New Mom Question

[Griffin's Mom]

So my Griffin will be a year old at the end of December. I've grown a little concern since this weekend. We gave him a bath and to me he just looks SOOOO skinny. I was confused because he eats well, is extremley active, and is the bigggest snuggle bug in the world. You know, just a very happy dog. He never acts like he is starving, but is always excited for a treat :)

My boyfriend says it's just the poodle in him. He was wet from the bath when I noticed his small frame. He is just SOO fluffy that I never noticed it before and normally we take him to the groomers but Saturday he was at the dog park all day and he was soooo dirty so this was the first time I saw him soaking wet. He is about 55-60 pounds and is about 2 feet tall.

 

Is he too thin? I can't see his bones, but my Griff has a lot of fur. I could feel his bones pretty good though.

 

 

 

[Robin and Libby Louise]

Don't be disappointed if Griff doesn't like the water!  I'm not saying that he won't, but I know that Libby hates it, and I've heard the same from others on DK.  I always think it's weird since poodles and labs are both water dogs, but there it is!  But I'm sure your trip will be fabulous with or without a wet doodle!  :)

[Donna Bay & Buzz]

Bay's nickname is Shrinkydink, lol!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

"Shrinkydink" very cute.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

That's so cute!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Tara was a skinny little stick dog at that age too. I think it's the combination of being really active and growing at the same time. They use up a lot of calories! Once she stopped growing then I had to be careful that she not become OVER weight!  You should be able to feel  his ribs under a minimal fat covering. If they or his spine/hips feel very prominent then he might need a bit more food for a while.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

That's true Tara, I forgot about that year old physique, even more gangly and skinny than at two or three years old.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

When I take Finn to the lake, people always stop to pet him, ask questions about him, tell me how beautiful he is, etc. Then he goes swimming and on the walk back nobody even smiles at my funny looking skinny Finn. I'm sure they're thinking OMG what does that dog look like dry???? Ha ha!  

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Aww, Finn. I'd pet you if I saw you wet!!!! They look so cute and healthy and puppy dog faced when they are dry and fluffy, and then they turn into what looks like a skinny, neglected, deprived, sad faced dog when wet. I actually use the "wet dog look" to give me my visual gauge of how they are maintaining their weight. Besides the rib/hip bone touch test. What I do love to see on wet doodles is all their lean muscles when they run and play when they are wet. We don't see those muscles under all their doodle fur.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

LOL  Exactly!  They look like completely different dogs!  Whenever we take Enzo to the dog beach everyone falls over themselves wanting to pet her.  Once she gets wet....all bets are off!  They barely even look at her!

  I think when we did the underwater shoot for Seth Castel for the Underwater Puppies book this happened!  He was falling over her dry.....she jumped in the water and then not so much!

[Dave and Cuba]

It was probably just cold water....you know how that affects things!

[Marie Dennen]

I groom professionally and have seen a lot of doodles wet. Yes, some are that scrawny. Some look like bearded collies wet. Did you meet the parents? That may give a better frame of reference . There is no breed standard so there is so much variaton in them. Dog show people preserving high quality lines don't cross breed. So doodle breeders may not be using the best dogs to begin with. Just confirm with your vet if his weight is good for him. Most likely he is just right.
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