Hello our name's are Willard & Edna. We live on the open prairie in Central Illinois. In 2010 we got our first Bernese Mountain dogs. It was love at first sight. In 2016 we discovered that the Bernedoodles are very popular puppies so we've been raising Bernedoodles since then. We converted our horse pastures and our horse barn into a beautiful home for our Bernese Mountain Dogs and our sweet Bernedoodle puppies. Our 3 sons also have some Bernese Mountain Dogs and our 2 daughters are raising Tiny Bernedoodles so it's turning into a family affair. We prefer to save our Sunday's for God, Family and Friends but we will reply to your questions as soon as possible. We love to have people come and visit us and choose their puppy. If that isn't possible we will be glad to send you videos or FaceTime with you to describe our puppies individual personalities, We will also send you lots of pictures to help you make your decision. If you're interested in a Bernedoodle puppy we'd love to get to know you and find the perfect puppy for you. Blessings to all of you! Willard & Edna
Here’s a description of the process we use to choose our puppies. If you have any questions you are welcome to call me (Edna) @ 217-273-2980 or e-mail me at ednaherschberger@gmail.com.
We accept 500.00 deposits on any of our present or upcoming litters. You will get to choose your puppy in the order that you gave your deposit. We will put you on our waitlist for the size and color puppy that you prefer. (F1 Standards, F1 Minis or F1b Tiny’s) We will also need to know what date works best for you to get a puppy.
We will keep you up-to-date on when the puppies are born, and we will contact you to schedule a time for you to choose your puppy. We would love to have you come visit when it’s your time to choose your precious puppy. If that’s not a possibility for you, we will send you pictures and videos and also FaceTime with you to help you decide which puppy is the best fit for you.
We will be posting individual pictures of the puppies on our website when they are a few days old, then when they are 2 weeks old, 4 weeks old and also when they are 6 weeks old.
You are welcome to choose your puppy at 2 weeks old but generally people like to wait until their puppy is 4 or 5 weeks old. We have learned that the puppy’s personality is more developed at this age.
Our puppies will all be micro-chipped, up-to-date on vaccines and dewormed, have a health certificate, a 2-year health guarantee, their vaccination schedule, be eligible to be registered and have their dew claws removed. Each puppy will come with a toy, a collar and a leash. They will also come with a blankie that has their motherās scent on it to help them feel comfortable in their new home.
We don’t have an application for you to fill out, but we appreciate it when people give us a brief description of their family & home. We love to have an idea where our puppies will be living.
Our names are Willard & Edna Herschberger and our address is 1618 State Highway 133 Arthur, IL. 61911
My name is Edna and my Cell Phone number is 217-273-2980. My husband Willardās Cell phone number is 217-460-1314. Our e-mail address is ednaherschberger@gmail.com
OPTION #1 Our favorite way is having you come to our place to pick up your sweet Bernedoodle puppy. We love meeting the people who will be giving our precious Bernedoodle puppies a new home.
OPTION #2 We have flight nanny’s that will bring your puppy to you. They will travel in cabin with your puppy and then you will meet them at the airport to receive your puppy. The cost for this option is between 600.00 to 700.00 depending on where you live. This is the total cost and includes the airplane ticket.
OPTION #3Ā You may fly in to our closest airport which is CMI airport in Savoy, IL. and we will meet you at the airport with your puppy. You can then fly back to your home with your puppy in cabin with you. You will need a carrier that fits under the seat in front of you to take your puppy on the plane with you. We don’t charge anything to bring your puppy to you at the airport if you fly into CMI but if we need to drive to any other airport there will be an added charge. You may also rent a car and come visit us so you can meet your puppies parents and see your puppies home.
Just wanted you to know what a joy it was working with you and Willard. I talked with many breeders, and you all are head and shoulders above the rest. The entire process was so positive.
Hereās one more picture of Willow, on her first birthdayā¦
(Someday you know Iāll be back for a second pup!)
Hi Edna and Willard,
I just wanted to send along a couple pictures of Harley’s first birthday, which was Monday. As you can see, she is so incredibly loved and we truly cannot imagine our lives without her – thank you both again for such a sweet, laid back dog who was so easily trainable – she’s the best!!!
Hope all is well with you both! We love seeing all the new puppies and are always tempted to get another one. Maybe someday.
Thanks! Angella
Yusef-POCHU is one of Angel & Chance’s gorgeous puppies. His new family is totally in love with him. Here is what they have to say about him.
Hi Edna, Hope you and the family are safe & healthy! We wanted to share the below review as thanks for your hard work in raising Pochu. 2 months into our lives with him, we couldn’t be happier! We’re also attaching a few pictures. Feel free to use these and the below comments however you’d like on your website, Instagram, etc. We’re also happy to chat on the phone with prospective owners if anyone would like a reference. Thanks again, Nish & Krishna —We could not have asked for better breeders for our dog Pochu than Edna & Willard at Bernedoodles & Bernese Mountain Dogs of the Open Prairie. Pochu is the perfect addition to our family, and our happiness is a testament to their hard work in his infancy! Prior to Pochu arriving, we had a million questions for Edna and she responded to each one quickly and patiently. She was also communicative on where we stood in line, which litter we would get, when Pochu’s mother was expecting, and eventually when we could visit to choose him. She made the anxious process of waiting for our new puppy relatively easy to deal with.
2 months into our lives with him (he is 4 months old), Pochu is the perfect dog for us. Heās kind, affectionate, great with both dogs and people, and an incredibly quick learner. He was crate trained and sleeping through the night by night 3, which took a lot of the strain off of us in the first couple of weeks. Since then, he has mastered almost every command we’ve taught him inside of a day or two (most recently, he learned to ring a bell to go outside for potty within an hour from when we began practicing with him). Our trainer has remarked that Pochu’s ability to learn and perform commands is “ridiculous” for a puppy his age, and she felt he knows more at 4 months old than her own 6- and 9-year-old rescues. It’s incredibly comforting and motivating to have a dog who quickly and happily rewards the hard work we put into him.
We credit a lot of Pochu’s kindness and intelligence to the incredible love and care Edna and Willard put into him as a baby. We particularly were so happy that the baby pups have Edna and Willard’s grandkids around to play with! As a result of the love they showed him, Pochu came to us already well-socialized for his age – he loves people of all shapes, sizes, genders, and ages. He was also already ‘sitting to ask’ so often we thought it must have been natural behavior (hint – it wasn’t – Edna, Willard, and the family likely reinforced this behavior in him as a baby). Health-wise, Pochu has been perfectly healthy so far other than one small bout with giardia (he had minimal symptoms).We often get asked where we got Pochu when we walk him around downtown Chicago, and we’re only too happy to recommend Edna and Willard!!!!
Good Morning Willard and Edna! We hope you and your family are doing well!
We just want to update you on Hayes-Arthur/Jax! He is growing and at last vet appt, 3 weeks ago, he weighed 15 lbs. He was potty trained very quickly and has become very close friends with his brother Gus, our 12 year old maltipoo!
Jax has traveled with us to Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone and Jackson Hole!
We are now at our home in Texas, but going back to northern Mn in a couple of weeks.
He has acclimated so well with our family and friends and we are over the moon, so in love with him!!
Thank you for for such a sweet, smart, loving and beautiful dog! We couldnāt be happier!! We will keep the updates coming. We are so blessed to have such a beautiful dog and thank you very much for him!!
Hi Edna and Willard, We just wanted to take a minute to say thanks again for such an amazing puppy. Harley is now 4 months old and still the sweetest, smartest, silliest girl, and we are all in love with her. She loves any and all people and dogs and is so good with both. She is truly so smart – she was pretty much potty trained after the first day we had her, and she learns new commands (like ādrop itā) after only hearing them a couple times. Sheās about 14 pounds at 17 weeks, so weāre guessing sheāll be right in the range you said she would be. People constantly stop us to ask what kind of dog she is because sheās so unique looking – not as ādoodle-yā, more Berner looking – and we think sheās the cutest pup weāve ever seen! Iām attaching a few recent pictures of her in case youāre interested. Also I wanted to tell you that if anyone in her litter wanted to reach out, weād love to connect with her siblings, so please feel free to give any of them our info. Thanks so much again!! Hope all is well with you both and the family!
Hi Edna!
We hope you are doing well! Love all the photos and videos of the new puppies!
Hereās little Dena in her new sleeping position. Sheās 18 pounds now! And just over nine months!! Itās going by so fast!! Sheās just as squiggly and playful as she was when you saw her last. Sheās the love of our lives.
Have a great week
Hi Edna, I hope you and Willard are doing well. Just wanted to provide a quick update on Moose. Heās weighing 40 lbs at just over 8 months….A big boy! Moose is the most handsome dood on the block – a showstopper!! Heās not just good looks though. Moose is so smart and has been so easy to train, too. Our trainer tells us every session how lucky we are to have such a well tempered pup. Heās so sweet with children and weāre so lucky to have him. We love our Moose sooo much!!!
Hi Edna and Willard–
Hereās our girl DENA at 6 months! Sheās between 18 and 20 pounds, we think. Iāll know for sure tomorrow because she goes in for her spay appointment. She is so smart, happy and very cuddly and wiggly, which we absolutely love! Sheās hit her adolescent phase, but is starting to come out of it. She starts her advanced puppy class next week.
She discovered the rocks in the landscaping, which she is promptly waiting for me to take from her in this photo.
Love the photos of your newest additions that youāve been videoing! They are so adorable!
Have a great rest of your week and weāll talk to you soon!
Evan-GIBBS is one of Grace & Rocky’s beautiful F1 miniature puppies. His new family loves him a lot. Here’s what they have to say about him. Hi Edna and Willard, and happy new year from us and Gibbs! He is 7 1/2 months old and weighs almost 38 pounds now. He is quite the celebrity in our community–every time we take him for a walk people stop us and ask what kind of dog he is or tell us he’s the most beautiful dog they’ve ever seen. š. Our kids were all here quite a bit for the holidays and Gibbs was so good. He never tried to get the ornaments on the tree and didn’t mess with the presents, either. I don’t think we could have asked for a better dog! Wishing you a blessed New Year
Valerie-MELLIE is one of Faith & Rocky’s gorgeous puppies. Here’s what her new family has to say about her.
Hello Edna and Willard! We cannot believe Mellie will be three months tomorrow! She is doing wonderfully in her new home. Every time we take her for a walk, someone is stopping us to tell Mellie how cute and well behaved she is. We live right by an elementary school and she is quite famous at recess. She is such a little fluff ball with the biggest personality – she definitely keeps us on our toes! We are so grateful we found you. Mellie has been the perfect addition to our family and she is very loved. I hope you both are well and I’m sure staying busy with the puppies! We will continue to post on Mellie’s instagram page (@BernedoodleMellie) so you can keep up with her adventures. Best, Joey & Jillian