Frequently Asked Questions
Here you will find the answers to frequently asked questions about how the process works for getting a puppy from Singing Sands.
How do I get on your waiting list for the next litter?
We do not have a written application. Instead please email me at bernervet@gmail.com with information on yourself, family, home, and what you are looking for in a berner puppy. Your email should be as detailed as possible, you should be trying to convince us that you will be the best home we could ever find for one of our puppies. We will email back and forth and once I have approved you, you will be placed on the waiting list for our next litter. Our waiting list is simply that, preference is not given to the first person on the list but rather to the best homes for each puppy. Once we have a confirmed pregnancy, we will contact you by email to see if you are still interested in a puppy. Once the puppies are born and we know sexes and have a count, we will again email you to offer you a puppy from our litter. We have open houses when the puppies are 5, 6, and 7 weeks old. You are required to attend one open house so that we can meet you in person. We require a $500 non refundabale deposit at the end of the first open house to hold a puppy for you.
How do you determine which puppy goes to which home?
You will decide which sex of puppy you prefer. We decide which puppy best fits your home, family, and lifestyle based on information you have given us and meeting you at the first open house. Since we spend 9 weeks with each puppy and you will only spend about 6 hours with the puppies, we know each puppy's personality the best. We do not match puppies with homes based on markings. From our experience with dogs, we know that each puppy's temperament, structure, and health are what make a dog fit well in its home. We are open to suggestions on which puppy you like the best but ultimately it will be our decision. We require you to attend 1 open house but recommend you attend all 3 open houses and play with all the puppies. Puppies are evaluated by us, the stud dog owner, and other breeders when they are 8 weeks of age. Puppies that are the best example of breed type, structure, and temperament are reserved for show homes, whether that be conformation or performance. Puppies are also evaluated using the Avidog Puppy apitude and temperment test to best match each puppy with the best family.
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"Why is it important to let Singing Sands pick your puppy for you? We learned that they know the puppies better than we do! After going to the open houses, we had our favorite puppy and shared our opinion with Singing Sands. However, that wasn't the puppy chosen for us. They explained why they placed Teal Girl with our family instead. What we saw during our short visits were just glimpses of the puppies' day. It turns out the puppy we thought we wanted had an independent spirit and a lot more energy than we knew. Teal Girl, our puppy, was described as easy going, affectionate, and having an "old soul". Why does that matter? We have 4 children and one of them has special needs. Singing Sands explained she would know to be calm with our one child, yet would still be playful with our other children. They are with the puppies day in and day out and want to match a puppy with individual family needs, wants, and situations. That is beneficial for you and for the puppy. It is important to them because they love their dogs and want the best for everyone. They go above and beyond in their entire breeding process. A month after we picked up Payton (Teal Girl), I emailed Singing Sands to tell them they couldn't have picked a better puppy for our family. Payton is EXACTLY how she was described, and is a perfect fit for our family. Payton will run to greet three of my children, but will sit and wait for my child with special needs to approach her. Payton just knows. I'm grateful that Singing Sands knew better. They want to get it right and they did!"
-Anne Marie Fitzgerald
When do we get to take our puppy home?
Puppies go home when they are 9 weeks of age. They are kept until 9 weeks old because they have their first fear period between 8-10 weeks old and we feel the stable environment they have been raised in will help them get through this fear period easier. We also start crate training, house training, , and continue socialization during this time. We require you to pick up your puppy at our house. We will not ship a puppy at any time. When you pick up your puppy, we will go over and sign our contract and each of us will get an original signed contract. We will send in your AKC registration for you and the cost for this is included in the price of the puppy. You will be charged IN state sales tax. We accept cash, checks, and money orders. Other payment arrangements may be possible. Each puppy sells for $4,000 and up depending on stud chosen regardless of sex or show potential. Conformation show potential puppies are sold on full registration, which means that the puppy could be bred. These puppies are only sold to people we know through conformation shows, the national breed club, or the local breed clubs. We remain on the AKC registration as co-owner for the life of the dog. This is to ensure that only the best representative of the breed is bred so that we can continue to improve the breed.
Why Should I Get a Singing Sands puppy?
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Singing Sands puppies are given ENS (early neurological stimulation) from day 3 to day 14 of their life. ENS consists of 5 exercises performed for 5 seconds on each puppy. These exercises are intended to safely and briefly expose the puppy to a period of physical stress from which he can easily recover. This makes the puppies better adjusted, with a greater stress tolerance, more confident, and easier to train.
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Singing Sands puppies are also exposed to Early Scent Introduction (ESI) from day 3 to day 14. They are exposed to a unique scent each day which stimulates thier mind.
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Singing Sands puppies receive an intense socialization program based on the Avidog (and some Puppy Culture) puppy rearing process where they are exposed to tons of different surfaces, smells, people, objects, obstacle courses, car rides, swimming, and sounds. This creates the foundation for a well socialized and happy puppy. Please see our Facebook page for litter albums that will demonstrate the socialization process that our puppies are exposed to before going home.
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Singing Sands puppies are raised using Avidog puppy raising techniques that focus on positive experiences to create confidant well-socialized pups.
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Singing Sands puppies are started on house and crate training before they go home. They are taught from 3-4 weeks of age to use a potty box in their whelping room and then are trained to eliminate outside at 6-7 weeks of age. They also learn to sleep in a crate starting at 7 weeks of age and by the time they go home, they have learned to sleep in a crate by themselves and away from litter mates and their mom. This prevents you from having to deal with a screaming puppy in a crate the first night home!
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Singing Sands puppies come with a written 3 year health guarantee.
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Singing Sands puppies come from Health tested parents.
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Singing Sands puppies come with lifetime support from their breeder, who is also a veterinarian.
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Singing Sands puppies share their experience of growing up on Facebook with weekly posts of photos, updates, and videos. You are welcome to download your puppies pictures.
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Singing Sands puppies also have professional portraits taken by Fetch Portraits at 8 weeks old and each family is given a copy of their puppy's portrait. Additional photos including the group photon are available for purchase on the Fetch Portraits website.
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Singing Sands puppies are raised on a raw diet. We prefer that your puppy continues to eat a raw diet to increase longevity and have an onverall healthier life.
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Singing Sands puppies come from carefully matched and thoroughly researched pedigrees.
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Singing Sands puppies are already Microchipped and registered with Home Again.
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Singing Sands puppies come from a breeder who is an active member of the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America and Bernese Mountain Dog Club of NE Illinois.
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Singing Sands puppies go home registered with the American Kennel Club
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Singing Sands puppy owners go home with a 500 page binder (now on a flash drive or emailed to you) filled with information on Bernese Mountain Dogs.
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Singing Sands puppies go home with some of the food and a small bag of treats they have been raised on, a collar, as well as a toy that is scented with their mother, littermates, and breeder.
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Singing Sands puppies come from naturally reared mothers that are raw fed and exposed to a minimum amount of chemicals including vaccines. The puppies are also naturally raised so they have the best start to life.
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Singing Sands puppies are given puppy vaccines based on their mother's nomograph (titer) so that they are not overvaccinated. Each vaccine is timed perfectly based on when the immunity from their mother is gone.
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Each person that gets a Singing Sands puppy is invited to our facebook group for puppy owners. The group has a wealth of knowledge available to you from previous puppy owners, stud dog owners, current littermate owners, and the us.
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What is the cost of a puppy?
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Each Singing Sands puppy sells for $4,000 and up based on stud dog chosen regardless of sex, markings, or show potential.