Just for fun

[Gumbo and Ashley]

Ok, So I'm curious if when you picked your puppy, you noticed certain physical characteristics such as your puppy having long thin legs so you assumed it would be tall or if they had shorter stockier legs you thought he/she would be heavier and shorter. I'm very curious if now your pup is an adolescent/adult, do those qualities still hold true? Wondering if there is a pattern. Looking forward to the responses:)

[Jennifer Tramell]

Well they say a picture's worth 1000 words, so hear goes......

This is my friend's f1b goldendoodle, Sadie, at 5 weeks old (pic from breeder).  Definitely a blocky head with curly but not tight curl.

Here is Sadie almost grown.  Her face isn't trimmed (in fact, it's wet from playing) but you can see the same boxy head. 

My Tessa at 8 weeks old.  I do notice a big difference between 5 and 8 weeks - they seem to fluff out more and you can get a better idea of their coat.  I fell in love with the wide forehead and wavy hair.

Here is Tessa at 8 months old.  I do trim her face because my personal preference is a cleaner, less messy look.

This is Charlotte at 6 weeks old.  To me, she had a very poodlely look - her 4 week old pic from the breeder had a very oval face and lots of ripples.  Just 2 weeks later and you can see how her curls fluffed out giving a little more definition to her face.  Her face shape was like the very first pic of the red boy on the swing or the third boy in the last picture.  Her ears weren't as long as the third boy.  She had more curls than any of the pups.

Here is Charlotte with her "full" face - you can see how "oval" her natural face shape is.  She would look more "oval" than this if I left the hair completely natural - I do trim shorter along her "cheekbones" to give her face definition.

Here is Charlotte after I "tweaked" her hairstyle to make her look "squarer"

This is Webster at 4 weeks old - you can definitely see his blockhead :-)  And look at all the ripples throughout his coat - a definite indication of curls.

Here he is now - same blockhead covered with thick curls!

As I said before, I don't think any of these three pups have the amount of curls that Webster and Charlotte have.  I have noticed that f1bs often curl up more as they mature.  All of these pups will have facial hair.  Ask your breeder which pup has the thickest coat - that might give you the best chance of heavy coverage.  I might be wrong, but I just think that the red pup may have the most curls BUT the 3rd one, if he has the thick coat I think he does, should have plenty of waves.  Here is a picture from Webster's breeder of a pup who resembles pup 2 but he's probably only 4 weeks old here.

You can see his shaggy, heavy coat and I think it curled up even more as he matured.

Last one - a pup with more ruffles but still not a lot of curl, again probably 4 weeks (that extra week makes a big difference).

And as a 6? month pup you see lots of fluff....

Hope this helps but I don't think there is a wrong answer - just go with your heart!

[Gumbo and Ashley]

Jennifer you rock girl. Thank you so much for all of this!! You really know your stuff. I will be needing advice I'm sure in the months ahead. I have NEVER, yes I just said NEVER, had or owned a dog in my life and I'm 36 years old.  I've never really been an animal lover to be honest. But when I moved to CA in my 20's I first saw a Goldendoodle on the sidewalk and instantly fell in love. I swore one day I would have my dream dog. And the day has finally come..... I'm scared, nervous and excited all at the same time. I want to be a great dog mom, and want to do the very best job possible. And, although my dream was to always have a dark red one, I changed my mind last night when it came down to decision time. My gut was pulling me toward the lightest boy #3.  So that's who I chose. Something about his eyes and face.... I can't really explain it.  He is the biggest of the litter of 11 pups. He is just over 5 weeks old and weighs almost 6 lbs. I think he's gonna be big! lol!! Anyway, I can't wait. I get him in a few more weeks. Yay!! I'll be in touch and post pics of his homecoming. And....... you can be the first to know I named him Gumbo.  I live in Southern Louisiana and wanted a strong Southern name, plus I think it's cute. :)  Talk soon!! LOOK AT HIS PAW!!! Do you think he's gonna get big??? Um...I do!! lol

[Jennifer Tramell]

Ashley, you are to kind :-)  I think you made the perfect choice for the dog you are wanting.  When dealing with dogs your brain will lead you but your heart will decide. 

LOVE the name Gumbo!

The amount of consideration you gave in choosing  a puppy shows that you will be a great dog owner.  Don't put too much pressure on yourself or expect Gumbo to be perfect.  The perfect puppy is far from perfect - how can they learn if they don't make mistakes - lol!  Just be patient, consistent, and spend time with him and you will be amazed at how he well he does. 

In my opinion, the biggest secret to dog training is that you have to "know" your dog by "doing life" with your dog.  Knowing your dog will help avoid potential problems and find solutions to problems which arise.  Can't wait for updates!

[Gumbo and Ashley]

Well not sure if you knew or not, but i ended up picking pup #3... His name is Gumbo, he is almost 8 weeks old!! He is huge!! and we pick him up next week. I just got new pics of him last night!!! Omg omg omg!! He is soooo adorable!!! You seem to be dead on with your predictions. You wanna make some now? LOL..... Whatcha think he's gonna do? LOL!!!! I'm sooo in love!!!

[Kurt Gustafson]

 

Absolutely stunning pup, but he is going to have a coat from hell to groom. I was hoping for you that his coat would start to fill in a little looser like his earlier photo. It looks really thick here. Either make amends that you will need to routinely see a groomer after about 7 mo, or start looking for a really good 2-speed professional clipper. With our F1B, we found it was easier to buy a new blade each time than re-use blades or take him to a groomer. You will love the coat and the look, but not dealing with it.

[Gumbo and Ashley]

Kurt, ya think hes gonna his thick coat is gonna get more wavy or more curly as he matures? Thanks for the compliment too. I think he is just adorable!

[Kurt Gustafson]

Much of the difference in the F1B photos is merely how long it has been since they were brushed well. The F1B coat tends to 'tassle' so the longer between brushings, the more tastled and curly it will look (dread lock like). Therein lies the problem, these tassles turn to matted hair quickly.

We loved our F1B, he was the best dog EVER, but I swore I'd never get another due to the coat. We got a Griff when he passed. After losing doodle #2, we realized there was something special and different about the doodle personality and we needed another, but we chose a very shaggy F1 as opposed to another F1B

[Moe]

When we first got Charlie she had thin wavy fur. At almost three she is indistinguishable from a standard poodle.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

She is so beautiful!

[Emily, Bentley, & Maserati]

She is beautiful! 

[Jordan & Daisy]

I <3 Hoka!!

Daisy is Hoka's brother, she looks exactly the way we hoped she would! I will say her temperament when we first got her was more calm and cuddly...she is now in the completely insane stage but I look forward to calmer days ahead hehe.  :)

[Emily, Bentley, & Maserati]

Daisy is gorgeous! 

Our next doodle will be an apricot colored girl!