Help! F1 or F1b and how to choose coat

[NewfoundlandNic]

Hi all,

 

We lost our Lab cross to cancer unexpectedly last fall, she was only 8. We loved her dearly, but now we are ready to have another puppy. I would prefer to have a puppy with lots of retriever because I love the personality, but honestly, I'd like a break from the crazy "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" type of shedding Parker (our Lab) had. I love the "mutt" look (please no one take offence!) of the shaggy, loose doodle. I need some help though.

 

We have to buy our puppy from away, there are no doodle breeders in our province. So that means I will be relying on the breeder to help me pick my puppy. We would really like a shaggy, loose but soft coat. How can one identify this when they are babies? I have heard that the puppies with crimps when they are first born will be curly, and the pups without crimps wavey/fleecy. But I have also seen some doodle pics where the coat never turned very "doodly", no beards (I love the beards! Had Olde English Sheepdog as a child, and I have a soft spot for that). If there is an F1b litter and puppies with smooth looking coats, will they turn out to have fleecy coats? It is all rather confusing and nerve wracking.

 

My profile pic is the doodle look I love. How would you experts describe that?

 

Thanks guys. Hope you can help. There is an F1b breeder I really have a good feeling about expecting puppies at the end of the month, but I don't know if they can help me pick a puppy from thier litter that isn't poodley. I know they are beautiful too, it's just not what we are going for. Temperment wise we need even and gentle - I have a toddler and a bay.

 

Thanks again, any advice is appreciated. Or send me some informative links if you have them.

[Pam and Ginger Snap]

I wanted the same thing as you do and I told my breeder JUST what I wanted.  I sent her pictures and what I wanted, looked at previous litters from the mom and the dad...but in the end, you just have trust your breeder.  I also wanted a red coat, so that was harder to find.  In the end I got the perfect puppy!!  Good luck

[NewfoundlandNic]

Thanks Pam, Ginger Snap is gorgeous! Is she an F1b? Mini? Is this her adult coat?

We are looking for a standard.

[Pam and Ginger Snap]

no she is a medium (30-35) and she was 12 weeks in that picture.  She is now 15 weeks.  She is an F1B.

[Adina P]

Well, you can never be 100% sure, but quite often the length and thickness of the coat is a good idea...as well as the sheen.

 

A super retrievery doodle that won't look as doodley will have a shorter coat-as far as the individual hairs go.  The coat will also not look as thick and it won't be as 'shiny' as some of the fleecy doodley dogs.  It also will have a very smooth muzzle in comparison. 

 

IF you send me a private message with the breeder's website and the litter you're looking at I can give you my best guess--not that I will necessarily be right, but I think I can make a good guess. 

[NewfoundlandNic]

Hi Adina, thanks so much for the offer. I haven't decided on one breeder, I have narrowed it down to three. One just produces F1bs. The litters of any of them haven't arrived yet, but I'll send you their sites if you don't mind. As I said, I am trying to choose a breeder from afar and that is challenging.

[Leslie J]

Since doodles are mixed breed, the puppies in a litter may each have different coats.  An experienced breeder should be able to tell pretty early on whether the dog will have a straight, wavy or curly coat.  I suggest that you find a reputable breeder and email pictures of what you want your doodle to look like.  We selected our puppy when she was four weeks old and our breeder could tell by then the type of coat each puppy would be likely to have.

 

Welcome to DK- there is an amazing amount of information available here!

[Michael Gurley]

 

This is what Sunny looked like as a puppy, and she is exactly what you were mentioning- shaggy, loose, and VERY soft.

 

That's her a few months later when the fur grew out. She does not shed at all. She's not an F1 or F1b though. She's a multigeneration mini labradoodle. It's usually easier to tell how their coats are going to turn out if you get a multigen.

[Candy & Hudson]

I agree that multigens or australian labradoodles with a wavy coat would be the look you are going for. Not saying you can't get that with an F1 or F1b, just that its guaranteed to have a 'bearded' multigen. I am in Alberta and there are tons of breeders here that will ship to NF, but I'm sure there may be some closer than this too :) Good luck in your search!!

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

Hello and welcome :)

Dexter is a F1B and has a wavy/fleece coat.  He hardly sheds at all (very very minimal) but will matt so we have to get him groomed every few months.  There were curlier coats from his litter and it was apparent they were curly even when they were little.

Here's a photo of him at 5 weeks

And one when we picked him up at 8-9 weeks

 

 

And here he is with a full adult coat

[NewfoundlandNic]

Dexter is gorgeous, and so is the other creature in the background. Do you have two doodles? Ok, I just snooped a glance at your profile. Kirby is so sweet! What is she? I love her coat. How would that be classified? Is she a shedder?

 

Is Dexter's coat soft? It looks very soft.

 

And thanks so much for the puppy pics, they are very helpful.

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

awh thanks.

 

Yes we have 2...Kirby (he's a boy) is a F1 Irish Setter Poodle mix.  He has a great coat, but isn't a typical doodle so I didn't go into details on his coat.  It's funny we purchased a F1B labradoodle for my husband's allergies and were so particular about the coat.  We then adopted Kirby with few details and got lucky his coat is very very allergy friendly.  Kirby actually has a wonderful coat.  He hardly matts (except now after a week in boarding) and he does not shed at all.  He does have a few quirks though (his mom - the Irish Setter - is very hyper and nervous and he inherited a bit of that...luckily just a little bit) so he's not totally perfect :)

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Our Fudge is a F1B Labradoodle. She does not shed, but she does get mats and has to be groomed frequently.

A Very Young Fudge: