Introducing Baxter Black

[Tina McNerthney]

Hi everyone,

We picked out our puppy yesterday and I wanted t to introduce him here. His name is Baxter Black aka "Baxter" or "Bax". He is just over five weeks old now and will be coming home with us in about three weeks and we're super excited.

The breeders think he will have a beautiful shiny, wavy fleecy coat like his mom. He's cute as a button and warmed right up to my husband, stepson and me. I inserted photos of him taken by Focal Clarity Photography at about 3.5 and 4.5 weeks. The breeders' daughter is the photographer, so we've gotten several nice photos. Wondering what he'll grow up to look like and looking forward to his arrival. 

[Marcia & MoneyPenny]

So cute. We have a very large(100+lbs) jet black golden doodle down the street from us, Jerry Garcia. He is an awesome dog, Bax will be too!

[Tina McNerthney]

Thanks, Marcia. We know Bax will be awesome, but we hope he will not be 100 pounds. ;) Breeder thinks he will grow to about 20" at shoulder and 40 to max 45 pounds. We shall see. At this age it's not always easy to predict.

[Melissa Bissell]

Soooo cute!  Looks a lot like our Hugo!  He will also be about 45 pounds when mature.  Congrats!

[Tina McNerthney]

Melissa,

Thanks! We will have to compare photos at some point. How big was Hugo at 8 weeks? I ask because I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to buy a sling to carry Baxter around in while we're socializing him and before he's got all his shots. Are you just walking Hugo around or are you doing a combination of carrying and walking in safe spots?

[Melissa Bissell]

Hi-

Hugo was 5 lbs 10 oz at 6 weeks, 8 pounds at 8 weeks, 9.2 pounds at 9 weeks.  He is a pretty good size and growing fast.  He still likes to be carried and loves snuggling, but he feels big to carry in a sling.  We have only had him for a week.  Most of our socializing has taken place at our house - with friends and family of all ages and sizes stopping by for visits.  When my husband took him to our vet he kept him on his lap.  We haven't done as much yet with socializing because unfortunately I had the flu right after we brought him home, and then my son had it, so between the 2 of us there hasn't been much time to go out.  We do take short walks around our neighborhood.  Even that has been limited because it is still so cold here and Hugo appears to hate the cold. I do make a point of taking him for car rides almost everyday (except when I was sick).  He loves the car and falls immediately to sleep in his travel crate.  The weather is supposed to improve next week so I hope to get him out more.   I agree that photos of black doodles are challenging!  In every photo Hugo looks like he has no eyes!  Also, he shows dirt and dander a lot.  Like a black car, showing dust/dirt, I guess.  Everything shows on him!

[Tina McNerthney]

I will be curious about people's responses to keeping the dog clean and tips for a good coat. I think, much like children, puppies will be puppies and get into dirt and we just need to use judgment in how often we bathe them. I am sorry to here your and your son were sick during the early days with Hugo and hope you are both feeling better.

Car rides sound like fun. Do you put Hugo in a crate or on someone's lap?

[Melissa Bissell]

And we are also doing puppy kindergarten - so that is also great for socializing.  Hugo loved his first class! 

[Tina McNerthney]

We already have Bax signed up for puppy kindergarten. We plan to take him right away. Thank you for the info. on Hugo's growth and weight. I grew up in Massachusetts, which is much colder than Portland. I can imagine puppies (much like humans) don't love going out in the cold.

We don't have any extended family in the area, but I hope to have friends and neighbors stop in from time to time. I plan to go to Home Depot and coffee shops and other places for socializing as soon as possible, so the puppy gets exposed to lots of different people.

[Becka]

Those are stunning photographs--he's going to be a looker! Congratulations.

[Tina McNerthney]

Thank you, Becka. Sadie is sweet and a real beauty. I love the photo of her with the mohawk hair style!

[Malenie Piscetelli]

Congrats!!! He is adorable. I have black and some white Goldendoodle. Her name is Lucy and she is 4 1/2 mos old. Enjoy your puppy soon

[Tina McNerthney]

Lucy is very cute, Malenie. Thanks for the well wishes!