LET'S GET PREPARED
Your Puppy Journey has officially started! We are excited to begin this journey with you to help you find the best fit puppy for you and your family. This Puppy Page is specific designed to ensure you are prepared to bring your puppy home.
Important Dos & Don'ts
Vet's Appointment
Per our contract, all puppies need to be seen by a vet within 72 hours of Go Home Day and be microchipped during that initial appointment.
This is a reminder to book your vet appointment now. Our vet schedules 3-4 weeks out. Call today to book your initial vet check.
It will be your responsibility to email me proof of that appointment with proof of microchipping per our contract.
This is simply a well check to ensure your vet gives your puppy a clean bill of health to begin our health contract.
Important Information For The 1st Vet Check
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Make sure your vet is doodle friendly. We have experienced non doodle friendly vets as well as have our previous puppy families. This is a simple question you can ask when booking your initial vet check. You want a vet that supports you and your decisions!
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Make sure to take a fecal sample to this initial vet check. This helps rule out parasites that could pop up with the stress of “Go Home Day.”
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Make sure to take your “Go Home Folder” that has all your puppy’s weight checks, deworming schedule, and vaccination records.
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Make sure your vet is comfortable microchipping your puppy at the initial vet check. Microchipping is part of our contract and ensures your puppy has your contact information on them if they were to get lost.
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Do NOT let your vet deworm your puppy at this appointment. They are heavily dewormed by us during week 7. Make sure your vet sees our deworming records on the “Go Home” paperwork.
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We highly recommend Simparico Trio for heartworm and flea/tick monthly prevention. Per our contract all puppies must receive monthly deworming and flea/tick medication.
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We highly recommend NOT switching their puppy kibble. Life’s Abundance is the BEST quality of puppy/dog food.
It is hard to find a fantastic vet. Sometimes it takes a few until you find one you completely trust. Please know that vets do not specialize in Bernedoodles. They know what is recommended for the majority of breeds.
We specialize in breeding and raising Bernedoodles. We only recommend products and protocols that our breed benefits from.
Bland Diet & Rice Protocol
Please DO NOT feed your puppy treats and food other than their puppy food or a bland diet of rice during the first few weeks.
This helps your puppy’s gut heal from the deworming they received at our home.
Avoiding treats and other food also helps avoid loose stool. All training treats should be their Life’s Abundance Kibble.
Puppies do not and should not have any other source of high value treats until they have spent a couple weeks at home and are well adjusted with solid consistent stool.
It is very common for your puppy to have loose stool during the first couple of weeks at home. The loose stool is not due to Life’s Abundance kibble. As long as you received a clear fecal at your initial vet check then the loose stool is due to the deworming and the stress of “Go Home Day.”
If your puppy has loose stool we highly recommend following our bland diet rice protocol. This is what we use when our own dogs have loose stools. It works wonders if you stick to it EXACTLY.
Rice Protocol For Upset Stomachs
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Stop kibble and give 1 cup of cooked rice twice a day for three days. Just rice.”
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After 3 days begin adding kibble back in by doing 3/4 of rice and 1/4 kibble for another 3 days.
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Next is adding more kibble in by doing 1/2 rice and 1/2 kibble for another 3 days.
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Then bump up the kibble again by doing 3/4 kibble 1/4 rice as long as their stool is firm. We have had to do rice longer in the past with bringing home our own puppies. It completely depends on the puppy and how their body reacts to the bumping up in kibble every 3 days.
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Make sure to add the pumpkin “Firm Up” with every feeding.
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Make sure to stick to the 3 day transitions.
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Absolutely NO OTHER treats or food should be given to your puppy until your puppy has had solid stool for at least two weeks.
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Stop the pumpkin “Firm Up” when the stool is firm.
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Add the pumpkin “Firm Up” every time there is a loose stool.
First Week Home
“Go Home Day” is such an exciting time! You are excited to bring your puppy to new places and have all your family and friends meet your puppy. However, your puppy isn’t ready for all of those new exposures.
It is important to keep the first 3-4 days calm and only introduce your puppy to family members that live within your home. Yes, that means no visitors, no new places, just a quiet 3-4 days at home to allow them to adjust to you and their new environment.
Your puppy just left their home, their Momma, their littermates, and the humans they felt the safest with. That is A LOT of stress for a little puppy to handle. Stress = loose stool. Your puppy needs time in their new home. They need time to bond with you and to feel safe in their new environment.
Once 3-4 days have past then you can begin all of the socialization and introductions. Remember to slowly stack stress and not to overwhelm your puppy.
Final Payment Information
This is a reminder that our preferred method of payment is cash for the final payment. Zelle is an option, if the final payment has cleared prior to Selection/Go Home Day.
All Zelle transactions need to be made the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (Zelle has a limited dollar amount they allow you to send per day) prior to “Go Home Day” to ensure all the payments clear our account by Friday night.
We will not send a puppy home without all final payments clearing our account.
We will not accept final payment with Venmo, Paypal, personal check, or a cashier’s check.
Cash and Zelle are the only accepted forms for the final payment.
KBD’s Sanitation Protocol for “Selection Day/Go Home Day”
Before visiting our home, please do not visit with any outside dogs, puppies, stores, shelters, humane societies, or dog parks within the previous 72 hours.
Parvo is a very dangerous, highly contagious canine virus that can be innocently transmitted on clothing and shoes.
It will kill an entire litter if they are exposed. Below is our sanitation protocol that we use to help limit the exposure of parvo into our home. I will walk you through this entire process. It is much simpler in person.
Sanitation Protocol:
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Before you visit our home, please make sure you are wearing close-toed shoes, with a sole. We recommend not wearing valuable shoes.
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Please use hand sanitizer after you exit your vehicle, and before you enter through our garage.
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When you enter the garage, you will see two black mats on the ground leading to our garage. The first mat is filled with bleach and water directly inside. Please stand on the mat in the solution for a minimum of 5 seconds and then wipe your shoes on the carpet side of the mat.
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When you move towards the door inside the garage you will see another black mat, which is soaked in hospital grade disinfectant. Please stand on this mat in the solution for an additional 5 seconds and then wipe your shoes on the carpet side of the mat.
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Blue shoe booties will be on the stairs in the garage. Please slip on the disposable booties over your shoes.
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When you enter our home into our mudroom, you will go directly to the sink to sanitize your hands. There are three different solutions to use to wash our hands. You will need to squirt one squirt from each bottle at the same time and wash your hands. There will be paper towels to dry your hands.
Leave Us A Review
Reviews are so important to us and our program as we continue to grow and reach new families. We would love for you to take a few minutes while your new puppy is napping and write us a review on both Google and our Facebook page.
We use our Facebook reviews for all our Facebook advertising in the various Bernedoodle groups. We use our Google reviews on our website to drive inquiries and boost our visibility on search engines. Reviews are a way for us to stand out, for families to see why and how we are different, and the most effective way for new families to gain trust in our program.
If you would be willing to write a review on both our Google and Facebook accounts below, we would greatly appreciate it. You can simply write one review and copy and paste it in both locations.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with others.
We are so grateful you trusted us and chose us as your breeder!
Items For Your Puppy
Items For Your Puppy
Life’s Abundance Lamb & Brown Rice Kibble
We have partnered with Life's Abundance because we believe in helping our puppies/dogs achieve and maintain optimal health. Bernese Mountain Dogs and Bernedoodles are often allergic to chicken and chicken by-products.
In order to avoid allergic reactions, it is important to choose dog kibble that is chicken free. Although many of the "non-chicken" formulas on the market in fact do contain chicken ingredients, Life’s Abundance offers a Lamb & Brown Rice All Life Stages blend that is completely free of chicken and a superior product for Bernedoodles.
At KBD we know that fresher food is more nutrient-rich. Other leading competitor brands stockpile tons of food for months on end. Life’s Abundance dog food is made weekly in small batches and shipped directly to your home.
When you buy this kibble, your puppy will benefit from Life's Abundance's strict inventory controls and product safety considerations that are second-to-none, which contributes to why they've never had a recall! KBD strives to ensure our puppies/dogs are supported for a lifetime of health. This starts with high quality kibble!
Click on this link to order your bag of Lamb & Brown Rice kibble!
https://lifesabundance.com/317kortebernedoodles.
You can also receive up to 20% off when selecting Autoship!
Warning – We have had several vets from puppy families recommend switching off of Life’s Abundance at their puppy’s initial vet check. This recommendation is due to lack of knowledge about this brand and also being contracted as a vet to recommend certain puppy/dog food brands.
We only feed the best at KBD and we only recommend Life’s Abundance due to the health of our dogs and puppies since feeding Life’s Abundance. Your puppy was raised on LA. Your puppy thrived on LA. Any health concerns shouldn’t be related to Life’s Abundance Lamb & Brown Rice kibble.
NuVet Plus Supplements
NuVet Plus is an immune booster that fills the nutritional voids left by most pet foods. This supplement is similar to a multi vitamin that we would take to ensure we are receiving all our nutritional needs.
NuVet Plus is manufactured in the USA in an FDA registered human pharmaceutical laboratory. It is the only FDA approved vitamin/supplement for dogs. It is the only supplement we recommend for our puppies and our dogs.
All puppies experience an immunity gap as they wean off of maternal antibodies from Mom's milk and start to develop their immune system on their own. The nutrients help them build a strong internal defense against bacteria and viruses we're all exposed to every day. Keeping your puppy on NuVet Plus is crucial to ensuring your puppy is building a strong immunity system.
USE KBD'S UNIQUE CODE: 797410 when signing up for the first time.
KBD recommends keeping your puppy on NuVet Plus for their entire life to ensure they are receiving the proper nutrition. This supplement has made our dog’s coats shiner and healthy instead of coarse and dull. It has dramatically lessened our dogs’ yeast infections and kept our dogs healthy with beautiful coats.
Click on the link to order today! https://www.nuvetlabs.com/order_new2/products.asp
Trupanion Pet Insurance
We have partnered with Trupanion Medical Pet Insurance to help provide additional support for you and your new Puppy. Per our contract, we require all Puppy families to enroll your Puppy in 30 days of Medical Pet Insurance during your "Go Home Day" appointment.
Overview of Trupanion's Go Home Day Offer
- 30 days of coverage with no upfront payments
- Immediate coverage, waiting periods are waived
- $250 deductible, 90% coverage, and no payout limits
- Coverage for new injuries or illnesses
With our activation code BR1KB6221, you gain access to immediate Trupanion policy coverage.
Please call Trupanion before “Go Home Day.” Trupanion’s Customer Care team is available 24/7 to assist in activating this offer, along with answering any other questions you may have.
Baxter & Bella
Baxter & Bella is our preferred online puppy training program that focuses on helping transition your new puppy from our home to yours. Not only will you learn the skills you need to be a successful dog owner, but your puppy will learn incredible manners and behaviors as well.
Puppies are not fully vaccinated until 16 weeks. We highly recommend keeping all 4 paws off the ground whenever they are in public places until puppies are 18 weeks old. Baxter & Bella is a great at home training program that can start puppy training while you are waiting for your puppy to be fully vaccinated.
We encourage you to sign up today and begin preparing to bring home your puppy by completing the puppy prep courses before “Go Home Day.”
https://www.baxterandbella.com/learn-more
Use Our Discount Code for 25% Off: Korte
What Is Baxter & Bella
Raising The Empowered Puppy
“Raising the Empowered Puppy” is the only guide that focuses on raising a well-adjusted, confident, and loving canine companion, regardless of their breed. It is a guide that supports you and your puppy to ensure you continue to lay a positive foundation for your puppy during those critical first 8 weeks at home.
We believe this guide is a must have for all puppy families to ensure you and your puppy succeed at home. Click on the link below to order your own copy of “Raising the Empowered Puppy.
Puppy Essentials
The link below will take you to our favorite puppy/dog items. All of these products on our website we have tested and used with our own adult dogs and puppies.
We have everything from puppy play pen supplies, training treats, to collars/leashes, to snuggle puppies/toys, and the best grooming supplies that we use to raise our puppies and our dogs. We have tried A LOT of products and brands. These are truly our favorites!
Make sure to have all play pen supplies ordered before the big day. Our playpen supplies will help out tremendously with crate training, potty training, and helping your puppy adjust to their new home. Start stocking up today to prepare for “Go Home Day.”
You made it through our Let’s Get Prepared page! Congratulations, that was a lot of information. Take some time. Go back and reread this page a couple of times.
Tackle one section at a time and start ordering all your supplies as you prepare to bring home your 3|17 Korte Bernedoodle Puppy!
Follow-Up
At KBD we are consistently striving to ensure we are not only improving our program but we are also committed to perfecting our beloved Bernedoodle breed.
Below is a quick short answer/multiple choice questionnaire that helps us gather data on our KBD puppies. It allows you to give feedback about our program, puppy evaluations, coat types, and an option to share additional information.
Please complete the questionnaire below at the 6 month and 1 year birthdate of your KBD puppy to help us continue to improve our program for future families.
We appreciate your support and feedback!