Frequently Asked Questions
Can we come visit or pick out our puppy in person?
No. We don't have puppy visitors in our homes. There are a few reasons behind this policy. First is safety--Newborn puppies are susceptible to all of the dog illnesses but Parvo is our main concern. We have never had Parvo in our homes and we want to keep it that way! Another safety issue is the stress of our moms. Mom's that are stressed try to move puppies and that can cause serious injury or death. (Trust us on this one.). The moms we have at our house are familiar with our family and close friends--we don't want to introduce lots of new people when we have a new litter and we almost always have a new litter in our homes!
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No matter what the internet tells you--there is no way for you to actually get to know the temperament of your puppy from a 30-60 minute visit. Temperament testing has been shown to be unreliable. Puppies go through personality development stages so quickly that the energy of a puppy from one hour to the next can vary greatly. That's why you need us. We live with the puppies and we have a lot of experience with puppy personalities. We will help you get the perfect fit for your home.
The most important reason we don't have visitors is our families' request. At one point we were both having litter viewing requests 3+ times a week and it's just too hard on our households. It takes a lot of time and effort away from our families when we have to rearrange our schedules and pick-up/clean the house and then spend half a day talking with a family. We love you all but we need to 'visit' via FaceTime (or Google Duo). We are happy to have impromptu calls so you can see the puppies if you are concerned! We also want to see you face to face (FaceTime) when we match you with a puppy and talk about preparations for bringing a puppy home. You are always welcome to come to our homes when you pick up your baby!. And we are happy to provide references as needed.
Where are you located?
We live in Twin Falls in the beautiful Magic Valley of southern Idaho just a few minutes from the Snake River. When you come to pick up your puppy from our home you should plan some time to go visit Shoshone Falls which is higher than Niagra Falls! Our valley is made up of small towns that are rooted primarily in agriculture.The closest airport to us is Magic Valley Regional Airport in Twin Falls. It's usually easiest to get flights to the Boise, Idaho airport which is about 1 hour 45 minutes from our houses. Twin Falls airport only has one flight in and out from Salt Lake City a day.
How much do your puppies cost?
Teacup 5-10 pounds $3500
Petite--10-20 pounds $3000-$3500
Miniature--20-35 pounds $2500-$3000
Medium--35-45 pounds $2500
Standard--over 50 pounds $2500
Golden Mountain Bernedoodle/Bernedoodles - $3000 - $3500
Cavalier Goldendoodles (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel x golden retriever x poodle) $3000-$3500
Occasionally we will have unique coloring or marking/patterns in some litters that will increase the price of a particular puppy.
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We are 2 hours from the closest major airport. ​
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Transport to the Boise Idaho Airport is $150 (2 hours from our homes)
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Flight nanny service to the west coast is usually $600-$800 in addition to airport delivery. This is the typical cost when flight nanny arrangements are able to be booked several weeks in advance.
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Flight nanny to the mid-west and East coast is usually $800-$1200 in addition to airport delivery. This is the typical cost when flight nanny arrangements are able to be booked several weeks in advance.
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When we have a cluster of puppies in the same area (usually along the west coast) we can offer ground transportation which is $500-$600 total per puppy.
How Can I Get a puppy from Maverick? Can I pay extra money to move p on the list?
What we hear you saying is I REALLY REALLY want a red and white, wavy coat, miniature, large abstract or tuxedo marked (mostly red with white markings on the face and chest) puppy with a white face blaze that doesn't shed and has a great temperament. This is our most requested puppy. We don't take extra money to move you to the top of the list and even if we did everyone would move to the top!
Here's the secret--Maverik's puppies don't usually look like him--we will get one puppy every couple of litters that have the same markings that he has but most of his puppies will have red/apricot coats with a few small white markings. Maverik's puppies do get his amazing temperament, structure and coat but coloring varies depending on the mom. We get the large abstract/tuxedo markings when we breed a parti or extreme parti (mostly white dog with a few red spots--Tucker, June, Callie Jo, Parti Poppy, and Luna for example) with a solid dog (like Winston or Goose or many of our moms). Maverik carries one copy of the parti gene so when he is bred with a parti colored mom (a dog with two copies of the parti gene) we will get some abstract (a couple of white markings) and some awesome full parti puppies. Often times--a full parti puppy will have more white than red or brown coloring. Many of our bernedoodle mix puppies will have a white face blaze as well.
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So the bottom line is this--tell us what you are looking for and we will tell you which litters genetically have the best chance of producing something you want. And if you only want a red/white tuxedo marked girl be prepared to wait--maybe even up to a year. If we could just order colors and patterns we would, but genetics don't work that way.
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And don't forget that temperament and health and good whelping/raising practices are more important than the looks of any dog!
How long will it be before I Bring a puppy home?
Our wait time varies depending on the time of year and what the economy is doing. We have found that recently we almost always have available puppies and you likely can bring a puppy home almost immediately or within a month or so. This will also depend on how picky you are.
What does F1, F1b, F2b, F3, F2 etc mean?
These numbers refer to the generation of a goldendoodle.
But really--they don't mean anything useful as far as predicting size, coat, shedding or temperament.
But here is the general idea:
F1--Golden Retriever+Poodle (any size), 50% golden, 50% Poodle.
An F1b is a F1 bred back to a foundational breed (Poodle or Golden retriever). Most F1b pups are bred back to the poodle (25% golden retriever and 75% poodle)
F2 is sometimes an F1 x F1 (not a good idea) or sometimes any second generation is referred to as an F2 (F1b are technically F2 goldendoodles)
F2b would often be an F1b bred to an F1--it depends on the definition of the individual breeder.
F3 is usually used to describe a multi-generation Goldendoodle.
There is huge variation with how different breeders classify their generation of dogs. It varies widely even among reputable, experienced breeders.
For our purposes any time we breed a goldendoodle to another goldendoodle of any generation we call that a multi-generation goldendoodle. We have found that multi-gen goldendoodles have the most predictable size and coat qualities and breeding multi-gens is our first preference. We very seldom use a foundational dog to breed in our program at this point. Many times when a foundational dog is used it is the poodle. While we love and adore the poodle it is our goal to incorporate more of the golden retriever trait into our lines--we love the sturdy frame with a boxy head and body that the retriever brings and the people pleasing temperament of Golden's is second to none! Our goal is to have our pups keep the look and temperament of the Golden retriever with just enough poodle to develop a non-shedding coat and a super smart aptitude.
Are your doodles Hypoallergenic? We have allergies so we need a curly coated F1b goldendoodle right?
Many people are under the misconception that an F1b goldendoodle is the best option for doodle that will be non-shedding and hypoallergenic for people with allergies. All three of the dogs below are F1b goldendoodles.
The coats and shedding of these three dogs vary widely. The generation of the dog is not nearly as informative as the actual genetics of the coat. We don't like to use the generation expressions to describe our doodles. We have to look at the specific genetics of the coat curl, furnishings and color and texture of both the parents and grandparents to get a good idea of what puppies' coats and size will look like as adults.
A curly coat has the lowest occurrence of shedding (hair that falls out is caught up in the curls so it never falls to the floor or furniture) so it can be better for some people allergic to a dog's hair-- but not all F1b dogs are curly as demonstrated by the pictures above. Also not all curly dogs are the most Hypoallergenic either. We have lots of dogs in our program that have straight or wavy coats that have a low or no-shed gene and many of these dogs don't shed at all. When we have several generations of similar size and coat qualities we can better predict the traits of the puppies' coats. That's one of the reasons we love to breed multigenerational Goldendoodles. Let us know what you are looking for in a dog and trust us to help you get the very best match.
Do you offer a health guarantee?
Your puppy will have a two year health guarantee for hip dysplasia and all of the (more than 160) genetic diseases that we have tested for. If your puppy has OFA or PennHip certified hip dysplasia we will reimburse your vet bills for up to the purchase price of your puppy. Not all health problems are genetic or can be prevented but we do our very best to give all of our puppies the best start in life.
How Big is a Teacup, Petite, Miniature, Medium, Standard Dog?
These sizes are the sizes of the Parents. Puppies often inherit their parents sizes but sometimes a grandparent's genes sneak in there. We can't make any guarantees about the sizes of mixed breed dogs.
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Teacup Range: Height between 10-12 inches typically between 5-10 lbs. (we do not currently breed this size)
Petite range: height between 12-16 inches typically between 10-25 lbs. (we have 2-3 litters a year in this size)
Miniature range: Height: 15-18 inches at wither, typically 20-35 lbs. (This is the most common size doodle we breed)
Medium range: Height: over 18 but under 22 inches at wither, typically 30-50 lbs. (we have 4-6 litters a year in this size)
Standard range: Height: over 22 inches at wither, typically 45 or more lbs. (We do not currently breed this size)
(height is measured from the floor to the top of the shoulder (wither)
How do you know what size a puppy will be when he/she grows up?
Predicting weights in a mixed breed dog is unpredictable. To get an estimated adult weight we add the weight of both parents and divide by 2. Many puppies generally end up within ten pounds of that calculation. For example:If mom weighs 40 and Dad weighs 60, 40+60=100 pounds. 100/2=50 so the dogs from this litter would weigh 45-55 pounds. The biggest pups of the litter will tend toward the high end and the smallest toward the small end of the range. Because we have lots of data from our past litters we can usually tell which puppies will end up bigger or smaller but this is not a guarantee and there can sometimes be outlanders. We recently had a dog (Largest in the litter when he went home) from parents who were 25 lbs each and he ended up being 40 lbs.
Because we are breeding mixed breeds and we use different size parents, puppies can sometimes end up the size of a grandparent or one of the larger parents. We can not guarantee a puppy's adult size. We will tell you our best estimated size guess but please be aware that a puppy from any given litter can be larger or smaller than one of their parents if the grandparents' genetics creep in. We typically have a good idea if this is the case by the time the puppies are chosen around 5 weeks of age but we do not guarantee size.
Do you remove dew claws?
At the recommendation of our team of veterinarians, we no longer remove dew claws unless they are floating and attached only to the skin (this occasionally happens with rear dewclaws). The dewclaw is attached to two separate tendons and leg muscles and all work together to stabilize the foreleg. Dewclaw injury is rare and removal can cause arthritis and leg pain. As long as the nail is kept trimmed (don't forget it!) dewclaws should always be left intact. Contact us if you want more information about dew claw removal. Here are a few articles you can check out as well.
5 things you need to know about Dewclaws
What is your Vaccine protocol?
We follow a vaccination protocol to help maximize immunization with fewer shots. We give a parvo only vaccine (Neopar) at 5 weeks that works in the presence of moms antibodies. Parvo is really the biggest worry with puppies. Then we wait until 7-8 weeks to give the full combo vaccine at their well check with our vet. (Some vets give first shots at 6 weeks but they are only 50-60% effective at that young age). We recommend that you do a second set of vaccines at 12 weeks and a third set at 16 weeks along with their rabies shot. We don’t like to give rabies vaccine before 16 weeks of age.” Also it is good to note that most grooming facilities will not allow your pet to be groomed in their facilities, unless you have proof of rabies.
What does my puppy come home with?
We will send you home with a blanket and or toy scented with mom and litter-mates' smell.
Health record to take to your first vet check.
2 year health guarantee
chew stick.
Why would I want a mixed breed dog instead of a purebred?
Goldendoodles are not pure bred dogs. Pure bred dogs have gone through generations of breeding to ensure that personality, coat, health and temperament are consistent and predictable. With that predictability come some health problems that are specific to the breeds (large breeds can have genetic hip problems, some breeds are known for eye disorders, some have high incidence of cancer...). The benefit of a cross bred or mixed breed dog is that some of those genetic health risks are eliminated by diversifying the gene pool. We can trace our lines (with a couple of exceptions) back to their pure bred, health tested parents to ensure good health and great genetics as much as possible.
I don't live in your area, can I still get one of your puppies?
Yes! We have transported many puppies--everywhere from New York to Seattle to Texas to Puerto Rico. We have fantastic flight nannies that can hand deliver your puppy to you at the airport. Depending on your location ground transportation is usually $500-600 and flight nanny transport is $600-$1000. When using a flight nanny we will need to transport your puppy to the Boise airport. Our transportation fee to the Boise air port is $125 in addition to the flight nanny fee. If you want to fly here we can transport to the airport for you for $125. The nearest airport is Boise, ID about 2 hours away. We generally like to have puppies go home at about 8 weeks.
When is your next litter of puppies?
See our upcoming litters page.​ We will post what dog we have expected to go into heat and when they are expected to cycle as well as with whom we would like to breed them. Mother Nature is in charge and can sometimes be unpredictable. If we have not posted an "Upcoming litter" on our home page then we don't know if our girl is pregnant. Please see our home page for news of litters that are on their way.
What is an English Golden Retriever?
The basic difference between an American Golden Retriever and an English Golden Retriever is the official breed standard that all reputable breeders strive to achieve. There are two main standards for pure bred dogs. The United States and Canada use the AKC (American Kennel Club) standards while the rest of the world uses the KC (The Kennel Club) standards.
There are a few notable differences between the AKC and the KC requirements for Golden Retrievers. Here are a few of the basics: the AKC considers "extremely pale" to be a fault while the KC does not. A dog bred to the AKC standards will almost never have a white/cream coat. On the opposite end of the color spectrum, the KC considers red or mahogany colored coats to be a fault while the AKC does not. The AKC standard desires a sloping top line while the KC prefers a straight/level line. The AKC prefers ears to be above and behind the level of the eyes with the eyes wide set while the KC prefers the ears to be set at approximate level with the eyes. In general, the English retrievers have a slightly shorter muzzle and a squared/blocky-looking head.
Aside from the beautiful look of the English Goldens, we love their mild, easy going temperament!
Even more importantly, the health and longevity of the English Goldens can be better than their American counterparts. American Goldens are known to have a high incidence of cancer and hip displasia while the English Goldens have significantly less occurrence of both disorders. We do use some American retriever lines but we are careful to only use retriever lines that have been thoroughly health and temperament tested. To see pictures and a more in-depth discussion of the differences of the breeds go to RechercheGoldens.com or summerbrookgoldens.com.
