Sherry Rupke - Bernedoodles: A Head to Tail Guide

Sherry Rupke

with Sandy Rideout

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 Sherry Rupke

I have the best job in the world. Its not the easiest job, or the most glamorous. I usually start my day cleaning up after the dogs, and most days end that way, too. I am constantly on the go delivering pups to the airport for shipping, buying hundreds of pounds of food, taking blood samples and dropping them at the lab, breeding dogs, handling puppies, and bottle-feeding on a strict schedule. Then, often in the middle of the night, a dog will go into labour and Ill step in as midwife.

Running the business fills the cracks of my day. There are hundreds of e-mails from prospective and current owners to answer. Arrangements to make and problems to solve. Research to do on breeding stock. Puppy photos to take and post on my website. Applications to review. Temperament testing to do. Matching of puppies with new owners. Exploring the myriad issues related to building a new kennel and resort.

Its pretty much non-stop, even with several staff. But all of this work eventually builds to the one glorious moment that makes everything worthwhile: placing a puppy into the arms of its new owners and seeing their faces light up with joy.

I realize how lucky I am to spend my life bringing people and dogs together. If ever I have doubtssay, after missing another family event because of the dogsall I need to do is check my e-mail inbox. It is full of notes from people saying my dogs have made a huge difference in their lives.

On top of that, I get to use my training, skills, and hard-won knowledge to develop strong breeding lines. Ive chosen to focus all my energy on hybrids, because, when bred correctly, the dogs are generally much healthier than their purebred parents. This is particularly true of the Bernedoodlea cross between the Bernese Mountain Dog and the Poodle.

I began breeding purebred Bernese Mountain Dogs in 1998. I love the Berner for its beauty and sweet nature, but it is a tragically short-lived dog. People have told me heartbreaking stories about losing their beloved Berner as early as age four or five to cancer. Others lamented their dogs painful muscular-skeletal problems, such as hip dysplasia. I wanted to help themto produce a healthier Bernerbut no matter how carefully a breeder selects her lines, there is only so much you can do to counter a hundred years of inbreeding.

Instead, I chose to branch out. I wanted to see if I could retain the character and appearance of the Berner while gaining health advantages through hybrid vigor. The Poodle was an obvious candidate for the mix, having brought so much to other hybrids. In fact, I was already seeing success with the Goldendoodle and producing stable dogs that showed far fewer health problems than their purebred ancestors. They were becoming extremely popular and beloved family pets.

I put a great deal of care into developing my Goldendoodle lines, and when I began dabbling with Bernedoodles, I assumed there would be a lot of crossover. But the Bernedoodle has proven to be a greater challengeand not just in achieving the coveted tri-colour coat. At first, I worked on this hybrid on the side, a litter here, a litter there, watching the results, listening to my clients. When people started raving about the Bernedoodles sweet, loving nature, I knew I had a winner on my hands.

Despite starting my career as a breeder of purebreds, my only goal has been to produce loveable, fun, stable, healthy puppies that fit into any family. All my dogs are beautiful, but they are not show dogs, nor are they bred to be. They are meant to be at your side no matter whether you are hiking, snowshoeing, or lying on the couch watching a movie. Their only job is to be your best friend. The Bernedoodle is designed expressly for that purpose. It blends the clever goofiness of the poodle with the placid loyalty of the Bernese. Whats more, the Bernedoodle is low- to non-shedding, and is a safe bet for most people with allergies.

To me, the Bernedoodle is a perfect companion dog. I must qualify that by saying that its important to find the perfect Bernedoodle for you. As with any hybrid, there can be considerable variation within and across litters. The size, coat type, temperament and energy level may differ significantly among siblings. While it is always important to buy a puppy from a professional breeder, in the case of a hybrid like the Bernedoodle, its even more critical to have an experts help. Breeders who have spent years watching dogs develop can usually predict with reasonable accuracy how a hybrid puppy is likely to turn out. Without that professional guidance, you will get surprisesnot all of them welcome.

What I deliver is a pup from stable, healthy parents that has the potential to be your perfect dog. After that, its mostly up to you. Careful training and socialization bring that promise to fruition.

In this book, I will share much of what I know about Bernedoodles. I never have enough time to spend with new owners when they pick up their puppies. Further, many of my pups are shipped to far flung destinations. Although I send a package of information home with every pup, if you want to raise a puppy to be a respectful and dedicated companion, there is much more to learn. This book will allow me to provide detail on hybrids in general, the Bernedoodle in particular, and will cover the basics of raising a good canine citizen.

The SwissRidge community has grown significantly in recent years, and I have a very special relationship with the owners of my puppies, supported by social media. When I decided to write this book, I didnt have far to go to find ideas about what to cover. Much of the information Ive included here comes at the request of my clients, who kindly completed surveys and shared their comments about Bernedoodles. Many people stepped forward with stories, questions, testimonials, and photos.

This book is meant to be a primer on Bernedoodlesto gather in one place the key information I provide to clients. Many of the questions I receive relate to training, so Ive included a section from my partner, trainer Lucas Mucha. Lucas works wonders with all manner of dogs, and has developed special insight into Bernedoodles and Goldendoodles from working with my clients and their pets.

The breed is still young, and as more information becomes available, I will add to this body of knowledge. Please continue to share your insights with me, and join the SwissRidge Kennel Facebook group. I also update my website regularly at http://www.swissridgekennels.com/

All photos in this book are of dogs from SwissRidge Kennels. It was very hard to choose from so many beautiful photos of my clients dogs. I hereby commit to posting more on my website. Guaranteed to make you smile!

Introducing the Bernedoodle

The Bernedoodle is, quite simply, a cross between a Bernese Mountain Dog and a Poodle. I coined the name, Bernedoodle, when I began breeding them in 2003. To my knowledge, I was the first person to begin deliberately breeding these dogs, although its entirely possible a few casual (or accidental) crosses occurred before that.

My guess is that few breeders saw the great potential in this match. And to be honest, I didnt initially see it myself. I had been breeding Bernese Mountain Dogs for years, as well as Golden Retrievers, but most of my time and effort went into my Goldendoodlesa Golden Retriever and Poodle cross. It was my clients that suggested pairing one of my Berners with my purebred Standard Poodle. Curious by nature, I decided to give it a try.