Q: Do the puppies come with anything?

Please see our Bordoodles packet !

Question 1

Are Bordoodles good with cats?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

We have two Savannah cats that our puppies are very socialized with during their 8 weeks here. As long as it’s continued in a controlled manner by their new family, this positive relationship should continue!

Question 2

Are Bordoodles good with children?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Are your children good with Bordoodles? Our puppies are properly exposed to children of various ages that understand how to respect a dog. The puppies receive proper child socialization to give them the best start possible at enjoying, respecting, adoring and having a good experience with kids. Many of our Bordoodles are in permanent families with children of all ages.To help the transition go smoothly for your children and your puppy, we suggest you follow Puppy Culture and Baxter and Bella protocols.Puppy Culture Baxter and Bella (OREGONBORDOODLES for 25% off)

Question 3

Are Bordoodles good with other dogs?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

A well bred and loved puppy should not have any trauma or experiences that will cause it to be a poor companion to another dog. The temperament of the “other dog” will be an important detail we will discuss with you when helping you select which puppy is right for your family.

Question 4

Are Bordoodles hyper?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Absolutely not. We use high quality Border Collies that are bred for a balanced energy level, not the Americanized neurotic Border Collie. Puppies are puppies and they have energy. A tired puppy, is a good puppy :)

Frequent walks and playing fetch are vital to a Bordoodles happiness and well being. However, they don’t need to be competing in aglity 3 times a week, going for a run everyday, etc. to be happy and balanced. Their energy level is suitable for an active family lifestyle. I would not consider it a good breed for an elderly couple spending their days in their comfy condo. They need regular activity and equally as important, mental stimulation and human companionship.

Question 5

Are Bordoodles registered?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Bordoodles are not recognized as an actual breed yet, and are still considered a “hybrid” therefor, they cannot be registered. However, each puppy has a pedigree that goes back at least four generations that can be provided to you! Our Bordoodles ALWAYS come from purebred, registered dogs. Many doodles are registered with what you may know as the “CKC”. The Continental Kennel Club is an unreliable company, at best. Any breeder can register their dog or puppies with this company and the company will “take their word for it” on who the parents were and what breed(s) are involved. This is not a company I am comfortable supplying money to as they have virtually no credibility. I am working closely with a few reputable Breeders of Bordoodles to create a “Standard” for the breed and thus, a reputable and traceable registration process. Until then, there is no such thing as a “registered Bordoodle.”

Question 6

Are merle dogs unhealthy?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

It is a common misconception that a dog with a merle coat must have hearing and seeing issues. The only time the merle gene causes a concern for health is when a dog is homozygous for merle, meaning “double merle.” The only way to get a homozygeous merle dog is to breed two merles together. This is something NO responsible breeder will ever do, including us!

A merle puppy out of Oregon Bordoodles has the same rare chance of being blind or deaf as any other puppy born with a normal genetic make-up. If you breed long enough, you are bound to have a statistical outcome of a puppy born with defects. I am blessed to say we have not yet had a single special needs puppy born here! I have many merle dogs now out in the world that were born here, into my hands. No owner has ever reported any heath concerns.

There are many, many well written research articles on the subject–but if you do a quick search to Wikipedia, at the top of page you will see it explaining the genetics further–and assuring the reader that only a homozygous dog is at risk and that a dog with a single merle gene has no greater risk than any other dog. :) Proudly breeding healthy merles here at Oregon Bordoodles!

Question 7

Are your upcoming litters all Reserved?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

All of our puppies expected for 2021 and some of 2022 are already RESERVED. We do not take deposits for specific litters. Every family that has placed a deposit goes onto one Master List. When a litter is born, we start with the oldest deposit family first, and offer them a position in the litter. If they accept, they are moved to that litter's list. If they pass for any reason (not a size or generation they prefer, bad timing etc) then we move to the next person on the list. We continue offering positions in each litter born, starting from the top of the list and working our way down. If a female had 8 puppies, we will work down our Master List until 6-7 people have tentatively said "Yes" to the litter. This means they like the size of the pairing, the generation, see colors/genders they like and the Go-Home date works with their schedule. We leave 1-2 spots "unreserved" until the litter is older and we have had an opportunity to decide if we ourselves will be holding anything back in the litter. Once the puppies are around 7 weeks old and we have completed our temperament evaluations, we will begin with Family 1 that said yes to the litter, and help them select a puppy. If at any point a family decides they are no longer interested in the litter, they are moved back to the Master List where they originally were, not loosing their place in line. This allows our families flexibility. Rather than promising themselves to a litter that doesn't even exist yet, they have the freedom to pass or accept each litter born, as we offer/get to their name. The pros of this method are clear. The cons of this method are: it's a lot of work for me and it makes quoting the timing for getting a puppy difficult. However, both are worth it in the long run as ultimately, success for our families and puppies is our top priority. This method keeps things very fair and flexible for our families. More on how our Deposit List works can be found here.

Question 8

Can I meet a Bordoodle near me?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Once your application is approved, you may send a request to join our Facebook group called “Oregon Bordoodles family group.” There, you may post your location and ask if anyone nearby would like a play date! We have dogs all over the US & Canada!

Question 9

Can we come to your home and meet you and your dogs?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

We love to meet our potential puppy families in person whenever possible! Keep in mind that most of our dogs live in Guardian Homes and that only Summit and Yogo may be here for meeting. If you have a specific dog you’d like to meet, let me know so we can arrange it with the Guardian. Please also read our Visiting Oregon Bordoodles page!

Question 10

Do the dogs have herding insinct like a Border Collie?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

All Bordoodles have varying degrees of herding instinct, but it’s very rare for one to have even half of what a purebred Border Collie does!

Question 11

Do the puppies come with anything?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Please see our Bordoodles packet!

Question 12

Do they bark?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Poodles have a very deep bark designed to alert their families of an intruder. Our puppies tend to carry on this special trait. It is not difficult to train them to only bark when it is appropriate.

Question 13

Do they shed?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

While “hypoallergenic” is a sales ploy word that you will never hear us use, a “non shedding dog” is possible. There absolutely are coat types that generally do not aggravate people with allergies and are “non shedding”.

We do DNA testing on all of our breeding dogs to gain more insight about their specific genetic makeup. This allows us to select our pairings carefully and to be able to educate our families on which pairings will be most likely to produce puppies with allergy friendly and “non shedding” coats. Despite basic information, this is simply not a “only get an F1b” answer. Actually, there are multiple generations of Bordoodles that can produce allergy friendly coats including but not limited to F1b, F2/F2b, multigenerational and even some rare F1 pairings. So you are not limited to only one generation if a non shedding, allergy friendly coat is your need.

Question 14

Do they swim?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

When introduced to water properly, at a young age – absolutely !! Many of our puppies have grown up at the lakes and oceans around the US.

Question 15

Do you breed Border Collies?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

We do! See our Bred for Brilliance Border Collie page.

Question 16

Do you ever have adult/retired dogs available?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Due to the meticulous process we go through with each of our families to pair them with the right puppy for their lifestyle, the occurrences of a family returning their Bordoodle is few and far between. However, if we ever have an adult available he/she will be posted on our Facebook page. We do not sell "Retired breeding dogs" because our breeding dogs live with their forever family under our "Guardianship" program.

Question 17

Do you ever have adult/retired dogs available?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Due to the meticulous process we go through with each of our families to pair them with the right puppy for their lifestyle, the occurrences of a family returning their Bordoodle is few and far between. However, if we ever have an adult available he/she will be posted on our Facebook page. We do not sell “Retired breeding dogs” because our breeding dogs live with their forever family under our “Guardianship” program.

Question 18

Do you have any available puppies right now?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

No. Most often, puppies are reserved by families who already have a standing deposit. If there is an available puppy that all current deposit families have passed on (6+ weeks of age) he/she will be posted on the Puppies page. This is extremely rare given our long list of deposit families. We are not accepting any applications for 2021 puppies at this time.

Question 19

Do you have discounted puppies?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Our goal is to produce consistently healthy and well balanced puppies. We do a lot to ensure this outcome and therefore, having a puppy less than the goal is few and far between. While we may occasionally produce a puppy with an umbilical hernia or overbite, the discount is generally $100 or less.

Question 20

Do you have discounted puppies?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Our goal is to produce consistently healthy and well balanced puppies. We do a lot to ensure this outcome and therefore, having a puppy less than the goal is few and far between. While we may occasionally produce a puppy with an umbilical hernia or overbite, the discount is generally $100 or less.

Question 21

Do you offer additional training?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Yes! See our Board and Train page.

Question 22

Do you send dogs to Canada?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

We have many Oregon Bordoodles in Canada! There are various ways to do this. We do not ship “Cargo”. You can:

Drive your puppy over the border
Fly your puppy in the cabin (with you)
Pay a company such as Dog Gone Taxi to get your puppy over the border (they specialize in this and we have worked with them before)
Pay a “Flight Nanny” to fly your puppy to your nearest airport with them in the cabin

Question 23

Do you ship puppies?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

We do not ship puppies via Cargo. You can:

Fly in to pick up your puppy and fly home with your puppy under your seat. You can either pick your puppy up from our home or hire our transporter to drive your puppy to meet you at PDX airport.
Hire a flight nanny to fly your puppy to you. This ranges from $350 all the way up to $800 depending on location, time of ear and timeline.
Drive to pick up your puppy and drive home with your puppy. If the drive is longer than one night, we prefer you fly.

Question 24

Do you test your dogs?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Absolutely! Please see our Genetic Testing page.

Question 25

Does the puppy come vaccinated?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Proper medical care is extremely important to us. We don’t use cheap Farm store medications but instead always use Veterinary supplies.

Puppies are dewormed with a gentle, liquid wormer for roundworm several times during their 8 weeks with us. Nearly all puppies are born with roundworm, regardless of proper care for the females before, during and after breeding.

Our puppies are always flea and earmite free. We never use harsh flea shampoos or powders. If a puppy were to contact fleas (during a trip to the vet or from an outside visitor bringing them in by accident) we apply Revolution topically. Our adults are treated year round to always keep a flea free home.

It has been scientifically proven that vaccinating a puppy before 8 weeks is not only unsafe, but is also not helpful. A puppy gets antibodies through mother’s milk and before 8 weeks, those antibodies will actually reject a vaccine. Because of this research, we do not vaccinate a puppy until it is 8 weeks. We vaccinate for canine distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus. Each puppy will go home with a medical form stating when he/she was born, was dewormed and what product was used, and vaccination details. There is also the information on what to do next, making it very easy for you! Exactly what is needed and when, to help start a plan between you and your veterinarian.

We will send your puppy home with Medical records, microchip information etc!

Question 26

How can I begin preparing for my puppy before he/she comes home?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Once you have said “Yes” to a specific litter, we will begin sending a series of emails to help you prepare for your upcoming arrival. This will go into detail about nutrition, training, vet care and more. If you’re wanting something to invest in right now, Purchase Puppy Culture! The information, training, advice and more that Puppy Culture has to offer is incredible. Purchase their “Puppy Culture – The Film” set for $69.95 from their website. Follow along with us for the first 9 weeks while we raise your puppy and then continue our hard work by using the PC films for guidance. Their “When Pigs Fly” book is also incredibly helpful for continued training! Another favorite book I strongly recommend is called “Mine” and can be found HERE.

Another place to get a head start is Baxter and Bella. Using code OregonBordoodles will give you 25% off instantly. This is an incredible online Puppy Training program complete with professional, surprisingly detailed videos as well as one-on-one help with your specific puppy. Over 75% of our puppy families enroll in Baxter and Bella and sing their praises all the time! With Puppy Culture and Baxter and Bella in your back pocket, you’ll have a huge advantage to training your puppy the right way, from the start!

Question 27

How can I get a puppy?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Please begin by filling out an application. I will contact you after reviewing your application with an opportunity for you to place a deposit. This will begin the process of getting your foot in the door.

Question 28

How many dogs do you own?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

All of our dogs can be viewed on our boys and girls pages.

However, all of our dogs except for Summit & Yogo Sapphire live in guardian homes because we love dogs and believe this is what is best for them. Read more on our Guardian Dogs page!

Question 29

How much is an Oregon Bordoodle puppy?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

An Oregon Bordoodle puppy is $3,500. A deposit can be placed via Paypal, Venmo or check once your application has been approved. Deposits are $500 and promise you a place in line to choose a puppy. Puppies are offered in the order deposits are received. You will be offered a puppy from each litter born until your puppy has been chosen by you. Deposits are non-refundable.

Question 30

How often do you breed your dogs?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Breeding frequency and bitch age:

The key to understanding reproductive health in dogs is knowing that, as far as a bitch’s body knows, there is no difference between being pregnant and not being pregnant, after a heat cycle.

Those of us (humans, cows, horses, etc.) that cycle on a regular basis prepare our uterus to accept a fertilized egg or eggs every month or so. For a couple of weeks after ovulation we have a higher-than-normal progesterone level, which makes the uterus, which has grown a bunch of soft blood vessels and tissue, keep those vessels and tissue thick and strong so a fertilized egg can land on a lovely spot where there’s lots of blood to suck up and start growing its own little blood vessels.

For humans and other repeated cyclers, when there is no fertilized egg, the body gets the signal very quickly and the ovaries stop producing progesterone and the lining of the uterus breaks down and goes back to normal, at least for another few weeks until ovulation occurs again.
Dogs have a completely different system.

It starts out roughly the same, with the uterus preparing for the eggs by growing a good plush lining, and the eggs ripen on the ovaries and hooray, there’s some lutenizing hormone, and the eggs are released. It gets a little weirder from there, because unlike humans that have fertilizable eggs within a few hours of ovulation dogs’ eggs take two or three days. And unlike humans, whose eggs implant and begin to grow into the blood vessels about a week after ovulation, dogs take about three weeks. But the process is basically analogous.

Where dogs are VERY unlike us is that there is never any signal given to the body that there are in fact no fertilized eggs to nourish, that this has been an unsuccessful heat cycle.

Instead, a dog’s progesterone level stays high for the entire 63 days that she would have been pregnant; her uterus develops the incredibly effective and thick system of blood vessels that would be necessary to nourish an entire full-term litter.

You can honestly say that the only difference between a bitch who was bred and a bitch who was not bred is how many calories she’s burning–either she has to support a litter or she doesn’t–because her body honestly doesn’t know any difference. Aside from some relaxin to loosen her joints (which is present in pregnant dogs but not in non-pregnant ones after the heat cycle is over), the hormone levels are the same.

This would all be just a veterinary curiosity were it not for the fact that the body doesn’t like growing things and then not using them. When the uterus grows this tremendous blood supply, the blood supply actually shapes itself as though there are puppies there. The little attachment sites where the placentas would grow into the uterine lining are shaped differently and have different types of blood vessels. When there are no puppies to fill those shapes, the attachment sites form cysts. After multiple empty heat cycles, much of the uterus can be filled with fluid and cysts. In many bitches, that progresses to infection and pyometra.

The upshot of this whole situation is that bitches are not meant to have empty heat cycles. All else being equal, it is better and safer for them to be pregnant at each heat cycle (or spayed) than it is for them to remain unbred. And diet, panties, and other interventions (or lack thereof) are not the answer – the answer is to use the uterus or lose it.

Now of course not all things are equal. We all keep bitches unbred so we can finish them, or special them, or because it’s not a good time for a litter according to our schedule, or because we don’t have the time to screen puppy people, etc. We typically skip at least the first cycle if it came before the bitch was fully grown, so she can put all her calories into growing. I think that’s a perfectly reasonable trade-off to make, from a veterinary health perspective, though I am not sure it must happen; in production-based species like sheep and goats we know that breeding the young females before they are done growing is actually beneficial to them (when you look at lifelong production and health) and they catch up just fine. But I’m not comfortable looking at a bitch who’s still a puppy with puppies, and I would not want to risk a glitch in growth, so waiting until the bitch is fully adult is something I’d always advise.

I don’t think it’s necessary to wait a full two years, though, that became conventional wisdom because OFA gives you a final number at that age. But if you PennHIP or if you choose to rely on orthopedic opinion, or if you have a breed with virtually no dysplasia, there’s no reason to wait until the full two.

Skipping the first season, or the first couple, is certainly totally normal. Sometimes we have to skip more because of our needs or timing. But after full growth has been attained, she’s finished or shown as much as you plan to show her, health testing is done, and the bitch’s reproductive life is ready to begin, what is not supportable, from a health perspective, is INSISTING that bitches skip seasons; I’ve even heard people say that the “best” breeders skip two seasons between each litter.

This is purely us thinking of dogs like humans–we get tired and worn and unhealthy if we produce babies every nine to twelve months, so shouldn’t we give dogs at least a year–but it’s not the same thing! Humans are pregnant for nine months, and we are designed to lactate for another two years (minimum) after birth. If you put a pregnancy in the middle of that lactation you deplete yourself; you want to complete the full lactation (or the time the lactation would have lasted if you choose not to breast-feed) and then get pregnant again. This leads to babies two or three years apart, which is (if you look around at your family and friends) what usually happens anyway and is certainly not viewed as unusual or dangerous.

Bitches are pregnant for nine-ish weeks (though they are actually nourishing puppies for only six of those weeks), they lactate heavily for about four or five weeks after that, and then typically have at least two months before their next heat cycle. Unless her calories were so inadequate that she did not recover her normal body weight during those two months (and if she didn’t, I’d be looking seriously at how she’s being fed and cared for) there’s no reason she cannot have a normal and safe and uneventful pregnancy on the next heat. There is CERTAINLY no reason to rest her for two seasons; in fact, you’re making it a lot more likely that she will have reduced fertility or fecundity (number of healthy puppies) if you do.

Remember that as far as ANY bitch’s body is concerned, she IS having two litters a year. You don’t “do her a favor” by having one or both of them be invisible.

Question 31

Is a Bordoodle hypoallergenic?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

“Hypoallergenic” is a sales ploy word that many breeders use. A reputable breeder is unlikely to use such a term. That said, there are absolutely coat types that generally do not aggravate people with allergies to dogs. This does depend on what the person is allergic to. If a person is allergic to canine saliva, there is nothing we can do to help this. If the person is allergic to the hair and dander, there absolutely are genetic ales responsible for this. We do DNA testing on all of our breeding dogs to gain more insight about their specific genetic makeup. This allows us to select our pairings carefully and to be able to educate our families on which pairings will be most likely to produce puppies with allergy friendly coats. Despite basic information, this is simply not a “only get an F1b” answer. Actually, there are multiple generations of Bordoodles that can produce allergy friendly coats including but not limited to F1b, F2/F2b, multigenerational and even some rare F1 pairings. So you are not limited to only one generation if a non shedding, allergy friendly coat is your need.

Question 32

Tell me about their grooming needs.

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Around 10-11 weeks of age is a good time to bring your puppy into the groomer for a short visit. Possibly a bath and brush-out, with no dryer. Or just a brush out, if your puppy is particularly weary. About 3 weeks later, do that again, but add 2-5 mins of blow-dryer time with lots of treats. Pick your puppy up soon, or even stay there for the visit. Slowly build up about every 3 weeks until your puppy can tolerate a full groom which includes bath, blow dry, nails, hair trim and brush out. Once puppy is confident with a full groom, you can move to every 6-8 weeks. Please see our Grooming page for further details!

Question 33

We work fulltime. Should we get a puppy?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

It will be double the work but it is possible with a dedicated family. Working with a local trainer, as well as hiring a dog walker and/or doggie daycare will be important. Following our instructions carefully on Crate and Confinement training will be crucial and we strongly encourage you to invest in both Puppy Culture and Baxter & Bella. (Discount code: OREGONBORDOODLES for 25% off)

Question 34

What collar do I use?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

We send each of our puppies home with a custom collar! Once he/she outgrows that, we prefer martingale collars. Be sure to use a tag silencer, as the constant jingle of tags is uncomfortable on such sensitive ears!

Question 35

What colors of Bordoodles do you produce?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Please see our Colors page!

Question 36

What does F1, F2, F1b, etc. mean in breeding?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

The F1, F2 and other designations refer to the breeding and cross-breeding generations in dogs. See our section on About Bordoodles for the complete breakdown.

Question 37

What generation of Bordoodles do you produce?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

F1 (purebred Border Collie x purebred Poodle)

F1b (F1 Bordoodle x Poodle or Border Collie)

F2/F2b (F1 Bordoodle x F1b Bordoodle)

Multigenerational aka “Multigen” (F2/F2b Bordoodle x F1b Bordoodle)

Question 38

What is the wait time for a puppy?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

The wait time varies. The more particulars you have, the longer the wait. To view how selections happen please begin by reading the Our deposit system Page. The current wait time is very likely longer than a year right now.

Question 39

What size are your Bordoodles?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Miniature: 12-20lb (F1b)

Moyan: 20-30lb (F1, F1b & F2b)

Small Standard: 30-40lb (F1, F1b and F2b)

Standard: 40-55lb (F1, F1b, F2b and Multigenerational)

Question 40

What will my Bordoodle look like?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Every Bordoodle is a little different depending on the genetics of the parents! On average; F1s are wavy to wavy/curly (aka “Fleece coat”) F1bs are wavy/curly to curly (aka “Wool coat’) and F2bs are generally a step between the two. More curly than Fleece coat but less so than a Wool coat.

You can see what they look like as adults on our “All grown up” page.

Question 41

Which Bordoodles have curly vs wavy coats?

alisanatal@gmail.com · Accepted Answer

Please see our Coats page!

FAQ

About Bordoodles

Are Bordoodles good with other dogs?

Is a Bordoodle hypoallergenic?

What size are your Bordoodles?

Which Bordoodles have curly vs wavy coats?

About Oregon Bordoodles

Are Bordoodles good with children?

Are Bordoodles registered?

Do you send dogs to Canada?

Do you test your dogs?

What generation of Bordoodles do you produce?

What will my Bordoodle look like?

Buying an Oregon Bordoodle

Are your upcoming litters all Reserved?

Do you ever have adult/retired dogs available?

Do you ever have adult/retired dogs available?

Do you have any available puppies right now?

Do you have discounted puppies?

Do you have discounted puppies?

Do you send dogs to Canada?

Do you ship puppies?

How can I get a puppy?

How much is an Oregon Bordoodle puppy?

What is the wait time for a puppy?

Bordoodle Care

How can I begin preparing for my puppy before he/she comes home?

Tell me about their grooming needs.