Bernedoodle Breed – A Smart Loyal & Intelligent Dog

Bernedoodle is a hybrid breed as compared to the other normal breeds. It’s a cross between the Bernese mountain dog and the poodle. The Bernese is a Swiss breed, and the poodle is a German breed. Bernedoodle inherits all the best traits from both parents. Some people also miss-spelled the Bernedoodle dogs as Burma Doodle, Bernadoodle, Bernie doodle, bernidoodle or burnadoodle. It’s currently the most demanding cross-breed in the US, Canada, and the UK.

First Bernedoodle Dog – History

The first known cross between the Bernese mountain dog and the poodle is done in 2003 by Sherry Rupke. She is the first lady who internationally crossed this pair for the first time. The main reason for this cross is to obtain a perfect combination of Bernese look and poodle intelligence. She wanted to minimize the health issues related to the poodle. Currently, she is the most experienced breeder of Bernedoodle dogs with their farm named “SwissRidge Kennel.”

Main Characteristics

People love dogs and always want a smart and loyal dog for their company. If you are looking for the best intelligent and loyal dog, the Bernedoodle is a perfect choice for you. It’s also known as Bernedoodle mountain poo.

The crossbreed between the Bernese Mountain Dog and the Poodle will give you a Bernedoodle.

It’s a perfect combination of the intelligence of the poodle and the loyal nature of Bernese. Initially, when the breeder started breeding, they got unhealthy puppies with different health issues. After years of practice, they began to produce healthy dogs.  Now many breeders offer health guarantees and certificates for up to five years.

These dogs are perfect for families as they are smart, Goofy, loyal, loving, and enthusiastic. They have a life span of 7 to 18 years, depending upon the environment and size.

Parents

1. The Bernes Mountain Dog

The Bernese mountain dog is exceptionally patient and loyal. These dogs get super attached to their families, especially with the children. It’s tough for an adult Bernese mountain dog to break relations with the family.

They are known for seeking the attention of humans. Bernese mountain dogs have an eye-catching tricolor coat, which helps them in hot & cold weather. It’s a strong and intelligent dog that needs moderate exercise daily. When we talk about Bernese mountain dogs’ health, mostly a small number of them get affected with elbow dysplasia, cancer, or heart disease in the middle of their age.

In general, only cancer is a significant disease that can cause death. Bernese are the most affected by cancer than any other breed. The Bernese mountain dog is mostly less socializing, so you should train them accordingly.

2. The Poodle

When we talk about intelligence, the poodle is always in the top rank. It’s easy to train these dogs as they pick everything very quickly.

Moreover, Poodles have short coats, so there is less chance of allergies. They have a single layer of the coat, but we still need to brush them with proper care to prevent them from curling. But these dogs are not suitable for too much fun. But they are more clever dogs as compared to any other. When we talk about the colors and size, poodles have different sizes with a variety of colors. We can manage the poodle exuberance through proper exercise and training. They can also quickly observe any alert and give signs of barking.

When we talk about health, some poodles have severe skin, eye, and digestion problems.

Sizes

With the different generations of Bernedoodle dogs crossing, we get the different sizes of Bernedoodle. They have three different sizes.

• Standard Bernedoodle
• Mini Bernedoodle
• Tiny Bernedoodle

Colors

The color of the Bernedoodle dog strictly depends upon its parent’s color. Mainly there are three colors; a Bernedoodle dog has black, white, and brown. Sometimes the Bernedoodles may have all these colors. These three are the most colors, but a Bernedoodle may have any other color as well.  A Bernedoodle can have a single-color or two-color, or three-color.

Coat Types

Bernedoodles have a curly and long coats. Some Bernedoodles have straighter layers as compared to others. The thickness of their coats prevents them from the environment, especially in the summer season from the hot climate. Some Bernedoodles have curlier layers that are harder to groom. They need to brush more to prevent their coat from getting matted. Some people daily brush their coats to straighten them. You also need to trim the layers in a week or month, depending on how quickly they grow.

Personality

Bernedoodle can have many useful features and the best personality traits from Bernes Mountain Dog and Poodle. Bernedoodles are very intelligent, hardworking, loyal, and a bit goofy. But every dog can have different characteristics depending upon its parents.

They like to mix with families, and especially enjoy the company of children and other dogs. They usually want to interact with people, and they are much more socialized. But try to socialize them at an early age. It’s not easy to motivate them for training, but once they get started, their intelligent brain helps them pick every command quickly.

Mini and Tiny Bernedoodles are usually perfect for the home. They have a high energy level and need a little walk daily, but if they spend maximum time at home playing with people, it’s ok; they Don’t need a daily walk.

Health and Lifespan

Typically Bernedoodle dog is healthier than their parents. In regular breeding, maximum dogs have genetically inherited some disease, but cross-breeding minimizes that risk. There are fewer chances of cancer in Bernedoodles as compared to the Bernese mountain dog.

But Bernedoodles can have some problems like skin issues, eye problems, hip dysplasia, and elbow dysplasia depending upon the environment, especially in hot climates. All the breeding dogs can effect by different types of health conditions, but generally, a Bernedoodles is a healthy dog.

Some common health problems of Bernedoodle are:-

• Elbow and Hip dysplasia
• Eye problem
• Von Willebrand’s Disease

An average lifespan is predicted for standard bernedoodles is 12-15 years, mini bernedoodle will live up to 17 years, and tiny bernedoodles can live up to 18 years.

Behavior with Other Pets

Bernedoodle usually likes other animals and doesn’t panic in front of them. But you need to train them from a young age and keep aye on them. Moreover, in the case of mini and tiny Bernedoodle, you need to take care of your dogs in the presence of other animals. Usually, Bernedoodle doesn’t like to sit in shelters. They want to walk and play with humans. But you can put them in a shelter for short periods.

Things to keep in Mind Before Owning a Bernedoodle

For your ease, we have consulted some professionals and gathered information about the Bernedoodle, and tried to make it easy for you. As we know, the Bernedoodle is super intelligent and can adapt behavior according to the environment. Let’s see what we should keep in our minds before owning a bernedoodle as a pet.

1. Feeding

Food is important for any living creature. You can set the menu for different age stages of your Bernedoodle. As a puppy, you need to feed your Bernedoodle a minimum of four times a day. But when your Bernedoodle is mature, you can reduce it two times a day. For a bigger size Bernedoodle, there is a risk of bloat; we can reduce the chance of bloat by frequent meals. When your puppy grows, you need to feed it with proper high-quality energetic food.

The most important thing is that you should ensure that the food meets the daily nutritional requirements. It can work enough for the protein and fat quota of Bernedoodle. We can generally classify the calorie requirements for different sizes.

1. Standard           1400 to 1800 calories
2. Mini                  750 to 1400 calories
3. Tiny                   400 to 960 calories

2. Exercising

Generally, the Bernese mountain dog is less active than a poodle, which is more active and energetic. So we can say the Bernedoodle gets the energetic behavior from the poodle. They love exercise and hike for hours. If you are looking for walking, they will be your perfect partner.

A standard Bernedoodle can walk up to 60 minutes a day. A dog must need some exercise daily, depending upon its weight and size. A dog with a weight of 40 pounds generally needs 30 minutes of exercise daily. You can also walk your little puppy for 4 to 5 minutes daily without affecting his growth. But over-exercising can be dangerous for your little puppy, so keep the 4-5min rule in your mind.

3. Training

You also have to take care of your Bernedoodle’s training. Proper training from a young age is required. Hopefully, after learning from a young age, he will not create any hurdles in his future life. Bernedoodle should learn how to behave in different environments, especially with other pets.

Some puppies are stubborn, if unluckily you get a stubborn puppy, you need to reduce your expectations. Just keep trying; hopefully, he will learn some manners. But don’t leave your efforts. The training is not an easy task because the dogs don’t like to train, but it becomes easy for them when they start picking.

4. Regular Testing 

Health is a major thing when we talk about taking care of Bernedoodle. Generally, these dogs are healthier, but they can suffer from some health issues inherited from their parents. Regular testing is required for the following diseases.

• Sebaceous Adenitis
• Degenerative Myelopathy
• Patella
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy
• Macro Thrombo Cytopenia

Why do we Need to Wait so Long for a Bernedoodle?

It’s tough to create a new successful breeding program. Bernedoodle breeding generally started in 2003. Perfect breeding results are challenging to achieve whether your Bernese or poodle have any size. There are no shortcuts in this work. Let’s suppose the breeding is successful, and we have a puppy, but then we need to check his health, etc. If he is not perfect, he will be back on the drawing board.

Moreover, the dogs come dome into heat only two times a year. When we talk about the heat-Bernese is unpredictable. Their litters may be smaller than hope. Even when a large litter arrives and thrives, they don’t produce the exactly expected puppies. Sometimes you don’t get the expected color puppy as requested. So we recommend waiting if you want a perfect puppy.

It somehow also depends upon your thinking and mindset. If you are open-minded about the puppies and can compromise on color and coat, then you will get your puppy earlier. Sometimes people want the same puppy as requested; that’s why it takes a lot of time. But if you wait, you will get the best puppy according to your desire.

How Can I Find The Best Breeder?

Some people are interested in buying a Bernedoodle for their families, but they don’t know anything about the Bernedoodle. They just have heard it from other people and now they want to buy it. The size, color, and look are those things that you can easily monitor when you see the dog. But the important thing is the habits and health of Bernedoodle. It’s quite possible that you buy a Bernedoodle, and after some time, you came to know that he has some serious health issues.

So if you are planning to own a bernedoodle, check out different health certificates to judge the Bernedoodle health. A good breeder can allow you the following;-

1. Allow you to meet the parents of the Puppy Bernedoodle.
2. Will show you the health certificates of the puppy.
3. Provide you with references.
4. Willing to work with you even after you take the puppy home.
5. Give you the health insurance of the dog and will make sure the puppy is vaccinated.
6. Upon asking any questions from the breeders, they will show no hesitation in replying.
7. Allow the buyers to visit their breeding-house.
8. They allow buyers to return puppies in case the puppy is not suitable for them for a valid reason.

So these are some points you can take in mind before buying a bernedoodle from any breeder.

Is a Bernedoodle Right for You?

Male or Female – Which One is Better?

Both male and female Bernedoodle dogs are good according to their features. After all, every dog is an individual. Usually, the female has smaller size as compared to the male. Also, it is observed that female dogs are more laid back as compared to males.

When we talk about laziness, female is likely lazier as compared to males. Maybe he doesn’t like to walk and exercise compared to the male, who is more active and always ready to go for a walk. Male Bernedoodle is friendly and socializes as compared to females.

Conclusion

Bernedoodle I suitable for most people but there are exceptions. The following points will help you decide better.

• This breed of dog requires plenty of human interaction and may not be a good fit for someone who has limited time.
• A low to almost non-shedding coat means you have to spend less time, effort, and money on keeping the coat clean.
• If your Bernedoodle inherits the high energy of the poodle or the stubbornness of the Bernese – or both! It will need more of your attention in the form of exercise and training, especially in the first couple of years.
• If you have time and stamina to handle a demanding dog, it’s a prediction that the bernedoodle will become your best friend.