Bernedoodles (Poodle and Bernese Mountain Dog mix)
 What is a Bernedoodle? Bernedoodle is a mixed hybrid dog between the Bernese Mountain Dog and Poodle. Also known as the Bernese Mountain Poo, this dog is an amazingly loyal, clever, slightly goofy and gentle designer dog breed that inherits among the best traits from his purebred parents. Although it's a relatively new breed, its popularity is growing very fast attributed to its ability to be a great companion to families and owners. The Bernedoodle is also considered one of the cutest dogs among then designer breeds.
Being similar to the more popular and older hybrid doodle breeds, this designer breed appeared first in 2003-2004. But like a puppy, the Bernedoodle is likely to be a little bit more mischievous. You can easily curb this by ensuring you train and socialize your pup early on. By doing this, you will absolutely have one of the merriest and gentlest companion.
Bernedoodles easily adapt to new homes and families. These dogs have high energy bursts and in order for them to stay healthy and happy, they will need at least one walk each day. Bernedoodles are generally healthy compared to other designer dogs and they are also low shedders. Bred to be perfect companion dogs, Bernedoodles are affectionate, brilliant and one of the best family friends to have around.
The Poodle Bernese Mountain mix craves attention and enjoys the company of their family. They are not suitable to be owned by frequent travelers or those who may be away from home for long hours. Although the Bernedoodle is meant to inherit the best traits from its parents, it can at times inherit some undesirable traits such as neuroticism from the Poodles and Stubbornness from the Bernese Mountain. As such, you need to get your Bernedoodle pup from a reputable breeder and get to meet one of the purebred parents.
Just like other breeds of doodles, the Bernedoodles have inherited its heritage and high level of intelligence from its Poodle parent. On the other hand, its merry character and goofiness are from the Bernese Mountain dog. Bernedoodles are also low shedders and portray a lovely character. They will enjoy most of their time with adults and children in the family playing and cuddling. If you would like to make this awesome breed part of your family, read on to know more about it...
Bernedoodle Life Expectancy
What is the average lifespan of Bernedoodle? Since Bernedoodle is relatively a young breed, there isn't much information about his longevity concerns. According to the experts in this breed, the Standard Bernedoodles live between 12 and 15 years, while the mini Bernedoodles live up to close to 17 years. The tiny Bernedoodles, however, can live up to 18 years.
Bernedoodle Size
Depending on the size of the Poodle parent, the Bernedoodle comes in three different sizes that include toy, mini and standard. This implies that you can get a Bernedoodle of perfect size that is ideal to fit in a family of any lifestyle and size. Bernedoodles that are from mini and toy sized Poodles are perfect for urban and apartment living, but the standard sized ones are bigger for larger homes. Toy Bernedoodles can weigh about 10 lbs with a height of 12 inches, while the Standard sized Bernedoodles can weigh 90 lbs with a height of 29 inches.
Bernedoodle Temperament
Being a relatively new breed, pinpointing general traits and characteristics of these dogs can be quite challenging. This is because a Bernedoodle pup can favor either parent more than the other, making it had to predict which traits will predominate. Nevertheless, the Bernedoodles are excellent companions and have lived to their purpose of being calm, gentle, and affectionate to other animals and people alike.
Since they are people-oriented dogs, Bernedoodles love spending most of their time with their family while they engage in games and other activities. They also take great pleasure in spending sufficient time with their humans and cuddling calmly in the sofas. Their gentle, loyal nature, as well as their high level of intelligence, makes it possible for them to be ideal assistance and therapy dogs.
Although it's not always easy to know how a Bernedoodle pup will turn out to be, they will always be loving, playful and friendly. The charming nature of the Bernedoodle is attributed to the loyal and placid nature of the Bernese Mountain parent, and the happy-go-lucky of the Poodle parent.
At an early stage, the Bernedoodles are somewhat stubborn and curious. This character trait will be eliminated if they are well socialized and trained at an early stage. These wonderful dogs also have the ability to be aware of strangers, which makes them ideal watchdogs. Bernedoodles can be quite mischievous. Although with early positive socialization and training, this behavior can be easily curbed.
Feeding the Bernedoodle
The amount of food that you give your dog matters a great deal. Bernedoodles' food will be determined by their overall health, age, size and level of activity. Standard Bernedoodles have huge appetites, so be keen to portion their food correctly, instead of leaving food out all day long.
Owners should feed their puppies four times a day, but when they grow up, they should be fed only two meals a day. If you are not sure then its recommended that you ask your vet about the type and quantity of food you should feed your dog. Keep in mind that the larger Bernedoodles are at a greater risk of bloating, so splitting their meals into smaller portions would be a better idea.
Active little puppies should be fed on top quality dry food for the active breeds, and ensure that their meals contain nutritional elements such as protein and fat for proper regulation, functioning, and repair of the dogs' tissues and organs.
Bernedoodle Appearance
 Bernedoodles may have straight, curly or wavy hair. The more curls the dog has the more hypoallergenic he is. The coat is dense and thick accompanied by a harsh texture. It can also be coded depending on the length. During summer the coat allows the dog to be cool while protecting it from cold during winter seasons. Berne Doodle coat colors vary and may include black, brown, white, black sable, black and white, white and brown, black and brown, tri-colored, blue, fawn, grey, apricot, merle and cream.
Bernedoodle dogs are well built with dark, oval eyes that are set apart from each other. They have long triangular muzzles, ears hanging almost close to their heads and carried up bushy tails. Bernedoodles also have cushioned and thick pads. In cases where the Bernese genes dominate the dogs' figure will appear to be longer than taller.
Socializing Bernedoodles with kids and pets.
Owing to the fact that Bernedoodles are gentle and patient, they make great companions for children and wonderful playmates. Even so, you should teach your children how to safely and properly interact with the dog. Most especially with the small fragile ones like the Minis and the Toy Bernedoodles.
Bernedoodles love to play and interact with children and adults alike especially their owners and would prefer to spend most of their time with them over other things. Generally, they do quite well with other dogs and pets provided early socialization and training is given. This ensures that the dog does not feel uncomfortable or timid while among other pets or people.
Despite Inheriting intelligence from their Poodle parents, some Bernedoodles appear to be hard-headed a trait they inherit from their parent the Bernese Mountain Dog. If your Bernedoodle has inherited this trait then it will not be easy to train him.
In such cases, owners should not feel disappointed instead they should offer gradual and consistent positive reinforcement kind of training. Slowly, the stubbornness of the dog will go away and eventually you will have a well trained and disciplined Bernedoodle.
Keep in mind too that Bernedoodles get offended very easily, be gentle with them and avoid offering punishments since by so doing, they will not work and will make matters worse for you.
Owners are advised to practice patience, be calm and confident, in order to socialize, train and turn their Bernedoodles into perfect companion pups for both children and other pets.
Exercise for Bernedoodles
How active is a Bernedoodle? A moderate amount of physical activity and exercise is required for any Bernedoodle. A thirty minutes walk will do for them thrice a day. Poodle and Bernese Mountain Dog mix dogs will make a great companion for you while hiking during summer or while snow sledding during the winter season.
They will look forward to city walks as well as the country runs. When tired of the physical activities they will sit and enjoy cuddling with you. These dogs have no limitations since you can bring them wherever you go. They will quickly familiarize themselves with the environment as well as people in their surroundings.
Bernedoodle Puppies
Bernedoodle puppies are curly, friendly, affectionate and social, regardless of which generation size or type they come from. Early socialization of these puppies is very significant since they are also very intelligent. It's advisable to start training as early as possible at that tender age and especially because while young Bernedoodle puppies can be headstrong, though this should decline as they grow older.
Take advantage of those early months and invest in soft tender training both social and behavioral. This will make the puppy have an easier time while interacting with other pups and kids in the house and allow him to be comfortable around them without getting laid back.
It's advisable for potential dog owners to always purchase puppies from reputable breeders, so as to have a strong and healthy puppy. Seek to check the certificates of the puppy's parents' health records so as to know the health status of your puppy. While at it let the vet check your puppy's health before taking him home.
Caring for the Bernedoodle
The standard Bernedoodles feel much better in larger spaces such as a backyard. The Tiny and the Miniature Bernedoodles can however perfectly fit in apartments since they do not need bigger spaces to play.
The Bernedoodles love human companionship thus they like spending more time with their owners, they do not like spending much time on their own.
Owing to the fact that Bernedoodles are bred from poodles they are highly intelligent which only means that they can learn to pick up good behavior as well as bad behavior at the same rate. This is why owners are advised to train and socialize with other pets and people as early as possible.
In many instances, one is not able to predict just how big their Bernedoodle can be due to the different sizes of the parents. However, reputable and credible breeders usually harbor an idea based on previous litters.
Normally, the Standard Bernedoodle matures fully at about 12 to 18 months while the smaller Bernedoodles are fully mature at an average age of 12 months. The Bernedoodles of all ages prefer to live in households where people are active and usually tend to socialize with people of all ages as well, from children to the elderly.
So as to keep him healthy, the Bernedoodle will require a minimum of 60 minutes in daily activities. This is due to the high energy levels gained from both his parents, considering the fact that the parents are long term active working dogs.
If you happen to be the kind of person who loves jogging, long walks or hiking, you can be sure that your Bernedoodle will at all times keep your company. However, be cautious not to over-exercise your puppy due to the proneness of the elbow or hip dysplasia.
A healthy Bernedoodle puppy requires a maximum exercise of about 5 minutes per month, this means that your puppy as old as 5 months can safely walk or run around with you for about 25 minutes. This will not risk any growth or any other issue.
Bernedoodle History
Although the Bernedoodle is a fairly new designer breed having been first officially produced in 2003 by a person named Sherry Rupke of SwissRidge Kennels Canada, they are believed to have accidentally existed for quite some time. More about the history of this dog can be got from his parents' history.
Developed in Switzerland's Farmlands, the Bernese Mountain was developed as a canine for herding cattle, pulling carts. It was also a great companion and watchdog and was developed for tracking activities and obedience. The Poodle, on the other hand, has its origins in Germany and France since the 1400s, being used for hunting in retrieving waterfowls. Both of these parents are purebred dogs and are well recognized and registered by the American Kennel Society. The Bernedoodle is yet to receive this recognition, as it still has unpredictable traits. It would probably take several generations of interbreeding to achieve this.
How to groom a Bernedoodle dog?
Since Bernedoodles are created from two different breeds, their coats can vary in texture and length a great deal. Berne Doodles can have curly coats like the Poodles' parent or they can have a long straight and wavy coat like that of the Bernese Mountain Dog parent.
Bernedoodles are considered to be low shedding dogs that they inherit from the Poodle parent. However, Bernese Mountain Dog and Poodle mix dogs are not completely hypoallergenic since they still shed pet dander which actually happens with all other low shedding breeds.
Although Bernedoodles are a low shedding breed, they still require regular grooming. Owners can brush their Bernedoodles once or twice a week to ensure that the coat still remains healthy and beautiful.
Owners should wait until their puppies are seven months of age before clipping their coats' failure to which, irreversible damage may occur to its further growth. Although Bernedoodles don't require any standard clipping, owners still choose to clip them regularly to attain cute teddy bear-like dogs.
Bernedoodles come in different colors ranging from black, tri-colored, black and white, brown and black with different markings as well. Normally, they are highly recognized due to their shaggy look. Luckily, most Bernedoodles enjoy being groomed regularly since they view it as a way to further bond with their favorite humans.
Bernedoodle training
Although Bernedoodles inherit intelligence from their Poodle parent, they can sometimes be hard to train if they have inherited the Bernese mountain dog hard-headed trait.
Even though they grow out of this trait as they mature, Poodle and Bernese Mountain Dog mix dogs can throw their owner an unexpected show due to their nature of getting offended easily and incredibly sensitive. Harsh training techniques should never be used with these gentle dogs.
Owners are advised to start social training sessions for their dogs as early as possible to reduce the chances of ending up with a cautious, wary and skittish Bernedoodle. Offering rewards and continued positive reinforcement kind of training will give you a perfect shot at raising a well-adjusted pet that is a pleasure to be around.
If the puppy proves to be stubborn during training, maintain calmness while reducing your expectations. Set up your Bernedoodle for success and encourage him to carry out the behavior you want to see. Always avoid punishment with Bernedoodles since they don't work at all.
Bernedoodle potty training
Given the intelligence they inherit from the Poodle parent, Bernedoodles will not give a hard time to potty train. However, if your pooch happens to have inherited more traits from the hard-headed Bernese Mountain, you will need to be very careful as it may portray some stubbornness. Generally, Bernedoodles are even good for first-time dog owners. So long as you employ positive reinforcement techniques while avoiding to punish your dog for any accidents in your house, you will eventually achieve success with potty training.
First, get a potty spot outside and take your Bernedoodle on a leash to this spot frequently. You could also watch out for any signs that your dog wants to go potty. Also, after your dog wakes up from a nap or after playing, take your dog out to the potty area. Make sure he does relieve himself and then offer some praises accompanied with some potty commands such as Good boy or Gooood potty!
You can also choose any command relevant to you and the potty business. You can include some rewards inform of treats like chicken pieces. This should, however, not be too much since the Bernedoodle can easily add on excess weight that could negatively affect its physical health. In this way, your Bernedoodle will eventually associate this spot with relieving himself. He will eventually learn to go by himself by just uttering the commands you train him in this process, you just need to be patient with him.
Some owners choose to potty train their Bernedoodle to use an indoor dog potty which makes it easier for your pet to relieve himself or herself if you are not available to take your pet out for a walk.
Owning a Bernedoodle pros and cons
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