Sonoran Standard Doodles

Sonoran Standard Doodles produces Bernedoodles & Golden Mountain Doodles (aka Golden Bernedoodles) in medium and standard size.​ Our dogs are beloved family members first and foremost. Our breeding dogs either live with us or in a Guardian Home.  We choose to place breeding dogs in Guardian Homes to ensure that each dog has an excellent quality of life, and is loved and cared for as a family pet. We do not typically have adult dogs available since our breeding dogs remain with their Guardian families after retirement.  

 

All of our puppies are thoughtfully raised in our home in New River, located in the Sonoran Desert, just north of Phoenix, Arizona. We typically raise one or two litters at a time to ensure we have adequate time, energy, and resources to devote to each dam and their pups. Our team consists of Dr. Jordy, her partner, Philip, as well as two part-time assistants who assist with cleaning, puppy care, and flight nannying. Many of our Guardian families are happily involved in helping us to socialize our litters with new people, including children, and they assist us with bathing puppies after four weeks of age.

​

Our breeding dogs are thoroughly evaluated and selected for their excellent health, stable temperaments, and sound structure. 

​

HEALTH TESTING

 

Our health testing starts with DNA testing for breed relevant genetic diseases via Embark.  For breed-relevant genetic conditions not included in this panel, such as SOD1b Degenerative Myelopathy, we screen through Paw Print Genetics (now Orivet) or Animal Genetics. We are also in the process of screening our lines for Day Blindness, a rare genetic condition found in poodles, that is only testable through Cambridge University at this time. 

 

Our poodles & doodles are all OFA tested with x-rays taken of their hips and elbows. Final OFA scores are publicly accessible on OFA's website and are linked on each dog's profile page. Many of our dogs are also PennHIP tested, including all dogs who receive an OFA hip score of fair, even though the rating is considered a normal or passing score. Since some preliminary scores and PennHIP scores are not publicly accessible, all test results are listed on each dog's individual profile pages and we are happy to provide copies upon request. Unfortunately, hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia are common in Bernese mountain dogs and golden retrievers, but by selecting for dogs with good hips and elbows we are decreasing the risk for their offspring. Our doodles are also OFA certified for their hearts to ensure they do not have a heart murmur, their patellas to ensure they do not have patellar luxation, and their eyes are examined by a board certified ophthalmologist! Our dogs are also examined at least annually by Dr. Jordy herself to ensure that they are healthy and free of hereditary conditions. ​We will include additional health screenings in the future as science based recommendations evolve! 

​

Approximately 25% of our breeding dog prospects are removed from the program due to not meeting our expectations for health or temperament. While it is financially challenging to lose a breeding prospect after spending thousands of dollars, the most important part of health testing with breeding dogs is making the decision to remove dogs who do not meet your standards from the breeding population! The dogs that do not meet our standards are still lovely companions with an excellent quality of life, but are spayed or neutered prior to being signed over to their Guardian families. ​

​

We prioritize genetic diversity and utilize DNA testing through Embark to determine relatedness between our dogs. Traditionally pedigrees have been used to determine a coefficient of inbreeding (COI), but this method is limited by having only a 3 or 5 generation pedigree. Genetic COI testing is more thorough in assessing inbreeding because it evaluates their DNA!

 

Studies have shown that excessive inbreeding can have a profound impact on a dog’s health and lifespan, reduce fertility, decrease disease resistance, and increase the risk of failure to thrive in puppies. Bernese Mountain Dogs have an average COI of about 30-35% and, not surprisingly, are afflicted with many fertility issues and health conditions resulting in their shortened lifespan averaging 7 to 10 years. We aim to produce litters with COIs less than 10% to diminish risk for diseases that we do not have the ability to test for directly.  While we don't have enough data to accurately predict lifespan for most types of doodles yet, we do know that mixed-breed dogs live, on average, 1.2 to 1.3 years longer than purebred dogs.

​​

TEMPERAMENT

 

Bernedoodles and golden mountain doodles are sweet natured, loyal, light hearted companions. They are social and very affectionate dogs who will try to solicit your attention and petting by pawing at you or leaning on you. They are smart, eager to please, and typically do well with children and other pets. They are very playful and goofy, and will keep you laughing with their antics. Without proper boundaries, they will happily entertain themselves by chewing on anything that fits in their mouth, counter surfing for snacks, or joyful digging in the yard. Most enjoy outdoor activities including those with water and snow, making them great adventure buddies. However, they don't particularly enjoy hot weather and it's important to be careful in warmer climates to prevent overheating. Like all dogs, bernedoodles and golden mountain doodles require daily exercise and enrichment, but they are also happy to cuddle on the couch or nap at your feet for the many hours of the day. 

 

In general, bernedoodles tend to bond very closely with their families, but can sometimes be more aloof with strangers. Golden mountain doodles tend to be a little more gregarious and are typically affectionate with people both inside and outside of the family. Intentional early socialization is very important for both breeds. Both bernedoodles and golden mountain doodles can be sensitive and tender hearted, so they both do best with praise, positive reinforcement training with food or toys, and gentle, but consistent boundaries. Aversive training methods using should be avoided. 

​

Our specific program temperament goals include HIGH human focus, sociability, trainability, resilience, touch tolerance, and food motivation, in addition to LOW arousal, sight, and sound sensitivities. We select away from anxiety, separation distress, fearful temperaments, resource guarding, and aggression. We aim to produce medium energy, versatile, affectionate companions who can integrate easily into our modern lifestyles. Another goal of our program is to produce puppies and dogs with temperaments suitable for therapy work. On very rare occasion ,we may be willing to place a puppy as a service dog prospect, but we may recommend that someone looking for a service dog prospect choose to purchase a breed(s) with more reliability for service work, such as a labrador, or lab/golden cross.

 

STRUCTURE & TRAITS

​

Our phenotypic goals are to produce dogs with a medium to large build. Our medium sized doodles range from 40 to 60lb, and our standard size doodles typically range from 60 to 80lb.  With the exception of goldendoodles and australian labradoodles, there are no breed specific standards for appearance of doodles. Even though bernedoodles and golden mountain doodles are not eligible to compete in conformation showing and will never be a part of the AKC, we do intentionally select for dogs with a balanced frame, only slightly longer than tall, with moderate muscling. The muzzle should be medium length and the dogs should have a scissor bite. Our dogs should have structure that allows for comfortable and sound movement and moderate athletic ability. We select away from any obvious structural flaws that would impact quality of life. We also aim to produce low shedding, furnished, wavy or straight coats.​​ While we aim to produce dogs with aesthetically pleasing colors for clients, we do not prioritize color and pattern over health, temperament or structure for pairings. 

​​

POLICIES

 

Our puppies are raised on a curriculum, influenced by Badass Breeder, which includes intentional socialization to adults, children, and other animals, as well as desensitization to sights, sounds, grooming, handling, and new experiences. Our goals are to raise puppies to be both self assured and resilient to stressors. The critical socialization period for puppies is from 2 to 16 weeks of age, so the weeks that they spend with us, as well as their first few weeks at home, are CRUCIALLY important for shaping who they will be as adult dogs.  To read more about how we raise our puppies, click here!
 
We strongly discourage puppy selection based solely on color or sex and we do not allow clients to choose their puppy prior to 7 weeks of age. Our litters are temperament tested by Dianne Keck of NeuroDog Training and those results, as well as our recommendations, are used to help guide families to select the puppy that best meets their preferences, needs, and lifestyle so that our matches last a lifetime! 

​

We are commited to honest, transparent, and kind communication!

​

Dr. Jordy and the team of Sonoran Standard Doodles do not participate in or support cyberbullying of any kind! If you are aware of a breeder neglecting or abusing dogs or puppies in their care please report them to your local authorities immediately! However, we do not support breeders, veterinarians, or individuals who spend time or effort disparaging, slandering, harassing, or doxing dog breeders for having differing breeds, opinions, preferences, or practices. 

 

It is both reasonable and worthwhile to discuss ethical dog breeding practices, to educate the public regarding how to purchase from responsible breeders, as well as educate other breeders on how to improve practices. However, we expect respectful and professional communication at all times. We will not work with individuals who cannot abide by this policy. 

​