Just think about it – all the dog breeds differences are determined by less than one per cent of genes! So there is no wonder there are so many different crossbreds and mixes. Mix of Golden Retriever with other breed may produce incredibly interesting results. However, let’s not forget that the puppies may inherit traits of both parents not equally and that Golden Retriever mix dogs may be not problem-free.
Golden Retriever mix (like all other dog mixes actually) has several classifications that you may need to understand if you’ve decided to adopt a puppy. F1 is a first generation of puppies that are the result of mixing of purebred Golden Retriever with another purebred dog (50/50 of each breed). However the offspring in F1 litters may vary strongly. For instance Goldendoodle (the result of crossing Golden Retriever with Poodle) puppies form the same F1 litter may shed as well as not shed at all depending on particular pup.
F1b is a result of crossing F1 dogs with another purebred dog (the result is 25% of mix with 75% of pure). For instance if we mix F1 Goldendoodle with purebred Poodle we’ll receive and offspring that is closer to Poodle than Golden Retriever and as the result is the least likely to shed and has the easiest coat to take care of.
F2 are the dog that were born as there result of breeding F1dogs from one litter with F1 dogs from another not related litter. In other words to make sure the traits you want are passed down to next generations you need to find other F1 dogs with the same traits and breed them. For instance, if some of your F1 Goldendoodles shed very little or do not shed at all and you find other F1 Goldendoodle that does not shed their offspring is very likely to inherit that trait. However, the probability of getting this trait is higher in F1b dogs from example above.
F2b is a cross of F1 and F1b dogs. Again F2b dog is more likely to inherit traits of F1b dogs. F3 is a cross of F2 dogs and multi-generation is a F3 or higher generation hybrid crossed with another F3 of higher hybrid. Now, taking all stated above into account you’ll be able to make more sense of what a breeder is telling you about the litter of mixed Golden Retrievers.
So why actually adopt a Golden Retriever mix? The major reason is that some of the genetic disadvantages of the original Golden Retriever may be fixed by crossbreeding. As we’ve seen with Goldendoodle the shedding problem can be solved making the dogs more appropriate for allergic people. Another advantage of this crossbreed is that both Golden Retrievers and Poodles are highly intelligent, obedient and trainable breeds. Naturally, it makes the offspring intelligent and obedient as well. However, all of these genetic traits are worthless without proper training and socialization efforts from the owner.
As always there is a downside of adopting a crossbreed dog. It goes without saying that most of them are not recognized by AKC or other purebred registry (at least for some time for sure). But the biggest concern in mixed dogs is health. While mixing dogs of different breeds may improve dog’s health in some cases it may also have a pernicious effect on it.
If you are planning to adopt a Golden Retriever mix you still need to find a reputable breeder and make sure that both parents are healthy and possess no signs of genetic diseases. It is especially true when your Golden Retriever mix is the result of breeding a Golden with other breed with similar health issues as the canine has (like Labrador or Poodle).
Also, be aware that not any breed is good for crossing-breeding with Golden Retriever. Golden is by nature a loving, intelligent, trainable and active dog. So choosing a possible pair it is better to consider dogs with same characteristics. For instance, creating a mix of Golden Retriever with a breed that is aggressive by nature will probably result in an offspring with unstable character.
As you see, producing or choosing a Golden Retriever mix is all about proper selection and careful research of parents, their traits and health. And as well as with purebred Golden Retrievers it is wiser to look for a reputable breeder rather than going to the pet store.