Value Substance Over Branding
These days every Bernedoodle website you see looks very cute. Some are more primped up than others and many times to-be families will confuse that glossy finish with the quality of a program. Now, don’t get us wrong. There are many breeders out there that we highly respect who brand themselves very well. However, there are just as many programs that look great online, but when you look under the hood there’s much left to be desired. When looking for your future family member, we highly suggest diving into a program’s health testing & breeding history.
If you’ve spent any time on our site, you know that the health of our dogs is a top priority, which is why we’re so transparent about the tests we do and providing results. Many programs will say “Our dogs are health tested”, and then not give any specifics as to what that means. Both Poodles and Bernese Mountain Dogs are predisposed to a host of different genetic diseases that are easily tested for, and that doesn’t mean those tests are easy to pass! With any program, be sure to determine their health standards and how dedicated they are to meeting them, i.e. that all of their dogs have actually been tested and passed. You’d be surprised how many parents slip through the cracks. We should all be interested in our puppies being the healthiest they can be. After all, these tests already exist, we might as well utilize them.
Our second tip is to check into a program’s history and how they began breeding dogs. Doodles are an interesting mix of seasoned breeders and nice folks that thought it’d be cool to join in the fun. Once again, there’s nothing inherently wrong with a new program and wanting to learn how to breed, however we have the same advice: Look at their substance, not the branding. In our experience interacting with all sorts of programs across the country, there’s a good correlation between a breeder’s established history and the quality of their program. Just like anything else, you learn better practices the more time you spend working in a given field. Programs with a family history (we’re excited at how many other second generation Bernedoodle programs are out there!) or a whole bunch of years under their belt might have a better grasp on how to produce the best puppies.
All in all, there are many awesome Bernedoodle programs around the country and we love to see other breeders trying to raise the bar the same as us. As a furever family, we hope this information is helpful in your search for a new pupster!
