Kona and Griffin have both been health tested via DNA with EmbarkVet.com. Both are 100% clear for all of the almost 200 breed-specific and general inheritable health conditions that Embark tests for. F1 Goldendoodles are a first generation cross, meaning the puppies are 50% Poodle and 50% Golden. Hybrid crosses such as Goldendoodles are only likely to inherit a health problem that is common to both parent breeds. Since Poodles and Goldens share very few common diseases, Goldendoodles have what is referred to as “hybrid vigor,” and can be expected to live healthier, longer lives than their purebred parents.
Health testing, of course, was the most important reason we chose to DNA test with Embark, but we also found out lots of other interesting facts specific to coat and color genetics. Dig deep and think waaaay back to high school Biology class. Remember Punnett squares? Yeah, we’ve had a ton of fun using those to predict our puppies’ coat and color traits to give their new families the most helpful, reliable information we can give. As it turns out, Doodle coats aren’t quite as unpredictable as you might think!
Our DNA testing gave us pages and pages of good information regarding all sorts of Kona and Griff’s physical traits, but here are a few we think are most interesting and relevant.
Color
Kona is Ee. Griffin is ee.
E (black/brown) is dominant, and e (red/cream) is recessive. Their puppies each have a 50/50 chance of being black/brown (Ee) or red/cream (ee).
Brown isn’t a possibility with this pairing because, even though Ee could mean black OR brown, a second genetic marker known as the B-Locus controls which of those dominant colors is shown. Kona (Bb) carries B-black and b-brown, but Golden Retrievers only carry BB-black. No chance of brown babies with these two! Theoretically, half of their puppies will carry Kona’s recessive brown but will still only show black. Also, the E-Locus controls whether or not the B-Locus is expressed at all. Dominant EE or Ee will allow the B-Locus to show its black or brown, but recessive ee doesn’t allow it.
The darker shades of red also aren’t possible with Kona and Griff because each of them carries an intermediate or low intensity of red pigmentation.
Finally, since Kona is a parti poodle (mostly white with splotches of color and ticking), she carries two copies of the recessive s gene (ss). Goldens don’t carry for parti, so Griff has two copies of the dominant S gene (SS). All of the puppies, then, will be Ss. Which means they could be solid, but will most likely have some “abstract” white markings.
There’s another gene that DNA testing companies don’t currently test for: fading. Kona is a blue poodle, so she does carry this gene, even though we can’t “prove” it, yet. A dog that fades, or “clears,’ is born black and gradually turns some shade of gray as they age. Silver poodles clear from black quickly, usually within the first few weeks or months. Blue poodles take a little longer, usually reaching their “real” color by the age of 2 or 3. Kona has cleared to a beautiful gunmetal gray color. Similarly, a brown or chocolate poodle can clear to silver beige. Golden Retrievers can also carry the fading gene, but their recessive red ee genes mask the fading. Since there isn’t a DNA test for it, it’s hard to know whether Griffin carries the fading gene or not. So be aware that if you choose a black/black abstract puppy, it could very well fade or clear to a beautiful shade of gray or silver. Some breeders claim that black dogs that have fully pigmented toes and toe pads with white hairs between the toe pads WILL fade. While this is anecdotal observation, breeders swear by it. It will be fun to see if this plays out with our pups!
Coat
Furnishings are the scruffy parts on a dog’s face – mustache, beard, and eyebrows. A dog that is unfurnished has a smooth face. Kona is “fully furnished,” meaning she carries two copies of the dominant F-gene for furnishings. Goldens are not furnished and do not carry for it, so Griff is ff for furnishings. All of the puppies will be Ff, which means they will all be furnished! You can expect your puppy to have a scruffy face so often associated with doodles. They may take a while to show up, but they’ll be there to some degree!
Furnishings also affect the amount of curl in a dog’s coat. Kona is a hybrid curly poodle, meaning she carries one gene for curl and one for straight (not flat, like a Labrador). Griffin carries two straight genes. While their puppies would be expected to be 50/50 CT (wavy) and TT (fluffy and straight), even the puppies who have “straight” coats will be expected to have some curl or wave because they’re furnished. Confused? Yep. There’s a really great explanation complete with helpful pictures of each type of coat at: https://www.goldendoodleacres.com/coat-types-textures/. Click over there to read more!
What about shedding? Will my doodle shed? Yes, all dogs shed. Even poodles. Some just shed heavier than others. Because the furnishings gene also affects shedding, we would expect our puppies to shed much less than a pure Golden Retriever but more than a poodle. The curlier the dog, the less it sheds (sort of). If you’re wanting a guaranteed non-shedding dog, we highly recommend looking for a pure poodle. If you’re concerned about allergies, again you might consider a poodle. Goldendoodles that are considered hypoallergenic and non-shedding have been bred back to poodles for several generations and contain a far greater percentage of poodle than Golden Retriever. Families are always welcome to meet our puppies to determine if allergies will be an issue. Our Goldendoodles are F1 generation, 50% poodle, 50% Golden Retriever. We do expect some shedding, but the furnishings gene from Mom should help keep it to a minimum. **We don’t believe that any generation of doodle is “better” than any other. We just want to make sure you understand what we breed.
Isn’t DNA fun!?!
So … what does all this mean for your new furbaby? They’ll be ADORABLE!! With Kona and Griffin, we expect black/gray/silver, black/gray/silver abstract, cream, and cream abstract puppies. They’ll have furnished, scruffy faces and fluffy straight to wavy low shedding coats. Shaggy little teddy bears! Since Mom and Dad are of similar size and come from parents of similar size, you can expect your Kona Doodle to grow to be about 24” tall at the shoulder and weigh approximately 50# – 65#, depending on if it inherits the slim build of its Poodle Mom or the stockier build of its English Golden Dad.
