Labradoodle: The First Gen Working Doodle

3 Common Labradoodle Behaviour Problems (And How To Fix Them)

Remember: Labradoodles were created with genuine purpose—as service dogs for people with allergies. Understanding you have two working retriever breeds combined helps explain their needs, not their failures.

Where Do Labradoodles Come From?

The Labradoodle emerged in Australia in 1989, created by Wally Conron for the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia. He was attempting to produce a guide dog suitable for a blind woman whose husband had dog allergies.

The first intentional Labradoodle (Sultan) was moderately successful, but Conron later expressed deep regret about opening the floodgates to unethical breeding. What was meant to be a carefully controlled program for a specific purpose became a backyard breeding phenomenon.

Most Labradoodles today are poorly bred F1 crosses (first generation) with zero health testing, no temperament screening, and massive variation in size, coat type, shedding, and temperament.

What were they bred to do?

Labradoodles were created specifically as service dogs for people with allergies—requiring Labrador biddability and work ethic combined with Poodle intelligence and theoretically low-shedding coat.

In reality, the genetic lottery means some puppies get Labrador enthusiasm without Poodle impulse control, others get Poodle sensitivity without Labrador resilience, and some get the worst of both—high energy with anxiety.

Service dog breeding programs can select for temperament across generations. Backyard breeders cannot.

Key breeding traits:

Labradoodles show massive size variation (30-80 pounds depending on whether Miniature, Medium, or Standard Poodle is used). Adult size is unpredictable even within the same litter. Their coat ranges from straight and shedding (failing the entire "hypoallergenic" marketing point) to wavy to tight curls—shedding is completely unpredictable. Their temperament is equally uncertain.

Why Do Labradoodles Have These Behaviour Problems?

Your Labradoodle isn't misbehaving—they're expressing traits from two working retriever breeds. Both Labradors and Poodles were bred to work all day in harsh conditions. Most families expect "moderate energy" based on marketing and are completely unprepared for reality.

The breed's popularity has led to them being one of the most abandoned doodle crosses. People buy based on marketing, discover reality (they shed, they're high energy, grooming costs $100+ every 6-8 weeks, they have anxiety), and surrender them.

Properly bred, properly trained Labradoodles are lovely dogs. Most people don't have access to properly bred Labradoodles.

Problem 1: Unmanageable Energy & Size

What's happening: Your Labradoodle never seems tired. They're constantly moving, can't settle, show destructive behaviors, and seem to get more energetic the more you exercise them. They're also bigger and stronger than you expected.

Why it happens: Both parent breeds are working retrievers bred to work all day in harsh conditions. Many owners try to exercise their way out of it—running their Labradoodle 5 miles creates a fitter, higher-energy dog who needs 7 miles the next time.

Without proper mental stimulation and training, these dogs develop hyperactive, manic behaviors: constant movement, inability to settle, destructiveness, reactivity. Many owners expected a slightly bigger Cockapoo but ended up with a dog they've lost complete control over—Labradoodles can become as strong and versatile as a Rottweiler or Doberman.

The fix: Understand you cannot out-exercise a working retriever cross—physical exercise alone creates a canine athlete who needs more and more. Exercise must be purposeful, not just running: a 30-minute sniffy walk (letting them sniff everything, no hurrying) is more mentally tiring than 30 minutes jogging.

Accept that you may have gotten a big dog. Labradoodles become very strong large breeds. Recognise adolescence (8-18 months) is peak insanity—consistency through this period determines adult behavior. Don't give up.

Consider structured activities: dock diving, scent work classes, retriever training—channeling drive into appropriate outlets makes household manners possible.

Struggling with endless energy? Managing working breed energy requires structured mental stimulation, not just physical exercise. Join our free Skool community for scent work and impulse control training protocols.

Problem 2: Jumping Up & Uncontrolled Greeting

What's happening: Your Labradoodle jumps on everyone—knocking over children, elderly people, even adults. They can't contain their excitement when greeting people and their size makes this dangerous.

Why it happens: Labradors are exuberant greeters bred to be extremely social and friendly—jumping up was never selected against because hunters tolerated it. Poodles are handler-focused and can be overly excited when greeting their person.

Cross these and you get large dogs (easily 30-40kg+) with zero impulse control around greetings. Their size makes this dangerous, but owners often think it's "cute" when they're puppies and fail to address it. By adulthood it's ingrained.

The fix: Practice with 100% consistency—EVERYONE who interacts with the dog must follow the rule or you're teaching jumping works sometimes (intermittent reinforcement makes behaviors stronger).

Practice "door manners" protocol: approach door, if they jump or rush, you back away from door. Repeat until they're sitting calmly, then open door—they learn calm behavior opens doors, excited behavior closes them.

Teach guests proper protocol: text before arriving asking them to completely ignore the dog until sitting calmly, have treats ready outside door to toss to dog when four on floor—guests who engage with jumping dog undo all your training.

For severe cases, use "timeout" consequence: they jump = you very calmly move them into a room on their own for 30 seconds—social isolation is a powerful message to social dogs. Return only when they're calm.

Finding jumping impossible to stop? Consistency across ALL interactions is crucial but hard to maintain. Our Skool community has door manners training protocols and you can troubleshoot guest interactions during weekly Q&As.

Problem 3: Grooming Costs & Coat Maintenance

What's happening: Your Labradoodle's coat mats constantly despite brushing. Professional grooming costs $80-150 every 6-8 weeks. Some Labradoodles shed heavily despite the "hypoallergenic" promise. You weren't prepared for this financial and time commitment.

Why it happens: The "low-shedding, easy maintenance" marketing is one of the biggest lies in the doodle world. Labradoodles have complex coats requiring professional grooming every 6-8 weeks and daily brushing at home or they mat painfully.

Labradors have double coats that blow seasonally. When this mixes with Poodle continuously growing single coat, you get unpredictable results. Some Labradoodles shed heavily (getting worst of both breeds), others have coats that mat within days without proper maintenance.

The fix: Budget and plan for professional grooming every 6-8 weeks ($80-150 per session = $800-1800+ annually) plus proper tools for home maintenance (slicker brush, metal comb, mat splitter, clippers) costing $100-200 initially.

Start grooming conditioning at 8 weeks old—this is non-negotiable. Daily 5-10 minute sessions: brush while feeding high-value treats, touch paws/ears/face while rewarding, run clippers (off) over body while treating.

Use line brushing technique: part coat in small sections, brush thoroughly down to skin, move to next section—surface brushing misses mats forming at skin level. Check "friction areas" daily (armpits, behind ears, collar line, rear end, where legs meet body)—these mat first.

Bathe correctly: mats must be brushed out BEFORE bathing or water tightens them making removal impossible—always brush, then bathe, then brush again while drying.

Overwhelmed by grooming costs? The financial reality of doodle ownership surprises most people. Join our Skool community for home grooming tutorials and budget-friendly maintenance strategies.

Is a Labradoodle Right for a New Owner?

A Labradoodle might be perfect for you if you're looking for:

• An active, athletic companion - These dogs excel at dog sports, hiking, swimming, and outdoor adventures. They're perfect for very active families.
• An intelligent, trainable dog - When properly trained, they're brilliant at learning complex tasks and excel in structured activities.
• A friendly, social family dog - Well-bred Labradoodles from multi-generational lines with health testing can be excellent family companions and therapy dogs.
• A working partner - If you're interested in dock diving, scent work, or retriever training, they thrive with structured activities.

If you can commit to 1-2 hours of daily physical AND mental exercise, budget $800-1800+ annually for professional grooming plus daily brushing, provide structured training through adolescence (8-18 months), accept unpredictability in size/coat/temperament, and ideally find a reputable breeder with health-tested parent dogs, a well-bred Labradoodle can be an outstanding companion.

Get the Full Support System for Your Labradoodle

This guide gives you real solutions you can start using today. But raising a well-behaved Labradoodle is an ongoing journey, not a one-time fix.

That's why we created our free Skool community—to give you continuous support every step of the way.

Inside the community, you'll get:

• Weekly live Q&A sessions where you can ask about YOUR specific Labradoodle and get personalised advice from experienced trainers
• Full breed-specific courses covering everything from managing high energy to structured activities and impulse control
• A supportive community of other Labradoodle owners who understand the reality versus the marketing
• Video demonstrations of energy management techniques and grooming tutorials
• Troubleshooting help when things don't go to plan (because they won't always!)
• Updated resources as we add new courses and training blueprints

Best part? It's completely free. No subscription. No catch. Just dog owners helping dog owners.

Join The Toe Beans Co community today and get the ongoing support you need to build the best relationship with your Labradoodle.