Buying a Goldendoodle and Bernedoodle Puppy from a Breeder
Adopt; don’t shop?
If you’ve been thinking about getting a dog and spent some time investigating the decision, you’ve probably come across the saying “adopt, don’t shop”.
The idea is that there are so many dogs in rescues and animal shelters that it doesn’t justify purchasing a dog from a breeder, because you should instead adopt one of these homeless dogs. By buying a puppy from a breeder, one is supporting irresponsible breeding a puppy mills - so the argument goes - and in turn contribute to a dog overpopulation problem. Sometimes this saying is used to shame people who are interested in a particular breed or breeder, to the point that puppy buyers will ask to not be featured on a breeders profile, so that the customer doesn’t experience the scorn or rebuke they are expecting.
So as a Goldendoodle and Bernedoodle breeder, what do we have to say about this?
Off the bat, we have to say our first family dog - and two out of our first three - were rescue dogs. In a lot of ways, we lucked out with Charlie (a lab mix) and Zion (a Mastiff-Malamute mix). Both of these dogs were trusting of people - both friends and strangers - and were fairly confident and curious dogs. Both of these dogs came from shelters in Central Oregon, and they were both dear members of our family throughout their lives. So in this capacity, we feel like our rescue experience was positive, and we know that a lot of people have had great experiences with rescuing dogs, and it is laudable to go with this route.
However, both Charlie and Zion came with significant health issues that revealed themselves over time. Charlie had chronic allergies throughout his life - including people! - and had to be on medication to keep the allergic reactions at bay, and ended up passing due to dysplastic complications. Zion also had several health issues through his life - some of them requiring surgery - and ended up with bone cancer at a relatively young age. We didn’t have any health history on either of these puppies, and in turn didn’t have a good idea of their risk profile.
Also, I have been around some rescue dogs that aren’t socialized well, and are reactive and disorganized in their relationships with both people and dogs. We’ve nearly been bit by some rescue dogs, and have had the torn clothing to prove it. We’ve also seen overly aggressive rescue dogs that don’t know how to play well with other dogs. The first sixteen weeks of a puppy’s life is an important training window, which can help a puppy trust people and lessen their anxiety with known and unknown variables. Many rescue dogs have missed out on this pivotal socialization and desensitization training windows, which contributes to dog lacking the proper confidence, curiosity, and sociability needed to develop strong, healthy relationships with both people and other dogs.
It’s important to note that just because a puppy might come from a Goldendoodle breeder, doesn’t mean the Goldendoodle puppy has been set up to flourish as best as possible. Plenty of people breed litters and don’t do the helpful training to socialize and strengthen the puppies. That’s why it’s important to research any breeder you’re considering to see if this valuable training window is being used to help the puppy grow. It’s also helpful to see what organizations a breeder is a part of. While this doesn’t prove the breeder does developmental and socialization training, it is helpful to see a breeder that is part of the Goldendoodle Association of North America, Good Dog, or the Bad Ass Breeder tribe. Ask the breeder questions about what their puppy-raising protocol is, and see if your heart feels good about what you’re hearing.
As a family, it was ultimately important for us to find a dog that we could trust their upbringing and health testing. We know that there are no guarantees; that a puppy from a breeder could have cancer pop up just as early as a rescue dog. However, we felt that we could make a more calculated decision, especially when these puppies would be around our young kids. More of the variables were known - or at least known better - which helped us discern whether a puppy would be right for us or not.
Adopting a dog could be a great option for you - and if it is, then don’t let us get in the way of that! Again, we know many people in the Bend, Oregon - central Oregon area who have had a great experience with a rescued dog. To us, there are just a lot more unknown variables with that route that come with the cute puppy.
For those who would like to know a little more about their dog, lineage, and potential risk profile, buying from a breeder is also a fine and laudable choice, and should not be shamed but embraced!
If you’re around Bend, Oregon and the greater central Oregon area and are interested in Goldendoodle and Bernedoodle puppies, we are expecting some Goldendoodle litters at the beginning of March, and will have Goldendoodle puppies for sale.
If you’re interested in our journey as a Goldendoodle and Bernedoodle breeder in Oregon, follow along with us at High Desert Family Doodles; we love that you’re here!
Warmly,
Erin and Jay