Australian Cobberdog is the name that honours the enormous task that the breed was designed for: to perform therapy and assistance tasks.
Cobber is a typical term in Australia used to refer to a friend, which is indeed what the Australian Cobberdog is – a friend that you can always count on.
The Australian Cobberdog is a pure breed in development, recognised by the MDBA (Master Dog Breeders and Associates) since 2012 and has its own DNA sequence.
The MDBA is also the institution responsible for ensuring correct breeding procedures to guarantee quality of life for future generations of the breed, through good breeder practices, whose breeding criteria must be that the puppies have a good personality and be in good health.
Only MDBA breeders have the legitimacy to guarantee that their dogs are purebred Australian Cobberdogs. In turn, this guarantees the quality of the dogs.
“A gracefully athletic and balanced dog, free of exaggeration, with a luxurious non-shedding, odourless coat. They are generally recognised by furnishings with the “groomed look” a fresh rounded appearance rather than droopy. Their innate desire and aptitude for training, is expressed through their sociable, joyful and friendly nature. They have a desire for close human companionship and an instinct to seek intimate eye to eye contact”
The Australian Cobberdog comes in 3 sizes. Height is determined by measuring the dog from the ground to the top of their shoulder, whilst on a level surface. Whilst there are 3 main sizes, it is not uncommon to breed between sizes which results in variations to the standard such as large mediums and small standards. Breeding between sizes allows breeders to maintain genetic diversity. The sex of the dog does not affect size, but in general, females have a slightly lighter complexion than males.
The 3 main sizes are:
At Little Dogs Life, we breed across all sizes and will have puppies available from miniatures through to standards, depending on availability and planned litters.
The coat of an Australian Cobberdog is considered one of the most distinct features of the breed. It is low to non-shedding and well suited to those with allergies. If you have specific allergy requirements, please let us know as we can carry out coat testing to determine the suitability of a puppy’s coat for your needs.
There are three main types of fleece coats for the Australian Cobberdog – straight, wavy or curly. Additionally, there is also a wool coat for which we do not currently breed for. The difference between straight and wavy coats is mostly genetic and relevant to breeders. Both straight and wavy coats are soft and silky to touch with fine hair that gathers in small clusters and fall gently in waves.
The coat can be kept long with regular maintenance or shorter for ease of care. Dirt falls easily from these coats and they tend to lack the doggy-odour of other breeds. The curly fleece coat has a tighter curl and can be more appropriate for those with allergies, however coat testing is still recommended. This coat is best kept short for ease of maintenance.
The Australian Cobberdog comes in many different colours but these can be separated into two distinct groupings – solid colours which have an even colour all over; and shaded colours, which have various tones of the same colour within the coat.
Colours found within the solid colours include raven, chocolate, red, caramel, chalk and caramel ice. Shaded colours include black, blue, silver, gold, apricot, café, lavender and various merles. Cobberdogs can also be found in parti colours which is a combination of two solid colours.
Whilst colour can be considered the most important factor in your puppy preferences, we do ask prospective puppy buyers to be flexible on colour choice. Mother nature gets the most say in what colours puppies arrive in and we prioritise temperament and personality when matching puppies to their families.
All Cobberdogs really are beautiful and you can be assured that regardless of colour, you will fall head over heels in love with your Cobberdog!