Labradoodle Genetics: Size, Coat, Shedding and Colours

A Labradoodle is a cross between a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle, first bred in 1989 by an Australian guide-dog program. Labradoodle coats vary more than most doodles' because the Labrador brings a short-coat gene to the Poodle's furnishings and curl. The Poodle parent's size sets the size range, and the Australian Labradoodle, a separate multi-generation line, turns out to be mostly Poodle at the DNA level.

The short version

• Two parent breeds: the Labrador Retriever and the Poodle (Standard, Miniature or Toy).
• Coats vary a lot: the Labrador's short-coat gene meets the Poodle's genes for furnishings and curl.
• F1B and multigen Labradoodles are more likely to have curly, lower-shedding coats.
• The Australian Labradoodle is a multi-generation line with other breeds, such as spaniels, in its pedigrees, and it's mostly Poodle genetically.
• Size follows the Poodle parent: a Standard Poodle gives a large dog, a Miniature a much smaller one.
• Colours: black, yellow and chocolate come with the Labrador's genes, and the Poodle side adds apricot, red, cream, parti and more.
• Not hypoallergenic: a study that included Labradoodles found more of the main dog allergen in their coats, not less.

Where Labradoodles come from

The first Labradoodle litter was bred in 1989 by the Royal Guide Dogs Association of Australia, now Guide Dogs Victoria, for a blind woman in Hawaii whose husband was allergic to dogs. One puppy from that litter, Sultan, went on to work as her guide dog, as ABC News reported. The cross soon caught on with families, and it has since spread around the world.

Today the name covers two different kinds of dog:

• Labradoodles: crosses of a Labrador and a Poodle, from first-generation F1s to doodle-to-doodle multigen litters.
• Australian Labradoodles: a multi-generation line developed in Australia, with other breeds added along the way. A 2020 genetic study found the modern Australian Labradoodle is predominantly Poodle at the DNA level, with all three Poodle sizes contributing and breeds such as the English and American Cocker Spaniel and the Irish Water Spaniel reported in its pedigrees.

Why Labradoodle coats vary so much

A study of more than 1,000 dogs from 80 breeds found that variants in three genes account for most coat types in purebred dogs: RSPO2 (furnishings), KRT71 (curl) and FGF5 (coat length). Labradors and Poodles sit at opposite ends of all three.

The coat-length gene is the twist. The long-coat version is recessive, and Labradors usually carry the short version, so every F1 Labradoodle has one short copy. That's one reason F1 Labradoodle coats are often shorter, shaggier and more varied than F1 Goldendoodle coats. Breeders describe the results as "hair" (flatter, sheds more), "fleece" (soft and wavy) and "wool" (dense and curly). Those words describe the look; these genes decide it. Whether a Labradoodle inherits the Labrador's undercoat is a separate question, tied to a region of the genome that a 2019 study linked to single and double coats.

Labradoodle generations: what changes

With a Labrador that's short-coated, straight and unfurnished, and a Poodle with two copies of each Poodle variant, the expected odds per puppy look like this:

So an F1B Labradoodle is a real step toward the Poodle coat: every puppy is furnished, about half get two curl copies, and about half get two long-coat copies. Our guide to doodle generations explains the odds in more detail, and our guide to improper coats covers the flat-coated puppies an F2 litter can include.

Do Labradoodles shed?

Most shed less than a Labrador, but Labradoodles vary more than most doodles. Furnished, curly dogs from Poodle-heavy lines usually shed little, while a Labradoodle with a short, flatter "hair" coat or a Labrador-style undercoat can shed noticeably, especially when the seasons change. Our guide to doodle shedding explains the genes involved, including a second shedding gene, MC5R.

Are Labradoodles hypoallergenic?

No dog breed has been shown to be. In a study that included Labradoodles, dogs of so-called hypoallergenic breeds had higher levels of the main dog allergen in their hair and coat than other dogs. Floor dust in Labradoodle homes held less of it, but airborne levels were no different, and the authors found no evidence for calling any breed hypoallergenic. Some allergic people do react less to a particular dog, so if allergies are a concern, spend time with that dog before committing, and talk to an allergist.

How big do Labradoodles get?

The Poodle parent sets the range. Going by breed-standard ranges:

• Standard Labradoodles (a Standard Poodle parent) usually land somewhere between their two parents.
• Medium and miniature Labradoodles come from Miniature Poodle parents or from smaller doodle parents over several generations.
• Littermates can differ, especially in multigen litters where the parents carry different size genes.

The PuppyGenes report includes an estimated adult height and weight based on your dog's own genetics: useful context, not a promise.

Where Labradoodle colours come from

Labradors come in three colours, and the genes behind them are well mapped:

• Black: one copy of a variant at the K locus is enough to make a coat solid black, which is why black is so common. A 2007 study identified the gene behind it.
• Yellow, cream, apricot and red: yellow Labradors carry two copies of an MC1R variant that limits them to yellow-to-red pigment (Newton et al. 2000), and red and apricot dogs of other breeds usually carry the same pair. A Labradoodle needs a copy from each parent to come out in these shades.
• Chocolate: brown coats come from inheriting brown versions of the TYRP1 gene from both parents. The same gene explains why some yellow and apricot dogs have brown noses (Schmutz et al. 2002).

The Poodle side can add parti (white patches), phantom (tan points on a dark coat) and other patterns, so Labradoodles come in a wider range of colours than either Labradors or most Poodles. The PuppyGenes coat colour section predicts colour, pattern and markings where the sample supports them.

Temperament: what the research says

Both parent breeds have friendly, people-focused reputations, and many Labradoodles are social, energetic and keen to learn. But breed is a weak predictor of any one dog: a 2022 study of more than 18,000 dogs found breed explains only about 9% of behavioural differences between individual dogs.

A 2026 UK study of owner-reported behaviour in 9,402 dogs compared Labradoodles with Labradors and Poodles across 12 behaviour scales. Labradoodles scored better than Poodles on six, including aggression toward owners and other dogs, fear and separation-related problems, but worse than Labradors on five, including excitability, separation-related problems and trainability. That's a more mixed picture than the same study found for Cockapoos and Cavapoos. The study measured differences, not their causes, so training, socialization and where a puppy comes from still matter most. Our guide to what a dog's breed means for daily care covers how to use breed context without over-reading it.

What a DNA test shows for a Labradoodle

The PuppyGenes report covers six sections:

• Breed ancestry: how much Labrador and Poodle is in your dog, plus any other breeds. Australian Labradoodles often show spaniel ancestry too.
• Coat colour predictions.
• Physical appearance: coat length, curl, furnishings and shedding, each where the sample supports it.
• Temperament and size predictions, including an estimated adult height and weight.
• Genetic diversity.
• An oral microbiome snapshot.

The report does not include genetic disease or health screening. Our example reports show a similar pattern to the one described above: both are about three-quarters or more Poodle, with smaller Labrador and Cocker Spaniel shares. Our guide to doodle DNA tests walks through both.