1. DO YOUR AUSSIEDOODLES SHED/ ARE YOUR AUSSIEDOODLES HYPOALLERGENIC?
With Aussiedoodles being a cross breed non-shedding cannot be guaranteed, even some poodles can shed a little bit. It does not matter the generation of doodle it is, it still could shed a little. However, most doodle owners, even first generation doodle owners, notice little to no shedding with their dogs. Now, if you are asking if Aussiedoodles are hypoallergenic we have to stop you right there and let you know there is no such things as a hypoallergenic dog. Why is that? because being allergic to dogs is more than just allergic to shedding, it can also be the skin/dander that flakes off of them, as well as their urine and saliva. So if you are allergic to dogs, you must understand that risk when buying a dog even a doodle. (Also good to note that Aussiedoodles, poodles and all doodles in general are dust/dirt magnets. That means their fur collects a lot of dust and dirt so if you find yourself sneezing a lot after your dog has been outside it may be because your dog is dusty!)
2. DO AUSSIEDOODLES NIP AND HERD?
Depending on the Aussiedoodle, yes they do nip and herd. When a breeder does not take into consideration the herding instincts of the Australian shepherd they are breeding it is very likely a lot of the dogs offsprings will have similar instincts as the parent. While Australian Shepherds are extremely loyal and owner pleasing dogs, the need to herd can be hard for some owners to manage. At Red Fern Aussiedoodles we strive to breed with quality lines of low herding instinct Australian Shepherds that have an "off switch" so that they are not hyperactive and are able to calm down. Even some of the beloved doodles out there like Sheepadoodles, Labradoodles and Goldendoodles for example, if one of those breeds come from a working line they can have unmanageable instincts that can make life with them hard. However, despite what line the dog came from, I do want to stress the importance of giving your dog a "job" or some form of exercise that is mentally stimulating for them. The reason being is that most dogs were bred to have jobs and not giving them some form of an outlet can cause behavioral issues no matter the breed. With that said we have found our Aussiedoodles display very little, if seen at all, herding instincts.
Now to address nipping, we work a lot with our puppies while they are with us on bite inhibition and while that usually helps tremendously on puppies not biting when they go home it is important to know that no matter the breed all puppies will bite and nip! However, the habit can be very easily trained out of a puppy with some work at the beginning. When it comes to training puppies consistency is key. This means not flinching, squealing, pulling away or running away when your puppy bites or nips. It is important to remain calm and redirect their bite to something more appropriate like a bone or chew toy. Praise your dog when they move from your hand to the chew toy. A firm "no" may be needed to let your puppy know they should not be nipping you. If they have their mouth on you it is important not to jerk it our of their mouth as you may end up furthering the habit and make them feel it is a game.
3. ARE AUSSIEDOODLES GOOD WITH CHILDREN?
Absolutely, yes! Our dogs are raised with socialization to children of all ages and have done very well with homes that have children. However a better question to ask is: are my children good with aussiedoodles, or dogs in general? Sometimes as dog owners we forget that our dog, even though a member of our family, is still a dog and has instincts that make it act a certain way. When it comes to training our dogs we also have to train ourselves and our children on how to properly handle and socialize with dogs so that they act in appropriate ways. I can't stress enough getting your whole family on board when getting a puppy on what training is going to look like. Like with nipping, kids are especially prone to getting bit by puppies and dogs because their little hands are right there at their level, plus children often exhibit the same energy as a young puppy getting the puppy to start acting out of hand. If you can teach your children how to remain calm when dealing with a puppy and train them on what to do if a puppy bites then you will have no problem with your child and adding an aussiedoodle to your family, or any breed for that matter!
4. WHAT ARE F1, F2, F1B DOODLES AND WHAT DO YOU BREED?
F1= First generation Doodle, for example parents are Australian Shepherd + Poodle
F2= Multigenerational Doodle, which can be F1+F1, F1+F1B, F1B+F1B. The two represents two generations of doodles being bred together.
F1B= First generation doodle bred back to a poodle, the "B" stands for "back". (F1 + Poodle)
Some breeders breed their doodles back to poodles many times in which you can see more "B's" added to the F1B.
With our breeding program we are striving to breed Multigenerational Doodles, meaning we will be breeding F2's to breed back to F2's. However along the way we will be producing F1's and occasionally F1B's but our main goal is to produce F2's.
5. HOW BIG DO YOUR PUPPIES GET?
It is important to understand that we cannot guarantee size. Even with our goal to produce median sized dogs, or "mini" in the doodle world (about 20 to 30 lbs), breeding two dogs who are close in size it still can vary. The reason why is because you can't just consider the size of the parents but the grandparents as well. For example if you breed two dogs that are both 25 pounds but the parents of each of those dogs were both 40 lbs and 10 lbs then the offspring will not all be 25 lbs. There is now a chance the dogs could be as small and as big as the grandparents. We like to track the size of our puppies with a growth chart that gives us a general idea of how big they are. When you get a puppy from us we can give you an estimate based on their growth chart of how big we think they will get. That estimate is usually pretty close but again, we cannot guarantee that size. Another way to get an estimate on how big your dog will get you can take the weight that your dog is at 16 weeks and double it and that is about how big your dog should get.
6. HOW CAN I BE ASSURED I AM GETTING A HEALTHY PUPPY FROM YOU?
We take breeding healthy dogs very seriously. First we take a lot of precautions to keep the puppies healthy when they are born like keeping our puppy areas clean, washing hands or wearing gloves before handling puppies and making sure visitors have removed shoes and washed hands before entering our puppy area. We also deworm and keep up to date on vaccinations of all our breeding dogs and puppies. Second, we have a health guarantee on all breed related genetic diseases that covers the dog for 10 years and 3 years for Hips and Patellas. We health test all of our breeding dogs to make sure we are not creating dogs that could have health problems in the future. Lastly, we also take into consideration the structure of our breeding dogs, this way we can make sure we are not passing on any defects that may need surgery in the future to fix.
7. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE DOGS?
One thing we are told a lot from families looking for a dog is that they want a female because they "do not like a dog that marks". While it is absolutely true that males "mark", females also mark their territory the only difference is that most females will not lift their leg, while males tend to. It has been found that if males are fixed around 6 months of age, or fixed before they learn to lift their leg, they tend to never lift their leg to pee. While female dogs usually pee squatting some will learn to lift their leg to pee, though it is usually with unfixed females I have seen this with. It also should be noted that female urine kills grass while male urine does not.
When it comes to the differences between gender temperaments it depends a lot on the parents. However, in general males tend to be more loving and cuddly, they also tend to not have favorites and love all members of the family. Females can be more particular about who they bond with and sometimes pick their favorite person and just tolerate the rest of the family, which can sometimes be hard on family members. These are just simple generalized observations that we have made with owning dogs and the dogs that we have placed with families. It does not mean that your preferred gender will end up that way but it is something to be aware of. Temperaments cannot be guaranteed and a lot can change from when the puppy is with their litter to when they go home, however the best way to get the temperament you desire is to to pick base off of that with the breeders recommendation when you do puppy selections. (for us this is usually when the puppies are 6 weeks). We also raise our dogs on Puppy Culture protocol, which helps a ton is shaping them to be great dogs.
8. HOW DO I RESERVE A RED FERN AUSSIEDOODLE?
To reserve a puppy first start by filling out our puppy application. We will review your application and contact you in your preferred mode of communication typically within 24 hours but it can be two days tops. If we do not contact you in that time frame, you may want to email us at redferndoodles@gmail.com. Based off of your answers we may need to clarify some things and we will go over any questions or concerns you may have. If everything looks good we will invite you to make a $250 deposit to be on our general waitlist. We typically do not have puppies left over after picks so being on our waitlist is your best chance at getting a puppy.
9. HOW DOES YOUR GENERAL WAITLIST WORK?
Before putting down a deposit we will let you know how many families are on our waitlist and what the timeframe is for when the next litters are due. If you choose to put down a deposit we will then inform you of what number you are in line. A $250 deposit will hold your place in line on the waitlist (and this deposit goes towards the total price). We do not expect those who place a deposit to commit to a color, gender, or litter preference to be on the waitlist. Once a litter is ready for puppy selections we will offer each prospective buyer the available puppies according to their place on the waitlist and they can then select one or defer to a future litter. Then we start at the top again. This allows flexibility to the prospective buyer to ensure they are satisfied with their choice. If after 12 months from the time the deposit is made we have not produced a puppy to the satisfaction of the buyer, the $250 waitlist may be refunded upon request.
10. HOW DOES PUPPY SELECTION TAKE PLACE?
When the litter becomes 5 weeks of age we will start going down our waitlist asking if they are wanting one of the puppies. If they are, then we schedule a video call to do selections when the puppies are 6 weeks of age. We try to schedule out an hour to talk about the puppies and give adequate time to evaluate the personalities of the puppies. If you are local, we will ask if you would like to come in person to select or a video call.
11. WHAT WILL MY PUPPY COME HOME WITH?
Before puppies go home we have a going home bag put together. In it we vaccination/deworming records, a blanket that smells like mom and littermates, a ball, a squeaky toy, bully sticks, pee pads, a collar and about 5 lbs of food with recommended feeding amounts. Before your puppy goes home we send home a Red Fern Aussiedoodle Owners Manual to help you better understand your dog and also help you prepare for you puppy to come home.
12. WHAT IF I CAN'T PICK UP MY PUPPY ON PICK UP DAY?
Before we do selections we make everyone aware of the pick up date for the litter and ask if you are not able to make that time work that you defer to another litter. The pick up date is usually a week long from when they turn 8 weeks to the time they are 9 weeks old we expect them to be picked up. We will sometimes make exceptions, usually around the holidays, but if we have to hold onto the puppy longer we do charge a fee for boarding it. So once your selection is made please start working on figuring out how you are going to pick up your puppy.
13. DO YOU DELIVER/SHIP YOUR PUPPES?
With covid 19 a lot has changed and shipping via cargo planes has almost completely stopped which would have been our first choice for getting your puppy to you if you are not local or within a reasonable driving distance. We will not ship our puppies via ground transportation as it is usually days the puppy is crated in a car before they get to you. If you do not live within driving distances we recommend flying in and personally picking up your puppy. We are happy to meet you at our local airport to give you your puppy for no additional charge. If needed we can work out us personally driving the puppy to you if you are living within Utah, Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming but we will charge by the mile. Whatever means you are wanting to take to get your puppy please let us know, especially if you are flying because there are certain documents needed to fly with puppies depending on the airline and we need to make sure you have those so you can travel with no problems.
14. DO YOU SELL YOUR DOGS WITH BREEDING RIGHTS?
We take breeding very seriously and while we do not think people should not get into breeding we do feel more thought and preparation should be taken into consideration before that decision is made. With that said, we rarely sell our dogs with breeding rights and if we do we want to make sure the breeder has met certain requirements before getting one of our dogs. If you buy one of our dogs know that it is sold on a strict no breeding contract that must be signed before receipt of your dog. If you do want a dog with breeding rights you must fill out the puppy application and in the question that asks "Are you looking to get a puppy with full breeding rights? If so, please tell us about your breeding program?" must be filled out in full. Then a more extensive interview will take place after we review your application to determine if we feel one of our dogs would be a good fit for your program. Please note, to buy a dog with breeding rights it will be more than our prices that are listed on our website.
With Aussiedoodles being a cross breed non-shedding cannot be guaranteed, even some poodles can shed a little bit. It does not matter the generation of doodle it is, it still could shed a little. However, most doodle owners, even first generation doodle owners, notice little to no shedding with their dogs. Now, if you are asking if Aussiedoodles are hypoallergenic we have to stop you right there and let you know there is no such things as a hypoallergenic dog. Why is that? because being allergic to dogs is more than just allergic to shedding, it can also be the skin/dander that flakes off of them, as well as their urine and saliva. So if you are allergic to dogs, you must understand that risk when buying a dog even a doodle. (Also good to note that Aussiedoodles, poodles and all doodles in general are dust/dirt magnets. That means their fur collects a lot of dust and dirt so if you find yourself sneezing a lot after your dog has been outside it may be because your dog is dusty!)
2. DO AUSSIEDOODLES NIP AND HERD?
Depending on the Aussiedoodle, yes they do nip and herd. When a breeder does not take into consideration the herding instincts of the Australian shepherd they are breeding it is very likely a lot of the dogs offsprings will have similar instincts as the parent. While Australian Shepherds are extremely loyal and owner pleasing dogs, the need to herd can be hard for some owners to manage. At Red Fern Aussiedoodles we strive to breed with quality lines of low herding instinct Australian Shepherds that have an "off switch" so that they are not hyperactive and are able to calm down. Even some of the beloved doodles out there like Sheepadoodles, Labradoodles and Goldendoodles for example, if one of those breeds come from a working line they can have unmanageable instincts that can make life with them hard. However, despite what line the dog came from, I do want to stress the importance of giving your dog a "job" or some form of exercise that is mentally stimulating for them. The reason being is that most dogs were bred to have jobs and not giving them some form of an outlet can cause behavioral issues no matter the breed. With that said we have found our Aussiedoodles display very little, if seen at all, herding instincts.
Now to address nipping, we work a lot with our puppies while they are with us on bite inhibition and while that usually helps tremendously on puppies not biting when they go home it is important to know that no matter the breed all puppies will bite and nip! However, the habit can be very easily trained out of a puppy with some work at the beginning. When it comes to training puppies consistency is key. This means not flinching, squealing, pulling away or running away when your puppy bites or nips. It is important to remain calm and redirect their bite to something more appropriate like a bone or chew toy. Praise your dog when they move from your hand to the chew toy. A firm "no" may be needed to let your puppy know they should not be nipping you. If they have their mouth on you it is important not to jerk it our of their mouth as you may end up furthering the habit and make them feel it is a game.
3. ARE AUSSIEDOODLES GOOD WITH CHILDREN?
Absolutely, yes! Our dogs are raised with socialization to children of all ages and have done very well with homes that have children. However a better question to ask is: are my children good with aussiedoodles, or dogs in general? Sometimes as dog owners we forget that our dog, even though a member of our family, is still a dog and has instincts that make it act a certain way. When it comes to training our dogs we also have to train ourselves and our children on how to properly handle and socialize with dogs so that they act in appropriate ways. I can't stress enough getting your whole family on board when getting a puppy on what training is going to look like. Like with nipping, kids are especially prone to getting bit by puppies and dogs because their little hands are right there at their level, plus children often exhibit the same energy as a young puppy getting the puppy to start acting out of hand. If you can teach your children how to remain calm when dealing with a puppy and train them on what to do if a puppy bites then you will have no problem with your child and adding an aussiedoodle to your family, or any breed for that matter!
4. WHAT ARE F1, F2, F1B DOODLES AND WHAT DO YOU BREED?
F1= First generation Doodle, for example parents are Australian Shepherd + Poodle
F2= Multigenerational Doodle, which can be F1+F1, F1+F1B, F1B+F1B. The two represents two generations of doodles being bred together.
F1B= First generation doodle bred back to a poodle, the "B" stands for "back". (F1 + Poodle)
Some breeders breed their doodles back to poodles many times in which you can see more "B's" added to the F1B.
With our breeding program we are striving to breed Multigenerational Doodles, meaning we will be breeding F2's to breed back to F2's. However along the way we will be producing F1's and occasionally F1B's but our main goal is to produce F2's.
5. HOW BIG DO YOUR PUPPIES GET?
It is important to understand that we cannot guarantee size. Even with our goal to produce median sized dogs, or "mini" in the doodle world (about 20 to 30 lbs), breeding two dogs who are close in size it still can vary. The reason why is because you can't just consider the size of the parents but the grandparents as well. For example if you breed two dogs that are both 25 pounds but the parents of each of those dogs were both 40 lbs and 10 lbs then the offspring will not all be 25 lbs. There is now a chance the dogs could be as small and as big as the grandparents. We like to track the size of our puppies with a growth chart that gives us a general idea of how big they are. When you get a puppy from us we can give you an estimate based on their growth chart of how big we think they will get. That estimate is usually pretty close but again, we cannot guarantee that size. Another way to get an estimate on how big your dog will get you can take the weight that your dog is at 16 weeks and double it and that is about how big your dog should get.
6. HOW CAN I BE ASSURED I AM GETTING A HEALTHY PUPPY FROM YOU?
We take breeding healthy dogs very seriously. First we take a lot of precautions to keep the puppies healthy when they are born like keeping our puppy areas clean, washing hands or wearing gloves before handling puppies and making sure visitors have removed shoes and washed hands before entering our puppy area. We also deworm and keep up to date on vaccinations of all our breeding dogs and puppies. Second, we have a health guarantee on all breed related genetic diseases that covers the dog for 10 years and 3 years for Hips and Patellas. We health test all of our breeding dogs to make sure we are not creating dogs that could have health problems in the future. Lastly, we also take into consideration the structure of our breeding dogs, this way we can make sure we are not passing on any defects that may need surgery in the future to fix.
7. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE DOGS?
One thing we are told a lot from families looking for a dog is that they want a female because they "do not like a dog that marks". While it is absolutely true that males "mark", females also mark their territory the only difference is that most females will not lift their leg, while males tend to. It has been found that if males are fixed around 6 months of age, or fixed before they learn to lift their leg, they tend to never lift their leg to pee. While female dogs usually pee squatting some will learn to lift their leg to pee, though it is usually with unfixed females I have seen this with. It also should be noted that female urine kills grass while male urine does not.
When it comes to the differences between gender temperaments it depends a lot on the parents. However, in general males tend to be more loving and cuddly, they also tend to not have favorites and love all members of the family. Females can be more particular about who they bond with and sometimes pick their favorite person and just tolerate the rest of the family, which can sometimes be hard on family members. These are just simple generalized observations that we have made with owning dogs and the dogs that we have placed with families. It does not mean that your preferred gender will end up that way but it is something to be aware of. Temperaments cannot be guaranteed and a lot can change from when the puppy is with their litter to when they go home, however the best way to get the temperament you desire is to to pick base off of that with the breeders recommendation when you do puppy selections. (for us this is usually when the puppies are 6 weeks). We also raise our dogs on Puppy Culture protocol, which helps a ton is shaping them to be great dogs.
8. HOW DO I RESERVE A RED FERN AUSSIEDOODLE?
To reserve a puppy first start by filling out our puppy application. We will review your application and contact you in your preferred mode of communication typically within 24 hours but it can be two days tops. If we do not contact you in that time frame, you may want to email us at redferndoodles@gmail.com. Based off of your answers we may need to clarify some things and we will go over any questions or concerns you may have. If everything looks good we will invite you to make a $250 deposit to be on our general waitlist. We typically do not have puppies left over after picks so being on our waitlist is your best chance at getting a puppy.
9. HOW DOES YOUR GENERAL WAITLIST WORK?
Before putting down a deposit we will let you know how many families are on our waitlist and what the timeframe is for when the next litters are due. If you choose to put down a deposit we will then inform you of what number you are in line. A $250 deposit will hold your place in line on the waitlist (and this deposit goes towards the total price). We do not expect those who place a deposit to commit to a color, gender, or litter preference to be on the waitlist. Once a litter is ready for puppy selections we will offer each prospective buyer the available puppies according to their place on the waitlist and they can then select one or defer to a future litter. Then we start at the top again. This allows flexibility to the prospective buyer to ensure they are satisfied with their choice. If after 12 months from the time the deposit is made we have not produced a puppy to the satisfaction of the buyer, the $250 waitlist may be refunded upon request.
10. HOW DOES PUPPY SELECTION TAKE PLACE?
When the litter becomes 5 weeks of age we will start going down our waitlist asking if they are wanting one of the puppies. If they are, then we schedule a video call to do selections when the puppies are 6 weeks of age. We try to schedule out an hour to talk about the puppies and give adequate time to evaluate the personalities of the puppies. If you are local, we will ask if you would like to come in person to select or a video call.
11. WHAT WILL MY PUPPY COME HOME WITH?
Before puppies go home we have a going home bag put together. In it we vaccination/deworming records, a blanket that smells like mom and littermates, a ball, a squeaky toy, bully sticks, pee pads, a collar and about 5 lbs of food with recommended feeding amounts. Before your puppy goes home we send home a Red Fern Aussiedoodle Owners Manual to help you better understand your dog and also help you prepare for you puppy to come home.
12. WHAT IF I CAN'T PICK UP MY PUPPY ON PICK UP DAY?
Before we do selections we make everyone aware of the pick up date for the litter and ask if you are not able to make that time work that you defer to another litter. The pick up date is usually a week long from when they turn 8 weeks to the time they are 9 weeks old we expect them to be picked up. We will sometimes make exceptions, usually around the holidays, but if we have to hold onto the puppy longer we do charge a fee for boarding it. So once your selection is made please start working on figuring out how you are going to pick up your puppy.
13. DO YOU DELIVER/SHIP YOUR PUPPES?
With covid 19 a lot has changed and shipping via cargo planes has almost completely stopped which would have been our first choice for getting your puppy to you if you are not local or within a reasonable driving distance. We will not ship our puppies via ground transportation as it is usually days the puppy is crated in a car before they get to you. If you do not live within driving distances we recommend flying in and personally picking up your puppy. We are happy to meet you at our local airport to give you your puppy for no additional charge. If needed we can work out us personally driving the puppy to you if you are living within Utah, Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming but we will charge by the mile. Whatever means you are wanting to take to get your puppy please let us know, especially if you are flying because there are certain documents needed to fly with puppies depending on the airline and we need to make sure you have those so you can travel with no problems.
14. DO YOU SELL YOUR DOGS WITH BREEDING RIGHTS?
We take breeding very seriously and while we do not think people should not get into breeding we do feel more thought and preparation should be taken into consideration before that decision is made. With that said, we rarely sell our dogs with breeding rights and if we do we want to make sure the breeder has met certain requirements before getting one of our dogs. If you buy one of our dogs know that it is sold on a strict no breeding contract that must be signed before receipt of your dog. If you do want a dog with breeding rights you must fill out the puppy application and in the question that asks "Are you looking to get a puppy with full breeding rights? If so, please tell us about your breeding program?" must be filled out in full. Then a more extensive interview will take place after we review your application to determine if we feel one of our dogs would be a good fit for your program. Please note, to buy a dog with breeding rights it will be more than our prices that are listed on our website.