My husband and I are on a waiting list for a Berner, due in 2-3 months. I just have a few questions regarding the whole puppy buying process. Wondering when breeders usually take deposits, When they decide who will get a puppy form the litter, if we will be able to pick our own or if most breeders pick one for you. Also I've asked the breeder in a few emails how much she charges for her Berners and ive never gotten a response. What is the normal price range? I know she is a reputable breeder, ive done a great deal of research on her and her dogs. I think maybe she assumes I know all this stuff. I've never purchased a dog from a breeder so we are clueless on this process! Any help would be great! thx

How exciting

can I ask where you live?

__________________
Rowan

Durham UK

Do you live in the UK ?

Most breeders in the Uk do not take deposits.

In my search for my Berners here in the Uk I have both times met the Breeder and the dogs and chatted and then they have put me on the list.

They keep you updated with progress re: mating, pregnancy and birth of pups and then news till such time as you go to pick your fluffy bundle up.

We were able to visit the pups in both instances and in both cases were able to choose our puppy. Our first Berner we were second on the list and with Dillon also second so we had to choose two pups this time as the other person who was first on the list was not able to visit till after we had chosen.

Ollie sadly no longer with us was one of (13) 11 survived and Dillon one of (4) 3 survived.

Good luck such exciting times.

I live in the US and am going to become a 1st time berner parent this summer.. We interviewed several breeders and finally found one we really liked. We went to their facilities several times for " interviews". We met the adults including the two they were going to be breeding for our litter. They currently had a litter of 8, 6 week old pups that we were able to play with. After they were confident that WE were serious, they provided us with a deposit form.. There was no pressure, they said take it home and sleep on it etc. We had already made up our minds so we left the $100 dollar deposit. She charges $1500 for her dogs, but she gets to pick one out for you (you pick the gender). It's a little higher premium if you want to pick one yourself which is the route we went.

Hope this helps a bit, I'm sure you are as excited as we are for the new addition.

Can I ask why is the price different depending on who chooses the pup? I have not heard of this before

Honestly I dont know why there is a difference in the fees dependent on who picks the pup..I guess you are paying a premium for the "pick of the litter" We didnt question it as the other breeders we met with were asking 1800 for their pups.... I can shoot them an email and ask them their philosopy on this if you like....

Both times I chose my pup and the price was still the same. No increased premiums for doing being able to do this.

I'm sorry but if I had chatted bqck and forth and the breeder did not give me a price...... I would probably tell them I needed a price or a close RANGE or I would have to move on. I would also explain I wouldn't want to waste my time or theirs if their pricing was out of my price range.

__________________
Used to known as LYNN but now Forum doesn't recognize my sign in
LMAO... nevermind..... I WAS LIZA... no wonder I couldn't log in

I live in the US and was able to pick out both of our Berners and there was no price difference for doing that, that does seem a little weird for a breeder to tell you which dog you should have, regardless. The deposit is pretty common with breeders, they basically just want to confirm that you are serious about not only your purchase but you have the best intentions for the breed. We visited both of our breeders to pick out our pups (one in PA, one in NC and we live in Georgia). It is also a little strange that a breeder can't give you a price over the phone or in a responding email, I was able to get a price the first time I spoke with them.

Also some other key things to look for when speaking or meeting with breeders...if both parents aren't on site, ask if they are able to provide documentation of either regarding their genetic history, most good breeders have that information readily available, especially when they have litters for purchase. Both parents should be registered with the AKC and the breeder should inform you of the process of registering your pup after your purchase. As you've mentioned, it sounds like you've done your homework with researching a good breeder...just the pricing and picking sound a little odd.

I'm in Canada.

In my research, some breeders will do personality tests and pick which puppies are best for who based on their application - this was somewhat common actually. I wonder if the price was more because they didn't go through that process and it might make it harder for them to choose who goes to who if you've picked yours first? I know that doesn't make sense ($$ wise) but it's a possibility why!

The breeder we went with allowed us to pick which one we wanted and we're pretty happy about our choice!