F1 Vs F1B Goldendoodle [ Generations Full Guide 2023 ]

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If you are really interested in getting a Goldendoodle, you must have seen dog breeders advertise some acronyms like F1, F1B, F1BB, F2, F2B, F2BB, F3, Multigen. Well, these acronyms stand for the specific Goldendoodle generations.

Since the Goldendoodle is a cross between the Poodle and the Golden Retriever, the percentage of Golden Retriever and Poodle can vary by generation. are significant differences between an F1B and F1 Goldendoodle in terms of the amount of shedding, how hypoallergenic they will be, and the amount of hybrid vigor they will receive.

This article will help understand the terms F1, F1B, F1BB, F2, F2B, F2BB, F3, Multigen Goldendoodle and explain the main differences between an F1 vs F1B Goldendoodle. So at the end of this article, you can decide which is best for you.

What is a F1 Goldendoodle?

An F1 Goldendoodle is genetically 50% Poodle and 50% Golden Retriever. The F1 Goldendoodle is a cross between a 100% Poodle and 100% Golden Retriever producing a first generation F1 Goldendoodle that is 50% Poodle and 50% Golden Retriever. See the image below for a better understanding of the Goldendoodle F1.

The Goldendoodle f1 is one of the more popular generations of Goldendoodles bred because both the Poodle and Golden Retriever are common dogs. However, this does not mean that this is the best Goldendoodle generation.

The downside to an F1 Goldendoodle is that their physical traits and personality vary widely depending on which genes are dominant. Since the F1 Goldendoodle is 50% Poodle and 50% Golden Retriever, you don’t know how much it will shed, how hypoallergenic they will be, and what their coat is will look like. Genetics will create a wavy or curly coat that is non-shedding and hypoallergenic. On the other hand, a Golden Retriever will have a smooth coat that sheds. In terms of personality, the Poodle will be more intelligent while the Golden Retriever is more loving and loyal.

The best aspect of the F1 Goldendoodle is that they get a health benefit called Hybrid Vigor. Hybrid vigor means that a crossbred dog will be healthier than their purebred parent dogs.

This is because purebred inbreeding ensures that the same genetic defects are constantly passed on to their offspring. Because Goldendoodle F1 is a crossbred dog, he will only inherit medical genetic issues common to the Poodle and Golden Retriever.

Summary of the F1 Goldendoodle traits:

• Coat type – Unknown. It can be straight, wavy, or curly
• Non-shedding – depends on coat type. It can be anywhere from complete shedding (direct) to zero sheddings. Look to other generations like F1b for more peace of mind
• Health benefits of crossbreeds – yes!
• Personality – varies greatly, but expect intelligence, trainability, and kindness.

What Is a F1B Goldendoodle?

The F1B Goldendoodle is produced by crossing a purebred Poodle with an F1 Goldendoodle, creating the first-generation backcross F1B Goldendoodle, a 25% Golden Retriever 75% Poodle. They are more preferred by breeders and dog enthusiasts for their non-shedding and hypoallergenic coats.

You may be thinking, “How exactly do breeders get 75% Poodle and 25% Golden Retriever.” Well, the answer is relatively simple. They breed an F1 Goldendoodle and backcross it with either 100% Golden Retriever or 100% Poodle. – breeding an F1 Goldendoodle (50% Golden Retriever and 50% Poodle) with a 100% Poole will produce an F1B Goldendoodle, 25% Golden Retriever and 75% Poodle.

Summary of the F1B Goldendoodle traits:

• Coat Type: Wavy or Curly.
• Hypoallergenic: Yes.
• Non-Shedding: Yes.
• Hybrid Strength: Yes, but less than an F1 Goldendoodle.

What is an F1BB Goldendoodle?

As the generation typically closest to a Poodle in DNA, the F1BB Goldendoodle is backcrossed to a Poodle twice. This means they have an F1B Goldendoodle parent and a Poodle parent.

This generation of Goldendoodle is designed with allergy sufferers in mind. While it’s still not guaranteed to be hypoallergenic or non-shedding, chances are it is. If you have severe allergies, an F1BB or an F2BB Goldendoodle is probably the best generation ahead of you.

Please note that this generation of Goldendoodles is very close in DNA to a Poodle. This means that you will have less genetic diversity, and you will likely have many of the typical characteristics of Poodles, both in appearance and personality. While this can mean a hypoallergenic coat, it can also likely mean a very curly coat that is high maintenance when it comes to brushing.

I recommend the Chris Christensen Big G Slicker brush for all Goldendoodle owners, but especially those with F1BB Goldendoodles. Although it comes at a premium price, this brush is the absolute best option to avoid tangles and tangles common with Goldendoodle coats.

Summary of the F1B Goldendoodle traits:

• Coat type: curly
• Non-shedding: very light shedding
• Hybrid strength: moderate

What is an F2 Goldendoodle/Second Generation?

An F2 Goldendoodle is 50% Golden Retriever and 50% Poodle and is classified as a second child generation Goldendoodle.

That is a cross between two F1 Goldendoodles. The F2 generations generally produce puppies similar to the F1 generation as they share the same purebred Poodle and Golden Retriever lineage.

However, F2 Goldendoodles are generally not used for breeding purposes as this generation is very unpredictable in terms of what kind of coat type and molt the puppies will have.

Summary of the F2 Goldendoodle Characteristics

• Coat Type: Very unpredictable and variable. Can be curly, straight, or wavy
• Non-shedding: unpredictable
• Hybrid strength: yes, but not as much as F1 generation puppies

What is an F2B Goldendoodle?

An F2B is a second-generation backcross Goldendoodle. This means that an F2 is bred with a Poodle. This takes many of the more random and unpredictable traits of the F2 and adds more Poodle traits. This means a higher chance of being hypoallergenic and non-shedding. It also means that your Goldendoodle will likely be on the curly side with a low-maintenance coat. Like the F1B, we would recommend this generation of Goldendoodles to those with mild allergies.

Please note that some breeders may refer to F2B Goldendoodles as Multigen Goldendoodles. This “multigene” tag can apply to any generation of Goldendoodle outside of an F2.

F2B Goldendoodle Traits

• Coat Type: Curly or Wavy
• Non-shedding: Probably, but there are exceptions
• Hybrid Strength: Yes, but not as much as F1 generation puppies

What is an F2bb Goldendoodle?

F2BB Goldendoodles are 18.75% Golden Retriever and 81.25% Poodle, a cross between an F2 Goldendoodle and a 100% purebred Poodle. This hybrid is a second-generation backcross and therefore has a second B in the suffix.

Due to the high percentage of Poodle genes in the mix, F2BB Goldendoodles tend to be the lightest shedders. That said, the coat is usually curly and needs daily brushing and regular grooming to prevent tangles.

F2BB Goldendoodle puppies are called multigenerational dogs because they are 4th generation offspring. In fact, you are likely to find F2BB puppies advertised by breeders as multigenerational Goldendoodles.

Characteristics of the F2BB Goldendoodle

• Coat Type: Curly
• Non-Shedding: Lightest shedder of the 2nd Generation Goldendoodles
• Hybrid Strength: Yes, but not as much as F2 and F2B, if F2BB is the 4th generation

What is an F3 Goldendoodle?

Highly unpredictable and challenging to breed, F3 Goldendoodle puppies are not often seen. Like the F2 generation, they are not the best for consistent and predictable puppies. F3 Goldendoodles are also often referred to as Multigen or Multigenerational Goldendoodles.

F3 Goldendoodle Traits

• Coat type: typical, curly
• Non-shedding: mostly, yes
• Hybrid strength: not much like a later generation

What is a Multigen Goldendoodle?

Multigenerational Goldendoodles, or Multigen Goldendoodles for short, is a common term used to refer to any Goldendoodle generation after an F2. This includes F2B, F2BB, F3, and more. If you ask a breeder who advertises Multigen puppies what generation they are, they will be happy to tell you the specific number.

Mini Goldendoodle Genetic Types

Genetic terminology is often used to describe mini Goldendoodle types, sometimes incorrectly. Below we describe common genetic definitions of Goldendoodle. The sizes listed are estimates of our typical weight ranges only.

We cannot guarantee an adult size for any puppy and occasionally have puppies that fall outside this typical range.

We also never guarantee that a puppy will not shed completely as the Poodles (a non-shedding breed) will have a small amount of shedding.

F1 mini Goldendoodles

F1 (genetic abbreviation for branch 1) mini Goldendoodles are the first generation cross between a Golden Retriever and a Mini Poodle. F1 mini Goldendoodle puppies are generally 30-50 lbs as adults and range from tiny curl and mild shedding to curly coats with little shedding. We will sometimes use a multigene mini Goldendoodle sire with mostly Poodle genetics rather than a mini Poodle in our F1 breeding. Although this is not the exact definition of F1, we have not seen any difference in size, color, health, or curl when doing this type of cross.

F2 mini Goldendoodles

F2 (genetic abbreviation for branch 2 ) mini Goldendoodles cross between two F1 mini Goldendoodle parents. Due to the strong genetics of the Golden Retriever and Poodle breeds on both sides, F2 mini Goldendoodle puppies vary greatly in size, coat, and molting. Because this is the most inconsistent type of Goldendoodle cross, we do not breed F2 mini Goldendoodles.

F1b mini goldendoodles

F1b (genetic abbreviation for branch 1 backcross) mini Goldendoodles result from pairing an F1 mini Goldendoodle with a mini poodle. This is a different type of second-generation Goldendoodle cross than F2 Goldendoodles. F1b mini Goldendoodles usually range from 15-35 lbs as adults and have curly and low swept coats. We will also sometimes use a multigene mini Goldendoodle father instead of a mini poodle in our F1b pairings as we do with F1 pairings.

Multigen mini goldendoodles

We consider anything beyond the Goldendoodle types mentioned above to be multigenerational. Due to the exponentially increasing number of combinations with each increasing Goldendoodle generation, size and coat characteristics will vary considerably from breeder to breeder. Our multigenic mini Goldendoodles are bred only from parents where at least one or both parents have Poodle genetics primarily to eliminate increasing loss potential. With the way we breed multigenic puppies, our multigene will have more Poodle genetics than f1b Goldendoodles. Our multi-gen mini Goldendoodles also generally range from 10-35 lbs as adults, depending on the parents’ size, and have curly, low-shedding coats.

Differences between an F1 vs F1B Goldendoodle

There are significant differences between an F1 vs F1B Goldendoodle because an F1 Goldendoodle is 50% Poodle vs an F1B Goldendoodle who is 75% Poodle. Most dog owners prefer a breed with more Poodle genes because the Poodle coat is non-shedding and hypoallergenic. In general, an F1 Goldendoodle will shed more, be less hypoallergenic, but have better health from Hybrid Vigor. On the other hand, an F1B Goldendoodle will have a wavy or curly coat that sheds less and is more hypoallergenic.

In general, many dog owners will choose the F1B Goldendoodle versus F1 Goldendoodle because they want a coat that sheds. Less and does not give them allergies. However, the downside to an F1B Goldendoodle is that the more non-shedding the coat is, the more you will need to groom your Goldendoodle to prevent the coat from tangling and matting. This includes cutting your Goldendoodles hair regularly every 8 to 12 weeks.

The advantage of getting an F1 Goldendoodle is that they will inherit most of the Hybrid Vigor qualities between two purebred dogs. Hybrid vigor means that the F1 Goldendoodle will be healthier than their purebred Poodle or Golden Retriever parent. An F1B Goldendoodle inherits some Hybrid Vigor qualities, but less than the F1 Goldendoodle.

F1 vs F1b GoldenDoodle Price

The price range of both types of Goldendoodle breeds varies due to their temperaments and traits. F1 Goldendoodles are available in the $600 to $800 range. In comparison, f1b Goldendoodles are available in the $500 to $1000 range.

What Is The Best Generation Of Goldendoodle?

The answer to this question depends on what you are looking for.

• Do you suffer from allergies and shedding? Consider an F1b or F2b.
• Want the healthiest cross with the most hybrid vigor? You want to watch an F1.
• Do you want a low-maintenance jacket? An F2 or F2b is your best bet.
• Looking for a Goldendoodle with a Retriever-like temperament? Consider a multigene (F3 and above).
• Want more of the feist found in Poodles? An F1b or F2b is probably best.
• As you can probably see now, with Goldendoodles, there really is something for everyone!

What we outlined for you above is a good rule of thumb. You will want to confirm it with the breeder as there can be some variation from breeder to breeder.

FAQs About Goldendoodle Generations