Is there a difference?  Yes.  As you’re learning about Labradoodles, you’ll certainly come across the term F1.  This term refers to the puppy from a Labrador retriever parent and a Poodle parent.  With a first generation cross, it is impossible to predict the results.  You don’t know if the dog will take on the non-shedding coat qualities of the poodle or if it will shed like crazy.  The appearance of the dog isn’t predictable either. 

You’ll also run into the term, F1b, which means they’ve mated an F1 back to a poodle.  With this cross there is more consistency in the coat, about an 8/10 chance that the puppy will be non-shedding if both the parents were non-shedding.  This is due to the large amount of poodle genetics.