How did you guys get started?
We have always had a heart for helping others with service and therapy dogs. After falling in love with the bernedoodle, which of course also meant the poodle and bernese, our family then fell in love with helping match the purfect puppy with their purfect family. WE LOVE WATCHING ALL THE PUPPY TALES UNFOLD. It’s now become a passion for not just Greg and I, but our kiddos as well. After years of research, we had our first litter, which was more of Momma’s thing. That all changed after seeing our wonderful families matched with their furever furbaby as watching those puppy tales begin, inspired us all. We have the most wonderful families and as we saw our babies begin to heal hearts, provide love and change lives, it all changed.
How does my puppy get home?
We highly encourage you to pick up your puppy in person as we get really excited to meet our “furever” families and officially welcome you to the Bluegrass family. We also understand that this is not possible for all of our families that live farther away. (Click reserve to submit your application and then call us 270-350-2513 for location information.) We have several options depending on the travel distance. We are happy to connect you to some of our very favorite drivers. We can also help connect you with flight nanny service as well. We have a favorite flight nanny, but sometimes it’s even one of us. We love to meet our furever families when possible. IMPORTANT: Your puppy stays with us or the flight nanny the entire time! We do help coordinate transportation of the puppy, but the financial responsibility is that of the new puppy owner. Flight costs can vary, but are usually $500 for anywhere in the continental United States.
How big do Bernedoodles get?
Bernedoodles come in 3 sizes
Standard Bernedoodles range from 45-115lbs.
Mini Bernedoodles range from 18-45lbs.
Micro Mini Bernedoodles range from 15-30lbs.
Obviously, this is not an exact science as genetics ultimately plays a large part in their size. This is why we wait to do our selection day once puppies have turned 7 weeks old. This allows us to finish their temperament testing as well as lets us see which pups are tracking on the larger side of the litter verses the small side. We can absolutely give you a good estimate of their full grown weight based on the weights of their parents though.
Here are a couple blog posts that we've written that will answer a lot more questions too!
Are bernedoodles hypoallergenic?
A: No dog is “hypoallergenic” and no reputable breeder will use such a term. There are absolutely allergy friendly breeds and yes, we breed low to non shedding, very allergy friendly Bernedoodles.
Do bernedoodles shed?
Every bernedoodle has a different coat and every dog with hair will shed, but the wavy or curly type of coat that a Bernedoodle has is a low-to non-shedding.
Here are a couple blog posts that we've written that will answer a lot more questions too!
What's the difference between furnished and unfurnished?
The term "Furnishings" refers to the long hair on the extremities of dogs including the head and tail. When a Bernese Mountain Dog is crossed with a Poodle (F) the resulting dog is an F1 Bernedoodle, 1/2 Bernese Mountain Dog and 1/2 poodle.
We've had families specifically ask for the unfurnished bernedoodle and that's why we started looking into it more. Some families don't like the beard of the furnished bernedoodle or they love the bernese and don't want as much of the shedding.
For more photo examples of furnished and unfurnished check out this post:
Do you breed cavapoos too?
Lately, we've been getting a lot of requests for smaller, lap size dogs. Although, we can have Micro Mini Bernedoodles, they'll never be as small as the size some families have been needing. A lot of our bernedoodles are that small, but it's not something we can absolutely guarantee. After extensive research, we've found that the King Charles Cavalier is very similar to the Bernese with their loyal demeanor. Choosing to add Cavapoos allows us to continue providing for our families who need a smaller size dog.
Stay updated on our current Cavapoo Litters here. :)
How do I get on your list?
You can get on the waitlist by filling out an application and sending in your reservation fee. The reservation fee is $400 and will go towards the cost of your future puppy. You can submit your application in by clicking here. Due to the growing number of applications we receive every single day, please remember you are not officially placed on the list until the reservation fee has been received. We carefully review applications to be sure we are doing all we can to ensure a good placement for our puppies. Each puppy is very special to us and a forever family is our top priority.
How does your selection process work?
Puppy selection happens around 7 weeks. We wait until after temperament testing to ensure your puppy's “doggie-ality” (aka personality) matches what you are looking for, to the best of our abilities. Each puppy is different just like our kiddos. You will know about not only their temperament, but also their coat and who is tracking to be on the larger or smaller side, size wise of the litter. Selection is done in the order application and reservation fees are received. Even though official selection isn't till 7 weeks, families will get to know their litter before hand through FaceTime, Instagram/Facebook stories, as well as pictures and videos.
Why don't you post your list on your website?
We don’t post our list anywhere as it doesn’t give an accurate representation of where you are on the list. Sometimes we have families that decide they want to wait a little longer, when this happens the list shifts. Other times we have families that pay their deposit because they’re waiting for a certain litter. We also have no way of predicting the amount of puppies that will be born into each litter, so even if you were to see the list it wouldn’t give you an accurate idea of how long the wait will be. Because of this we’ve chosen not to make our list public. Stay tuned for updates on our Instagram and Facebook stories. We share updates often and hope you’ll join us there!
How do I choose, boy or girl?
The answer to this goes back to temperament testing. We love doing temperament testing because it allows us to see the different personalities of each of the dogs. No matter the gender of the dog, their personalities can be very different. It’s just like kids, my two quietest kids, are a boy and a girl. My two most confident kids, are a boy and a girl. Each litter of puppies is just like this. When the time comes to pick your puppy we’ll FaceTime and share the results of our temperament testing. You’ll get to see each of the puppies and how they interact to determine which puppy will be the best fit for you and your family. We really encourage our families to choose their puppy not by coloring or “cuteness” but by the temperament that will fit well in their life!
Do you see a temperament difference between males and females or between minis and standards? Or between different generations?
No, we haven’t noticed any differences between their temperaments. Each puppy has their own personality, just like kids. My two most active kids are a girl and a boy and my two quietest kids are a girl and a boy. When the time comes for you to choose your puppy, let us know what temperament you’re looking for and we will match you with the puppy that has the temperament you’re looking for, to the best of our ability.
Why do we wait until they're 7 weeks old to pick?
Waiting until 7 weeks not only allows us to learn more about each puppy's temperament (our daughter calls it their “doggie-ality”) it also helps us to be able to tell you more about their coat types and if they are tracking to be on the smaller or larger side of the litter. OOOOH and what we love about them is that they are each so unique and spectacular, they all have been put on the Earth to do special things just like your families needs are unique and spectacular.
Why don't we place 2 pups from the same litter in the same family?
We feel that the most important part of placing a puppy into a family is the bond of trust that they develop with that family. This relationship is crucial in the puppy stage and will have an impact on the dog's behavior for the rest of their life with their family. This bond of trust can be impacted negatively or not as strongly if the puppy is dependent upon a sibling or another puppy from another littler. They may form a primary bond with that puppy and the family can become secondary. Look up litter-mate syndrome and you will see why we make this decision for not only for our fur-babies, but for our families too.
Do you offer training?
We offer Puppy Kindergarten which is 4-5 weeks of additional training. This is for our puppies beyond the eight weeks they are with us. We only accept 1 - 2 puppies at a time, per trainer, to keep this training very specific to the designated needs of each puppy and family. We take them into our family and begin training them just as if we have a new pup. At night their crate will be right beside the trainers nightstand. Greg and our team take care of this and work closely with each pup and their family. Feel free to call us if you have additional questions 270-350-2513.
If you're looking for online training resources we highly recommend Baxter and Bella. It's an online puppy school you can pay to have access to for life. Use our discount code INSPIRE at check out for 25% off.
If I'm concerned about allergies, is there a way to test that?
We can mail you a blanket that has been with our dogs or connect you with a Bluegrass Family near you.
Why don't all your dogs live with you?
We believe first and foremost that our parents health and wellness is most important. This is why all of our dogs, except our family dogs, live in Guardian Homes with our closest friends and family, so that they can be a part of a loving family.
What are the generations (F1, F1b, F2) and what do they mean?
An F1 Bernedoodle is a first generation cross, which means 50% Bernese Mountain Dog and 50% Poodle. An F1b is a backcross in which a Bernedoodle is bred with a Poodle. This would mean the puppy is 25% Bernese and 75% Poodle. An F2 Bernedoodle is 50% Poodle and 50% Bernese Mountain Dog, but just a second generation.
For more answers to questions like this check out: