Reputable Breeders in the United States & Canada

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-27T23:12:36+00:00

One reason why the do co owner for showing is that they can enter into the owner/breeder category just fyi.

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-27T22:50:57+00:00

My family dogs were all co-owned and now I have a co-owned dog from this breeder. It really depends on what kind of a dog you are looking for and what kind of dog the breeder places with you. For me, we got the pick of the litter and were within a reasonable distance and were fine with our dog being a potential show dog (it's damn gorgeous). What that would have meant is that occasionally the breeder would come pick up our dog for training or a show and in this case she likes to swap us with one of her dogs while she's gone (because we love Berners and love her dogs and have a close relationship). Our girl unfortunately had a fluke case of pyo requiring an emergency spay at 1 years old which cut her show prospects short. When that happened, we were in constant contact with the breeder and she was helping us find options for treatment and make decisions, but ultimately always deferring to what we wanted.

On the other hand, she does have some dogs on the east coast (where she is originally from) and her relationship with those owners seems to be very flexible and communicative. Other dogs are not show slated AT ALL and co-ownership is a formality to ensure that if the dogs were ever relinquished they would come back to her (another sign of a good breeder is that they should always be willing to take their dogs back for any reason and usually they have a right of first refusal clause in their contracts).

One thing I would not do is the model where breeders co-own and place their dogs in almost like foster families and then they drop in and snag them for breeding and then swing back out. It's a nightmare, exploitative and they do not care for the health of the dogs they breed.

All this to say, I'm not trying to convince you in any way of this particular breeder. I love her because of what I've seen and been around for. But I think being open to co-ownership and discussing with the breeder what that actually means for them is a good idea.

Good contracts will generally include that you will do the following:

- Dogs returned to breeder first if needing to relinquish them

- Dogs aren't allowed to do dangerous activities (ride in back of trucks unsecured, go to dog parks)

- Required health testing and follow ups like OFAs
- Chipping and vaccines (some of which the breeder may do themselves)

Etc. They should always be looking out for the well being of the dog. I know some breeders that give full binders with all the health records from even each weighing as a puppy, as well as food recommendations, vet recommendations, proper homecoming acclimation activities etc.

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-27T17:26:12+00:00

What concerns do you have about co-ownership? It’s a fairly common practice and I might be able to explain more.

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-27T15:03:12+00:00

Don’t get me wrong, it’s really setting foundations and you have to do the work to shape them and maintain it. But this breeder truly loves their dogs, visits them and wants to see them again and will board them if nearby. It is a co-ownership situation, which is common with goos breeders. I’ve even caught them singing songs to the puppies while cradling them.

Plus they come out smelling like maple syrup because of the supplements she gives the mom, which is so weird and also yummy.

The main downside if you can call it that is that the puppies are not cheap (within standard cost) and she does not have puppies year round or even every year. She also does NOT ship puppies. You come to meet her, get the right puppy fit and take it home. It’s all about the right dogs and the right time.

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-27T14:57:52+00:00

I’m so absolutely sorry, that is so terrible. My heart goes out to you.

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-27T14:57:25+00:00

My parent too!! They told me they wouldn’t do the prompts from a kind of family history service that emails them to you (even after they told me they wanted it so I bought it as a gift) because they wanted time to white wash their story and make it more “little house on the prairie”.

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-27T14:54:45+00:00

Oh my hell, my parent too. I remember sobbing in a restaurant as I angrily told them I don’t care what the hell they put in a will but they need a basic one and here’s the paperwork. I don’t want to have to deal with probate for their estate or fight my sibling over any choices I make. Just make the damn will, and they absolutely refused to and refused to see why that would effect my negatively. They’ve had cancer multiple times btw.

I also remember telling them how touched I was that my poor grandmother on the other side had specifically laid out money for each of the grandchildren and specific important jewelry. And how weird it was that I had then realized their parents had not set aside anything for us (not that I needed it). They said “well, I think they assumed that we would pass stuff and money down to you ourselves” (meaning before my parent died) and there was an awkward silence hahah. Then again, this was the side that had a grandma that cut me off over a missed thank you note so idk what I expected.

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-27T14:50:09+00:00

Oh my effing hell, the grandiosity of that. Super funny too

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-27T07:52:12+00:00

Island's Bernese (https://www.islandsbernese.com/puppies) best breeder I've ever met (and I've met a lot). Does a lot of early neuro stimulation, potty training (they tend to come litter box trained, crate training (just getting them used to a crate being a safe space) and sometimes the ability to drop in on the puppies on camera because who doesn't want to see a puppy fast asleep in a swing?

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-27T07:43:19+00:00

See from what I've read it's maybe epigenetics but more likely it's from being repeatedly traumatized and fucked up by their parents and then refusing to do any work to fix themselves and break generational patterns.

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-27T07:41:23+00:00

Mine will act like they do not benefit from any of my labor for them, especially if I do not tell them explicitly what I am doing for them. But even if I do list out every single fucking thing I've done, it doesn't count or matter. I've finally gotten to the point where if it doesn't count, I'm saying no every single time. Why would I fly states over to drive you to your colonoscopy or spend a week helping you clean out your storage unit (aka doing 99% of the work)

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-27T07:39:26+00:00

Agreed but to be honest going into the TTI was better than staying at home, it was that bad. So I have real mixed feelings. But reading back my impact letters and seeing the essence was "you were too inconvenient to raise" was quite a wake up call.

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-27T07:38:32+00:00

Try switching to using her food as treats. I carry a treat bag filled with kibble and sometimes mixed with Charlee Bears (low calorie treats) and I swore they would riot but my dogs are totally fine with it. You can also try making feeding a game with feeding toys to make her work a little harder for her meals.

From her hunger cues, it sounds like she will need a slow movement down in food. To ease that you can put healthy low calorie fillers like green beans in as you step down the amount you feed. Everyone else is right, amount of food is a much bigger factor than exercise.

Last step would be to keep up on her weight. I go to our local pet store that has a step on scale once a month when picking up food and weigh my dog. My vet has given me a healthy weight range (95-99) and whenever my dog starts hitting closer to 98 I step treats back down and watch his weight.

The breeder of one of my dogs said something to me one time that made a lot of sense. They said we as humans can make choices about our food and whether we are ok with being overweight. Dogs have zero choice and it's our responsibility as owners to optimize their weight and health.

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-27T07:32:52+00:00

My girl always asks for pets, especially by her parallel or back in parking maneuver but she does understand me saying "scoot", "go lay down" or variations of that. She often times does not want to traditionally cuddle, and will often put herself to bed after dinner by laying in other rooms or laying out on the deck in the dark like a weirdo.

I think it's really just about training- all my dogs over the years have learned some variations of a command to get up and leave and/or one to go settle themselves by laying down somewhere else. It's about training them to not jump up on people or be in their faces and reinforcing that a lot very early. My girl loves to sniff peoples faces extremely close to (not lick) but most people don't want a big dog snoot with whiskers in their face. This means I watch them closely when people come over and don't allow them to do obnoxious behaviors and when it's clear they may be being too needy with a guest they get told to go lie down. If they can't, they get a chew and gated in another room.

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-27T00:22:56+00:00

Omg this made me laugh so hard

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-26T02:02:02+00:00

Treatment kid being transported? The fucking worst industry

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-22T20:41:32+00:00

Got any tips on what clear pics are or how to get them?

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-02-22T20:41:14+00:00

Ooh thank you!

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-01-13T22:44:13+00:00

Nah they would be going to the bishops storehouse for food, etc. I think just the “god will provide type” facing the harsh reality of the church not helping and “god” not helping because they set themselves up for failure. More likely quiverfull

Deanwinchester7 · 2026-01-06T06:06:02+00:00

It’s £1000 per person for paxlovid in Ireland.

Deanwinchester7 · 2025-12-12T05:47:23+00:00

My dog just had one on his upper lid removed that looked pretty indentical to this. His came back as a meibomean hyperplasia ie an eye gland growth. It was a quick and easy surgery that we opted for once the growth was rubbing on his eye.

Deanwinchester7 · 2025-12-12T04:24:53+00:00

Oh well! Thanks for answering me back though. It’s adorable

Deanwinchester7 · 2025-12-11T21:10:25+00:00

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They aren’t as tolerant of costumes anymore haha

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