Your puppy's color will likely lighten with each haircut over the first two years of its life. Lily faded from charcoal brown to silver.
Barkley (the Dad) has also lightened from a deep red/brown, to a strawberry blonde.
The fading gene comes from the poodle breed.
This is an interesting link on the poodle Fading Gene.
Our puppies are Multi-Gen Goldendoodles.
Barkley (the Dad) is a miniature F1bb. Barkley's Mother was 50% Golden Retriever/50% Miniature Poodle (F1b), and Barkley's Father was 100% Miniature Poodle.
Lily (the Mom) is also a F1Bb. Lily's Mother was 50% Golden Retriever/50% Standard Poodle (F1B), and Lily's Father was 100% miniature poodle. Lily gets her size from her Mom -she was the largest puppy in her litter.
An F1BB Goldendoodle is 12.5% Golden Retriever and 87.5% Poodle. This results in the cute curly coat of hair with very minimal shedding, an ideal trait for a hypoallergenic family friendly pet.
Click here to learn more about Goldendoodle Breeds.
Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) is conducted from the 3rd through day 16 of a puppies life, to help encourage a stable temperament and better stress responses later in life. ENS was developed by the United States Military to improve the performance of service dogs. ENS training is believed to improve the dogs neurological system, and has shown increased growth, immune, and cardiovascular strength.
ENS consist of a series of five exercises performed once a day. Keep in mind that a puppies eyes do not open until around 10 days, and their hearing begins at around 14 days, so this is a period where their minds respond to gentle touch.
1. Tactile stimulation -gently tickling the pups feet with a Q-tip for 3-5 seconds each.
2. Head erect -supporting the pup with both hands, it is held in an upright position for 3-5 seconds.
3. Head downward -supporting the pup with both hands, it is held upside down for 3-5 seconds.
4. Supine position- cradling the pup with both hands, it rests on its back for 3-5 seconds.
5. Thermal stimulation -the pup is placed feet down for 3-5 seconds on a towel that has been cooled.
Refer to the following link for illustrations of each exercise.
