For those of you interested in purchasing a Goldendoodle, you’ve certainly seen some type of weird cryptic letters in front of the word Goldendoodle like F1 Goldendoodle or F2B Goldendoodle. I’m sure you’ve also wondered “so what does F1 and F2B mean?” Well, these numbers stand for the specific Goldendoodle generations. Since the Goldendoodle is a cross between the Poodle and Golden Retriever, the percentage of Poodle and Golden Retriever can differ between each generation. In this article, I’ll help you decipher what these acronyms mean and which will help you decide the best Goldendoodle Generations that is right for you!
For a more general information about Goldendoodes, check our Goldendoodle Guide.
Goldendoodle Generations Reference Guide
Understanding the terminology is important, and quite simple once your understand what the letters and numbers mean. I will breakdown the meaning of F1B as an example:
- F1B: The F stands for Filial Hybrid. This simply means that it is a hybrid dog that came from two purebred dogs.
- F1B: The 1 stands for the generation the dog is. In this specific case, the 1 means 1st generation.
- F1B: The B stands for Backcross. Backcross is a fancy term that simply means inbreeding back to a purebred generation. Typically for Goldendoodles, this means inbreeding back to a 100% Standard Poodle for hypoallergenic and non-shedding purposes.
For reference, here are the Goldendoodle generations that I will discuss. This is merely a reference guide and I go into more detail for the different types of Goldendoodle generations.
- F1 Goldendoodle: 50% Poodle & 50% Golden Retriever
- F1B Goldendoodle: 75% Poodle & 25% Golden Retriever
- F1BB Goldendoodle: 87.5% Poodle & 12.5% Golden Retriever
- F2 Goldendoodle: 50% Poodle & 50% Golden Retriever
- F2B Goldendoodle: 62.5% Poodle & 37.5% Golden Retriever
- F2BB Goldendoodle: 81.25% Poodle & 18.75% Golden Retriever
- F3 Goldendoodle or Multi-generation Goldendoodle: Several generations of Goldendoodle breeding typically backcross breeding to the Standard Poodle.
Typically, Goldendoodles are backcross bred to the Standard Poodle for the hypoallergenic and nonshedding genes. There are some specific cases where a breed can be breeding with a purebred Golden Retriever in which case an F1B Goldendoodle may be 25% Poodle and 75% Golden Retriever. However, these cases are unlikely. It’s best that you check with your breeder to clarify any questions you may have.
F1 Goldendoodle
F1 Goldendoodle (50% Poodle and 50% Golden Retriever) is the first generation Goldendoodle that is a cross between a purebred 100% Golden Retriever and a purebred 100% Standard Poodle. The result is a Goldendoodle that is 50% Golden Retriever and 50% Poodle.
The F1 Goldendoodle is the classic Goldendoodle that most people think about when they hear the term “Goldendoodle”. However, F1 Goldendoodle genetics can vary quite extensively which will affect how they look. For instance, they can have coats that shed and some coats that are non-shedding. In addition, these coats can be smooth like the Golden Retriever, wavy, or curly like the poodle.
F1 Goldendoodles gain the most health benefits of being Hybrid Vigor, which means the first cross between two purebred dogs will be healthier than any parent purebred dog. This is because the inbreeding causes genetic defects. Since Goldendoodles are a hybrid dog, they will only inherit genetic problems that is common to the Standard Poodle and Golden Retriever.
Summary of F1 Goldendoodle Characteristics is below:
- Coat Type: Straight, Wavy or Curly
- Hypoallergenic: Not Guaranteed
- Non-shedding: Not Guaranteed
- Hybrid Vigor: Yes, has the highest qualities.
F1B Goldendoodle
F1B Goldendoodle (75% Poodle, 25% Golden Retriever) is a cross between a F1 Goldendoodle (50% Poodle and 50% Golden Retriever) and one of the original purebred lines — either a 100% Standard Poodle or 100% Golden Retriever. Almost always, a F1B Goldendoodle is a cross between a F1 Goldendoodle and a 100% Standard Poodle as breeders prefer a non-shedding and hypoallergenic dog coat. Since an F1B Goldendoodle is a mix between a F1 Goldendoodle and a Poodle, it is referred to as a Backcross and hence the reason why it’s called F1B.
The F1B Goldendoodle generation is typically referred to as the Hypoallergenic Golden Retriever because it inherits a larger amount of Poodle traits. This includes the signature hypoallergenic and non-shedding coat that many owners seek. This means that the F1B Goldendoodle typically produces a curly coat and would be an excellent choice for owners with moderate dog allergies. However, Goldendoodles with curly coats require a significant amount of grooming to prevent matting of the fur.
F1B Goldendoodles also gain some health benefits of being Hybrid Vigor, which means that it will be healthier than the purebred parents. Since F1B is technically the “2nd” generation or offspring of Goldendoodles, it loses some characteristics of being Hybrid Vigor. Each subsequent generation of hybrid dog loses some of the Hybrid Vigor qualities.
Summary of F1B Goldendoodle Characteristics is below:
- Coat Type: Wavy or Curly
- Hypoallergenic: Typically is hypoallergenic.
- Non-shedding: Typically is non-shedding.
- Hybrid Vigor: Yes, but less so than F1 Goldendoodles because they are the 2nd generation of offspring.
F1BB Goldendoodle
F1BB Goldendoodle (87.5% Poodle and 12.5% Golden Retriever) is a cross between an F1B Goldendoodle (75% Poodle, 25% Golden Retriever) and a original purebreed 100% Poodle or 100% Golden Retriever. Most owners will typically choose to breed the F1B Goldendoodle with a 100% Standard Poodle to make the Goldendoodle even more hypoallergenic and non-shedding. Since this is the second Backcross with a purebred Standard Poodle, it gets a second “B” in it’s name and is referred to as a F1BB Goldendoodle.
An F1BB Goldendoodle is the most hypoallergenic and non-shedding of all the first generation Goldendoodles due to the large amount of Poodle genetics. This means that Goldendoodle will likely come with an extremely curly coat that will need to be brushed everyday and groomed every couple of months to prevent the fur from matting. However, this Goldendoodle generation is great for people with pet allergies and don’t want to have to pick up dog hair everywhere.
Since a F1BB Goldendoodle is technically the “3rd” generation of offspring it will have less Hybrid Vigor qualities from the F1 Goldendoodle or F1B Goldendoodle. F1BB Goldendoodles are also regarded as Multi-generation Goldendoodles since they are beyond the 2nd generation of offspring.
Summary of F1B Goldendoodle Characteristics is below:
- Coat Type: Curly
- Hypoallergenic: The most hypoallergenic 1st generation Goldendoodle.
- Non-shedding: The most non-shedding 1st generation Goldendoodle.
- Hybrid Vigor: Yes, but less so than F1 and F1B Goldendoodles because they are the 3rd generation of offspring.
F2 Goldendoodle
F2 Goldendoodle (50% Poodle and 50% Golden Retriever) is a second filial generation of Goldendoodle. This is a cross between a F1 Goldendoodle and another F1 Goldendoodle. The F2 generations produce specimens that are somewhat similar to the F1 generation since they are the same percentage of Golden Retriever and Poodle. However, most breeders will not breed an F2 Goldendoodle due this generation being the most unpredictable generation of genetics in terms of coat type, coat hair, and variation of shedding.
Summary of F2 Goldendoodle Characteristics is below:
- Coat Type: Highly variable and unpredictable. Straight, wavy, or curly.
- Hypoallergenic: Unpredictable.
- Non-shedding: Unpredictable.
- Hybrid Vigor: Yes, but less so than the F1 generation.
F2B Goldendoodle
F2B Goldendoodle (62.5% Poodle and 37.5% Golden Retriever) is a cross between a F1 Goldendoodle (50% Poodle, 50% Golden Retriever) and a F1B Goldendoodle (75% Poodle, 25% Golden Retriever). Alternatively, some breeders will choose to breed an F1B Goldendoodle and another F1B Goldendoodle which would result in the F2B being 75% Poodle and 25% Golden Retriever.
This F2B Goldendoodle generation has significant poodle genes which results in a mostly wavy or curly coat. This means that it’s like the Goldendoodle will have less shedding and be more hypoallergenic. However, like most hybrid dogs there are always exceptions to the genetic rules.
The F2B Goldendoodle generation is often referred to as a Multi-generation Goldendoodle since they are the 3rd generation of offspring.
Summary of F2B Goldendoodle Characteristics is below:
- Coat Type: Wavy or Curly.
- Hypoallergenic: Most likely. But there are definitely exceptions.
- Non-shedding: Most likely. But there are definitely exceptions.
- Hybrid Vigor: Yes, but less so than the F1 generation.
F2BB Goldendoodle
F2BB Goldendoodle (81.25% Poodle & 18.75% Golden Retriever) is a cross between an F2B Goldendoodle (62.5% Poodle, 37.5% Golden Retriever) and a original purebreed 100% Poodle. Since this is at least the second Backcross with a purebred Standard Poodle and part of the 2nd generation, it gets a second “B” in it’s name and is referred to as a F2BB Goldendoodle.
A F2BB Goldendoodle is the most hypoallergenic and non-shedding of all the second generation Goldendoodles due to the large amount of Poodle genetics. This Goldendoodle also has the 2nd most Poodle genetics, only behind the F1BB Goldendoodle (87.5% Poodle & 12.5% Golden Retriever). It is extremely likely an F2BB Goldendoodle will a curly coat that will need to be brushed everyday and groomed every couple of months to prevent the fur from matting. However, this Goldendoodle generation is great for people with severe pet allergies and don’t want to have to pick up dog hair everywhere.
The F2BB Goldendoodle generation is going to be referred to as a Multi-generation Goldendoodle since they are the 4th generation of offspring. Many breeders won’t use the term F2BB, but will use the term Mult-generation Goldendoodle.
Summary of F2BB Goldendoodle Characteristics is below:
- Coat Type: Curly
- Hypoallergenic: The most hypoallergenic 2nd generation Goldendoodle.
- Non-shedding: The most non-shedding 2nd generation Goldendoodle.
- Hybrid Vigor: Yes, but less so than F2 and F2B Goldendoodles because they are at least the 4th generation of offspring.
F3 Goldendoodle or Multi-generation Goldendoodle
The F3 Goldendoodle is also called the Multi-generation Goldendoodle. This is the 3rd generation or greater of Goldendoodle.
Typically, F3 Goldendoodles are bred with a F1B Goldendoodle and another F1B Doodle. Alternatively, you could breed an F3 Goldendoodle with a F2 Goldendoodle and another F2 Goldendoodle. F3 Goldendoodles contain a significant portion of Poodle genetics so it is great for people with pet allergies. The F3 Goldendoodle generation coat can vary from a heavy wave to very curly which makes them very allergy friendly.
Multi-generation Goldendoodles are used to describe any Goldendoodle beyond the 2nd generation. This includes some of the Goldendoodle generations listed above like F1BB, F2B, and F2BB. Many breeds will simply list Multi-generation Goldendoodle instead of listing the exact generation of Goldendoodle. You will have to ask your breeder to specify which generation your Goldendoole is.
Summary of F3 Goldendoodle or Multi-generation Goldendoodle Characteristics are below:
- Coat Type: Generally Curly
- Hypoallergenic: Typically, Yes
- Non-shedding: Typically, Yes.
- Hybrid Vigor: Not a lot due to being a later generation.
Conclusion: Best Goldendoodle Generations
In general, I would say the best Goldendoodle Generations are the ones that are the most hypoallergenic, non shedding, and have some hybrid vigor qualities. My top 3 picks for the Goldendoodle Generations are below:
- F1B Goldendoodle (75% Poodle & 25% Golden Retriever)
- F2B Goldendoodle (62.5% Poodle & 37.5% Golden Retriever)
- F1BB Goldendoodle (87.5% Poodle & 12.5% Golden Retriever)
If you don’t really care too much about a dog being hypoallergenic and nonshedding, then I would base my opinion more on the coat type and the color of the coat. In general, if you want a more curly coat that requires a significant amount of grooming pick a Goldendoodle that has a large amount of Poodle genetics. If you want a Goldendoodle with a more straight coat that will tend to shed, pick a Goldendoodle generation that has more Golden Retriever like a F1 Goldendoodle or F2 Goldendoodle.
For more information about Goldendoodles, please see our Complete Goldendoodle Guide.