50 free Labradoodles trivia questions with answers — nature quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
The Labradoodle began as a practical experiment: an Australian guide-dog breeder crossed a Labrador Retriever with a Poodle to help a blind woman whose husband was allergic to dogs. One puppy, Sultan, worked as a guide dog in Hawaii for a decade, and a catchy portmanteau name launched the designer-dog craze that its own inventor came to regret. These 50 questions cover the whole story: Wally Conron and the Royal Guide Dog Association, the Frankenstein quote, why kennel clubs still treat the cross as a mixed breed, the miniature, medium and standard sizes, the wool, fleece and hair coats, and the dozen-plus colours from chalk to lavender. They also take in the Australian Labradoodle and the Australian Cobberdog with its eight contributing breeds, the parent breeds' own history from Newfoundland fishing dogs to French circus poodles, the cousins Goldendoodle and Cockapoo, and what allergy researchers actually found when they tested the hypoallergenic claim. Easy questions ask which two breeds make a Labradoodle; the expert tier wants Conron's employer, the first Western Australian guide Labradoodle, and the meaning of cobber. Every answer is cited to a page we checked and comes with a short explanation. Play it solo or print it for a dog-lovers' quiz night.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01A Labradoodle is a cross between a Labrador Retriever and which breed?
Poodle
Either a Standard or a Miniature parent can be used, which is why sizes vary so much.
Q 02Labradoodles were originally intended to suit people with what problem?
Allergies to dog dander
The low-shedding coat was meant to make a guide dog usable by allergic handlers.
Q 03Which Australian breeder is credited with inventing the Labradoodle?
Wally Conron
He later said he regretted starting the trend.
Q 04Which organisation did the Labradoodle's inventor develop the cross for?
Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia
He hoped the poodle's low-shedding coat and the Labrador's trainability would make a guide dog for allergy sufferers.
Q 05In which Australian state did the Labradoodle guide-dog programme begin?
Victoria
Guide Dogs Victoria no longer breeds Labradoodles, though other assistance-dog groups do.
Q 06What was the name of the first-litter Labradoodle that became a guide dog in Hawaii?
Sultan
He worked as a guide dog for a woman there for ten years.
Q 07What monster did the Labradoodle's inventor say he had created?
A Frankenstein
He blamed himself for the spate of unethical breeders and puppy mills that followed.
Q 08Why did Conron think a catchy name was important for his first litter?
To offset the stigma of mixed breeds
He also leaned on the allergy claim to help sell the puppies.
Q 09How do the AKC and other major kennel clubs classify the Labradoodle?
Not a recognised breed
Technically it is a hybrid of two pure breeds rather than a breed in its own right.
Q 10In which year did the AKC start letting mixed-breed owners register for an ID number?
2010
The alternative listing programme gives mixed breeds an AKC ID without breed recognition.
Q 11When did Jonnie, Western Australia's first guide Labradoodle, graduate?
November 2010
The Association for the Blind of Western Australia had added Labradoodles to its training programme.
Q 12Which breed was tried in Australian Labradoodle lines but dropped as unsatisfactory?
Curly-coated Retriever
The other three were all kept in some Australian lines.
Q 13What are the three size names used for Labradoodles?
Miniature, medium, standard
The names follow the size categories used for poodles.
Q 21A UK study found Labradoodles had more of which eye condition than Labradors?
Multifocal retinal dysplasia
The rate was 4.6%; cataracts ran at 3.7%, similar to Labradors.
Q 22Why are Labradoodles especially prone to ear infections?
Long floppy ears
Cockapoos suffer the same way for the same reason.
Q 23Which Australian group continued Conron's work into a purebred called the Cobberdog?
Rutland Manor and Tegan Park
The two breeding and research centres set out to fix the cross into a definable breed.
Q 14A standard Labradoodle typically weighs roughly how much?
45-75 lbs
Miniatures run about 18-28 lbs and mediums about 26-45 lbs.
Q 15Labradoodle coats are divided into which three categories?
Wool, fleece, hair
The hair itself can run from wiry to soft and from straight to curly.
Q 16Which of these is listed as a Labradoodle coat colour?
Lavender
Chalk, café, parchment and blueish gray are on the list too.
Q 17Which coat pattern term describes a Labradoodle with white abstract markings or two tones?
Parti
Solid, phantom and tri-coloured are the other listed patterns.
Q 18Labradoodles often inherit a strong affinity for what from both parent breeds?
Water and swimming
Both Labradors and Poodles began as water-retrieving dogs.
Q 19Which joint problems does the Australian Labradoodle Association call common in the cross?
Hip and elbow dysplasia
The association still describes the dogs as generally healthy.
Q 20Which hormonal disorder has been recorded in Australian Labradoodles?
Addison's disease
Eye diseases and epilepsy have also been reported in the cross.
Q 24How many existing breeds contributed to the Australian Cobberdog?
Eight
They include the Irish Water Spaniel, Curly-coated Retriever and Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier.
Q 25What does the Australian slang word "cobber" in Cobberdog mean?
Friend
The name was chosen to keep an Australian identity while distinguishing the breed from the Labradoodle.
Q 26In which year was the Australian Cobberdog accepted as a new breed by the MDBA?
2012
The Master Dog Breeders and Associates also published its breed standards that year.
Q 27The Australian Cobberdog was bred chiefly to excel at which job?
Therapy and assistance work
No earlier breed had been developed solely to be an ideal therapy and assistance dog.
Q 28In which year was the Labradoodle Association of Australia founded?
2000
It aimed to standardise the Labradoodle and win breed recognition.
Q 29The Australian Labradoodle Association mandates exactly which three progenitors?
Poodle, Labrador, Cocker Spaniel
As many as 22 purebred contributors sit in the wider accepted heritage.
Q 30Which breed did Rutland Manor add to its lines in 2004, sparking the Cobberdog split?
Irish Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier
One of the two infused terriers was a Melbourne Royal championship show winner.