed them when they
were cold. You NEVER feed a cold
puppy she said, it’s a sure way to kill
them. So why didn’t the vet tell me this?
Why did he rehydrate the puppies and
give me antibiotics for them when he
knew they would die anyway? It’s all so
puzzling and devastating I just don’t know
where to turn any more.
Jill also taught me that I should
have been milking Teena to relieve the
pressure off her breasts when the puppies
were being topped up with mixture. Because she had no way of getting rid of her
own milk, she got mastitis, and because I
hadn’t known she had it until it was too
late, that was why she got gangrene. If I’d
taken her temperature it would have been
soaring Jill said, and I’d have known she
was getting sick, but I just thought her
crying was because she was worried about
her puppies.
Got my vet bill in. After-hours
emergency visits, antibiotics, rehydrations, vaccinations, Teena’s surgery and
recovery check ups etc., etc. Total: $9,384.
48.
VII
Eight weeks later….
It’s a beautiful sunny afternoon, and
seven surviving beautiful healthy puppies
are frolicking on the green lawns at back
of my house. A family with four young
children is visiting to have a look at the
puppies. It’s a lovely family and the kids
adore the puppies. The two-year-old
picked up a puppy and dropped it off the
landing. Sorry, they said as they left hurriedly. Another vet bill and a puppy with
a crooked front leg. Hope someone wants
a free puppy who will always be slightly
lame.
Later that same afternoon, another
lovely family looking at my gorgeous
puppies. How much they ask? I tell them
$2,500, wormed, microchipped vaccinated, and already desexed for you, too.
As they leave, I hear them saying
“What a nerve asking that much for a
puppy. Hey, we’re in the wrong business!”
Will I do it all again? Probably. It’s
addictive. There are the lows, and I understand now about how long-time breeders
talk about the “heartbreaks and disappointments of breeding.” But there are
the highs, too. And there’s nothing more
miraculous and marvelous than watching
healthy happy puppies playing, and cuddling them, and yes, even cleaning up all
those poopies! It’s all part and parcel of a
wondrous experience.
But let’s breed Labradoodles to
make some easy money? I think not!!
Oh, got a call from Jill. Someone is
suing a breeder friend of hers. They want
to breed Labradoodles, and she sold them
What price damaged relationship
with hubby? Unknown
What price damaged relationship
with kids? Unknown
What price beautiful breeding female who can’t have puppies anymore?
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22
Dixie, a special favorite of hers, a beautiful adult breeding female who’d already
had several gorgeous litters for her. The
new owner had her puppies die from herpes and one was born blind. Claims she
was sold a bad breeder. Canine vet experts
say herpes can be airborne and caught off
someone’s clothing, so it obviously happened after Jill’s friend sold her. But
somehow it’s the previous owner’s fault.
Go figure.
Here comes another car pulling up
in the drive, someone else to see my fabulous puppies.
“Hi!” says the young woman, all
dressed in white. Her stiletto heels stick in
the lawn as she totters across the uneven
ground. The puppies hurl themselves at
her for a cuddle and she turns aside and
brushes some paw marks from her spotless slacks. “What gorgeous puppies! Do
you have a really top quality puppy suitable for breeding?” she asks. “My husband says I can breed Labradoodles and
I’m so excited!”
The End.
(Or, is it just the beginning?)
Photo: Edwin Rist Hudson Labradoodles
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23
TRIPLE-DOODLED
What has 12 legs, three tails, and runs the household?
By Tom Higgins
Photography by Tom Higgins and
Kemp Rader
cheesy reality shows, and college football would be a natural for a show about
Labradoodles. I’ve learned to trust Tivo’s
intuition, so I cued up the show. What
unfolded before my eyes were Beverley
Manners, her amazing dogs, and Rutland
Manor. I was hooked. I called Kemp into
the room, never expecting he would be
interested, but he was hooked, too. After
a quick Google-search and a few days of
some serious thinking, we had our application approved and put down a deposit
on an Australian Labradoodle of our very
own.
I had just watched a program on
television about the most beautiful dogs,
and could not wait to show them to my
partner, Kemp Rader. I don’t know if I
really believe in fate, but I do not normally watch The National Geographic
Channel, and I wouldn’t normally watch
a program called “Designer Dogs”.
Thankfully, Tivo (our amazing DVR!),
knew better, and automatically taped the
show and put it in my suggested programs file. Somehow the algorithm inside this machine extrapolated that a guy
such as myself addicted to “Star Trek”,
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24
The new
puppy, which we
would later name
Ripley, would join
our small family,
to include me,
Kemp, his elderly
mother, and
Shasta, our 12year-old Golden
Retriever. Shasta
had been with me
since she was a
pup, a year before
Kemp and I met.
She was always
my “baby” but
learned to love her
other Daddy, too.
Kemp wanted a
dog of his own,
however, and
Ripley would be
the answer. We
were now on the
waiting list for a puppy that would fly
halfway around the world to join us. I
wondered briefly if Shasta would be jealous, but knew she would show the new
puppy the same sweet, loving nature she
had shown to every living creature each
day of her life. We would all be so happy
together!
Mother nature had other plans. On
th
her 12 birthday, Shasta was diagnosed
with a rare form of cancer, in which her
veins turned malignant. The condition
does not turn up in any regular screening
used in semi-annual check-ups, and by
the time it was caught it was too far gone
to treat. Even worse, Shasta was in pain.
The vet prescribed medication to ease her
pain, but advised
us that she had
only days at most
to live; a blood
clot to the heart
and a pain-filled
end would be the
most likely result
unless we took
alternative steps.
We took Shasta
home for a day to
say goodbye, and
then scheduled a
new appointment
with the vet. On
Saint Patrick’s
Day 2006, we did
the most loving
thing we could do
for our girl and
ended her suffering. It all happened so
quickly. Shasta was gone, never having
the opportunity to meet her younger
brother, Ripley.
Like most soon-to-be Labradoodle
parents, I was on the Rutland Manor
website every day, countless times per
day. Each time, I was hoping for updated
pictures of Ripley’s litter and reading
about what to expect from our new
puppy. The only difference was that now
I had all these new feelings of loss and
love for Shasta, and no canine outlet
available to express them.
Enter Shiloh.
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25
I clicked on the “Available for
Adoption” link from the Rutland Manor
main page. There he was, right on top, an
adorable cream-colored boy. He had been
deferred by another family for personal
reasons and was now available for immediate adoption. Upon further inspection, I noticed he was Ripley’s half
brother. All the puzzle pieces were coming together now. This pup was meant for
me. I called Kemp into our home office
and
showed
him the
picture.
He was
leery at
first. He
knew I
was still
smarting
from
Shasta’s
loss and
did not
want me
to make a
rash decision. I
couldn’t explain it. I just knew this was
my dog, and I was not going to let him
slip away. I called Karen at Rutland
Manor to discuss the puppy. After a few
questions, we each agreed this puppy
would be an ideal dog for our family.
Better still, they would immediately introduce the two brothers so that the two
could get to know each other. We had
also made the decision just in time for
them to travel together from Australia.
We named the second puppy Shiloh, a
name I had chosen years before as a potential name for a playmate for Shasta.
We would be a double-Doodle, doublepuppy family. Or so I thought.
And then came cousin Oliver.
Little did I know it, but typically
stoic Kemp was visiting the Rutland
Manor site with almost the same frequency as me. One night, when I returned home from the office, Kemp
asked me to sit
down with
him in our
living room.
It must be
something
important, so
I braced myself for bad
news. He had
been giving it
a lot of
thought, and I
shouldn’t
think he’s
gone crazy,
but he wanted
to get a third
puppy. A gorgeous black pup had become
available and was the cousin of both
Ripley and Shiloh. We were only days
away from picking up Ripley and Shiloh,
and now he wants a third puppy!?
For those of you don’t know us,
Kemp is the sensible one in our family.
He manages the budget, keeps us out of
the poorhouse, and makes sure everything in our lives “clicks”. So when I
heard him asking if I agreed we should
25
26
raise three puppies at once, I could be
forgiven for thinking aliens had landed
and taken over his brain. Kemp said he
had been giving it a lot of thought, and
three was just a much more round number. Since he would be doing all of the
pups’ training, two could play together
while he worked with another. Never letting logic get in the way of emotion, I
agreed this was a great idea, and soon
RM was sending little Oliver on his way.
Fast-forward a few months.
The happy airport puppy meetings
and greetings have now passed…the
“honeymoon” period is over…and we
now have three happy, energetic, and
growing Australian Labradoodles in our
family.
House training was rough. When
you only have one puppy, you always
know who “had an accident” or who
chewed the legs on your bedside table.
Having three puppies is a completely
other story. If you don’t see the pup do
the deed that needs correcting, how do
you know who needs the extra attention?
Over time we worked out our own solutions, based on the basics we all know:
limit house freedoms until trained; oneon-one pup attention is critical; give
them lots of exercise, etc.
Looking back, having a few
months of pain was worth it. Our three
boys are healthy, happy, reasonably well
trained and bring us pure joy. Our house
is filled with laughter, and we never have
a boring moment with these three Doods
around.
We’ve also met the nicest people
and made true friends in the extended
Labradoodle community. We had great
fun attending the romp in Malibu Cali-
26
27
fornia last year and were quite proud
when Ripley won second place in his
class at the Inaugural ALPS Conformation show. We are looking forward to attending this year’s romp as well. Last
December, Kemp agreed to go into business with Rutland Manor/Tegan, and now
manages the on-line
“DoodleCountry.com” store, an extension of their main business. I never knew
a year could bring so many changes!
The insanity continues.
By now you know we’ve been
“Triple Doodled.” Ripley, Shiloh, and
Oliver are wonderful and we love them.
Beverley Manners once told me “Labradoodles are like potato chips. You can’t
have just one.” Or two. Or even three.
Yes, just last week Kemp and I placed
our deposit on the newest member of our
family. We are not sure if he’s born yet,
but know the wonderful Rutland Manor/
Tegan team will choose a great dog for
us. We will name him Truman. We’ll
have new puppy training to look forward
to, but have three big brother Doodles to
help with the process.
Triple Doodles: Oliver,
Shiloh, and Ripley
27
28
THE GROOMER’S TABLE
has suddenly turned into an impenetrable
forest of red-apricot wool curls. Somewhere in there is the Labradoodle I love,
and I am determined to find him again. In
short, it is time to head to the groomer.
I admit I had my fears about bringing my wonderful pup to the groomer for
the first time. People often complain about
a bad hair day, but the number one irritation for Australian Labradoodle owners is
a bad haircut—and the embarrassment
lasts a lot longer than a day. One friend
brought his beautiful 12-month-old black
male to the groomer’s “for a trim,” and
was shocked at the end of the day to find
that his dog had been shaved to the skin.
Enzo’s First Clipping
By Lynn Morrissey
Photography by Edwin Rist
As a six-month old pup, my Enzo is
a constant delight. He seems to know exactly what comes next as our days unfold,
whether to romp in the yard after lunch, or
work on obedience training in the late afternoon, or curl under my desk as I work.
When I look into his eyes…yikes, what
eyes? What had been a cute, shaggy face
28
29
“This isn’t my dog,” he said in disbelief,
but oh yes it was. Equally shocking was
the bill: $212. Another took his beautiful
six-month old chocolate girl to a poodle
groomer, who proceeded to clip and primp
the pup until she was fully decorated with
pom-pom ears, a shaved muzzle, and what
looked like a big cotton ball stuck on the
end of her tail, as well as a bow on her
head. (“I guess I’ll just keep her inside for
a few months, until her hair grows back,”
muttered the owner.)
As a new breed, it’s understandable
that most groomers won’t have a clue with
what to do with a well-bred Labradoodle.
To help, we brought Enzo to hair stylist
Ivy Bates in Long Island, New York. Ivy
has an Australian Labradoodle of her own,
named Rutlands Austin, and has made a
specialty of trimming the dogs well. Take
these photos to your groomer, or contact
Ivy herself (516-546-7776), and you’ll
guarantee a perfect haircut every time.
around the head, face and beard, using
curved scissors around the cheeks to give
a more rounded look.
THE FACE: Using a wide-tooth steel
comb, Ivy brushes out Enzo’s face, and
makes the first crucial snips between the
eyes and lower forehead (photo). This allows the Australian Labradoodle’s characteristic “veranda” over the eyes to fall
slightly forward and begins to free the
eyes of overgrowth. Be careful not to cut
those gorgeous lashes! Then, angling in
with scissors toward the inner corner of
the eye, Ivy cuts on the diagonal to further
clear the eye area and create the rounded
shape of the face. She is careful not to clip
the hair short under the eye, which would
give the eye a hollowed-out appearance.
Once the eyes are free of hair and the veranda preserved, she cuts evenly all
Above: Trimming between the eyes
Below: The completed veranda clip
29
30
THE EARS: Australian Labradoodles have a lot of hair on the
underside of the ear. Like other
breeds with ears that hang down
close to the head, they hide dirt,
and excess hair can plug up the
outer ear canal. Dirt and trapped
moisture can lead to smelly ears
and yeast infections, which can be
avoided with regular grooming.
To start, Ivy puts a small amount
of drying powder in the ear, and
begins plucking out the excess
hair with her fingers (photo). It’s
not a particularly painful process,
and Enzo barely whimpers. Use
fingers only for this, rather than
ing a small electric shaver, Ivy also reforceps or cotton swabs that can seriously
moves hair from the underside of the ear
damage the ear canal and ear drum. With
flap and the lower part of the ear, where
the hair gone, Ivy squeezes a few drops of
growth, especially with wool
a vet-prescribed cleaner
Above: Plucking excess hair from
coats, can become very thick.
into the ear and masRemoving this hair allows
sages the ear. (Enzo is in inside of the ear
for better air circulation and
heaven.). She cleans the
Below:
The
cleaned
ear;
keeps from trapping moisloosened dirt with cotton. The result is a fresh Trimming the underside of the ear ture.
to facilitate airflow
smelling, pink ear. Us-
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31
THE BODY: Using a steel comb, Ivy
combs out Enzo’s body, including the tail,
revealing a considerable amount of fuzzy
ends. Ivy cuts about an inch from the coat,
working to maintain an even length all
around. Using curved scissors on the sides
helps give Enzo a shaped, but not a stylized cut. His flanks and lets had a few
mats, so Ivy worked those out with a steel
Les Pooches brush,. Lifting a chunk of
hair and brushing small amounts of hair
downward from underneath. A common
error is to brush the surface, which just
puffs up the hair, giving it the illusion of
grooming. The mats are below this fluff,
closer to the skin. When it came to the
legs, Ivy was careful not to follow too
closely the counters of the lower leg,
which would give an over shapely leg. Instead, she left the hair slightly longer to
give a blockier look.
31
32
THE PAW: Grooming the underside of
the foot is essential to keep the pads free
of excess hair and dirt and to examine
the foot for any cuts or injuries. Overgrowth traps dirt, and also causes the
dog to slip as it walks on the floor. Using straight scissors and a small electric
trimmer, Ivy removes excess hair and
exposes the pads. The top of the foot is
trimmed, using the same method as the
body: comb or brush the hair, and trim
to give a shorter, but still shaggy look.
1. The foot prior to grooming;
2. Using an electric trimmer to remove
hair between the foot pads;
3. Shaping the foot with straight scissors;
4. The completed foot
2
1
4
3
32
33
THE BACKSIDE: Keeping the underside
of the tail free of too much hair helps your
dog stay clean and smell better. With
small, blunt-tipped scissors, Ivy gives
Enzo a delicate trim.
RX: Ivy will follow-up with Enzo in 3
months. This will simplify the grooming
considerably, because Enzo will maintain
the shape of his cut and dense mats won’t
accumulate. At home, ear cleanings and
nail trimmings every two weeks will keep
him in form.
33
34
they spread and a groomer won’t
advocate a shave.
• Check your dog’s toenails every 2
weeks. Clip off just the sharp edge,
rather than trying to cut too much.
Long nails cause the dog to shift
back on its feet, and can interfere
with its balance.
• Don’t rely on frequent washing as a
substitute for thorough grooming.
Washing strips oils from the hair,
and in fact, the coat attracts more
dirt.
• A walk in the rain, followed by a
good towel drying, is a great cleansing shower. Afterwards, put the pup
in a crate with a thick towel and dirt
will drop off.
SIX TIPS FOR PERFECT GROOMING
• Don’t wash your dog before grooming. Any knots and mats become
rock hard when wet, almost like
cement.
• Acquaint your pup with the process
of grooming by handling its feet
and by simple weekly brushings.
This will train the pup to be still
and enjoy being groomed, rather
than squirming against it (something Enzo hasn’t quite mastered).
• Start grooming young, at 4 to 5
months, and get on a professional
grooming maintenance schedule,
ideally 4 to 6 times a year. This
way, mats can be dealt with before
Tools of the Trade:
1. Wide and fine metal
combs for removing
small mats.
2. Small curved and
straight blunt tipped
scissors for delicate
areas, such as around
the eyes and toes.
3. Large curved and
straight scissors for
heavier trimming and
shaping the body and
legs.
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35
BREEDERS’ NOTES
Editor’s Note:
to cover the less inThe
inbreeding
Coefficient
Many Labradoocestuous forms of
dle breeders have
inbreeding. But exHandled
carefully,
crossing
related
argued that the
actly what the difgene pool for true
dogs can sometimes bring benefits ference is between
Australian Labrathe two tends to be
to the breed.
doodles is too
defined differently
small to sustain
for each species and
itself, and have
even for an individdecided on their
By Beverley Manners
ual breed within a
own to incorpospecies, and even
rate poodles,
then the differenearly generation Labrador-poodle mixes,
tials are at best smudged.
and other breeds into the mi in an effort to
Some breeders make their judgment
“expand the lines.” While genetic inhericall based on what would be called incestance is a vast subject, this article is intended as a guide for those who are intertuous breeding in the human species,
ested in the ways the ASD Labradoodle
while others make up their own definihas been developed.
tions based on what the majority of breeders are doing within their chosen species
or breeds within species. If we want to be
Although both line breeding and
pedantic, we could say that there is no
inbreeding have been practiced for centusuch thing as “outcrossing” (by definition,
ries in the breeding of animals, there is no
the breeding together of totally unrelated
universally accepted definition of either.
animals) because if we go back far enough
In broad terms, inbreeding refers to the
along the ancestral route, all animals in a
breeding of two animals that are related to
breed will lead back to a relatively small
each other—a definition that also applies
number of common ancestors. Yet outto line breeding. So where can a definitive
crossing is generally accepted as being a
line be drawn between the two?
mating in which a common ancestor does
Breeding close relatives together,
not occur in a four or five generation
such as brother and sister, or parent to offpedigree behind the sire and the dam.
spring for example, has long been known
Why such a small number of supposedly
as inbreeding. In order to save face when
unrelated ancestors has become synonyincestuous inbreeding became unpopular
mous with outcrossing is therefore diffiby public opinion, breeders of purebred
cult to understand.
animals introduced the term line breeding,
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lowed by an “outcross” breeding to another established line as unrelated as possible to the immediate ancestors.
The following passage, by John B. Armstrong, Ph.D., a professor of biology and
genetics as well as a canine health research, helps illuminate this complex and
controversial subject:
Line Breeding and the
Australian Labradoodle
There have been claims made that
The ASD Labradoodle, as developed by
the Tegan and Rutland Manor Breeding
and Research Centers in Australia, has
been bred into a corner by inbreeding. It
can be seen from the above, that this is not
necessarily the case, as at the time the
foundation base of the breed was being
formed through the 1990s, several unrelated breeds were infused at propitious intervals expressly in order to avoid the genetic dead end.
As the occasional and expected
wild card surfaced, with its accompanying
random diversity of genetic material, an
outstanding ancestor was sometimes
brought back in to help neutralize the
threat of lost consistency in type, coat or
temperament. This caused quite a stir
among some new breeders, who immediately pointed the finger at “inbreeding”-without understanding the reasoning behind the fact that the same dog’s name
could be seen in two places in the first
three or four generation pedigree.
Tegan and Rutland are not proponents of what they term “inbreeding” by
their own definition as being incestuous
matings of parent to progeny, or sibling to
sibling. However, grandparents have been
brought back into a particular breeding
pod, or family group, where a neutralizing
or stabilizing influence was needed in order to preserve ground already made in
the development of the breed. When this
“line breeding” by their own definition
was carried out, it was almost always fol-
“Line breeding is merely a term used for a
particular type of inbreeding that often focuses on one ancestor who was considered
exceptional. Particularly if it is a male, this
exceptional ancestor may end up as grandfather and great-grandfather -- sometimes more
than once -- in the same pedigree. Fatherdaughter, mother-son, and some other combinations also result in a disproportionate number of genes coming from a single ancestor.
This type of close inbreeding is less common.
[In contrast, the mating of full siblings or first
cousins doubles up on two ancestors equally.]
Inbreeding is the practice of breeding two
animals that are related (i.e., have one or
more common ancestors). The degree of inbreeding may be assigned a value between 0
and 1, called the inbreeding coefficient,
where 0 indicates that the animals have no
common ancestors. Because the number of
ancestors potentially doubles with every generation you go back in a pedigree, you eventually get to a point, even in a very large
population, where there are simply not
enough ancestors. Thus, all populations are
inbred to some degree, and a true outcross
(the term generally used when two animals
are ‘unrelated’) is not really possible. The
term is generally misused to describe a cross
between two animals with different phenotypes.”
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variability, the heritability of a trait
may be difficult to establish and may
not be the same for different breeds.
Therefore, I cannot tell you that the
heritability of size, for example, is 70%
(or whatever it may be).
Inherited Traits
What traits or characteristics are
inherited? The answer is “almost all,”
from temperament to size and coloring,
as well as genetic diseases like progressive retinal atrophy (PRA). Infectious diseases are not inherited, though
the susceptibility to them may be, to a
greater or lesser extent. The occurrence
of any particular characteristic depends
on two factors: genetics and the environment. “Genetics” refers to the encoded information (instructions) controlling all biological processes that are
carried within the cells of all living organisms. These encoded instructions
are responsible not only for maintaining the continuity of a species (or
breed), but also for many of the differences between individuals within a
species or breed.
I would like to take a brief look
at what is meant by “environment,” in
the present context. For a puppy, the
first environment it encounters is that
of the mother's womb. Is the mother
well nourished, healthy, and free from
stress? How old is she? Is this her first
litter? How big is the litter? Once the
puppy is born, it experiences a new environment, where it has to compete for
food and attention. Litter size is still a
factor. How much food does the puppy
get? How much attention does it get
from the mother, the breeder, and the
eventual owner? Does it have a safe
and healthy environment? Does it have
other dogs to associate with? The answers to these questions define, in part,
the puppy’s environment.
The environment also contributes
to the differences between individuals.
The relative contribution of genetics
and environment is not the same for
every trait. Some traits, such as color,
are influenced very little by the environment. For others, such as temperament, the effect of the environment is
much greater. Geneticists use the term
heritability to indicate the proportion of
the total possible variability in a trait
that is genetic. However, when genetic
differences are not the main source of
A Useful Tool for Breeders
Inbreeding or Line breeding can
be a useful tool when used with discrimination and with a sound knowledge of the genetic material in the pairs
being mated together. This is rarely
possible as many breeders do not
openly share all the health problems
they are aware of in the background of
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their dogs, even if they are in fact
aware of them at all. Inbreeding or line
breeding, however perceived by the individual, is carried out to increase the
probability that the two copies of a particular gene (one from the sire and the
other from the dam) will be identical
and derived from the same ancestor.
This renders the dog to be homozygous
for the trait expressed in those genes.
genes more homozygous and brings
hidden genetic influence to the forefront. And because genes come in a
package and not in isolated instances
inbreeding can very quickly lose certain “good” genes at the same time as it
is losing the bad genes. So as well as
bringing some hidden health problems
to the forefront, to be discarded, some
very good traits which have taken generations to build, will be completely
lost very rapidly at the same time.
When it is considered that there are
well in excess of seventy to eighty different inheritable diseases possible for
the Labradoodle, the risks would seem
to outweigh any advantages gained by
inbreeding in most cases.
In the case where the dog has
some differences in the two copies of
the gene this dog is then heterozygous
for the traits expressed by that gene. If
the father and mother are related, there
is a chance that the two genes in the
offspring are both identical copies contributed by the common ancestor. The
significance of this can be illustrated
by say a gene for an inherited disease.
Carriers show no sign of the disease,
but if one carrier is mated to another
carrier then one in four of the progeny
will have the disease and its symptoms.
Inbreeding will increase both the number of affected dogs and the number of
genetically normal dogs at the expense
of the carriers. Inbreeding can thus
bring these undesirable recessive genes
to the surface, where they can then be
removed from those breeding lines.
_____
But--and it is a very big “but”-this probing into the den of sleeping
lions can be a very dangerous tool in
inexperienced or uninformed hands.
What is often not realized is that inbreeding of any kind tends to make all
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BREEDING FOR TYPE
“Type” is a colHow a dog looks, and what its on his or her puppies,
lection of traits which
decides to mate Fido to
genetics are, can often be
are all found together
Bess. Bess has a small
in one particular dog or
narrow head, so
two different things.
line of dogs. “Line” is a
Breeder A concludes
term used for a bloodthat by breeding Fido
line that has been foland Bess together the
By Beverley Manners
lowed throughout sucheads on the puppies
cessive generations of
are sure to be imbreeding. It has nothing to do with either
proved. What will actually happen, howline breeding or inbreeding as dogs can
ever, is that some of the puppies in the litbreed “true to type” whether or not they
ter will have Fido’s head type or similar,
are related by blood. It takes time and a
and the rest will have Bess’s head type or
number of generations before a breeder
similar. The mating of opposite extremes
can successfully establish a type that will
does not produce “better” or “worse,” but
consistently breed true.
simply some of one parent’s type and
For instance, Breeder A might love
some of the other parent’s. The blocky
big blocky heads on their dogs, and deheaded puppy kept from Fido and Bess’s
cides to “fix” this feature so that his or her
litter for further breeding will have the
dogs will become known for their head
blocky head type’s influence weakened,
“type.” It could be assumed that by breedbecause Bess ahs added her own genes for
ing two dogs together that both have big
small narrow heads into the mix of genetic
blocky heads the resulting progeny will all
makeup.
have big blocky heads. But this is not necNow, let’s return back to the enigma
essarily true, partly because there are
of phenotypic and genotypic inheritance
thousands of patterns genes can take when
Any long time exhibitor or breeder of
they are passed from parent to offspring,
dogs will be familiar with the scenario
and partly because any particular dog may
where two sisters have been kept (or as
be genetically strong for let us say head
breeders say, “run on”) from a litter in ortype, and yet another dog which has the
der to select the superior one for breeding.
desired head type may not pass it along to
Let’s call one of these bitches Anna and
its progeny.
her sister Banner. Anna is a dream in moThis is where the differences betion, so beautiful and breath taking that
tween a dog’s phenotype and its genotype
she wins every show she enters. It’s diffibecome clear. The way a dog looks is its
cult to even “fault” Anna (that is, to find
phenotypic appearance. But its genotypic
any trait which is less than ideal). Banner
influence may not include the phenotypic
is a lovely bitch, too, but she has several
traits it possesses, or in other words, its
obvious “faults” that the judges recognize,
physical appearance, or “look.”
so she does not do well in the show ring.
Fido may have a magnificent head,
After half a dozen shows under different
so Breeder A in the pursuit of great heads
judges, with Banner always trailing the
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end of the class, it is decided to retire her
from showing and to concentrate on making up Anna to her championship, which
she achieves when barely out of puppy
class because she is so outstanding.
Anna and Banner are both mated to
the same stud dog. Anna produces some
nice puppies, but nothing as excellent as
herself. Banner produces a litter of overall
quality that far surpasses that of Anna’s
litter. During Anna’s breeding life, no
matter which stud dog she is bred to, her
puppies are run of the mill in type and
their show performances are mediocre at
best. On the other hand, her ugly duckling
litter sister Banner consistently turns out
champions from each litter she has. This is
phenotypic and genotypic inheritance in
action.
Anna’s excellent traits have sprung
from a combination of genes which have
expressed themselves in her appearance,
but which do not have the genotypic
“strength” behind them to be passed on to
her progeny. Banner has derived her “hidden” traits from a different combination of
genes, which have expressed themselves
in her inheritable make up but not in her
physical appearance.
To further complicate the issue,
some traits may be passed along a “sire
line” and others along a “dam line”
whether they are sex-linked traits or not.
This is why the ancestors of a breeding
dog play such an important role in the
physical appearance of its descendants.
Bess had a small narrow head, and if several of her ancestors had the same head,
some of her puppies and their puppies will
inherit that head type for many generations along, regardless of the head type of
the dogs they are bred to. However, if
Bess’s head type was a “fluke” and she
had several broad headed dogs in her an-
cestry, she could well produce much better
heads than her own if bred to a dog which
is strong in genetic head type.
A good rule of thumb when selecting a breeding dog from a litter, is that the
“worst” puppy from a litter which is overall excellent in type, is a far better option
than choosing the “best” puppy from a
mediocre litter. The secret to breeding
consistent “type” in a dog, is to always
breed “like to like” in the feature or features the breeder is trying to “fix” in their
dogs.
We’ve discussed only one feature in
this article, the head type. The head itself
contains many different parts, such as ear
length and set, eye shape, placement and
color, muzzle length and strength, shape
of jaw, bite, shape of skull to name just a
few, and each feature subject to a range of
possible genetic influences from the ancestors of the dog in question.
Trying to “fix” or “set” more than
one feature at a time (for instance head
type) can lead to a confusing muddle of
genetic mish mash that can take many
years to escape, if indeed it is possible to
do so at all. The most successful breeders
concentrate on one feature at a time, and
work consistently in that direction until
consistent results are produced over at
least two generations. Even once “set” or
“fixed,” these features can be destroyed
completely by one unsuitable mating, so
breeding stock should not be kept from
disappointing litters in the hopes that one
can improve “in the next generation.”
Mother and father camels produce
baby camels. Mother and father elephants
produce baby elephants. Like bred to like
produces like (that is, similar) results. This
is the key to consistently breeding for excellence in type.
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MEET THE BREEDER
Name: Mindy Bradley
Kennel: Canine Crossroads, Grapeland, Texas
What She Does:
Founder and president (since 2005) of the Canine Crossroads Foundation, which helps train
service dogs and place them with people in
need.
How She Became Involved With The
Breed:
After starting Canine Crossroads, Mindy came
in contact with a girl with particular needs. “Because of her immobility, she needed a dog that
did not shed, because she wouldn’t be able to
get the hair out of her mouth on her own.” Research led her to the Australian Labradoodle. “It
had everything: Stature and build, intelligence,
without taking too much time to mature—and,
best of all, no shedding!” Soon after, the first
Rutlands dog, Levi, arrived, and will graduate
from training this month (April 2007) and be placed in a home in Arizona. “When we received
Levi, we were so impressed with him as a young puppy I knew this was going to be a love affair
with the breed for many years to come.”
Why She Raises Australian Labradoodles:
Roughly half of the puppies from her small breeding program are trained through Canine Crossroads and placed as service dogs. The other half are sold as pets, with proceeds used to fund
training for these and other dogs.
Achievements to Date:
Canine Crossroads is recognized by the Delta Society, as well as Assistance Dogs International.
“We have taken a leap and done something that has never been done before, which is to turn the
Australian Labradoodle into the service dog it so rightfully deserves to be,” says Mindy. “Training service dogs has been my life’s ambition, and with the Lord’s help it has come true.”
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