There are many benefits to having a mixed-breed dog like the fun, little Jackapoo. Because the Jackapoo is a mixed breed between the Poodle and the Jack Russell Terrier, one of the benefits is that you can pick a generation of the breed to meet your needs and expectations of your ideal dog. But how does a Jackapoo’s generation work?
Jackapoo generations are typically referred to as FI, F1b, F1bb, F2, F2b, F2bb, and F3. Generations F1, F2, and F3 Jackapoos are 50% Jack Russell and 50% Poodle. While F1b and F2b are often 75% Poodle and 25% Jack Russell. The bb crosses have the most amount of Poodle at 87.5% and would therefore make a good option for allergy sufferers.
Related: Are Jackapoos Hypoallergenic? | Is A Male or Female Jackapoo Better? | Jackapoo Temperament Guide | Jackapoo Size And Weight Guide
The parent generations used to breed Jackapoos will determine the different hereditary traits that the filial (F), also known as the crossbred offspring, inherits. Breeders isolate the specific characteristics of each breed to reproduce the best qualities in the new generation.
Breeders can use charts that indicate an estimate of how much the Jackapoo will either inherit the Poodle’s or Jack Russell Terrier’s traits. You need to know these charts will always give a good estimation of what the Jackapoo might be like, but they will never truly give accurate results. So, how do we determine which Jackapoo generation would be the best fit for us?
How Generation Variation Affects Jackapoos
The genetic variation of your Jackapoo doesn’t affect your Jackapoo size for the moment, because the Jack Russell is usually bred with the Miniature Poodle, and both are small breeds. The Jackapoo’s mix of genes from both breeds will affect its appearance, coat, temperament, and other traits affected by the rates of hereditability.
The different hereditary traits breeders usually want to see in the Jackapoo from the Poodle and Jack Russell Terrier:
- Hypoallergenic coat (the Poodle is one of the most hypoallergenic coats on dogs)
- Friendly disposition (both breeds are incredibly friendly)
- Intelligence (both breeds have a high intelligence)
- Hard-working nature (Jack Russell Terriers are naturally hard-working but have a high prey drive)
- Small frame (both the Jack Russell Terrier and Miniature Poodle are small)
- Hybrid vigor (combination of breeds leading to healthier dogs)
One of the ways breeders try to control the different traits the Jackapoo inherits is by using a technique in breeding called backcross breeding.
Backcross Breeding
To isolate the specific qualities of each breed, breeders will use a method called backcross breeding. This means that breeders will take a generation of the Jackapoo and breed it with either the Poodle or the Jack Russell Terrier to try and produce another generation called a backcross to achieve their desired traits in the next generation of puppies.
What are the Different Generations of Jackapoo?
Understanding the different Jackapoo generations can seem confusing, but the terms used to describe the different generation variations is beneficial to understand, especially when you’re looking for particular hereditary traits in your Jackapoo. Here are the different terms you’ll need to be familiar with:
- P – this is the purebred
- F (filial) – this indicated that the dog is crossbred and not a purebred
- Numbers (1, 2, and 3) – this indicates the generation of the dog
- b or bb – this indicates that the dog is a backcross or backcross-backcross generation
Take a look at the table to see how generation variations could occur.
| Jackapoo Generation | 1st Parent | 2nd Parent | Jack Russell Terrier % | Poodle % |
| First Generation Jackapoo (F1) | Jack Russell Terrier | Poodle | 50% | 50% |
| Jackapoo backcross (F1B) | F1 Jackapoo | Poodle | 25% | 75% |
| Second Generation Jackapoo (F2) | F1 Jackapoo | F1 Jackapoo | 50% | 50% |
| Third Generation Jackapoo (F3) | F2 Jackapoo | F2 Jackapoo | 50% | 50% |
Now that we are familiar with the generational term, let’s look at the differences between the generations.
What is an F1 Jackapoo?
When we see an F1 Jackapoo, this means it is a first generation Jackapoo and it is 50% Jack Russell Terrier and 50% Poodle.
What is an F1b Jackapoo?
When we breed a first-generation (F1) Jackapoo with a purebred Poodle or Jack Russell Terrier, we call this a backcross in breeding. This is done to emphasize the traits of a particular breed in the next generation. So, if you breed an F1 Jackapoo with a purebred Poodle, you will have an F1b Jackapoo with traits that are most likely 75% Poodle and 25% Jack Russell Terrier.
What is an F1bb Jackapoo?
The F1bb generation of Jackapoo is the result of breeding a purebred with an F1b generation Jackapoo. If we breed an F1b Jackapoo with the Poodle, then this results in the F1bb generation.
| Jackapoo Generation | 1st Parent | 2nd Parent | Jack Russell Terrier % | Poodle % |
| First Generation Jackapoo backcross-backcross (F1bb) | F1 Jackapoo | Poodle | 12.5% | 87.5% |
What is an F2 Jackapoo?
And F2 Jackapoo is a second-generation Jackapoo, which is the result of breeding two first-generation Jackapoos. This means that this Jackapoo will also remain 50% Jack Russell Terrier and 50% Poodle.
What is an F2b Jackapoo?
Now, when we breed a second-generation (F2) Jackapoo with an F1d Jackapoo or an F2 Jackapoo with a purebred. We now have a second-generation backcross called the F2b. We can look at the table to see the results of these two F2b generation variations.
| Jackapoo Generation | 1st Parent | 2nd Parent | Jack Russell Terrier % | Poodle % |
| Second Generation Jackapoo backcross (F2b) | F1 Jackapoo | F1b Jackapoo | 37.5% | 72.5% |
| Second Generation Jackapoo backcross (F2b) | F2 Jackapoo | Poodle | 25% | 75% |
What is an F3 Jackapoo?
An F3 Jackapoo is a third-generation Jackapoo, which is the result of breeding two second-generation Jackapoos. This means that this Jackapoo remains 50% Jack Russell Terrier and 50% Poodle.
Which Jackapoo Generation is Best
Everyone has their preferences of what they would ideally want in their dog, and while we can get a good estimation by determining the Jackapoo’s genomes, you won’t get an exact result of what you expect in a generation.
The Jackapoo was bred to capture the high-energy, smart, and hard-working characteristics of the Jack Russell Terrier and the fun, loyal, intelligent, and hypoallergenic qualities of the Poodle. Choosing which generation of Jackapoo you want means you will need to know which qualities you’re looking for in the Jackapoo.
Most Hypoallergenic Jackapoo Generation
A huge benefit of the Jackapoo is that if its genetics are similar to the Poodle, then they are less likely to shed and aggravate allergies. Owners can have many of the awesome active and intelligent traits of the Jack Russell Terrier but with the hypoallergenic quality of the Poodle.
The best chance of your Jackapoo inheriting a non-shedding and hypoallergenic coat would be from the F1bb generation of Jackapoo. This is the best generation for Hypoallergenic qualities in the Jackapoo coat because there is an 87.5% likelihood that it will inherit the Poodles coat.
A coat that is at least 75% like the poodle is an acceptable generation, like the F1b Jackapoo and the F2b Jackapoo, because they have more than a 50% chance of inheriting a more hypoallergenic coat from the parent. Look at the chart to get an understanding of which generation would give your Jackapoo a coat most like the Poodle.
| Jackapoo Generation | 1st Parent | 2nd Parent | Jack Russell Terrier % | Poodle % |
| First Generation Jackapoo (F1) | Jack Russell Terrier | Poodle | 50% | 50% |
| First Generation Jackapoo backcross (F1b) | F1 Jackapoo | Poodle | 25% | 75% |
| Second Generation Jackapoo backcross (F2b) | F2 Jackapoo | Poodle | 25% | 75% |
| First Generation Jackapoo backcross (F1bb) | F1b Jackapoo | Poodle | 12.5% | 87.5% |
We can see by the generational table that if you have a first-generation Jackapoo and you backcross it twice then it will have a genetic makeup that is more similar to the Poodle. This means it is more likely to have a coat like the Poodle, which is somewhat Hypoallergenic, although no breed is 100% hypoallergenic.
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