According to my pal, it depends on what type of coat you get on your dog. Some are curly, just like a poodle, some are flat coated, just like a lab, but then my favourites are the 'scruffys' which are somewhere in between. But generally they take very little grooming. Not sure if they're available in UK, but an Australian breeder does labradoodles that do not shed hair, and so are absolutely perfect for a) very tidy people (!) or, more commonly, b) those with bad allergies. My pals dogs are just great, they are ideal pets and good with children, cats etc. The only thing he recommends is puppy/dog obedience classes, cos they can be quite wilful dogs and so you need to get them off on the right foot (so to speak). Pals second puppy was a creamy/white female and she looked like a wee baby polar bear....too fab for words!