Coat & Color Genetics Explained

You may have heard the terms "Furnishings" or "Fully Furnished" in reference to certain Doodles, and this very special genetic trait is what gives Doodles that wonderful low-nonshedding, fluffy/bearded, and oh so soft and huggable coat! The Furnishings gene is one of the many testable traits that we as breeders are able to determine for each parent in our breeding program. 

This gene is provided most commonly by the Poodle but also by our Sheepdog and Tibetan Terrier. These breeds are almost always FF meaning they have 2 copies of Furnishings. Breeds that we mix with Poodles including Australian Shepherds, Bernese Mountain Dogs, and Golden Retrievers are the opposite and considered "Improper coated" or ICIC. This coat type has no fluffy beard and sheds quite a lot! Furnishings are a Dominant trait and therefore only the single copy is needed to produce fluffy coats. 

First Generation Doodles aka F1s are all genetically the same. They've inherited 1 copy of each trait from their parents and are therefore all FIC. Where are my biology lovers at? The Punnett Square perfectly represents how traits are inherited! 

When working on multigenerational lines we consider so many things, but Furnishings is a big one. When mixing 2 parents that each carry IC, puppies can inherit 2 copies of the IC gene and there be "undoodled". Remember.... regardless of what % Poodle they are, being ICIC means a smooth face and shedding coat! Cute Doodle + cute Doodle does NOT always equal puppies with the ideal coat type!

A Doodle that is FIC will most commonly be Furnished and low-nonshedding. A successful multigeneration breeding can produce Doodles that are FF like a Poodle (with any varierty of straight wavy or curly coat!) who are nonshedding. These 2 types of Doodles (FF & FIC) are nearly impossible to distinguish, even when they're full grown. There are MANY other genetics that determine appearance that I will try to explain here. We are working hard to continually improve our Doodle Program and coats with each new generation.

This page is a work in progress! More info coming soon!

This page is a work in progress! More info coming soon!