The idea of finding, selecting, and purchasing a puppy online would have sounded totally crazy a few years ago. However, it’s often necessary for newer breeds like bernedoodles with limited supply and during Covid when travel is restricted. Once you find a breeder, it’s especially tough to vet whether they’re a fit without meeting the puppies or breeders in-person.

Unfortunately, we’ve come across multiple scam websites trying to take advantage of people ready to adopt. We’ve even had multiple people reach out to let us know someone tried to sell them Moose! Luckily, they did some searching, came across our page, and avoided paying but were still obviously discouraged.

Here are some tips for finding and evaluating breeders as well as a directory of breeders we know are legitimate.

Tips for evaluating breeders

If you’re anything like us, once you decide you want to get a dog you want it now. It can be tempting to want to cut corners to get your puppy faster. However, your dog will be with you for many, many years. It’s worth the wait to make sure you’re getting a healthy dog with a good temperament. You also want to avoid supporting puppy mills or backyard breeders. Below are some tips to help evaluate breeders you find online:

• First, do a preliminary scan of their website or social media to look for red flags. Pages that were just created, have very few followers / engagement, or don’t provide a phone number are likely to be scams. Never put down a deposit without at least getting someone on the phone.

• Next, do some research. Now that dogs have their own Instagram accounts, take advantage! Try to find real people / dogs that came from each breeder to hear about their experience and get a sense for what the dogs look like as they grow up. If the breeder has an Instagram account, you can look at their tagged photos to find a few dogs who came from them and send a quick message. We did this when finding Moose and were lucky to hear from four of the five people we reached out to. Since we didn’t know anyone personally who got a dog from our breeder, it gave us so much peace of mind to hear how much other families loved their pups and were happy with their decision. We will also start linking to dogs we know from breeders in our directory below.

• If all looks good so far, get them on the phone. Related to tip #1, any reputable breeder should have a real person willing to speak with you. Getting a dog is a huge decision and they should be prepared to answer all of your questions. In fact, reputable breeders should have questions for you, too (more on that below). Ask about health history, parents’ temperament, expected size, etc. This post from the American Kennel Club has more tips for what you should ask, too.

• Last but not least, most reputable breeders will provide a health guarantee for at least a year.

Questions you should expect from the breeder

As mentioned above, you should expect the breeder to vet you, too. Good breeders put countless hours of love and care into raising the puppies and ensuring a solid foundation. They will and should be picky about who adopts their puppies to ensure they are cared for and don’t end up in shelters, ignored, or worse — abused.

Expect to answer questions about your lifestyle, how much time you would spend with the puppy, why you’re interested in this breed, and past experience raising dogs.

Known bernedoodle breeders in the US

We know how hard it was to vet different breeders (and services) we came across online. This directory is meant to provide a short list of the breeders we know raise healthy and happy bernedoodle puppies. When possible, we will list a few Instagram accounts for dogs we know came from those breeders so you can get a sense for how their puppies grow up. If you’d like to be added, please send us a DM on Instagram (@moose_bernedoodle).

• Downhome Doodle: Where our Moosey girl is from. This is a family-run operation based on in Utah. They breed mini, medium, and standard bernedoodles in tri-color and merle.

• Highflautin Furry Babies: This is probably the most premium boutique breeder we came across. They were our second choice for Moosey but had a very competitive waitlist. One unique thing about HFFB is they donate select puppies as therapy dogs to families in need. Some of our favorites from HFFB are Paddington and Lulu.

• Alpine Bernedoodles: Another well-known breeder with a long wait list. They specialize in mini, micro-mini, and Australian bernedoodles. Some of our favorite accounts from Alpine are Timber (the first bernedoodle we ever came across!) and Butters.

• Utah Bernedoodles: We know a few people who got their dogs from here and are absolutely in love. These dogs don’t have Instagrams, so let us know who we should tag in as examples.

If you’re just starting your search for your dream bernedoodle (or any other breed) puppy, hopefully this post helps provide some peace of mind to navigating this strange process. If you already found a puppy online, please let us know if there are other steps you took into consideration that we should add in.