The Australian Cobberdog which is said to be the original version of today’s Labradoodle is a smart, affectionate, and playful dog with an amazing sense of humour. It is an energetic and playful dog and is always ready to play.
Australian Cobberdog has a surprising history as it has risen from the ashes of the Australian Labradoodle. If you are looking for a complete breed guide about the Australian Cobberdog, keep reading this article. You’ll find it worth knowing information about the origin, temperament, grooming, living condition, physical appearance, health, and obviously, how it is developed by the ashes of the Australian Labradoodle.
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So without further ado, let’s dive in:
Table of Contents
Origin and History of Australian Cobberdog:
It is said that the Australian Cobberdog was developed over 30 years ago by the ashes of the Australian Labradoodle. It was created and founded by the Rutland Manor and Tegan Park Breeding and Research centres in Australia.
You may have been confused about the term “developed by the ashes”. According to experts, the Australian Labradoodle is not the same one that was originally founded and created in the 1980s. Since the time of its origination and creation continued into the early 2000s, it gained more popularity in the world and people love this dog because of its great temperament and low to non-shedding coat.
Sadly, the breed has now been exploited because many non-professional breeders are trying to capitalize on the Labradoodle’s popularity. There have been dozens of different versions of Labradoodles bred such as multi-generational and teddy bear Labradoodles, that broke down the standard of the breed. Due to these ill-minded practices, the actual traits and characteristics of the breed are now far behind those that were defined 3 decades ago.
Due to the spoilation of the Australian Labradoodle which was occurring in Europe as well as the USA, the responsible breed developers took the matter into their own hands to save the breed and fertilize its real and true gene place in the beginning, founding a new breed what we now called the Australian Cobberdog.
Thankfully, there is a global registry and organization, the Master Dog Breeders Association also known as MDBA that is specifically founded to protect the integrity of the pure breed in its Development. Currently, MDBA is developing various other breeds and trying to bring back the originality of various breeds.
Fun Fact: Cobberdog means “Dog-Friend” in Australia.
Temperament:
The Australian Cobberdog is bred for a distinct purpose that is for a therapy dog, Medical Dog, an Assistance Dog, Medical Alert, and an overall perfect pooch as a family companion. It is a healthy yet athletic dog that is always ready to play. But it feels happy to snuggle for hours if someone’s sick or feeling down.
It is friendly with kids and elders. It gets along well with other pets and animals as well. To be concise about its temperament, the Australian Cobberdog is extremely intelligent, social, joyful, and a quick learner.
Having a goofy nature, it loves to entertain and make people laugh. If you plan to get an Australian Cobberdog, you should be very calm, and consistent and provide your pup with daily mental and physical exercise to get rid of behavioural issues.
The Australian Cobberdog is a friendly dog with overloaded loyalty to its family and non-aggressive behaviour. Its intuitive nature makes it an ideal Therapy Dog.
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What’s good and what’s bad about them?
Every dog breed has some pros and cons, which can be very beneficial for the owner to know before getting the dog. Knowing the positives and negatives of this breed may help you whether to get it or not.
Australian Cobberdog Pros:
Allergy-friendly coat:
The Australian Cobberdog has an allergy-friendly or hypoallergenic coat, which means it does not shed a lot. Its curly coat stops the hair to fall, so you don’t need to worry about hair and dander all around your home if you are adding this dog to your family.
Intelligent:
It is intelligent enough to easily understand your instructions or commands. Moreover, this dog is passionate about learning new things, and its sharp mind helps it to do so.
Perfect Therapy Dog:
If you are looking for a family therapy dog, the Australian Cobberdog is highly recommended for you as It was originally bred and developed for this job. Their excellent temperament makes them ideal therapy dogs.
Excellent Hearing:
They have very good hearing power which is essential in their role as assistance dogs. Therefore, they could also become excellent assistance dogs for the visually impaired to protect and assist them in noisy areas.
Non-aggressive:
The Australian Cobberdog has a very calm and gentle temperament. It is a non-aggressive breed and has no instinct to bite, even in the puppy phase.
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Cons of Australian Cobberdogs:
Floppy Ears:
With a bunch of qualities, it has only one weak point and that is its floppy ears. Because of that, its ears get dirty very frequently and by not properly caring it may get infected. So a special effort is required to avoid ear infections.
Physical Appearance:
Height and Weight:
The Australian Cobberdog has four different sizes; Standard, Medium, Small-medium, and Miniature.
Standard Cobberdog may stand 56cm tall at the shoulders while the weight may be around 40kg depending on gender and overall health.
Medium Cobberdog is usually between 47cm and 56cm in length, while the weight can vary between 16 to 20kg.
Small-medium Cobberdog may grow up to a height of 41cm to 47cm and weigh around 16 kg.
However, the Miniature Cobberdog may stand between 35cm and 41cm while their weight may vary between 7kg-10kg.
Australian Cobberdog’s Coat and Colour:
The Australian Cobberdog has a low to non-shedding coat that may be wavy or curly. When it comes to colours, it comes in a lot of varieties, i.e. Raven, Black, Silver, Brown, Rare (Café), Blond, White, Rose, Blond Rose, Red Rose, Blue, Red, Parchment, Lavender, Merle (Chocolate and Blue). You can also witness parti coloured pups, it is a colour combination of white and another colour.
Exercise and training:
This dog does not require much exercise but will enjoy a long walk or daily physical activities which help to improve its mental and physical health. Along with that, early-age training, socialization, and exposure to different situations are highly recommended to avoid behavioural issues.
Luckily, this dog will not give you a tough time in the training session because it is a smart dog with a great sense of humour. It will happily obey and understand your commands.
Living requirements:
The Australian Cobberdog is the right match for small apartments and can easily adapt to different living conditions if you provide enough exercise, mental, and physical. If you can take care of all the necessities of your fur baby in your small apartment or condo, this dog could be ideal for you.
Grooming requirements:
Grooming is essential for the well-being as well as the health of any dog which can improve your dog’s life. Every dog has different grooming needs, depending on its breed, age, and health.
However, if you regularly groom your dog it will help in keeping your dog healthy and conformable. Many dogs shed, while others such as the Poodle, Groodle, and Australian Cobberdog do not shed due to which they need to be brushed regularly and groomed by a professional groomer every 1-2 months.
Following are the major reason you should groom your Australian Cobberdog:
- To neglect and reduce the chances of various health issues such as skin problems and thrush, etc.
- Cleanliness of your dog.
- Monitoring the dog’s health by checking for rashes, cuts, swelling, hot spots, or changes in the temperature, all of them can cause serious illness.
- Avoid matting and tangling of fur that can cause serious health concerns such as skin irritation. They may also capture harmful bacteria in their coat.
Related: Dog Grooming Tips
Brushing:
Curly or wavy coats required regular brushing and grooming, and, as the Australian Cobberdog has a curly or wavy coat, it needs to be brushed twice or thrice a week.
If a responsible breeder has correctly bred your Australian Cobberdog then it does not have a hairy coat, instead, it will have a fleece or wavy coat which does not shed and is hypoallergenic. If a person is allergic to a dog’s hair, this dog could be the best match for him.
Teeth, Ears, and Nails:
You should brush your dog’s teeth at least twice a week to keep them from oral diseases and infections. While the ears should be checked once weekly to make sure there is no foreign object stuck in them. Along with that, you should trim or clip your dog’s nails at least three to four times a year.
Life Expectancy:
Luckily, this amazing breed has a longer life span than many other dog breeds. If you are looking for a companion that could spend over a decade with you then the Australian Cobberdog is the dog for you.
The average life span of this breed is approximately 13-15 years. If the overall health of this dog is good, it may live up to 18 years.
Australian Cobberdog vs Labradoodle comparison:
Labradoodle is the name given to the mixture developed by Wally Conron, who was the first person to work on this breed. While the Australian Cobberdog is the name given by MDBA to nominate it as a purebred dog that has the traits of the standard Labradoodle.
According to MDBA, Labradoodle is not a breed and all the characteristics are unstable while the term “Cobberdog” refers to its objective as a therapy dog as it means “dog-friend“.
The Labradoodle got famous only when a plethora of breeders started breeding this dog with no special criteria. While the Australian Cobberdog is a pure breed with its original and stable DNA, and only registered breeders who are members of MSDA can issue this dog pedigree.
This beloved breed gets a clean chit of its health because it has been accurately DNA health screened for generations. That is why known diseases are removed before breeding programs of MDBA-registered breeds.
MDBA requires DNA identity profiling with the DNA clearance of diseases condition which has appeared in the breed. Such as Progressive Rod-Cone Degeneration (PRA-prcd), an annual blood test for Addison disease is recommended for breeding dogs.
Litter size, puppy price, and maintenance cost:
Australian Cobberdog can give birth to about 4-10 puppies on average but this number could be less or more. A puppy may cost you up to $3,000 but this price may vary due to several facts such as colour, breeder’s reputation, vet costs, and several others.
When it comes to the maintenance prices of a dog, the first year may cost you more as compared to the following years. You should expect to spend $1000 initially which includes supplies, vaccinations, vet bills, food, and other necessities while up to $750 in the following years.
Final Thoughts:
So, this was all about the Australian Cobberdog, a friendly, jolly, and one of the smartest dogs. It is specifically bred to be a therapy dog, guide dog and assistant dog.
So, if you are looking for a low to non-shedding dog for yourself or a loved one, this is your dog. It comes with all the ingredients to become an ideal family dog for any family.
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