If not for allergies why not 50/50 poodle golden retriever. Any secrets to dematting the wholly coat

[Kimberly Park]

I don't want to start a heated debate but I'm curious to why f1 and f2 doodle is so unpopular in comparison to the 3/4 poodle as I do realize it's all on preference and opinion? But I really am curious. This is with allergies And I suppose shedding aside.
I'm talking golden retriever because Imo of the lab doodle coat is a whole different texture and I do not have much experiences with it.
As for the doodles that I've groomed thru the years I've found that once they have more poodle then retriever and owners don't brush them it becomes a 7f shave down.. I just can't seem to get thru the mats. As my own pet grooming perspective I've found 3/4 poodle are more difficult to dematting then a poodle or a retriever. Whereas the half and half seem to have an amazing coat that takes well to whatever you want to do with them even if owners don't bother to brush them. Are there any secrets in which I can use for my full coated curly doodle customers that owners don't brush, in order to dematt rather then shaving.
Also is there a personality difference? I find poodles more reserved and unsure of strangers whereas retrievers love everybody. (Once again coming from my grooming business)
Are there benefits to having 3/4 poodle in regards to behavior and training?
Also I just got an f2 pup and someone was quite negative about her having half retriever in her and question why I didn't go for 3/4 poodle. So that just pushed me to question something I've wondered for a few years
Thanks

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Not sure I totally understand your question/ comment. I have 2- f1 goldendoodles. I don't feel any negative vibes toward
them being 50/50.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I love that you have a lot of questions and I am not sure I can answer them all but..

• " I don't want to start a heated debate but I'm curious to why f1 and f2 doodle is so unpopular in comparison to the 3/4 poodle as I do realize it's all on preference and opinion?"   -- Being around DoodleKisses for over 7 years, I find this NOT TRUE at all.  Most do not want that wooly, more poodle-type of coat
  
  
• As for the doodles that I've groomed thru the years I've found that once they have more poodle then retriever and owners don't brush them it becomes a 7f shave down.. I just can't seem to get thru the mats.  I agree with this statement and find it true that a wooly coat is very difficult to brush. IMO--I almost think it is unnatural and many times I will just let the coat cord during winter months, then take a 7 blade and clean it in the summer.     I also don't care for the freezy, split end look on many that are over brushed.  Again, it is just opinion.  I do find that an 80 tooth comb works AWESOME!  Love my comb on my wooley dog
  
• Also is there a personality difference? I find poodles more reserved and unsure of strangers whereas retrievers love everybody. (Once again coming from my grooming business)  I find NONE. I think, having a more poodle dog and labs all my life, my poodle mix is full of energy, friendly, and outgoing. So, all that you are seeing, could be just nature vs nurture in the homes the dogs live and the breeding parents. 
  
  
• Also I just got an f2 pup and someone was quite negative about her having half retriever in her and question why I didn't go for 3/4 poodle. So that just pushed me to question something I've wondered for a few years
  
  Oh for goodness sakes. Stick around here. We have them all and never criticize the look or coats of dogs.  Personality and health is Most important.  Ignore what others say.  Honest, here on DK, I think the f1b might be the least desired. I have one and actually, I've had both. Love my wooly, horrible coat, doodle  :)

[Laura and Angus]

Hi there! I can't speak for others' decision-making process, but we have an F1b black goldendoodle, Angus (see below). We chose F1b for a few reasons: 1) I don't want to deal with the cleaning involved in a shedding dog and I do NOT like the idea of dog hair being all over our couches and my clothes 2) we had a standard poodle in my family for 15 years and he was the most wonderful dog ever - happy, outgoing, relaxed, friendly, loving, etc, so I loved the idea of having more poodle in our doodle and 3) I have family members who have allergies to pet dander and so I didn't want to risk having an issue if the dog had more golden retriever in them.

In terms of grooming - this is definitely a challenge. We brush Angus a lot and the majority of his body has softer hair, but on his back and random spots the hair is pretty curly, so getting through it with a brush can be difficult. You certainly have to be vigilant. Also, we like our dog's hair a bit shorter - as you can see in his picture below - we spend a lot of time outside walking/hiking/traipsing around downtown and going to stores, so shorter hair is just easier for us to maintain. 

I think you have to think about what's important to you in your dog in terms of grooming or cleaning your house. In terms of personality, you really can't go wrong because if they are part retriever and part poodle you're getting two wonderful dogs who are sweet, smart, loyal, caring, and endlessly happy. Our puppy Angus has 75% poodle in him and he loves everyone and everything. It's like everyone is his best friend - definitely a golden retriever mentality, but poodles are very people-oriented and so this is both dogs. The absolute MOST important thing will be meeting the parents of any puppy you're looking at and getting to know more about the puppy's personality as they grow. I'm a big fan of the F1b and am so happy we went that route for us :) 

[Jenny and Cooper]

I'm not an expert to answer any of your questions but I will tell you why I had wanted a 50/50. You're right, it was harder to look for a breeder in my area who breed 50/50 or f1. They were mostly F1b or multigen. My dream dog was actually a golden retreiver. Because I didn't want to deal with all that shedding but still wanted the long coat look, I chose the F1. I wanted more of a retreiver look and not the poodle look. I figured I was getting both the looks and the brain all in one. LOL

Joanne, I also don't like the frizzy look :). Soooo....we all have our preferences (I think mostly coat reason) but I've only heard great things about doodles!

[Laura and Angus]

The crazy thing about doodles is that you never know how the breed will play out...not all F1b are frizzy - my guy, Angus has softer hair and so he's not frizzy, just curlier in certain places when wet. I agree is that you really can't go wrong since they're such wonderful dogs!

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

After researching doodles, I chose to get an ALD (and now have two of them).  I went that route mainly because I wanted to be reasonably sure our new puppy would not shed and knowing full well the maintenance required to keep them clean and mat free. Our family pet prior to our doodle, was a standard poodle, so I felt spoiled - he was super smart, happy, friendly, & did not shed.  That being said I believe it is just a personal choice when deciding what generation of doodle one chooses to get and I do not understand why anyone would be negative about the generation of doodle someone else chooses.  I have not noticed that any members frown on F1, or F2, etc. and I know of many members who have chosen flat-coated goldendoodles on purpose and are thrilled with their beautiful coats and ease of maintenance with a shedding doodle. 

[Stephanie and Ragley]

Some people prefer not to go the f2 route and most breeders do not breed f2 pups because it is considered the least stable generation. F2 puppies are not actually necessarily 50/50 poodle and retriever- the parents are 50/50, puppies can be a variety of mixes- so those people are misinformed. They are some of the most likely to shed and you can end up with puppies/dogs that look pure retriever or pure poodle. That is why they may be less popular 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is exactly right.