What do the generations represent (F1, F1b, F2, F2b, etc.)?
These are nomenclatures that identify the generation and pedigree of hybrid dog breeds. The most common values you'll see are:
- P = Purebred: E.g., AKC-registered Golden Retriever, Australian Shepherd, or Poodle
These dogs are 100% of their breed
- F1 = First Generation Hybrid: The result of breeding two different purebred dogs
These dogs are 50% of each breed
- F2 = Second Generation Hybrid: The result of breeding two F1 hybrids
These dogs are 50% of each breed
- F3 = Third Generation Hybrid: The result of breeding two F2 hybrids
These dogs are 50% of each breed
- F1b = First Generation Backcrossed: An F1 hybrid bred back to a purebred
These dogs are 75% of the backcrossed breed and 25% of the other
- F2b = Second Generation Backcrossed: An F2 hybrid bred back to a purebred
These dogs are 75% of the backcrossed breed and 25% of the other
- F1bb = First Generation Double-Backcrossed: An F1b hybrid bred back to a pure
These dogs are 87.5% of the backcrossed breed and 12.5% of the other
- F1bbb = First Generation Triple-Backcrossed: An F1bb hybrid bred to a purebred
These dogs are 93.75% of the backcrossed breed and 6.25% of the other
- Multi = Multi-Generation: These are an F3 or higher bred with another F3 or higher
This nomenclature is not specific and could include a variety of mixes
Keep in mind that the breed % does not necessarily directly correlate to the attributes of the dog; cross-bred (hybrid) dogs will almost always maintain traits of both breeds and individual puppies will pick up some traits more than others. That said, the backcrossing will generate a higher likelihood of picking up more genes of the backcrossed breed. The more backcrossed, the more likely a doodle is to be hypoallergenic, but going past triple is uncommon.
|
| Back to FAQs |
|
