Bernedoodles

[she-earl]

Does anyone own this hybrid (designer) mix? What are the pros and cons on this cross? What would you expect to pay for a bernedoodle puppy?

 

[Stacykins]

A mutt is a mutt, and there is absolutely no guarantee that a dog will be a homogenous mix of poodle and St. Bernard. They're also not hypoallergenic because of the poodle, since all dogs produce dandruff, even if they don't shed their fur.

There are plenty of young 'doodle' mixes stuck in shelters, if you have your heart set of the mix. Save a life, please don't buy from a backyard breeder and encourage the practice. The people who make these mixes care not for the health and wellbeing of the dogs. Rather, they only care about how much cash they can line their pockets with. As a result, the parents may be unhealthy and have genetic problems. "Hybrid vigor" doesn't work with dog breeding if both parents have problems already, such as bad knees, hips, or eyes.

 

[bock]

A mutt is a mutt, and there is absolutely no guarantee that a dog will be a homogenous mix of poodle and St. Bernard. They're also not hypoallergenic because of the poodle, since all dogs produce dandruff, even if they don't shed their fur.

There are plenty of young 'doodle' mixes stuck in shelters, if you have your heart set of the mix. Save a life, please don't buy from a backyard breeder and encourage the practice. The people who make these mixes care not for the health and wellbeing of the dogs. Rather, they only care about how much cash they can line their pockets with. As a result, the parents may be unhealthy and have genetic problems. "Hybrid vigor" doesn't work with dog breeding if both parents have problems already, such as bad knees, hips, or eyes.

X2 ....If you find one in the shelter that's one thing, but don't support another backyard breeder.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Hey she-earl,
When you know what is going into the mix, you can usually assume what a dog will *not* turn out like. Ie. if you get a Texas Heeler (a popular working mix of Australian cattle dog and Australian shepherd), you can fairly rest assured that you will not get a dog with a lab temperament or the looks of an Am staff, or any other breed not in the mix. What you won't know is what traits from each line and each breed you will get. You may get the coat of a poodle, you may not. You may get the size of a Bernese Mountain dog, or larger as sometimes happens with cross breeds and hybrids...not sure in dogs, or you may not. You may get the personality traits of a poodle, or not, or a mixed bag of traits from the contributing breeds.

From what little I read, I see that breeders are mixing in other breeds, like labs, so if a breeder is not honest about what they are mixing in, you are going to know what is going into your dog about as much as you would a shelter mix. Some breeders of purposeful mixes do check things like hips, etc, so it is not impossible to find some mixes with the same ethical standards as show dogs. What do to want in a dog? What is important to you?

For instance, when I want a working dog, I want a dog from a line that is respectful of the breed's (or mixes') original intent. I care much more about a breeder's honesty, record keeping/proven ability to breed sound dogs, and ability to know what animals to pair up than I do about titles, certifications, genetic testing, etc. Others want titles. Others still want health tests. Others still have completely different guidelines when purchasing a dog. Yet others will only adopt. Etc.

'Why do you want a Bernedoodle?' is a question I'd ask myself. How likely will a Bernedoodle meet those expectations? What is the backup plan of expectations are not met? These are questions I ask myself before purchasing or acquiring any pet.

As for cost, I first find all the breeders I can who seem to measure up to my guidelines, and with animals that do the same. If I feel they are worth a higher price, I will pay it. If I don't, I won't. If no one matches up, I won't pay any price at all. Lets just say, I wouldn't have been one to spend a fortune on ostriches when a pair cost as much as a car, despite claims at they would be cash cows or the next best thing. Now that the hype is over, they are well within my price range and will suit my needs for them (meat) very well.

 

[sourland]

A mutt is a mutt, and there is absolutely no guarantee that a dog will be a homogenous mix of poodle and St. Bernard. They're also not hypoallergenic because of the poodle, since all dogs produce dandruff, even if they don't shed their fur.

There are plenty of young 'doodle' mixes stuck in shelters, if you have your heart set of the mix. Save a life, please don't buy from a backyard breeder and encourage the practice. The people who make these mixes care not for the health and wellbeing of the dogs. Rather, they only care about how much cash they can line their pockets with. As a result, the parents may be unhealthy and have genetic problems. "Hybrid vigor" doesn't work with dog breeding if both parents have problems already, such as bad knees, hips, or eyes.

X 3

 

[wyoDreamer]

Personally, I wouldn't spend top dollar for a "Designer Mix" dog. That's a fancy name for a mutt, and it's a great marketing strategy. Don't get me wrong though, I have nothing against mutts. They can be some of the coolest dogs, but mixed breeds are $50 dogs not $1000 dogs.
I also wouldn't pay $1,000 or more for a pup from a pet shop. If I am paying top dollar, I want to meet the breeder and gauge for myself how interested they are in the well being of the dogs. I will not support the puppy mill industry if I can help it.

Silly question, but why does everyone want to mix everything with a Poodle? just a "cool" sounding name I guess. XXXX-oodle

 

[sourland]

Silly question, but why does everyone want to mix everything with a Poodle? just a "cool" sounding name I guess. XXXX-oodle

Not a silly question. Bock alluded to the reason in her post - it's so that they can claim that they are hypoallergenic - which is indeed a fallacy. It's a marketing ploy.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Bern what? Bernese Mountain Dog? St Bernard?

No reputable breeder would ever allow a breedable animal to go to anyone who intended to make crossbreds with it. What that means is that the parent dogs of a doodles are not from careful breeders. They don't have generations of hip X-rays, eye exams, or genetic testing behind them. They very often do not approach the breed standards in looks or temperament and they are often not even purebreds.

For what those "breeders" of doodles are charging, you could take the same money and buy a registered poodle or a registered Bernese Mountain dog from a very careful devoted breeder who does all the health screening, studies pedigrees, and tests temperaments.

Bernese Mountain Dogs, St Bernards, and Poodles all have several genetic issues which have been identified and can be tested for and bred to eliminate. A poor quality dog of those breeds, which is all you will find in the backyard breeder's kennel could be carrying any number of health issues and could pass those on to the pups. So you are taking a lot of chances for the high price you are paying.

All sorts of doodles end up in the pound, where they are available for a small adoption fee. So why give huge money to a money grubbing backyard breeder for a mixed breed?

 

[punk-a-doodle]

http://www.labradoodlesatmountainview.com/ourlabradoodles.html
"Our Labradoodle and Goldendoodle pedigrees began in Australia and America. All of our dogs are either Penn Hip certified, or OFA certified with good and/or excellent hips, certified for eyes, tested for progressive retinal atrophy, cardiac, patellas, elbows, and cleared of Von Wildebrands."

http://lakecountrylabradoodles.com/kennel.html

If these breeders are being honest, there are two examples of health tested dogs used to create a popular mix after a minute of googling. When a demand is there, sellers will either meet it...or claim to meet it, and this includes things that may be viewed in a positive manner such as OFA testing, etc. Again though, not everyone has the same ideas of what should go into the breeding of different dogs or any animal. It is not a good thing at all to buy a dog based on hype. It is similarly important not to get too caught up in anti-this-or-that hype.

 

[she-earl]

In times past, a designer mix would have been considered a mutt. We have a Bernese that we dearly love. He is 7.5 years old and his age has really caught up with him in the last few months. I am researching possbile breeds to replace him and came across the bernedoodles. The one breeder wants $1,500 for theirs. The other breeder is a vet technician that has done all kinds of testing on her two breeds and is asking considerably more for her dogs. We are dairy farmers with some sheep and chickens. We would like a dog that is good with other animals, will bark when people come but is not a biter, looks intimidating to give an intruder second thoughts about stealing things, etc. Our daughter is turned 23 today so we don't have to be overly concerned about small children around. We are thinking about Tornjak, Hovawart or English Mastiff as purebreed possibilities. We have discussed getting a dog from a shelter. The one question I would have along that line is, will a dog from a shelter come with a lot of "issues" that you don't know about.