Labradoodle: Obamas' Puppy?

President-elect Barack Obama said on ABC's "This Week" that he had narrowed down the puppy he was getting his daughters to two breeds: a Labradoodle and a Portuguese water dog.

A Labradoodle is a cross between a Labrador and a Poodle. The dogs were first bred in the 1980's by Wally Conron, an Australian breeder trying to find a hypoallergenic guide dog.

Labradoodles are very intelligent, easy to train and are very sociable, says Ken Fischer, general manager of the Australian Labradoodle Association of America told USA Today in 2006.

"They can open doors, even sliding doors, pop open baby gates ... having that poodle in them means they use their front paws like hands," Fischer says.

Labradoodle puppies are unpredictable in appearance and behavioral characteristics -- they can look and act more like Labradors or more like poodles.

Oddly enough, the Baltimore Sun declared during the campaign that if the candidates were dogs, Hillary Clinton would be a Labradoodle. Obama would be a Great Dane.

Obama discussing the dog on ABC:

Comments

[joesouthside]

Why not skip the whole first dog thing and make Mr. Slave the white house mascott? Watch South Park...he's a loyal, playful breed. With Mr. Slave to help around the house, Obama would be free of the criticism that he can't run the country and look after his family! It would help build bridges to the LGBT community, fully answer the question, "Who has Obama's back," and show he's not afraid to rule with an iron hand. "Mr. Slave the slave" would be the perfect, if somewhat belated, foil to Joe the Plumber and has so much more street cred. Plus all the founding fathers had one!

[funnyguy]

Labrdoodles are great dogs and their politics are better than that effete foreign breed, Portugese Water Dog.

[hukkahukkabirninglove]

Unless the Prez finds a wolf or a coyote, ALL dogs are foreign breeds. Even the mutts.

[Demi-Crat]

The PWD is the one. try a rescue group is good advice. Just DO NOT buy one or accept one as a gift from a breeder. There should be a hold on ALL breeding for profit in both Cats and Dogs until we archive catch up. Too many loving animals are being KILLED now. Not "put to sleep" What a croc that is. It's called KILLED..Believe me they are NOT sleeping.

[Tipppytoes]

I am the founder of CaringTown,( www.CaringTown.org) a non profit center for training service dogs and rescuing and placing homeless animals. I am originator of Giant Schnoodles They look and behave very much like labradoodles and also look like a large version of portugese water dogs. The mother & father of a Giant Schnoodle is non shedding. That means that the dog will be non shedding and low dander. No one, even very allergic people have ever been allergic to my Giant Schnoodles.The labradoodle may begin shedding at any time because one parent is a shedding dog. A portugese water dog is very high energy and will need a lot more exercise and attention than a labradoodle or a giant schnoodle.
Zorro is a 3 year old rescued Giant schnoodle. See pictures.I rescued him 2 year ago & have put 2 years of professional training on him. He is friendly, gentle loving ready to fit in to the variety of tasks that will be required of him. He is fully housebroken. & obedience trained. One thing that sets the Giant Schnoodle apart is that they are very, nurturning to their family. He has passed the puppy chewing stage caringpro@­yahoo.com.

[IMG]http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/caringpro/MVC-028S-13.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/caringpro/MVC-002S-45.jpg[/IMG]

[centerdem06]

I love the labradoodl­e/goldendo­odle. My husband and I are getting a soft coated wheaten terrier. They are also great dogs and hypoallergenic! I never heard of the water dog, but looks really cute too!=)

[firstpup]

Let Obama know which he should choose: Labradoodle or Portuguese water dog at http://www.nameobamaspuppy.com/choosebreed.htm.

[northwesterner02]

excerpts from a report on NPR:

Finding the perfect pup could be tricky, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology contends, because there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic breed.

Shaggy dogs often get a bum rap, but allergens are actually in skin, not hair, the academy explains. The amount of allergen dander varies drastically from dog to dog -- even within each breed.

"Please don't believe the Internet that there is a breed or some variety of breeds that are going to be safe for you," says Dr. Robert Wood, director of pediatric allergy and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, "because that clearly is not the case."

Several studies have shown a tremendous variability of allergen levels, even within breeds, Woods says. One study published in the journal Allergy in 2005 found that poodles had a huge range in the amount of allergen dander found in individual dogs. One poodle was a very low allergen producer, while another produced 60 times more allergens -- almost the highest of all the breeds tested.

One solution is to find a flexible breeder or shelter and take a dog home on trial. Wood says an allergy sufferer should be able to tell within two weeks whether the dog will trigger a reaction.

[jacqmac]

The Labradoodle is one of the TWO 'cross' breeds given serious consideration by the American Kennel Club. The other is the Cockapoo. BOTH poodle crosses do NOT have a lot of shedding and therefore don't send a lot of dander into the air to trigger allergies. BOTH the Labradoodle and the PWD are what are called 'safe' for people with allergies. There are some other breeds that are also 'safe'-ALL of the Schnauzer sizes, ALL sizes of Poodle. The others are too small-Havanese, Coton de Tulear, etc. Although a Labradoodle is cute--MY vote stays with the Portugese Water Dog. As for 'shelter dog' status--well, there are shelters and there are shelters. My recommendation would be to stick with 'rescue' organizations. Why? Because the dogs are HOMED-they don't live in a large kennel with 30-40 other dogs and are fostered with PEOPLE. Therefore, their habits are monitored and modified if need be. If the Obamas went to a breeder in order to get the dog of their choice, THEY would be vetted AS if they were applying for a cabinet post.

[AlphaDoc]

>The Labradoodle is one of the TWO 'cross' breeds given serious consideration by the American Kennel Club.<

The "serious consideration" rumor has been going around for years---no doubt fostered by the "Doodle" scammers, who continue to sell what are essentially mutts for thousands of dollars to people who believe they are eventually going to be recognized. When humans are allergic to dogs, they are usually only allergic to certain breeds, or to certain animals within a breed, depending upon the amount of dander produced. The best thing for anyone with sensitivities to do is to foster a dog for a couple of weeks to see if there is any reaction. If not, adopt.

[momoluvsu]

I have a golden doodle, she is the best. A labradoodle woudn't be bad. They act like puppies for a long time.

[lola85]

Labs and Poodles are both really smart dogs--the mix of both dogs is very fitting for this first family! Both the Labradoodle and the Portugese Water Dog are cute though!

[Bearangaria]

Schoodle I say!

[bibimimi]

i CALLED IT! what do i win?

[pbgv23]

I hope not a Labradoodle.