You would think that, as with any breed, type, or mix, as they become more commonly owned you will see more owners that aren't so smitten.

Are you anticipating a similar situation in rescue re labradoodles as many rescues see with Staffordshire Bull Terriers or their mixes?

Could not possibly be a Springer x Labrador if that is the suggestion as he has a beard and the gene that causes that is not in either breed.

The bearding gene causes a short coated dog to have a broken coat, sometimes called a wire coat (like many terriers).

The bearding gene causes a long coated dog to have that continuously growing 'non-shedding' coat - like a Poodle or Maltese etc.

That means that ONE of his parents had to have been long coated and bearded (many call that non-shedding) or short coated and bearded (like many terriers).

At the long coat locus, short is dominant to long. Dogs with both one short and one long allele there, and as well a bearding gene (also dominant at its locus) show a tremendous variety in the amount of bearding they have and in coat length.

That is exactly why Labradoodles (short coated bred to long, bearded to non-bearded) have so many different types of coat.

It has been mentioned in this thread that Cocker x Poodles are more predictable, and genetically that is a fact. Long coat x long coat can only produce long. The only variant is bearded is bred to non-bearded, and it is known that bearded is dominant with the long coat trait fixed, so you end up with a more predictable coat on those mixes.

Ruby

I disagree. I have not met any owners of other breeds/mixes who have been totally surprised by the eventual size their dog has reached! It seems to be something rather specific to 'labradoodles'.

Re rescue:

I don't necessarily think there will end up being as many 'labradoodles' in rescue as there are Staffies.

That said, if even twenty 'labradoodles' end up in rescue, that's twenty too many, in my book.

Our experiences are very different. I know a 17 pound Papillon (both parents champions - siblings are all less than half his size), a 22 pound Tibetan Spaniel (one parent champion) and a 28 pound Cavalier (one parent champion) whose parents were all totally surprised by the eventual size of their dog. Of course, they loved them anyway.

I do understand that some unscrupulous breeders are, however, falsely advertising and some fools are buying that, and that that does bother people.

Ruby

I may be wrong, it just seems to me that there are going to be more 'labradoodle' owners than owners of other breeds, who are less than happy with the eventual size/coat/temperament of their dogs.

It's the dogs who will suffer, alas.

I've started meeting a few more 'goldendoodles' now as well, and their temperament seems to vary though the few I've met all look identical....

Well talking about rescues, theres only one Doodle in the rescue Im volunteering at, and he's a rottie poodle mix, and he looks like a heavier built labradoodle, but is a hell of a lot more calmer, and generally better behaved, I asked someone whose been there a while, and she says he's the first one she's seen there, but when I worked at local boarding kennels a high percentage of the dogs were labradoodles, so theres gotta be something right with em all have been massive though, infact the only ones I've met that aren't mahoosive are Ewok, a chocolate Australian Labradoodle, who originally came from America, and Mille, a apricot 'Minature' Labradoodle, please God though don't let anyone bred using a toy Poodle.