Many of our clients inquire about the types of Goldendoodles available and what the meaning of different generations is:
First Generation Goldendoodles - F1
A first generation hybrid Goldendoodle is the product of a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. First generation hybrids are all exactly 50% of each parent breed. As first generation hybrids, these dogs have the added health benefits associated to Hybrid Vigour. This is a phenomenon in animal breeding referring to the fact that the first cross between two unrelated purebred lines is healthier and grows better than either parent line.
Coat Maintenance: moderate to high care
Coat Description: Coat grows to a natural body length of 3-5 inches which requires combing and occasional grooming. Many choose to have the fur cut back once every few months to keep the fur shorter and easier to maintain. Coats are usually wavy or curly, with a rare shorter hair coat.
Shedding: mostly very light to nonshed.
Allergy Friendliness: usually successful in families with mild allergies. When a family has moderate to severe allergies, a backcross Dood is recommended.
First Generation Backcross Goldendoodles - F1b
A backcross pup is the result of a hybrid bred back to one of its breeds of origin. From a genetic standpoint a backcross pup is a first generation cross. As breeders are breeding towards non-shedding and allergy friendliness, a backcross Goldendoodle is generally the product of a Goldendoodle bred to a Poodle. The resulting dog is, on average, 1/4 Golden Retriever and 3/4 Poodle. Although there is less vigor in this crossing than in the original hybrid, the first generation backcross still is close enough in the breeding tree to benefit from hybrid vigor. With each successive generation vigour is lost. Same results with and F1B bred to another F1B - puppies will be F1B- 3rd generation.
Coat Maintenance: moderate to high care
Coat Description: Coat continues to grow in length although similar in appearance to a first generation Goldendoodle. Coats are wavy or curly.
Shedding: very light to non-shed.
Allergy Friendliness: recommended for families with moderate to severe allergies.
Second Generation Backcross Goldendoodles - F2B
A second generation backcross pup (F2B) is the result of a Goldendoodle (F1) bred to a Goldendoodle backcross (F1b). Although three generations in the making, F2Bs are technically second generation dogs. 1st generation pup - Golden Retriever x Poodle - F1 - 1st generation pup - Goldendoodle x Poodle - F1b - 2nd generation pup - Goldendoodle backcross x Goldendoodle - F2B Although there is less vigor in this generation than in the first, the second generation backcross still is close enough in the breeding tree to the original hybrid to benefit from hybrid vigor. This breeding results in 62.5% Poodle and 37.5% Golden Retriever.
Coat Maintenance: moderate to high care
Coat Description: Coat continues to grow in length although similar in appearance to a first generation Goldendoodle. Coats are wavy or curly.
Shedding: mostly non-shed
Allergy Friendliness: Recommended for families with moderate to severe allergies.
Second Generation Goldendoodles - F2
A second generation Goldendoodle (F2) is the result of an F1 Goldendoodle bred to another F1 Goldendoodle - and there are very few of these actually bred, as the second generation hybrid is genetically the most varied generation possible., When breeding on, most Goldendoodle breeders breed a backcross instead, as the pups are more predictable, and work well for people with allergies. We do not breed F2 doodles.
Coat Maintenance: varies on the coat type
Coat Description: The coat can be a hair coat, wavy coat, or curly coat.
Shedding: varies greatly from shedders to nonshedders
Allergy Friendliness: not recommended for families with allergies, due to the varying coat types.Half their chromosomes from one parent, half from the other. Dogs have 78 chromosomes, so picture 39 white marbles and 39 black marbles, each colour representing a parent breed, in a large bowl representing the chromosomes of each dog. When these hybrids reproduce, each sperm or egg will contain '39 marbles randomly picked from the large bowl'. Statistically the random mix will be somewhat evenly distributed, but it is theoretically possible though unlikely to 'pull out 39 black marbles' and also produce a purebred of either parent breed.
Multi-generation = F3 is breeding an F2 to an F2. This is a higher generation Goldendoodle cross as well.
Maintenance: varies on the coat type
Coat Description: The coat can be a hair coat, wavy coat, or curly coat.
Shedding: varies greatly from shedders to non-shedders
Allergy Friendliness: not recommended for families with severe allergies, due to the varying coat types. we don't breed F3 generation.
F1BB- is a breeding of an F1B goldendoodle back to a Pure bred Poodle. Much vigor is lost as it results in a 87% poodle and only 13% Goldendoodle. However, we do have large demand for them as they are mostly non shed. These puppies will end up looking like a purebred Poodle for the most part.
Coat Maintenance: high care
Coat Description: Coat continues to grow in length although similar in appearance of a purebred poodle. Coats are curly with a possibility for tight coarse curls.
Shedding: Mostly non-shed.
Allergy Friendliness: recommended for families with severe allergies.