The Moonstruck Breeding Program
*****This page is actively under construction*****
Our breeding program is a labour of love and passion! We strive to produce HEALTHY and MENTALLY SOUND puppies for our families to enjoy for many years. We breed with an emphasis on TEMPERAMENT offering a 12 month temperament guarantee (and a 30 month health guarantee) on all of our puppies.
My name is Kimberly Dorrington. I am a professional dog trainer since 2002. I am the co-owner of a commercial doggy daycare and an obedience competitor. As a dog professional I am not JUST a breeder. I have the fortune of being very well rounded in the dog world and I apply my years of experience with dogs in my breeding practices. I am a STRONG proponent of education and I wish for this website to be as educational for each person who is looking to add a Bernese mix to their life. Please read on to see how my program varies slightly from other programs and learn why we have chosen to put a twist on the traditional Bernedoodle mix!
My name is Kimberly Dorrington. I am a professional dog trainer since 2002. I am the co-owner of a commercial doggy daycare and an obedience competitor. As a dog professional I am not JUST a breeder. I have the fortune of being very well rounded in the dog world and I apply my years of experience with dogs in my breeding practices. I am a STRONG proponent of education and I wish for this website to be as educational for each person who is looking to add a Bernese mix to their life. Please read on to see how my program varies slightly from other programs and learn why we have chosen to put a twist on the traditional Bernedoodle mix!
Bernedoodles vs. Australian Bernedoodles
Traditionally the Bernedoodle is a mix of two breeds: Bernese Mountain Dog and Poodle (Poodles of varying sizes). There are several reasons why this blend has become so popular: low shed, Bernese-type traits with a (likley) extended life span from the pure Bernese, aesthetic appeal, etc. Generally speaking, a well bred Bernedoodle (and the key here is well bred with thought to temperament and health in mind, not just sticking two dogs together for a quick buck) makes a wonderful family companion.
Moonstruck Bernedoodles breeds a little differently from the traditional Bernedoodle model. As a long time acquaintance of the relatively new breed of Australian Labradoodles (ALD), I have chosen to base a part of my program on this neat little breed that is not well recognized yet. For over 20 years breeders of the ALD have dedicated their programs to building a medium sized dog, with a good quality, soft and fleecey coat, medium boning (Poodles can be built quite slight) with a stocky stature and broad head/muzzle. The overall aim was to build dogs as family companions and not working animals. Traditionally, dogs of all sorts of breeds were not bred to be sofa surfing, weekend hiking, easy going family dogs. Even dogs, such as the Poodle, have been bred to be working dogs and it shows in many of their temperaments. That's great! However, if you work 9-5 and have 3 kids a working dog breed may not be an appropriate pet for you. The ALD has been designed in the modern era to be that cute, fluffy, family pet. Every dog breed has been bred with a purpose. The purpose of the ALD is to be a nice pet.
Moonstruck Bernedoodles breeds a little differently from the traditional Bernedoodle model. As a long time acquaintance of the relatively new breed of Australian Labradoodles (ALD), I have chosen to base a part of my program on this neat little breed that is not well recognized yet. For over 20 years breeders of the ALD have dedicated their programs to building a medium sized dog, with a good quality, soft and fleecey coat, medium boning (Poodles can be built quite slight) with a stocky stature and broad head/muzzle. The overall aim was to build dogs as family companions and not working animals. Traditionally, dogs of all sorts of breeds were not bred to be sofa surfing, weekend hiking, easy going family dogs. Even dogs, such as the Poodle, have been bred to be working dogs and it shows in many of their temperaments. That's great! However, if you work 9-5 and have 3 kids a working dog breed may not be an appropriate pet for you. The ALD has been designed in the modern era to be that cute, fluffy, family pet. Every dog breed has been bred with a purpose. The purpose of the ALD is to be a nice pet.
In our breeding program we have chosen to utilize the unique traits offered by the Australian Labradoodle to create a version of the Bernedoodle that has been most commonly referred to as the Australian Bernedoodle. In this case Australian is in reference to the ALD heritage and not an Australian Shepherd (this will get a little complicated down the page!).
We are in no way bashing anyone's choice to use Poodles in their programs and there are MANY very good Bernedoodle breeders who produce wonderful dogs using Poodles as their base cross. This is a personal choice and the direction we have chosen for our program based on what we like and the results we see.
I feel that the temperaments and the structures of the BMD and the ALD are more suited to each other than that of a BMD/Poodle. ALDs are bred to be stocky and square with heavier boning than Poodles. Because BMD are square stocky, heavy boned dogs they make a better physical match to an ALD. The ALD coats are wavy or straight (most of the ones that we use) which also gives us amazing low to non-shedding straight or wavy Australian Bernadoodle coats. Poodles have a very tight curl to their coat and this results in curlier coated Bernedoodles and a wider variety of coat-types in the litter. F1b Bernedoodles being 3/4 Poodle generally take on a much more Poodle-y build and coat also. Our choice to use ALD in our program as a sort of Poodle substitute is based on these observations and a general personal preference.
We are in no way bashing anyone's choice to use Poodles in their programs and there are MANY very good Bernedoodle breeders who produce wonderful dogs using Poodles as their base cross. This is a personal choice and the direction we have chosen for our program based on what we like and the results we see.
I feel that the temperaments and the structures of the BMD and the ALD are more suited to each other than that of a BMD/Poodle. ALDs are bred to be stocky and square with heavier boning than Poodles. Because BMD are square stocky, heavy boned dogs they make a better physical match to an ALD. The ALD coats are wavy or straight (most of the ones that we use) which also gives us amazing low to non-shedding straight or wavy Australian Bernadoodle coats. Poodles have a very tight curl to their coat and this results in curlier coated Bernedoodles and a wider variety of coat-types in the litter. F1b Bernedoodles being 3/4 Poodle generally take on a much more Poodle-y build and coat also. Our choice to use ALD in our program as a sort of Poodle substitute is based on these observations and a general personal preference.
F1 Australian Bernedoodle
F1b Australian Bernedoodle
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F1 Australian Bernedoodle
F1b Australian Bernedoodle
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The "Generations"
If you are new to the whole "Doodle" world there is a lot of F's and b's and 1's, 2's etc, being tosses all over the place. Here's a breakdown of how it generally works:
F - Indicates the dog is a crossbreed.
1, 2, 3, 4, etc. - Indicates how many generations it has been since the original "parent breeds". Example: Pure Bernese + Pure Poodle = F1 Bernedoodle.
b- Indicates a cross back to one of the parent breeds. Generally the cross back is to the non-shedding Poodle to take advantage of the coat genetics.
Example: F1 Bernedoodle + Poodle = F1b Bernedoodle. This dog is 3/4 Poodle and 1/4 Bernese. However, the opposite breeding can also be done creating an F1b Bernedoodle that is 3/4 Bernese and 1/4 Poodle. This is a much less common mix, but it would be referred to as and F1b Bernedoodle also. Some would call it a "reverse" F1b.
F - Indicates the dog is a crossbreed.
1, 2, 3, 4, etc. - Indicates how many generations it has been since the original "parent breeds". Example: Pure Bernese + Pure Poodle = F1 Bernedoodle.
b- Indicates a cross back to one of the parent breeds. Generally the cross back is to the non-shedding Poodle to take advantage of the coat genetics.
Example: F1 Bernedoodle + Poodle = F1b Bernedoodle. This dog is 3/4 Poodle and 1/4 Bernese. However, the opposite breeding can also be done creating an F1b Bernedoodle that is 3/4 Bernese and 1/4 Poodle. This is a much less common mix, but it would be referred to as and F1b Bernedoodle also. Some would call it a "reverse" F1b.
There is actually a bit of a problem with this system as it is EXTREMELY confusing and there are no universally agreed upon calculations. This chart highlights the general flow of how doodle breeders label the generations, but there is conflict around that too. Some say one thing, others say another. Regardless, knowing the heritage of the dog you are purchasing is clearly important regardless of how it has been labeled.
Moonstruck Generations
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Because we at Moonstruck Bernedoodles do not use any purebred Poodles in our program our version of the "F" generations are based on ALD being our Poodle substitute.
A Bernese Mountain Dog bred to an Australian Labradoodle would give us an F1 Australian Bernedoodle. An F1 Australian Bernedoodle bred back to an Australian Labradoodle would give us an F1b Australian Bernedoodle. Now in SOME cases we do have Bernedoodles with a Bernese/Poodle heritage that we have not bred ourselves but have brought in from another kennel. We are not, in any way, opposed to the Bernese/Poodle mix, we just prefer to use ALD in our program. Because of the close genetic nature of the Poodle and the ALD (because ALD of course have a heavy Poodle presence in their genome) if we breed an F1 Bernedoodle (of Bernese and Poodle heritage) to an ALD we will call that an F1b Australian Bernedoodle. On all of our breedings we denote the exact background of the dogs being bred so to lessen the confusion between the crosses. And as always we consider health and temperament to be first and foremost! |
We use only ALD in our Bernedoodle crosses - no purebred Poodles are used in the Moonstruck Program.
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Moonstruck's Aussie Mountain Doodles
What is this amazing creature I speak of? A Moonstruck Aussie Mountain Doodle is a blend of 4 breeds: Bernese Mountain Dog, Australian Shepherd, Australian Labradoodle and Poodle. Why? Well, I personally have an affinity for herding breeds. As a competitor in obedience and protection with German Shepherds I highly value the intelligence and trainability that a herding breed can bring to the table. If I were to be incredibly honest I would lean heavily towards breeding Aussiedoodles (traditionally Australian Shepherd and Poodle mix), HOWEVER, herding breeds can bring both good and not so good qualities to the gene pool - mainly temperament problems.
Now, don't get me wrong. My love for Australian Shepherds and herding breeds is based on all of their wonderful tributes. ALL breeds have notable temperament issues floating around. Bernese -when not the boisterous, friendly dogs they are touted to be all over the internet - can be quite sensitive, skittishy and stubborn. Rarely will you see a truly aggressive Bernese Mountain Dog. That is generally not in their nature. On the other hand, yes, aggression and overall neurotic behaviour is a staple poor behavior in herding breeds and Aussie Shepherds are no exception. THEY ARE NOT ALL LIKE THAT! Many, many are splendid, sweet, highly intelligent dogs. By carefully choosing Aussiedoodles (already a diluted from Australian Shepherds with Poodle) with strong, friendly, stable temperaments and adding their genetics into our program we have blended them with the Bernese element in our program to offer a twist on the Bernedoodle that is not only unique from most other doodle-dogs out there, but brings a slightly more engaging and trainable (and not so stubborn) Bernedoodle-type: The Aussie Mountain Doodle!
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Moonstruck infuses stable-tempered, healthy Aussiedoodles with our Bernese/Bernedoodles for Aussie Mountain Doodles.
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Temperament
As a professional trainer my job is to walk into people's homes and help them make sense of their pet's behaviour and then come up with a training program to help "fix" the problem. No one calls a trainer if they are not having problems!
The vast majority of dogs are good dogs that have had poor guidance and inadequate training. This is true across the board: pure breeds, mixed breeds, mutts... it's all the same. A dog is a dog first and then it is its personality and then it is its breed. The Moonstruck program strives - at great lengths - to produce healthy dogs in both body and mind. Temperament (the dog's inherent natural personality) has an extremely strong genetic component. With the popularity of the Bernedoodle cross there are a large number of "breeders" who are jumping on the wagon to make a dollar due to the current market price these dogs are fetching. Breeders like this have no consideration for the puppies they are producing and they wash their hands of that puppy as soon as it walks out the door. If the parents of the puppy are not mentally sound dogs, chances are good the puppy will also be unstable.
The internet has put out this image that the Bernedoodle is the "best of both worlds" encompassing the amazing, gentle and friendly nature of the Bernese Mountain Dog and the intelligence and trainability of the Poodle all wrapped up in an adorable, attractive, allergy friendly coat that lives longer than their Bernese parentage. Honestly, that sounds AMAZING and why wouldn't you want that?
Well, that's not all truth. In a way it is. When you get a great Bernedoodle, you do get this great dog of your dreams. When you get a not so great Bernedoodle, you get the not so great attributes of the parent breeds.
The Bernese Mountain Dog is known to be skittishy of strangers. This is a breed trait. It's not a wonderful one and it is not a desireable one, but it is a trait that exists quite notabley in the breed.
Poodles can be high strung and somewhat aggressive. It's not desireable and it's not what they are supposed to be, but these traits also exist notably in the breed.
So.... what is going to happen to the puppies if you use the not so great versions of each breed to produce Bernedoodle puppies? A puppy is only going to be as good or as bad as its parents. Sometimes with the dogs I meet and train, it is extremely evident that the dog is bananas. Extreme anxiety, overreactions, aggression... these are "in" the dog and they can be made worse by poor handling, training, bad experiences. But it certainly doesn't help that the dog possesses a genetic predisposition to those issues. The average family looking for a Bernedoodle wans a fluffy cuddle buddy that can chill at the lake or go on weekend hikes. Bernedoodle families want easy dogs. If they didn't they would be looking for a Coonhound or a Husky. Think of it this way: There are dogs out there that have been forced to dog fight, mistreated their entire lives, chained to trees, roaming the streets being kicked around and some of these dogs are liberated from their horrible lives and are just the very best dogs in the whole world. They have had a terrible past, no training, basically zero socialization but they somehow manage to be super dogs. And then there are dogs that are purchased from breeders, taken to puppy classes, go for walks every day, sleep on the bed and get fed the very best food and they are train wrecks. Everyone always says, "It's not the dog it's the owner." This can be so very true. As a trainer I see this ALL THE TIME!!! But I will tell you something that the internet isn't going to tell you: Sometimes it IS the dog. This is just one reason to vet breeders. Who wants a disaster dog for the next 12 years? Not me!
Moonstruck Bernedoodles offers a TWELVE MONTH TEMPERAMENT GUARANTEE on all of our puppies. Of course all dogs need training and socialization, but there is a big, BIG difference between a dog that is untrained and under socialized and a dog that is genetically bonkers. We stand behind our dogs and believe strongly that we are using the best tempered parents in our program.
The vast majority of dogs are good dogs that have had poor guidance and inadequate training. This is true across the board: pure breeds, mixed breeds, mutts... it's all the same. A dog is a dog first and then it is its personality and then it is its breed. The Moonstruck program strives - at great lengths - to produce healthy dogs in both body and mind. Temperament (the dog's inherent natural personality) has an extremely strong genetic component. With the popularity of the Bernedoodle cross there are a large number of "breeders" who are jumping on the wagon to make a dollar due to the current market price these dogs are fetching. Breeders like this have no consideration for the puppies they are producing and they wash their hands of that puppy as soon as it walks out the door. If the parents of the puppy are not mentally sound dogs, chances are good the puppy will also be unstable.
The internet has put out this image that the Bernedoodle is the "best of both worlds" encompassing the amazing, gentle and friendly nature of the Bernese Mountain Dog and the intelligence and trainability of the Poodle all wrapped up in an adorable, attractive, allergy friendly coat that lives longer than their Bernese parentage. Honestly, that sounds AMAZING and why wouldn't you want that?
Well, that's not all truth. In a way it is. When you get a great Bernedoodle, you do get this great dog of your dreams. When you get a not so great Bernedoodle, you get the not so great attributes of the parent breeds.
The Bernese Mountain Dog is known to be skittishy of strangers. This is a breed trait. It's not a wonderful one and it is not a desireable one, but it is a trait that exists quite notabley in the breed.
Poodles can be high strung and somewhat aggressive. It's not desireable and it's not what they are supposed to be, but these traits also exist notably in the breed.
So.... what is going to happen to the puppies if you use the not so great versions of each breed to produce Bernedoodle puppies? A puppy is only going to be as good or as bad as its parents. Sometimes with the dogs I meet and train, it is extremely evident that the dog is bananas. Extreme anxiety, overreactions, aggression... these are "in" the dog and they can be made worse by poor handling, training, bad experiences. But it certainly doesn't help that the dog possesses a genetic predisposition to those issues. The average family looking for a Bernedoodle wans a fluffy cuddle buddy that can chill at the lake or go on weekend hikes. Bernedoodle families want easy dogs. If they didn't they would be looking for a Coonhound or a Husky. Think of it this way: There are dogs out there that have been forced to dog fight, mistreated their entire lives, chained to trees, roaming the streets being kicked around and some of these dogs are liberated from their horrible lives and are just the very best dogs in the whole world. They have had a terrible past, no training, basically zero socialization but they somehow manage to be super dogs. And then there are dogs that are purchased from breeders, taken to puppy classes, go for walks every day, sleep on the bed and get fed the very best food and they are train wrecks. Everyone always says, "It's not the dog it's the owner." This can be so very true. As a trainer I see this ALL THE TIME!!! But I will tell you something that the internet isn't going to tell you: Sometimes it IS the dog. This is just one reason to vet breeders. Who wants a disaster dog for the next 12 years? Not me!
Moonstruck Bernedoodles offers a TWELVE MONTH TEMPERAMENT GUARANTEE on all of our puppies. Of course all dogs need training and socialization, but there is a big, BIG difference between a dog that is untrained and under socialized and a dog that is genetically bonkers. We stand behind our dogs and believe strongly that we are using the best tempered parents in our program.
Health
Just because it is a cross breed does not make it healthier. Not at all. There are some pretty big myths and misrepresentations floating around out there about crossbreeds and since most purposefully bred crosses are Doodles, the Doodles are catching a terrible back lashing from the "purebred" world. One reason is that purebred breeders are annoyed and/or threatened by the doodles because they refuses to acknowledge that some Doodle breeders are not just money hungry, backyard a-holes, that they care deeply about what they do and the dogs they provide to families. Let's not forget that there are a lot of terrible purebred breeders out there and a terrible breeder of a purebred does deserve some kind of superiority pass over a great cross breeder
Another huge reason why there is such a hate on for the Doodles is because they are being mis-marketed by bad breeders or breeders that have just no clue what they are talking about.
Hybrid Vigor. There is no such thing. A dog is a dog. Crossing the breeds does not make it a hybrid. There is such little genetic difference between the breeds that most diseases overlap the breeds. What you do get when you outcross two breeds is a splash of fresh genetic information. This undoubtedly is of benefit to the dog, but is is not a guarantee that the dog will be disease free. Health testing breeding dogs is an absolute MUST to ensure you are combining the healthiest dogs possible and giving the offspring a great chance. There are no guarantees in life and a dog who has parents that are free from hip displaysia can still produce a puppy that suffers from the disease. But it's a might better than breeding two dogs with hip displaysia together, yes? DNA testing parents to ensure that testable disease traits are not being handed down to offspring is relatively cheap and certainly easy and eliminates the possibility of a puppy going, let's say, blind at 7 years of age from PRA. At 7 years old your 1 or 2 year health guarantee is long over and you have to watch your dog suffer blindness for the remainder of his life. How heartbreaking would that be? It can be avoided. A mixed breed is not automatically a healthier dog than a purebred. Don't be fooled into thinking anything different. Health testing is important and good breeders care to spend the extra money to do so and eliminate dogs from their program that don't make the grade. Breeders who don't health test use ignorance to breed whatever they want. This is true for ALL breeders, pure or not.
Hypo-allergenic. Nope. Sorry. Doodles are not hypo-allergenic. No dog is really. What they are is alergy friendly for a majority of allergy sufferers. Because of the nature of the Doodle coat, Doodles produce less dander than traditionally double coated breeds that shed tons of dander all the time. If you are an allergy sufferer and think a Doodle-breed would allow you to own a dog, you need to find more than one to hang out with and see if you react. There is no guarantee that a Doodle will be compatible with your allergies. Try joining some Doodle Facebook groups and asking if anyone is willing to meet up with you to snuggle their dog. People love showing off their pet! If you are in Canada, there is a great Canadian page on Facebook called "Doodles, Eh!?"
Under Construction.....
Another huge reason why there is such a hate on for the Doodles is because they are being mis-marketed by bad breeders or breeders that have just no clue what they are talking about.
Hybrid Vigor. There is no such thing. A dog is a dog. Crossing the breeds does not make it a hybrid. There is such little genetic difference between the breeds that most diseases overlap the breeds. What you do get when you outcross two breeds is a splash of fresh genetic information. This undoubtedly is of benefit to the dog, but is is not a guarantee that the dog will be disease free. Health testing breeding dogs is an absolute MUST to ensure you are combining the healthiest dogs possible and giving the offspring a great chance. There are no guarantees in life and a dog who has parents that are free from hip displaysia can still produce a puppy that suffers from the disease. But it's a might better than breeding two dogs with hip displaysia together, yes? DNA testing parents to ensure that testable disease traits are not being handed down to offspring is relatively cheap and certainly easy and eliminates the possibility of a puppy going, let's say, blind at 7 years of age from PRA. At 7 years old your 1 or 2 year health guarantee is long over and you have to watch your dog suffer blindness for the remainder of his life. How heartbreaking would that be? It can be avoided. A mixed breed is not automatically a healthier dog than a purebred. Don't be fooled into thinking anything different. Health testing is important and good breeders care to spend the extra money to do so and eliminate dogs from their program that don't make the grade. Breeders who don't health test use ignorance to breed whatever they want. This is true for ALL breeders, pure or not.
Hypo-allergenic. Nope. Sorry. Doodles are not hypo-allergenic. No dog is really. What they are is alergy friendly for a majority of allergy sufferers. Because of the nature of the Doodle coat, Doodles produce less dander than traditionally double coated breeds that shed tons of dander all the time. If you are an allergy sufferer and think a Doodle-breed would allow you to own a dog, you need to find more than one to hang out with and see if you react. There is no guarantee that a Doodle will be compatible with your allergies. Try joining some Doodle Facebook groups and asking if anyone is willing to meet up with you to snuggle their dog. People love showing off their pet! If you are in Canada, there is a great Canadian page on Facebook called "Doodles, Eh!?"
Under Construction.....
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