People are sometimes surprised to learn that Goldendoodles can have straight hair. While Goldendoodles are known for their golden, curly, non-shedding coats, there’s actually a lot of variation for Doodles. Several factors determine what your Goldendoodle’s coat looks like.
Natural variation
A Goldendoodle is a designer dog that crosses a Poodle with a Golden Retriever. There’s a level of variation with any dog breed, even purebred dogs. However, it can be especially difficult to predict physical traits when you cross different dog breeds.
There will be variation between different Goldendoodles — that’s a fact. Goldendoodles might develop the Poodle’s curly coat, they might inherit a wavy coat, or your Goldendoodle may have straight hair that more resembles a Golden Retriever.
Two different Goldendoodle puppies of the same generation can develop different traits. Even puppies from the same litter can develop different physical characteristics.
Goldendoodle generation
Generally speaking, the more Poodle genes a Doodle has, the more likely it is that he or she will develop a curly coat.
F1, or first generation Goldendoodles, have one Poodle parent and one Golden Retriever parent. They will get half their genetic material from one parent and half from the other. Essentially, an F1 Doodle is 50% Poodle and 50% Golden Retriever.
An F1b, or first generation backcross Goldendoodle, has one F1 Goldendoodle parent and a Poodle parent. An F1b Goldendoodle puppy is basically 75% Poodle and 25% Golden Retriever.
F1b Goldendoodles are what people picture when they think of Goldendoodles. They are the most popular Goldendoodle generation because they are more likely to inherit curly, non-shedding coats
Time
A Goldendoodle puppy’s coat can change over time. A Doodle’s hair can get curlier or straighter as he matures. Markings may become more prominent or fade, and color can change, too.
It’s difficult to predict exactly how a Goldendoodle looks at maturity. However, consistent breeding practices can help remove some of the uncertainty.
Breeding practices
While an effective breeding program can help limit variation, you don’t have complete control over physical traits, especially with designer dog breeds.
Think about a human family. Siblings can have different hair textures or hair colors, and one sibling might have a larger frame than another even though they came from the same parents. The same is true for puppies.
Your Goldendoodle may inherit curly-coat genes from the Poodle and develop a curly coat, or it may have a flatter coat that resembles a Golden Retriever.
We practice responsible breeding practices, and we constantly work to improve our breeding program. This helps us ensure that every one of our Goldendoodle puppies is happy and healthy, and it allows us to limit unexpected variation.
Take a look at our available puppies. Call 501-514-1026 — or contact Platinum Goldies online — to learn more about our Goldendoodle puppies!