About the Bernedoodle

            As I am sure you know by now, the bernedoodle is a cross between the bernese mountain dog and a poodle. Here at Berner Babies, we raise a couple of different kinds of bernedoodles:

F1 – the F1 bernedoodle is a purebred bernese mountain dog bred to a purebred poodle (50% bernese mountain dog, 50% poodle)

            The F1 will have a wavy hair coat and may shed slightly 

F1B – the F1B bernedoodle is a bernedoodle bred to a purebred poodle (25% bernese mountain dog, 75% poodle)

            They will have a curlier coat, will not shed and are more suitable for those will allergies.

 

Bernedoodles come in three sizes, standard, mini and tiny:

 

F1 Standard – a standard F1 bernedoodle is a bernese mountain dog bred to a standard poodle. The puppies will be approximately 50 to 70 pounds and stand 23” to 29” at the shoulders. Males may be slightly larger. They will have a wavy coat. 

 

F1B Standard – a standard F1B bernedoodle is a standard bernedoodle bred to a standard poodle. The puppies will be approximately 50 to 70 pounds and stand 23” to 29” at the shoulders. Males may be slightly larger. They will have a curlier coat, will not shed and are more suitable for those with allergies.

 

F1 Mini – this is a bernese mountain dog bred to a miniature poodle. The puppies will be approximately 25 to 49 pounds and stand 18” to 22” at the shoulders. They will have a wavy coat and may shed slightly. 

 

F1B Mini – this is a standard bernedoodle bred to a miniature poodle. The puppies will be approximately 25 to 49 pounds and stand 18” to 22” at the shoulders. They will have a curlier coat, will not shed and are suitable for those with allergies.

 

F1B tiny bernedoodle – this is F1B mini bernedoodle bred to a toy poodle. The puppies will be approximately 10 to 24 pounds and stand 12” to 17” at the shoulders. They will have a curly coat and will not shed and are well suited for those with allergies. 

 

Personality

            Bernedoodles have great personalities. Both the traits of both the bernese mountain dog and the poodle in one dog. Bernese Mountain Dogs are some of the most sweet, loyal, kind dogs you will ever meet. Poodles are smart, funny, playful and affectionate. When you combine those traits together, you get one amazing dog! 

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            Like with any dog, you need to be consistent while you train, but bernerdoodles can be sensitive and so only use positive reinforcement during their training. They do not respond well to raising your voice. You will get much further will positive reinforcement with these babies. They want to make you happy, they love their owners and their families and live and breathe to be with you. They want to be touching you. If you get a smaller bernedoodle, they will want to curled up on your lap and if you get a bigger one, they’ll want to be on your lap too, it just isn’t as feasible. They don’t seem to realize that they grow! So whatever you let them do as a puppy, they want to do when they are full grown, including sleep on your lap. 

 

Health and Maintenance

            No matter what type of bernedoodle you get, they will require grooming because they are mixed with a poodle. We shave ours every 3 months at the groomer and then in the winter time, they have sweaters (yes we are those crazy people who dress their dogs) If you decide that you want to leave your bernedoodle long, you need to brush them on a regular basis, but more so if you get the F1B. If you plan on leaving your bernedoodle long, I would recommend grooming appointments every 6-8 weeks or your dog will end up shaved due to matting near the skin. You will want to get a slicker brush and start brushing your puppy right away to get them used to a brush. 

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            The bernedoodle is still a fairly new breed but they are saying that they are going to have much longer lifespans than their purebred parents because they are not carrying the genetic baggage of their parents. So far, life spans are being predicted as follows:

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Standard bernedoodles 12-15 years

Mini bernedoodles 13-17 years

Tiny bernedoodles 14-18 years

That would be amazing! But I also need you to keep this in mind when you adopt from us. I expect that our puppies will live this long and a dog is a lifetime commitment and when I hand our puppy to you, I expect that you are dedicated to our puppy for his or her lifetime. You are their forever home. I need all puppy owners to take that very seriously when adopting from us. 

 

Colors

            Bernedoodles come in a variety of different colors. It is like Christmas every time the babies are born. I believe the most important thing to a family should be that the puppy is going to fit into their family, which we make sure that temperament and health is the top priority when breeding, but we also want to make sure we have cute and adorable babies for families to choose from.  The most common color is black, there is also black and white, black and tan, sable, merle, brindle,  the occasional cream and the most sought after, tri-colored. The tri-colored puppy that looks like a berner is often the hardest to achieve. 

Registration

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            Only the F1 bernedoodles will come with an official registration because they are 2 purebreds being bred together to create a designer breed. The F1Bs cannot be registered at this time. However, there is the International Designer Dog Registry though, if once you get your puppy, you can register him or her on your own. 

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Summary

             If you are looking for a dog to brighten up your day that is similar to the bernese mountain dog but maybe not as big, maybe you’re looking for something a little bit more outgoing or a little less hairy? Than perhaps the bernerdoodle is the dog for you. They are funny, affectionate, smart, loyal. They are everything that you see in the berner without the hair in your mouth or on your clothes. And who knows? Maybe these people are right and they will live to be almost 20 years old! Wouldn’t that truly be amazing! Let me know if you are interested in one of our babies!