Are first- cross Labradoodles better than multi-generation?
That depends entirely on what you mean by better. First- cross Labradoodles (puppies from a Labrador and Poodle mating, some people call them F1) are good healthy general purpose dogs. A few take after the Labrador parent, a few take after the Poodle, most are somewhere in between and have a shaggy look all of their own. If two first-cross Labradoodles are mated, their puppies are second-cross (or F2). If the breeder has chosen well, the parents characteristics will be concentrated in the puppies and these puppies will be better for their intended purpose, be it gun dog, assistance dog or allergy free family pet than their more random first cross cousins. Two second-cross dogs bred together produce third-cross (F3) puppies and so on. The numbering gets complicated when, for example, a third cross mother is mated to a first cross father. Some people go by the mother’s generations, some by the father’s, some take an average. We avoid the problem. Anything more than a simple first or seco
