Wondering about Multigenerational Doodles and the benefits of getting a multigen puppy?
At Crockett Doodles, we pride ourselves on breeding high-quality, family-raised Doodles. Doodles are known for being loyal, intelligent, friendly, affectionate and hypo-allergenic. Many families desiring to adopt a Doodle from Crockett Doodles, do so for their hypo-allergenic properties. A low-to-non-shedding coat is better for families with allergies. We’re often asked, “What is a Multi-Generational Doodle?” and “Is a Multi-Generational Doodle better for allergies?” For the sake of this article, we will be using Goldendoodles as our example to explain Multi-Generational (or Multigen) Doodles. While we will be using Goldendoodles for this article, the principles can be extended to any of our other breeds of Doodles as well. For example, we breed Multigenerational Labradoodles, Multigenerational Bernedoodles, Multigenerational Aussiedoodles, Multigenerational Cavapoos, and Multigenerational Cockapoos as well as Multigenerational Goldendoodles. For a full list of our Doodle breeds, check out the “Breeds” menu option on our website.
These first generation standard Goldendoodles have a less-curly look and more of the Golden Retriever appearance
An F1 (first generation) Goldendoodle is the offspring of a Golden Retriever + Poodle pairing. These F1 Goldendoodles are known for their wavy, long coats and Retriever-type looks. They have a truly adorable look and an endearing personality that has made them extremely popular with both families and individuals. Since F1 Goldendoodles are so close to their Golden Retriever heritage, they do tend to have less of the hypo-allergenic and low-shedding coats that have made Doodles a safe choice for families with dog allergies.
An F1b (first generation back cross) Goldendoodle is the offspring of a Goldendoodle and a Poodle. A F1b Goldendoodle puppy is 25% Golden Retriever and 75% Poodle so there is a greater promise of a non-shedding puppy with this generation of Doodle. Because we choose a F1 Goldendoodle parent who has a low-to-non shedding coat and breed that parent back to an unrelated Poodle, we end up with the vast majority of our F1b puppies being low to non-shedding.
F1b Standard Goldendoodles have Curlier Coats
Crossing a Golden Retriever and a Poodle is the first step into the Multi-generational breeding of Doodles. Multigen Goldendoodles have a Goldendoodle Mom and a Goldendoodle Dad. Once a Goldendoodle puppy has two Goldendoodle parents, their fur (hair coat) is likely to have more of a curl to it and also have more of the hypoallergenic and low-shedding properties.
Multi-generational Goldendoodle puppies (sometimes referred to as F2 Goldendoodles) have two F1 or F1b Goldendoodle parents. These Multigen Goldendoodle puppies have parents that are Goldendoodles. You would have to go back to their grandparents or great grandparents to find the Poodles and Golden Retrievers. Our gorgeous Multigenerational Goldendoodle dogs typically have wavy or curly coats and the fluffy faces that most people think of when they picture a Goldendoodle.
A Multigen Goldendoodle whose parents were both F1b Goldendoodles would be less likely to shed or cause allergic reactions than a Multigenerational Goldendoodle whose parents were both F1 (first generation) Goldendoodles. Both F1b Goldendoodles and Multigen Goldendoodles (whose parents are both F1b) would be a great choice for families looking for a hypo-allergenic dog. Read this article for more information about the advantage of a F1b Doodle for families who have extreme allergies.
An F3, Multi-Generational Doodle puppy has parents, grandparents and great-grandparents that are all Doodles. One issue with having too many generations of Goldendoodles (F3) is that you end up diluting hybrid vigor. Hybrid vigor comes as a result of out-cross breeding. Some breeders claim that Multigen doodles are less likely to shed than any other kind of doodle. We have not found this to be the case.
For example, we have found that a F1b Goldendoodle (Goldendoodle crossed to a Poodle) is 75% Poodle and almost never sheds. Likewise, if we cross a F1b Goldendoodle with another F1b Goldendoodle, the resulting pups are 75% Poodle and almost never shed. We’ve not found any hypoallergenic advantage to having the multigen Goldendoodles over a Goldendoodle who has a Poodle as one of its parents. The key seems to be the amount of Poodle (or mini Poodle) in the mix. Most breeders charge more for their Multi-generational doodles, but at Crockett Doodles, we’ve found them to be so similar to our original doodles (F1 or F1b) that we do not charge higher adoption fees for our Multigen doodles.
Multigen Mini Goldendoodles with F1 Goldendoodle mom and F1b Goldendoodle dad; some wavy coats; some curly coats
Long story short, many F1, F1b, and F2 (Multigen) Goldendoodle puppies embody all of the character traits that are expected of a Goldendoodle. F1b and Multigen (with two F1b parents) are the most likely to have very curly, non-shedding and hypo-allergenic fur. Like F1 Doodles and F1b Doodles, Multigen Doodles are usually very affectionate, loyal and trainable dogs and make wonderful companions.
