Cockapoos are considered 1st
generation (F1) if the parents are pure cockers and pure poodle.
Cockapoo to Cockapoo is 2nd generation (F2) and progressing F2 to F2
begets F3 - etc. For recording purposes we take the lowest F
factor to 'label' the progeny. Thus and F6 to and F2 would be
considered an F3. They are still cockapoos as long as the origin
was 1/2 cocker and 1/2 poodle and nothing else has been mixed in along
the way, and it stays cockapoo to cockapoo without adding back in any
poodle or cocker.
A cockapoo bred back to a poodle
while a nice dog is no longer a true cockapoo. Some term this
cockapoo-poo. A few breeders may have this breeding as they do
not have a pair of cockapoos. They are encouraged to get the proper
dogs for breeding. Some breeders try to pass these off as 2nd
generation - this is an out right falsehood. Some breeders try to
con folks into thinking it is a better cross as more of the pups will
be non shed - another falsehood. Cockapoos by their very nature
are low to non shed and low to non doggy odor. The poodle coat has a
great deal of dominance making it the ideal cross with the cocker.
If the breeder picking the dogs
to be used for 2nd generation is careful to pick breeding stock that
shows very much the characteristics of both then this look can be
maintained. Let's say a breeder prefers a more poodle like look and
keeps those for breeding. If this same breeder keeps more pups and
continues the same practice after a few generations the cocker input
could be eliminated to have reverted back to a poodle - thus negating
the whole ideal of the
cockapoo. Conversely if a breeder stays on middle ground while
eliminating any faults that evidence themselves ( i.e. an overbite )
then the cockapoo could be established and breeding true with very
little throwback to the original breeds.
Simple medallion pea theory would
have us think that ½ cocker and ½ poodles for F1 the
cockapoo bred together would produce ¼ cockers ¼ poodles
¼ cockapoo and ¼ cockapoo in 2nd generation (F2). This is
not the case given the prepotency of factors involved. A
simplistic view would be to toss 120 black marbles in a pot and 120
white marbles. Then one draws 120 marbles out to create the new pup.
Perfect statistics would have us at 50% from each - also unlikely.
However 55% is reasonable - so cockapoos show the characteristics of
each nicely. The likelihood of having 25% of the marbles being
one color to create a ¾ cocker ¼ poodle and the looks
with higher potential to shedding is very unlikely much less having a
drawing of enough to create a pup that looks almost identical to a
cocker or poodle. There are many others factors involved such as
recessives where both parents contribute a rare gene and it has to be
picked up from both parents, and things that are linked like certain
eye colors to coat colors.
Cockapoos will almost always show
strong characteristics of both parents. They could lean a little to
poodle or a little to cocker. Some may be a little curlier and some may
have blockier heads but they definitely show characteristics of both
parents in a unique way that is what gives cockapoos such a special
look. It is highly unlikely they would inherit a predominance of
genes from either parent. Second generation has the highest
incidence of pups that will lean more to
the looks of either parent breed. We contribute this to the grandfather
effect. A man may have a full head of hair until he dies while his dad
was bald by 40. The son very often inherits this tendency of the
grandfather. Dogs have this tendency too. This does not make 2nd
generation bad and by no means expect all the pups or even one in a
litter to have the throwback - just something to be aware of. The
breeder should have a good idea by coat type well before the pups leave
for their new homes. By 3rd generation very few if any throwbacks are
seen just as in 1st generation and 4th generation on this almost never
happens.