Rutland Manor's Policy on Health Management

5. Rutland Manor  founded the first Labradoodle Association in the world,   also facing much opposition from those who claimed it was not necessary.  RM founded firstly the then Labradoodle Association of Australia (LAA) and later, the International Labradoodle Association (ILA) now known as IALA. The purpose was to monitor and track the breeding practices of the hundreds of new breeders who sprang up almost overnight, and to provide them with a place where they could find breeding guidelines and register their Labradoodles.

How Were The 'Pure' Breeds Created & Developed? Many of today's 'pure' breeds originated from a foundation of as few as five individuals.  The genetic dead-end in which many modern day 'pure' dog breeds find themselves, has come about by too - close inbreeding and line breeding especially in inexperienced hands.  Rutland Manor  carries out continuing anecdotal research in the pursuit of ongoing health and vitality in the dogs it breeds, as well as the ongoing stability of the truly non shedding and allergy friendly coat.  Each  alternative year, usually in September,  Beverley of Rutland Manor tours the United States, which is the country currently importing the largest number of our ASD Australian Labradoodles, for the purpose of monitoring the development of our dogs,  gathering further information and giving  free instruction on care, training and breeding.    Similar services are also provided on request throughout Australia and other countries. Line Breeding, In breeding and Out Crossing The main difference between these  lies in the level of breeding one relative to another, as there is no clear cut definition of any of these terms and each breeder has their own idea of where the lines are drawn.   Highly incestuous matings such as father or mother to their own progeny, or brother to sister etc are considered by most breeders to be 'inbreeding'  whilst others will consider less incestuous matings such as bringing a grandparent back into a line to be line breeding. Line breeding can be a valuable tool in the hands of a thoroughly experienced breeder who is familiar with the health status debits and credits behind their breeding stock, but in less knowledgable hands can be a recipe for disaster. Inbreeding co-efficients of up to 30% are considered low in 'pure' breeds. Rutland Manor  breeds using an inbreeding co-efficient of less than 10% with most in the range of 0.5% to 3%. During the development of the Australian Labradoodle, and following diligent research, Rutland Manor thoughtfully infused four breeds at specifically appropriate times in pursuit of the wide and diverse gene pool necessary to build a strong oundation for the ASD  (Australian Service Dog)  Australian Labradoodle, yet at the same time, not sacrificing the standards of soundness,  temperament and coat type  which had already been achieved. Skip a Cycle?  Or Breed Each Successive Cycle? At Rutland Manor  we breed our girls  back to back ( each successive cycle)  and desex/retire them young. There are very good reasons for this.  Firstly -  Modern veterinary research indicates that it is healthier for the breeding females themselves to be bred on concurrent cycles and can reduce the  incidence of uterine cancers. Secondly - By breeding successive cycles and then retiring the breeding females several years younger than if they skipped a cycle each year, these still-young females have the chance to find a loving forever  home where they can spend the rest of their lives as the adored single dog family companion they deserve  to be.  Genetics and Breeding - In Simple Terms The Maternal Grandsire Effect Why Breeding Females Shed Coat Read About Juvenile Spey/Neuter Update 2007:   IALA/ALAA/ILA  publishes on its website that "two breeders under the 'TERM' of Breeding and Research Centers  began developing the breed......"  Rutland Manor considers this public statement to be inflamatory and offensive.   Our original purpose and ongoing dedication when developing the ASD Australian Labradoodle as a breed, was and still is,  ongoing research, which has been diligently carried out since the  90's. We are pleased to say that every word in the  paragraph below was  approved  by the legal department of Consumer Affairs Victoria and is correct in every detail. (9th March 2004). Let's Talk About Disease. Disease can have either hereditary or environmental causes or both, and can be inherited on either  recessive or dominant genes, or due to a predisposition with variable causes  including dietary deficiencies or imbalance, stress, administration of certain drugs, or anything which compromises the immune system of the individual dog such as over vaccination or the feeding of -   Unwholesome Commercial Dog Foods.  See Links Page Diseases Inherited Via Dominant Genes Diseases transmitted through dominant genes can be relatively simple to breed out of a particular line of dogs by either terminating the bloodline from whence it has come or by judicious breeding practices.  An example is the eye disease  prcd-PRA.  This disease can be idendified via a  DNA test which became available in 2007.  Dogs are classified as either 'Clear'  'Carriers' or 'Affected'.  By  DNA testing progeny prior to retaining breeding stock and keeping only  'Clear' dogs for further breeding this disease can be stamped out of that bloodline in one generation.  There is a modern trend for breeders to test for a number of diseases in their breeding stock and it can look very impressive to see a list of health testing results displayed as some kind of badge of honour which places them above the rank and file.  In principle this is impressive.  In reality it is pointless to test for a dominant gene disease which has already been eliminated from that breeding line unless there is a loose cannon by way of a new unknown bloodline which has been used with it in the breeding program.  Let's clarify this.  Let us suppose that a dog tested 'clear' for prcd-PRA is mated with another also tested 'Clear'.  Because it is impossible for any of the offspring to be anything other than 'Clear' it would be pointless testing that offspring. But it would look impressive (to the uninitiated) added to the health testing list! Diseases Transmitted Via Recessive Genes Not so easy are the diseases transmitted through Recessive genes.  These tricky little genes  can skip a number of generations and be 'silently' carried through dogs which are themselves perfectly  healthy and who show no clinical or symptomatic signs of the very disease they are  'carrying'. An example of a recessively carried disease is Hip Dysplasia (HD).  Progeny of several generations of parents with excellent hips on both sides can still produce dysplastic offspring without warning.   Conversely certain individuals with poor graded hips can produce offspring with excellent hips!  This disease's very unpredictability makes it necessary to test every successive set of parents before they are bred.  It is no guarantee of producing good hipped dogs but it is the best a breeder can do. Inherited Canine Disease Can Be Breed Selective This means that particular breeds are prone to develop their own sets of inherited diseases and the list of possible canine diseases is overwhelming.  Tests are available for some, but many others can only be identified post humorously.  Some occur at a young age and others are mature onset. List of Inherited Diseases Shared by the  Labrador and the Poodle  DISEASE LAB POODLE ADULT ONSET GROWTH HORMONE DEFICIENCY   Y ATOPIC DERMATITIS   Y ATYPICAL PANNUS   Y BLOAT   Y DILUE COLOR ALOPECIA HYPOTHYRODISM   Y DISTICHIASIS Y Y ENTROPION Y Y EPILEPSY Y Y EPIPHORA   Y FACTOR V111 OR AHF DEFICIENCY Y Y HEMOPHILIA A Y Y HIP DYSPLASIA Y Y IRIS ATROPHY   Y JUVENILE CATARACT   Y LACRIMAL DUCT ARTRESIA   Y MICROPHTHALMIA   Y OSTEOGENESIS IMPERFECTA   Y PATENT DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS   Y PROGRESSIVE RETINAL STROPHY Y Y RENAL DYSPLASIA Y Y RETINAL DETACHMENT   Y SEBACEOUS ADENITIS   Y VON WILLEBRANDS DISEASE   Y BILATERAL CATARACT Y   CYSTINURIA Y   CARPAL SUBLUXATION Y   CRANIOMANDIBULAR OSTEOPATHY Y   DWARFISM ASSOCIATED WITH RETINAL DYSPLASIA Y   DEFICIENCY OF TYPE 11 MUSCLE FIBERS Y   SHOULDER DYSPLASIA Y   HYPOGLYCEMIA Y   HYPOTHYROIDISM Y   HYPERTROPHIC   OSTEODYSTROPHY  Y   DIABETES Y   MISSING TEETH Y   PROLAPSED RECTUM Y   MELANOMA Y   PROLAPSED UTERUS Y   CONGENITAL PHIMOSIS AND CUTANEOUS MAST CELL TUMORS Y   COLOBOMA Y   CONGENITAL HYPOTRICHOSIS Y   MEGAESOPHAGUS Y   FOOD ALLERGY Y   LEUKOTRICHIA Y   VITAMIN A RESPONSIVE DERMATITIS Y   PERSISTANT PUPILLARY MEMBRANE Y   DISEASE LAB POODLE COPPER TOXICOSIS Y   FACTOR 1X DEFICIENCY Y   ELBOW OSTEOCHONDROSIS Y   MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY Y   RECEPTOR DYSTROPHY Y   UNUNITED ANCONEAL PROCESS Y   HEREDITRAY MYOPATHY Y   ATHEROSCLEROSIS Y             Even if all these diseases were able to be tested for the sad truth remains that if breeding stock were tested for each and every one, the price of a puppy would escalate to such highs that only the very wealthy would be able to afford one.  The best that any breeder can do is to test for any disease which is known to be present in their own breeding lines, and to either cull those lines altogether or continue testing every parent and every puppy before sale, and as many of these diseases are mature onset with no process as yet in place to test for predisposition, it would no longer be possible for anyone to adopt a puppy, but only adults which the breeder has kept for testing up to two and three years of age.    It is 'fashionable' to lay blame at the breeder's door if a puppy grows up to develop a disease, but in reality every conscientious breeder is devastated to hear of any of their stock becoming ill despite their best efforts.  Nevertheless breeders of integrity still offer generous health warranties on the puppies they breed and most work hard at keeping abreast of new technologies which become available regarding testing, treatments and preventions. An owner's responsibility is to themselves keep abreast of breaking news regarding the advisability or otherwise of feeding commercial dog foods, for over vaccinating and in questioning their vet when certain drugs are used to treat health problems that may occur over time.     Consumer Affairs Victoria Australia received a request In 2002, from a lady in America who wanted Rutland Manor's claim to be a Breeding and Research Center to be thoroughly investigated.   After an exhaustive three months of providing full documentation we are pleased  to announce that Rutland Manor was able to supply sufficient evidence to substantiate to the satisfaction of Consumer Affairs Victoria, that we are indeed a Breeding and Research Center for the Labradoodle.    During the early development of the breed, Rutland Manor infused four  pure breeds at appropriate intervals, and for specific reasons in some bloodlines.  Each infusion was done once only. Results were monitored and recorded for several generations before being filtered into some of the remaining bloodlines. N.B.  I have read on several websites that the Curly Coated Retriever was also infused into the Australian Labradoodle.  If it was I have no knowledge of it.  It is not a breed I would personally have chosen for an infusion. Beverley Irish Water Spaniel, a close relative of the Standard Poodle   American and English English Cocker Spaniel Click on the 'About Infusions' Link below to follow the fascinating Infusion Story Pictorial Soft Coated Wheaten  -  IRISH lines     ASD AUSTRALIAN LABRADOODLE..2008... WHAT NOW?