History of the Australian Cobberdog
The Australian Cobberdog is an Australian Breed which has been developed over decades of infusions and timely combinations of at least 22 breeds. As a result The Australian Cobberdog has some ancestors in common with many different breeds.
The two original founders of the breed, Beverly Rutland Manners [Rutland] and Mellodie Woolley [Tegan ] took the original concept of using the mixing of breeds [originally a Labrador X Poodle]
which was a failed experiment trialled and abandoned by the Guide Dogs Association, to new horizons to gain their desired outcome.
Many hard decisions to ensure the health, predictability of temperament, characteristics and management requirements of their breed have been optimised. The goal was the creation of a breed that was non shedding, allergy friendly with a non-aggressive, easily trainable nature. Several generations passed before an infusion was considered a success or failure to help take them to their goal. Even though the two founders had the same goal from the outset, each worked for some time on their own individual breeding programs and sporadically combined bloodlines.
They used a core group of dogs selected from the best of what was produced from the years of the two original founders breeding Authentic Australian Labradoodle blood stock plus uniquely suitable infusions. These were selected for the inclusion into the modern gene pool, to develop the Australian Cobberdog and bring it to where it is today in its journey toward purebred recognition. The continuing development of the Australian Cobberdog provides a great example of how modern science can be best utilised to achieve a recognisable, predictable breed which has been given every chance at good health, with ample genetic diversity and quality of a long life.
The Australian Cobberdog continues in its journey toward reaching the necessary criteria to attain official breed recognition by dedicated foundation breeders, who have as their primary focus, the health and temperament of the dogs whilst striving toward the long term vision for the breed. Part of that vision is their commitment to breeding dogs that will meet the breed standard.
With our 21st Century advanced science, including DNA testing, and electronic systems in communication and transportation the development of this breed has many advantages over the foundation breeders of past years who developed currently recognised breeds.
The original founders and modern breeders have made, and continue to make, many hard decisions to ensure the health, predictability of temperament, characteristics and management requirements of their breed are optimised. They have been able to eliminate and avoid many potential problems in the dogs they produce which limit the risks to the health of the dogs and to reduce the possibility of the breed being compromised either now or into the future.