Does it matter which parent is the Poodle?

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

I met with some friends who have new 3 month old Goldendoodles from the same litter. I took my Gracie Doodle to visit them and let them see what their babies will look like. They got their puppies from the same breeder as I got Gracie. Gracie's parents have been retired. The mother was an Apricot Standard Poodle and the father was the Golden. The new puppies are the opposite. The father is the Poodle and the mother the Golden. Gracie is 2 1/2 years old so she is done growiing. She is very tall but her mother (the Poodle) was very tall. My friends asked me if they take on the mother's rather than the father's features. Good question...I do know that even though Gracie is an F1 and should be 50/50, I see more Poodle in her. What is your take on this?

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

I was under the impression that the mother was supposed to be the golden and the father, the poodle. That's how it was for both my dogs from different breeders.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

None of the physical characteristics relating to appearance are sex linked; it makes no difference which parent is which breed. There is no physical attribute...height, build, color, coat, nothing...that is always inherited from the mother or the father. It is a genetic crap-shoot.
Gracie should not be "50/50"...it is not like mixing paint, where you pour in half white and half black, and get gray. It is just like people; there are people who look just like their mother, there are people who look just like their father, and there are people who are a combination. The same with dogs. There are doodles who look just like labs, and doodles who look just like poodles. Most are a combination.
For each characteristic, every being has a pair of genes...one gene from their mother and one from their father. What gene the father or mother contributes is a spin of the genetic roulette wheel. Which gene in each pair has dominance is also a spin of the wheel, and that's what determines the characteristic that shows up.
Generally, when breeding two different breeds together, it is better for the mother to be the bigger dog...so it is more common for the retriever to be the female parent and the poodle to be the male. But that has absolutely no effect on which characteristics the offspring inherit.

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

You are 100% correct

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Thanks for the speedy reply from the three of you!!! I guess since Gracie's mom was such a tall, large standard Poodle that it didn't matter. From what I am understanding from you, is that the mother is usually the Golden only because of size. That way they can use smaller Poodles for the father to get the mini and smaller Doodles? But if you are breeding for a standard size dog then the mother can be the Poodle?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, the mother can be the poodle; but Standard poodles are much smaller in bone structure and weight than Goldens and Labs, so even with standards, it's better for the mother to be the retriever. The average male retriever weighs about 40% more than the average female Standard poodle. The puppies from a retriever can be much larger & bigger boned than purebred standard poodle pups would be, and it can be dangerous for the mother to carry and deliver puppies that are much larger than her pups would have been if they were of her own breed. A retriever mother wouldn't have any trouble delivering retriever puppies. It's just better, when there is a bigger than normal difference in size between the parents, if the larger dog is the one giving birth.

[Holly St Pierre]

Both my sister & I's doodles are the mother is the Golden & the father is the poodle. Gunner is much more like the Golden & my sister's doodle Lexie is much more like a poodle, I think they are all different regardless of who the Mom is & who the dad is. Lexie's parents were about the same size as Gunner's parents & she weighs 52 lbs, Gunner weighs 82, No guarantee's, which is what makes them so great. They all are individuals.

[Karen & Lucy]

Lucy's mother was a standard poodle, father the retriever. Lucy has the height of her mother, but the build of her father. She has a solid stocky build, she also has the head of the retriever.

[Joe R.]

Our Lilly is the same way as your Lucy. The only thing I've always read is for a F-1B the father is supposed to be a poodle. That's what Gus is.

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

Nope it doesnt matter if the male of female is a poodle~ for an F1B you could have a male F1 and a female poodle or the other way around... it does not matter

[Adina P]

Yeah all of these "supposed to be's" are either not true OR they are true only as it pertains to size so that momma dog doesn't have to deliver giant pups.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Or carry too many pups; Retrievers typically have bigger litters than Standard poodles. A Standard poodle carrying 10 or 12 puppies, which is not so unusual in retrievers, would surely lose some of them.

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

ummmm I had a girl who produced litters of 12 and 14!