Our Little Boy's All Grown Up!

[Heidi & Milton]

Yesterday, November 7th, marked seven months for the 'ole Milt.  It is hard to believe that we have been raising this boy since June.  He's our main dependent, and depend on us he does.  When you see a dog every day, morning and night, it can be a little difficult to tell how much he has grown.  Well, here are some telltale signs that the Milt is turning into a "young dog" and leaving "puppyhood" behind.

1.  At the vet today, for Milton's monthly heart worm pill, he hopped up for his usual weigh in.

No, this is not a trick.  Milt weighs a whopping 50.3 lbs.!

That is quite a big difference from one of Milton's much earlier vet visits.  See the below.

A mere pup, perhaps 20 lbs.?

2.  The past two weeks at daycare, we have felt the pressure to get the Milt his first grooming session due to the magnitude of mud he takes in and retains.  Grooming sounds fancy, but Milt's not that kind of guy.  To be quite frank, we like him hairy.  I am fully determined to see just how long his fur can get.  Also with the onset of fall and the approach of winter, he needs that fur to stay warm, even if it is Dallas.  Our concession is to brush him out more and hope for the best.

Lots and lots of fur

Constant bed head

The tail has finally grown in.

3.  Jeff and I are now the proud members of both Sam's Club and Costco.  With Milt's tender tummy, we really couldn't just take him off his routine puppy food, cold turkey.  It was becoming quite bothersome to always beseech our friends, last minute of course, to pick us up Milt's special brand at Costco.  So, now we are double dipping.  With a boy who is eating about a bag a month, we need to stay on top of things!

All stocked up.

4.  The one thing people always comment on about the Milt are his paws.  We hear that they are "huge, massive, gigantic - That is going to be a big dog."  Well, we hope he keeps on growing.  This seems somewhat of a silly statement akin to when Jeff lamented on a forum about how our dog does not naturally like to swim, and someone replied, "Why do you care?"  Exactly.  Why do we care if Milt is big or small?  I don't know.  It's like wanting a blonde haired kid or petite feet.  It's just something we're into!

Big Foot

Daddy insisted on taking a measurement

As you can see, our boy might be all grown up (almost), but he still likes to dip into his toy bin every day.  I think he'll always be a pup at heart (thank goodness!).

Quite content To read more about Milton the Goldendoodle visit www.goldilocksandherdoodle.com

[Traz, Karen & Dale]

Milton is adorable, Heidi!  Traz just turned 6 months old on 11/8/12 and weighs 40 pounds.  We have had him for 2 months and can't believe how big he is getting.  I want to measure his paws now.  We drive a Prius and Traz is about to take up the whole back seat.  So, whoever decides to ride back there with him, better be ready to have his head on their lap :-)

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Milt is a big ol cutie pie!  Our Stuart is in the 60+ lb range and will also keep his hair long, he gets his face puppy cut to keep the mustach under control, the hind legs a bit shorter to cut down on poo problems but otherwise it just grows.  We'll be watching for a Milt update on his 1st B-day!!1

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

Oh Milt you are truning into quite a handsome fellow :)   I like to keep my Oliver's hair long and "natural" looking.  Ollie is a big boy @ 75 lbs. but he is very skinny, the vet says he should be around 85 lbs. but my son does not like to eat.  Ollie stands 26" at the shoulders and he is 2 yrs old now.  He really never went thru a coat change,his hair just stayed the same all along.  He does shed though... 

[Willow and J]

hee hee. So cute, but mama and doodle.

Milt may have slowed down in growth somewhat, but I predict he will continue to grow for another year or so, given he is a standard. Willow was on puppy food until 18 months, although she stopped gaining weight around 14 month. (She topped 67lb. but is now around 60 lb. after we switched to adult food.)

Willow's hair started to mat all of a sudden around 10 month mark, and we haven't been able to let her hair grow more than 1.5 inches since. Hope Milt's coat is easier to manage than Willow's. 

[Bonnie and Kona]

Love the photos of Milton! Thank you for posting.

Note: You have not yet entered the scourge of the dreaded coat change hence you think you can grow Milton's hair as long as you want. I lived in that fantasy once. If Milton turns out to be the kind of doodle that mats, you may have to change your mind. Owen doesn't mat and barely sheds. His coat is pretty easy care and Milton's may turn out like that. Kona's hair mats at 2 1/2 inches, and I could comb him three times a day and still get mats. I keep Kona's hair pretty short and clip Owen, too. Kona is 90 pounds and Owen is 70 pounds... love the big doodle boys!