
Click ‘Puppy alert’ to stay up to date on new Labradoodle litters.
How much does a Labradoodle puppy cost? At Woefkesranch every puppy is born on the ranch and grows up with its mother, whom you always see when you visit. We have the parents tested for hereditary conditions, and every puppy leaves socialised, vaccinated, dewormed, microchipped, with a European passport and a 1-year guarantee. After the purchase we stay reachable by phone or WhatsApp, around the clock for urgent matters. That is why a Labradoodle puppy costs €1,500 to €3,000.
Woefkesranch has been a recognised Belgian family kennel since 1990. Puppies that cost much less often come from the Eastern European supply, with inhumane practices and serious health problems. Some sellers offer these puppies as if they were bred in Belgium. Learn more about the risks in the Pano report (VRT, in Dutch), for which the team also filmed at our ranch: De Oost-Europese puppybusiness.
Our usual process


Cheerful, very friendly and quick to learn, with a coat that usually does not shed. It was bred as an allergy-friendly guide dog, and that temperament is why it became a family dog.
Friendly
Cheerful with everyone, and good with children.
Low-shedding
Usually low-shedding, though a cross varies.
Intelligent
Learns fast, and needs mental work every day.
Sociable
Gets on with cats and other pets as well as people.
Height*
~48.5 cm
Weight*
~20 kg
Life expectancy
~14 years
Origin
Australia, 1989
*The sizes above are guide values for this breed. Woefkesranch aims for them, but the health of the dogs always comes first.
You will discover that the Labradoodle exists because of one request: a guide dog for a woman whose husband was allergic. Wally Conron crossed a Labrador with a standard Poodle in Australia in 1989, four more breeds were worked in afterwards, and the result is cheerful, highly trainable and usually non-shedding. It is also still a cross rather than a recognised breed, which means a puppy varies more than a pedigree dog does and the parents matter more. You will need to brush that coat, book the groomer, and ask a breeder the right three questions. Read on to see what this cross asks of you.
The Labradoodle begins in 1989 in Australia, where Wally Conron crossed a Labrador with a standard Poodle. He was trying to solve one problem for one family: a woman in Hawaii needed a guide dog, and her husband was allergic to dogs.
Four other breeds were crossed in afterwards to strengthen the traits that worked: the English Cocker Spaniel, the Irish Water Spaniel, the American Cocker Spaniel and the Curly Coated Retriever. That mixed ancestry is why Labradoodles come in such a range of sizes and colours.
Despite the popularity, Australian Labradoodles are still not recognised by the FCI, so there is no official standard for what one should look like or how it should behave. In Australia, breeding centres were set up to keep bloodlines clean and to keep illegal breeders out, with strict rules attached.
The Australian Labradoodle as it is known today was developed mainly by two Australian breeding kennels, Rutland Manor and Tegan Park.

Because this is not a recognised breed with an agreed standard, Labradoodles vary more than a pedigree dog does. They are sold in three sizes: mini at ~39 cm, medium at ~48 cm, and large at ~58 cm.
The coat is the point of the breed. It is usually non-shedding, which is what makes the dog workable for many allergy sufferers, and it comes in white, red, brown, black, silver, caramel, chocolate, apricot and gold. The texture varies as much as the colour.
There are three coat types: a hair coat that sheds like a Labrador’s and is seen mostly in first-generation crosses, a wool coat in loose curls, and a silky fleece coat; wool and fleece shed little or not at all. One litter can contain more than one coat type.
Brushing runs from daily to once a fortnight depending on the individual coat. At around nine months a puppy changes coat and needs thorough brushing and trimming through it, and a fast-growing coat means the groomer every eight to twelve weeks.
| Characteristic | Mini | Medium | Large |
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | ~39 cm | ~48 cm | ~58 cm |
| Weight | ~11 kg | ~19 kg | ~30 kg |
A purebred coat is known in advance, while a cross can take after either parent. The low shedding depends on the coat being kept up, so grooming is needed whichever you choose. Where an allergy is a real concern, spend time with the individual puppy before deciding.
| Characteristic | Labradoodle | Lagotto Romagnolo | Cockapoo | Maltipoo | Miniature Poodle | Maltese |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Height | ~48.5 cm | ~44.5 cm | ~36.5 cm | ~28 cm | 28–32 cm | ~22.5 cm |
| Weight | ~20 kg | ~13.5 kg | ~10 kg | ~5 kg | 5–7 kg | ~3.5 kg |
| Hypoallergenic | Not always, depends on the parents | Always | Not always, depends on the parents | Usually, both parent breeds are low-shedding | Always | Always |
| Coat care | Brush several times a week, groomer every 8 to 12 weeks | Brush twice a week, trim every 6 to 8 weeks | Brush daily, trim every 8 to 10 weeks and never shorter than 5 cm | Brush weekly, professional trim every 6 to 8 weeks | Comb regularly, professional trim every 2 to 3 months | Comb weekly, trim once or twice a year |
| Breed origin | Labrador Retriever and Poodle | Purebred, from Italy | Cocker Spaniel and Poodle | Maltese and Miniature Poodle | Purebred, from France | Purebred, from Malta and Italy |
| What differs | Labradoodle | Lagotto Romagnolo |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | A Labrador crossed with a Standard Poodle, bred in Australia in 1989 as a guide dog for a family with a dog allergy | A recognised Italian breed from the 16th century, bred in Emilia-Romagna to retrieve waterfowl from the marshes, and later used to search for truffles |
| Size | Three sizes. A mini (~39 cm, ~11 kg) is smaller than a Lagotto, a medium (~48 cm, ~19 kg) about the same size, a large (~58 cm, ~30 kg) larger | One size: males ~45.5 cm and ~14.5 kg, females ~43.5 cm and ~12.5 kg |
| Coat and grooming | Curly, wavy or straight, in many colours. Brushing daily to once every two weeks and the groomer every 8 to 12 weeks | Always dense and curly. A short daily brush and the groomer 4 to 6 times a year |
| Character | Open to everyone, including people it does not know yet | Devoted to its own family, takes its time with people it does not know yet |
Both are intelligent family dogs with a coat that sheds little, which makes them more suitable for many people with a dog allergy. Both need plenty of exercise and mental work every day, such as scent games or training.

Labradoodles are cheerful and exceptionally friendly, with everyone. They get on notably well with children, which is a large part of why the cross turns up so often as a service or therapy dog.
They want the company of people and give a lot back to a family. They are also intelligent, which cuts both ways: an intelligent dog learns quickly and also learns things you did not mean to teach it, so consistency matters.
If you already have other animals, this is a good choice. Labradoodles generally get on with cats and with other pets, and the friendliness is not reserved for people.
The health of Australian Labradoodles has not been studied as thoroughly as that of older breeds, because the cross is recent and unrecognised. What is reasonable to expect is the conditions of the two breeds it came from: the Labrador Retriever and the standard Poodle.
In practice these are mainly hip and elbow dysplasia and progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), with ear infections and skin allergies also common, and epilepsy, hypothyroidism, diabetes and von Willebrand’s disease, an inherited bleeding disorder, are also seen. Ask whether the parents were tested for thyroid function.
That means asking a breeder what the parent dogs were tested for, and asking to see the results. In a cross, the parents decide more than they would in a breed with a fixed standard, because there is no standard doing any of the work for you.
Good quality food matched to age supports both the energy level and the coat: puppy food for growth, adult food for a steady weight, and senior food with joint support later. Discuss the amounts with your vet.
Split the daily food over two or more meals rather than one large one: this lowers the risk of gastric torsion (bloat), a condition found in the Labrador that can be passed on to a Labradoodle.


A Labradoodle is intelligent and eager, which makes it easy to train. It is also easy to be inconsistent with, so use the same words and the same rules, and have everyone in the house apply them the same way.
Start socialising early. Take a puppy to different people, places and other animals while it is still forming its opinions about them, and keep the experiences controlled and positive.
Positive reinforcement suits this cross. Reward what you want immediately, keep sessions short, and give an intelligent dog something to think about beyond obedience, because a bored Labradoodle will find its own occupation.
Plan on about one hour of walking a day for a medium or large Labradoodle, plus brain games.



A Labradoodle gets on very well with children, and it is a good choice if you already have other pets, because it gets on well with cats and other animals too. It is a particularly intelligent dog, so consistent training is necessary.
Because it is eager to please and does not need a heavy hand, a Labradoodle suits a first-time dog owner especially well.
Ask the breeder which generation the puppy is, what the parents were tested for, and what their coats are like, because the parents’ coats are the best available predictor of the puppy’s. A breeder who cannot answer those three questions is worth passing over.
Woefkesranch works with waiting lists. Depending on what you want in size, coat, colour and sex, the wait can run to six months, so it is worth asking early.
Caring for a Labradoodle means committing to a daily routine that addresses their grooming, feeding, exercise and health needs.
For optimal daily care, focus on these key points:
Daily to fortnightly brushing, and the groomer every eight to twelve weeks if the coat grows fast.
At around nine months the puppy coat goes. Brush and trim thoroughly through it or it mats.
Good quality, matched to age. Puppy for growth, adult for a steady weight, senior with joint support.
Bred as an assistance dog and happiest with people. Not a dog to leave alone all day. Ears: the hanging ears trap moisture, so dry and clean them after swimming and check them weekly for dirt, redness or a bad smell.
Regular veterinary visits are essential to monitor health, contributing to a longer lifespan for your Labradoodle. If you are considering getting a puppy, it is important to recognize a good breeder.
We are a recognized breeder of Labradoodle puppies in Belgium. Our ranch is in Putte (near Mechelen), between Brussels and Antwerp, about 40 kilometers from Brussels, 30 kilometers from Antwerp and 80 kilometers from Ghent. Our puppies are socialized on the ranch through contact with our caretakers and with other dogs and puppies. Woefkesranch has been a family business since 1990 and is now in its second generation. Every puppy is born in our own kennel under permanent supervision, with no imports and no middlemen. Families are guided before the purchase and are welcome back with their questions long afterwards.
If you have no transport, someone from Woefkesranch brings your puppy to your home, up to 250 km from Putte. Approximately: Hasselt 60 km, Charleroi 80 km, Mons 100 km, Liège 110 km, Bruges 120 km, Rotterdam 120 km, The Hague 150 km, DĂ¼sseldorf 180 km, Amsterdam 190 km, Cologne 190 km, Essen 220 km.
Usually very little, which is the point of the cross, but a cross can never guarantee it. A curly coat sheds least, a short or straight one sheds. If somebody in the house is allergic, that uncertainty is worth weighing against a purebred curly breed. Most people with a dog allergy react to dander, the skin flakes that come off with the hair, more than to the hair itself, so less shedding means less dander but no guarantee. If an allergy is the main concern, tell us so we can help choose the puppy least likely to shed.
It depends which size you choose: mini is ~39 cm, medium ~48 cm, and large ~58 cm. Because the cross is not a recognised breed there is no standard holding those figures, so treat them as ranges.
No. The FCI does not recognise it, so there is no official standard for appearance or temperament. In Australia breeding centres were set up to keep bloodlines clean, but recognition has not followed.
Brushing from daily to once a fortnight, depending on the individual coat, plus the groomer every eight to twelve weeks if it grows fast. At around nine months the puppy coat changes and needs thorough brushing and trimming through that period.
Yes to both. They are cheerful and exceptionally friendly, get on notably well with children, and generally live happily alongside cats and other animals. That temperament is why the cross is used so often as a service and therapy dog.
The conditions of the two breeds it came from, the Labrador Retriever and the standard Poodle. The cross is too recent and too unrecognised to have been studied properly, so what the parent dogs were tested for is the question that matters.
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