Aussiedoodle and Bernedoodle Frequently Asked Questions
At Steindoodles, we believe that bringing home a puppy should be a joyful and confident experience. Our mission is to raise healthy, well-socialized, and ethically bred toy and mini Aussiedoodles and Bernedoodles who are ready to become beloved members of your family. From birth to adoption day, every puppy is raised in a loving, hands-on environment designed to nurture their physical health, emotional development, and early training.
We understand that welcoming a new puppy also comes with a lot of questions—and we’re here to help. Below you’ll find answers to some of the most common questions families ask us about our breeding practices, training methods, health testing, and adoption process. Transparency and education are key parts of what make Steindoodles different, and we want you to feel fully informed and excited about your future companion.
A: Short answer is - YES! We are very active in the birthing process of our dogs. All of our puppies are born and raised in our walk out basement. Our puppies are raised with industry best practices in starting them off with ENS & ESI, sound exposure, as well as turf and litter box (zone) training. We believe our puppies and dogs are a part of our family and deserve to be close enough for us to interact with them on the daily. If you wish to see our set up, follow along on our Instagram (@steindoodles) and we post lots of videos/stories on their of how our puppies are raised.
A: Our puppies are raised with "Zone training". We use turf pads as well as litter boxes for our puppies. By the time your puppy is about 6 weeks of age, they consistently go potty either on a turf pad or in a litter box. This ensures that they learn that they have designated spots to "potty", "sleep", "eat" and "play". While this does not "house train" your puppy per say, it is incredibly helpful in the house training process as they understand that they can't just potty anywhere they choose, but that they have a designated potty area that is not where they sleep, play and eat. We recommend continuing crate training with your puppy and getting your new puppy on a consistent potty schedule (every 1-2 hours) if you are home, to ensure they have the chance to go potty.
A: Yes!! This can be a tricky question that some breeders can try to confuse you on, but with us- we want quality, healthy puppies first and we will not breed dogs that are sub-par. All of our adult dogs have their full genetic panel complete for their specific breed AS WELL AS their Hips & Elbows x-rayed and certified by either OFA or Pennhip to ensure we do not breed dysplastic dogs to help ensure you will get the healthiest puppy out there! Extra OFA testing such as Patellas, Eyes and Cardiac are done on the breeds that they are recommended on per their breed standards. We take our dog's health and genetics very seriously and WILL NOT breed two dogs together that would have any cause for concern. Some breeders classify health testing as simply "genetic testing", we go the extra mile and do FULL & COMPLETE testing by doing genetic and OFA testing which we back with our 3 year genetic health guarantee!
A: 8 Weeks! We are not legally allowed to sell a puppy before 8 weeks of age, so please don't ask! 🙂 PLUS - puppies need their littermates and mother in the first weeks of live to develop properly.
A: Pick-up of your puppies happens at 8 weeks of age. We allow 3 days for pickup (the day they turn 8 weeks and 2 days after) to schedule pickup or delivery. Any day your puppy stays here longer than that time frame we will charge $15/day until you pick up your puppy. We will send out an email or text around the time the puppies are 6 weeks of age to finalize delivery or pickup details if not previously worked out. You can pick up here, we can meet you part way (see pricing on shipping page), or we can fly your puppy to you via our flight nanny or personally (if our time allows). If you are wanting to schedule pick-up/delivery ahead of time (before 6 weeks), feel free to reach out before that time to plan ahead.
A: Puppies are reserved at birth by GENDER & COLOR.
Example: Litter consists of 2 blue merle phantom females, 2 brown tri females, 1 black tri male, 1 brown merle phantom male.
If you have first pick of the litter, you can reserve first pick of either the 2 blue merle phantom females or of the two tri females (exact puppy will be selected at no later than 6 weeks of age) OR if you want a male, since there is only one of each color, the puppy you pick at birth is the puppy you will take home.
If you want a puppy more based on temperament, we suggest you pick the option that gives you the most options to choose from at 6 weeks. If you have a lower pick on the list, you will choose 2nd, 3rd, etc. pick of the color/gender that is available. If you are set on a puppy at birth and you know for sure that's the one you want, you can select it then (if you have first pick of multiple puppies).
A: YES. Read our 3 year health guarantee here - 3 Year Health Guarantee
A: Here is some in depth information on what we feed & why we feed it! We highly recommend keeping them on this food to give them the healthiest life possible! What does my Puppy Eat?
A: Here is some information on that -Supplies
A: YES!! Depending on the coat type and how you like your dog to look makes grooming and maintenance requirements different. If your dog has a thick, curly coat, you will need to brush regularly (best to do everyday). They like to matt behind the front legs and ears (high friction areas). Doodles/Poodles should be taken to the groomer at a minimum of EVERY 8 WEEKS! If you give your puppy a short clip the maintenance is very simple and they don't require daily brushing but if you like the longer look, daily brushing should be a habit. Some doodles have straighter coats and can get by with less brushing (weekly). If you do not brush out your dog to the roots of their hair, they can still tangle and then you may come home from the groomer with a completely shaved dog due to the mats in their coat that were so low to the skin.
A: Shedding varies between doodles (even littermates). The more poodle you have in your doodle, the less shedding (usually). An F1 will shed more than an F1b generally and an F1b will shed more than an F1bb. You will not find piles of furr in your house like you would if you had a pure Aussie or Bernese, but you may find hair on your clothes or furniture. The more you keep them groomed up, the less hair you will find. It also depends on the dog, some shed very minimal and others lose more, but its never excessive. We never guarantee our dogs as hypo-allergenic due to the variety of reason people react to dogs. If you are looking for a hypo-allergenic dog we suggest you look into a poodle or a very late generation (f1bb) doodle. Most times people are ok with doodles, but we will not guarantee it.
A: We have it in our health contract, if at any point you cannot care for your dog. You MUST contact us and we will take it back or at the very least help you find it a new home. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let us know before rehoming your dog! We like to keep track of where our puppies are at all times.
A: Puppies are dewormed at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks of age and receive their first puppy shot at 6-7 weeks of age. Puppies are also micro-chipped before leaving here to their forever home. Puppies are vet checked at 6-7 weeks of age and if any issues arise we will work it out at that time. We generally don't do discounts on minor hernias (especially on females) as this can be fixed easily at the time of spay or on minor underbites. However, we do like to inform our buyers of any issues that the vet finds and we will discount accordingly to the severity of the issue (if any).
A: Aussiedoodles are generally great family dogs! They are very loving & do great in an active family environment. Aussiedoodles are loving and affectionate, they can be a little knippy as puppies (but if I'm being honest - all puppies are to an extent), but Aussiedoodles tend to be a little more due to their herding tendencies. This is something to be aware of, especially with very young children. Once they get past that young puppy stage, Aussiedoodles are great dogs. But... aren't they always?!😅
Click Here for an article on Aussiedoodles.
A: Bernedoodles are great family dogs. They are very affectionate & relatively chill dogs. They love to go on adventures with family and be apart of your family activities (ball games, swimming parties, hikes, family nights, etc). Bernedoodles love their people and are great dogs that enjoy keeping up with the family on adventures as well as just relaxing around the house.
Have more questions? Get in touch!