We will be in touch soon to confirm.
Breed guide · Dogs
He brings me his empty bowl at five o'clock sharp. I weigh his dinner before I fill it.
Last updated 14 October 2026
We will be in touch soon to confirm.
What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Dinner is gone in seconds, and they are back by the bowl long before the next one.
What's going onThe Labrador side brings the appetite, and it shows on the scales from puppyhood. Pay them for training out of their dinner, not on top of it.
At home
Laps of the sofa at full speed, out of nowhere.
What's going onTwo water retrievers in one dog means a lot of energy. Let them run on sand or grass, not marble, and end the game while they still want more.
At home
Hardly any hair on the sofa, which is often why people choose one.
What's going onIn the very first Labradoodle litter, only one puppy of three suited the allergic home it was bred for. Low shedding means the loose hair stays in the coat until you brush it out.
At home
A sock from the laundry basket, paraded round the room until someone notices.
What's going onBoth parents were bred to carry birds back to a person. Keep a toy by the door that is theirs, and swap it for whatever they have taken. Chasing makes it a game.
At home
Head shaking after a bath or a swim, or one ear scratched with a back foot.
What's going onHair in the ear and a heavy flap hold warmth and moisture, and ear trouble can start in puppyhood. Dry inside their ears after every bath and swim.
At home
A head pushed under your hand, again and again, until you stroke them.
What's going onBoth parents were bred to work next to a person, and that is where a Labradoodle wants to be. A midday visit breaks up a long day alone.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: Swimming, and carrying birds back to a person.
In Dubai: Most of the day indoors, in a villa or a flat.
Their water
Built for: Cold water, all day.
In Dubai: Not much water they are allowed into.
Their food
Built for: Eating whatever they were given, after a day's work.
In Dubai: Food close by, and not much to do for it.
The begging, the zoomies on marble and the weight that creeps on mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them a lake full of ducks. You can give them a measured bowl and a job to do for it, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed and their size: the risks on a Labradoodle's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
Size, coat and appetite vary from one Labradoodle to the next, and the man who started the cross came to regret the careless breeding that followed.
Before they come home, and again from 6 months
Why
Size, coat and appetite vary from one Labradoodle to the next, and the man who started the cross came to regret the careless breeding that followed.
What to do
Ask the breeder which size of Poodle was used, whether the puppy is a first cross or bred back to a Poodle, and for both parents' hip, elbow and eye test results. Keep the answers. If anyone at home has allergies, spend time with the puppy before they come home.
Their coat holds the loose hair until you take it out, and that is what mats. Mats trap heat and damp against the skin.
Every age, hardest from 6 months to 2 years
Why
Their coat holds the loose hair until you take it out, and that is what mats. Mats trap heat and damp against the skin.
What to do
Several times a week, a slicker brush and then a metal comb, right down to the skin. Start behind the ears, in the armpits and under the harness. If the comb catches, a mat is starting. Book the groomer on a regular schedule.
Ear infections can start in puppyhood, and a Labradoodle will swim wherever they can.
Every age
Why
Ear infections can start in puppyhood, and a Labradoodle will swim wherever they can.
What to do
Dry inside the flaps after every bath and every swim. Once a week, look and smell inside each ear, and clean with the cleaner your vet gives you. Ear care is in your plan from puppyhood, whether yours is a mini or a standard.
Baby teeth that stay put are on a mini's record as a puppy, and dental disease turns up in both sizes later.
Every age
Why
Baby teeth that stay put are on a mini's record as a puppy, and dental disease turns up in both sizes later.
What to do
Brush every day with a dog toothbrush and dog toothpaste, never human toothpaste. At six months, look for baby teeth still sitting beside the adult ones. Your plan includes professional dental cleaning from age two for a mini, and dental treatment as a senior for a standard.
A Poodle's brain and a Labrador's appetite. Use one to manage the other.
Every age
Why
A Poodle's brain and a Labrador's appetite. Use one to manage the other.
What to do
Feed part of each meal from a puzzle feeder or scattered on a mat, and train with the rest. Five minutes, twice a day. It tires them out when summer cuts their walks short.
Both parents were bred to work next to a person, and the first Labradoodle was a guide dog.
Every age, hardest from 6 months to 2 years
Why
Both parents were bred to work next to a person, and the first Labradoodle was a guide dog.
What to do
If you are out for more than a few hours, arrange a walk, a visit or daycare, and leave a stuffed chew made from their daily food. If they are distressed when you leave, contact your vet rather than trying to fix it at home.
Two retriever parents. They will carry something either way.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
Two retriever parents. They will carry something either way.
What to do
Keep a toy by the door for when you come home or guests arrive. When they take a sock or a shoe, swap it for their toy or a treat. Chasing them makes it the best game in the house.
A thick coat in 45°C heat, on a dog who will not stop by themselves. In a standard, collapse after hard exercise is on the record too.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
A thick coat in 45°C heat, on a dog who will not stop by themselves. In a standard, collapse after hard exercise is on the record too.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark, and carry water. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. If their back legs go wobbly in an excited game, stop at once and call your vet.
Hip and elbow problems can start in puppyhood in both sizes, and a slipping kneecap in a mini.
Every age, most of all while they grow
Why
Hip and elbow problems can start in puppyhood in both sizes, and a slipping kneecap in a mini.
What to do
Put rugs where they turn on marble, and use a ramp rather than letting them jump from the car or the sofa while they grow. Build fitness slowly, not in weekend bursts, and keep them lean: extra weight goes straight onto those joints. Your plan follows their joints as they grow: hip and elbow screening for a standard, and an orthopaedic evaluation (a joint and bone exam) for a mini.
Labradoodles put weight on easily from puppyhood, and a full coat hides it.
Every age
Why
Labradoodles put weight on easily from puppyhood, and a full coat hides it.
What to do
Weigh them once a month and write it down. Once a week, push your fingers through the coat and feel for their ribs: you should find them easily. Note any new lump the same week you find it.
Four of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Mini or standard Labradoodle
A standard Labradoodle has a Standard Poodle parent and grows into a large dog. A mini Labradoodle, also called a miniature Labradoodle, has a Miniature Poodle parent and is medium-sized. Ask which Poodle was used: it sets the size, and the two sizes carry slightly different health risks.
Colours
A Labradoodle can be black or chocolate like the Labrador, golden anywhere from pale cream to fox red, or one of the Poodle's shades, from white and silver to apricot and café au lait.
The first six months
Labradoodle puppies need their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration first. Keep their growth slow and steady, because fast growth and early weight gain are already on their record.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Put rugs or runners where they turn and run, and a step up to the sofa. Keep socks, the bin and the laundry basket out of reach: a Labradoodle puppy will carry off anything that fits in their mouth.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder for both parents' hip, elbow and eye test results, and keep them. If anyone at home has allergies, spend time with the puppy first, because low shedding is not the same as allergy-free.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll be at the bowl at five. If five o'clock comes and they aren't, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
Before 1900
The Poodle brought ducks back out of the water for hunters, and its name comes from the German "pudeln", to splash in water. The Miniature Poodle was bred smaller from the same dog.
What they still carryThe curl, the quick mind and a love of water.
1800s to 1903
Fishermen's water dogs from Newfoundland reached Poole in Dorset on trading ships, and English shooting estates bred them to bring back shot ducks. The Kennel Club recognised the Labrador in 1903.
What they still carryThe appetite, the soft mouth and the solid build.
1989
At a guide dog association in Australia, Wally Conron crossed a Labrador with a Standard Poodle for a blind woman whose husband was allergic to dogs. Of three puppies, only one suited the husband's allergy: Sultan.
What they still carryThe Labradoodle itself, and the hope that a Poodle cross could suit a home with allergies.
After 1989
Breeders began using Miniature Poodles to make a smaller Labradoodle for flats and smaller homes. There is still no breed standard for either size.
What they still carryA Labrador's appetite and energy in a medium-sized body.
2019
Thirty years on, Conron called the cross his life's regret, because of the breeding done since with no thought for health.
What they still carryWhy your breeder, and both parents' health tests, matter more than the name.
Today
In the UAE a Labradoodle lives in a villa or a flat, with very little water they are allowed into.
What they still carryTwo water retrievers' energy and a Labrador's appetite, in 45°C heat.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Labradoodle suits you, so might these.
GoldendoodleThe same kind of dog: a large poodle cross, with a Golden Retriever for the other parent and a quieter voice.
Labrador RetrieverThe same size and love of people, from the Labrador side of the family, with a short coat that sheds far more.
Standard PoodleThe same clever, friendly temperament, in the poodle side of the family, with curls that need more grooming.
Portuguese Water DogA similar size and a low-shedding coat, in a curly water dog with even more energy.
