Golden Labradoodle's

About Labradoodles

1st Generation

The F1

A first generation hybrid Labradoodle is the product of a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle - 50/50 genetic makeup, this is the first generation of the labradoodle breed. In this particular Labradoodle cross hair type can be smooth like a Lab or wirey look like a Irish wolfhound or Wavy/shaggy, they usually shed some or a lot, pups in the same litter can vary in coat and physical traits. This is not the best cross for people with severe allergies.

As first generation hybrids, these dogs have the added health benefits associated to Hybrid Vigor. This is a phenomenon in animal breeding referring to the first cross between two unrelated purebred lines is healthier and grows better than either parent line.

• Coat Maintenance: Low care

• Coat Description: Coat grows to about 2-3 inches in length and requires occasional combing. Coats are often hair coats, and others can have wavy or curly coats.

• Shedding: light to non-shed.

• Allergy Friendliness: usually successful in families with mild allergies. When a family has moderate to severe allergies, a backcross Doodle is recommended.

 

The F1B

 

F1b results when you take the above referenced F1 Labradoodle and breed with a Standard poodle. Since the F1 dogs do shed and have a course wiry type coat, the poodle is bred with the F1 Labradoodle to “correct the coat” as well as infuse more genetic characteristics of the poodle into the breed. This F1b generation can favor more of a poodle type look with the wavy/curly fleece and sometimes wool coats. This cross is more likely to be allergy friendly – However not every puppy makes the cut. 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 Labradoodle is generally the product of a Labradoodle bred to a Poodle. The resulting dog is, on average, 1/4 Labrador Retriever and 3/4 Poodle.

Although there is less hybrid vigour in this crossing than in the original hybrid, the first generation backcross still is close enough in the breeding tree to still benefit from hybrid vigour. With each successive generation vigour is lost.

• Coat Maintenance: moderate to high care

• Coat Description: Coat continues to grow in length and requires combing and occasional grooming. It is usually thicker and curlier than a first generation Labradoodle with a wavy or curly coat.

• Shedding: very light to nonshed

• Allergy Friendliness: Backcross Labradoodles are recommended for families with moderate to severe allergies.

F2 Labradoodles

 

F2 = F2 would be considered the second generation Labradoodle. F1 Labradoodle x F1 Labradoodle. F2 Labradoodles are also a 50/50 split, the same as the F1, just bred one more generation. These puppies also shed as the the F1. The F2 generations is the most varied generation possible as you can see from the example image, the litter may contain puppies that look like either parent breed.

Breeding an F1 to an F1 is unwise unless the breeder is trying to create a new breed and doesn’t mind breeding a lot of funny looking , and possibly unsatisfactory, dogs on the way.

If an F1 is crossed with another F1 there would be many hundreds of possible combinations produced in the “F2″ generation. These offspring would range from almost the same as one grandparent to almost the same as the other, with every possible combination in between and while most of these would be more heterozygous than the grandparent generation most of them would be less heterozygous than the parent F1′s.”

• 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 allergies, due to the varying coat types.

F2B Labradoodle

 

A second generation backcross pup (F2B) is the result of a Labradoodle (F1) bred to a Labradoodle backcross (F1b). Although three generations in the making, F2b’s are technically second generation dogs. These Labradoodles are most often non-shedding and allergy friendly. This is also the first generation of the multi-generation Labradoodles.

• 1st generation pup – Lab x Poodle - F1

• 1st generation pup – Labradoodle x Poodle - F1b

• 2nd generation pup – Labradoodle backcross x Labradoodle – F2B

Although there is less vigour in this generation than in the first, the second generation backcross still is close enough in the breeding tree to the original hybrid to still benefit from hybrid vigour. With each successive generation vigour is lost.

• Coat Maintenance: moderate to high care

• Coat Description: Coat continues to grow in length although similar in appearance to a first generation Labradoodle. Coats are wavy or curly.

• Shedding: mostly nonshed

• Allergy Friendliness: recommended for families with moderate to severe allergies.

Multi Generation Labradoodles

 

Multigeneration Labradoodles or Multi-gen – When a labradoodle is 3 or more generations in to the breed they are considered Multigeneration Labradoodles. This allows knowledgeable breeders to refine the personality, physical attributes, and coat types. The Multigeneration Labradoodles are usually allergy friendly and have a more desirable coat in texture and quality.

 

Coat Maintenance: moderate to high care
Coat Description: Coat continues to grow in length and requires combing and occasional grooming. It is thicker than a first generation Labradoodle and can have a curly, fleece or wavy coat type.
Shedding: almost all are completely non-shedding

Allergy Friendliness: Multigenerational Labradoodles are recommended for families with moderate to severe allergies.

 

SIZE CATEGORIES

Labradoodles & Goldendoodles come in three different sizes. Measuring should take place from the floor to the top of the shoulder, not to the top of the head.

 

Standard 22 to 24 (not over 25) inches (or about 53-63 cm) from the wither to ground measurement. The ideal size for the female is 22-23 inches and the male is 22-24 inches. Weight range tends toward 23-30 kg (about 50-65 lbs). Oversize is a major fault.

 

Medium 17 to 20 (not over 21) inches (or about 43-52 cm) from the wither to ground measurement. The ideal size for the female is 17-19 inches and the male is 18-20 inches. Weight range tends toward 13-20 kg or (about 30-45 lbs).

 

Miniature 13 to 16 (not over 17) inches (or about 35-42 cm) from the wither to ground measurement. There is no correlation between height and sex in the Miniature size. Weight range tends toward 7-12 kg or (about 15-25 lbs). Undersize is a Major fault.

 

Labradoodle Weight

A general rule of thumb is to add both the parents weights together and divide by 2 to get an average adult weight on the puppies. Within any litter there may be puppies that fall above or below the projected adult weights. Some Standard sized have grown to over 100 pounds.

• The Standards: Females – 45-60 pounds; Males – 55-77 pounds.

• The Mediums: 30-45 pounds, Males being the larger.

• The Miniatures: 15-30 pounds, Males being the larger\

 

Labradoodle Life Expectancy

When provided with regular checkups, proper care and a healthy diet, this breed will usually have an average life expectancy of between 12 and 15 years.Health

The Labradoodle is a new breed for the most part and as a result, there is not a lot known at this time about their overall health and problems which they may suffer from. The breed itself, like most designer breeds was bred to produce the best of both the Poodle and the Labrador breeds. As a result, many of the health issues that these breeds may suffer from have been minimized in the Labradoodle breed. Still, prospective owners should be prepared for possible problems such as Progressive Retinal Atrophy, eye disorders and hip dyslpasia like most large breed dogs they can develop hip problems. Some Labradoodles may have problems with their ears due to the fact that they can grow a lot of hair in their ears like Poodles, this hair must be plucked out on a regular basis to avoid excessive moisture which can cause yeast infections.