Chose a breeder- now need to choose f1 vs multigen

[Km]

Hi!  

I think we have made our decision to go with mustard seed doodles.  What I have learned about my family in this process is that we struggle to make decisions!!  Here's the deal... we as a family like the straighter coats or better put the very loose wavy coats (not anything resembling poodle... not b/c we don't like poodles but b/c we grew up with standards and now want something that looks different).  my husband and I were leaning towards a darker color (meaning apricot on down to chocolate) mainly due to not wanting the pup to look dirty all the time (it will be outdoors b/c of our activity level)... in fact we are quite fond of the carmel and/or chocolate.  my boys (ages 6 and 3) want the stereotypic golden color (mainly from watching santa buddies repeatedly and those are their dream dogs)!!

It looks like our choices would be a very light golden color ready to go quite soon, and who the breeder says his disposition is quite fitting to our needs (my son has special needs and she says this pup would be her first pick for this situation) OR putting a deposit on a chocolate multi gen litter or a multi gen liter with possible carmel/chocolate.  

We were leaning towards the light golden pup ready to go soon b/c of the breeders feedback about his temperament.  However, then I looked in their website where they do surveys of their families who have their pups (awesome ideas by the way!) and was stumped a bit by some of the feedback that a lot of the f1's shed quite a bit.  There were some higher level stats that some of the pups shed heavily. I think at 12months they said 85% of the pups shed to some degree.  I never considered us needing an absolute "non shedder"... as we have had two greyhounds (only one now) who shed.  But one of the reasons we are going with a doodle is for LESS shedding than a GR (who shed massively from what I understand).  

I also liked what Wendi said about the multi gens and breeding for proportion etc.... but truly, we are just looking for an awesome family dog. Some of her dogs are amazing looking! 

Can anyone help us sift through this?  Who has f1's and what is your experience with shedding?  Is is it something that can be controlled with frequent grooming etc?  

Thanks so much for any thoughts or reframing this for an indecisive family!!! Kim

[Holly (Jax & Bandit)]

I have an F1 (Jax) and have had a golden retriever in the past.  I can tell you that from my experience my doodle sheds way less than my retriever did.  I also have an F1B (Bandit).  Jax does shed more than Bandit does, however, it is very manageable.  I also wanted a wavy look and I do not regret getting an F1.   I really do not notice a lot of hair around my house and sweep a few times a week.  Jax is also an apricot color and really doesn't show any dirt.  Hope this helps!

[Ginny Nightingale]

Well, first of all, I have to tell you that mentioning the breeder by name is a bit of a no-no on the forum--you are not supposed to "advertise" here and your statements about the breeder you chose could be seen as advertisements in a way--but other than that, your questions are good ones! I think that darker colored doodles show the dirt less--I have a cream colored LD and a black and white one and a red one! And the black part of my B/W doodle never look dirty while the cream colored doodle always looks a bit messy...The red doodle never looks too dirty either, but she avoids mud puddles like crazy....I have dogsat chocolate doodles and they do tend to look cleaner even when they have been outside alot.....just my opinion.

My B/W doodle and the cream doodle (the mom of the B/W doodle) are both multigens and the red one is an F1-- The cream doodle is the curliest and sheds the least, her son has a thick wavy coat and sheds quite a bit (but nothing like a golden or other shedding breeds) and my F1 sheds a bit but has a very thin coat so it is not that much of a problem. So, I guess what I am saying is that there are no absolute rules about this--some F1s do not shed at all--they do say that the curlier the coat, the less likely they are to shed, so if you wait for a multigen pup, make sure it is one of the curlier pups from that litter that you take if shedding is an issue. Also, a thinnner coat without a thick undercoat will shed less--the breeder can usually predict some things about the coats by 6 weeks of age.

I don't think you should worry about taking a pup now because the breeder feels it would meet your needs--that is pretty hard to tell at such a young age and is not so unusual that it couldn't occur again with another litter--

So, that is my two cents!! Maybe you could edit your discussion and remove the name of the breeder so that your discussion goes along with the DK guidelines....

[Km]

Ginnie... thank you for the feedback.  I am only 24 hours old as far as being a member on these forums.  If I have violated or been taboo in the postings, I apologize.  ultimately, I am looking for advice and experience.  I was told in a previous post that once I decided on 3-4 breeders,to post them and people could respond privately to give feedback.  I innocently assumed that saying that I had decided would have put that to rest.  Advertising never crossed my mind. I'm genuinely interested in personal feedback so that our family may benefit from others' experience.  Thanks, Kim

[Ginny Nightingale]

You are very welcome--I was sure you didn't know the rules, since you are new to Dk--I was just trying to be helpful--so glad you will be joining us with your very own doodle--you will love your new pup!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Km, you can go back and edit your discussion and edit out the breeder's name. Look near the top right and you can click on the correct thing.

I think (though I may be wrong) that if you truly don't want shedding, you need to go multigenerational to about the 4th generation or greater.

I agree that if you have a choice of color and want the dog not to appear dirty, you need to go darker than cream.

I think that the breeder's cream might be wonderful for you temperament-wise and that needs to be your first priority, HOWEVER, another dog with an appropriate temperament will come along in another litter and perhaps meet your other priorities.  You can't necessarily 'have it all,' but you certainly can hold out for as many of your wants as is realistic.

You will love the dog you end up with and put up with the parts that are less than ideal to you.  Our multigenerational ALD certainly does not shed, however his coat is so hard to maintain and if my children were not grown, I would NOT have the time to keep him mat-free. I NEVER wanted a white-ish dog and my rescue is cream, sheds like a champ and is the most wonderful dog.  I wouldn't trade either of my doods.

[Bonnie and Kona]

I seem to harp on this constantly and I apologize in advance if I am bugging anyone. I think that beyond any other consideration, you must go with the dog with the best temperament for your family. You have mentioned that one of your children has special needs. If your breeder has a pup that she considers the perfect temperament match for your family, I would be beyond thrilled and choose that pup. Whether or not the dirt shows on the color of the dog's coat, the dog will be dirty. I have one blue (he looks almost black) and one cream doodle. The cream one looks dirtier than the dark one, but they are both dirty after a romp at the park. They both get sprayed off when we get home. When I give them baths, they both have the same amount of dirt flowing down the drain. Shedding is an issue for me, but it is not a need. We have two F1 Goldendoodles. One sheds a little bit, the other not at all. I would be disappointed to have a shedding doodle, but nothing compared to how disappointed I would be if the doodle didn't work out for my family and my child with special needs. One situation is an irritation, the other means the dog would need to be re-homed. Not every doodle is going to qualify for a happy life with your family. 

Perhaps the reason I am so adamant about this topic is because we have one doodle that is perfect for our family and one that is a huge challenge. We are all adults here and the amount of training and frustration that one of our doods forces upon us is exhausting some weeks. Our "challenge" is not going to be re-homed. He is loved and cared for with all sorts of affection, good food, lots of exercise and training. If I had a 3 and 6 year old, it would be a nightmare. 

I cannot emphasize the importance of temperament enough. Seriously, if a breeder had told me she has a pup whose "disposition is quite fitting to our needs", I would grab that pup and never look back! 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Totally agree and not harping as it needs to be repeated for those who feel confused about the priorities of choosing a pet to fit into their lives for the long term. My breeder chose both of mine and they were just how she described. They know their puppies better than anyone. And a good breeder will consider your child's needs above color, sex, or shedding I would hope, but do her best in trying to give you all she could on your wish list. Good luck.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Hi Kim, welcome to being a soon-to-be new doodle owner. I would put temperament first, especially in your situation.  The peace of mind a balanced gentle temperament gives you is priceless.  

If you really want no shedding, you'll probably have to go with a 3rd or 4th multigen an/or a curlier coat.  First generation multigen dogs can shed too.  It's a trade-off though because the soft fleece or curlier coat is harder to maintain and mats in a heartbeat. I have a multi gen ALD and he doesn't shed.  But when we go hiking in the woods with my friend and her F1 goldendoodle who has a straighter wavy coat, it's my guy who comes back with everything stuck to his fleecy coat, not hers.  It's good you're asking the questions now.  

    

[Leslie J]

I have a chocolate doodle, and she does look cleaner than the white and apricot dogs on our block.  The light colored ones also tend to stain in certain areas.  That said, if a little shedding doesn't bother you I think the F1's coats sound much easier to maintain than the multi-gen.  Cocoa is an ALD and she requires a FULL 1 1/2 hour of combing out a week if I want to keep her coat long.  When my kids were younger (my youngest are now 7 year old twin boys) I couldn't keep up with it and rotated between frequent (and very costly) grooming and short hair.  Now I am better able to invest the time and she is (if I can brag a bit!) gorgeous :)

[Amy and Truman]

My F1 sheds like a GR. Its so bad that I've had him shaved, which is so much easier to deal with, but I just don't care for the look. That being said I would not trade him for any other dog in the world personality wise. He is the calmest, gentlest dog and everyone loves him. So I will continue to swiffer and vaccum everyday, hopefully for a long long time!