History
If you are looking for a fluffy companion dog in your life, then nothing can be better than a Bernedoodle. They are also known as Bernese Mountain Poo as they are a combination of the Bernese mountain dog breed and the Poodle. These hybrid dogs have been in existence for many years. Their first breeder is known to be Sherry Rupke who bred the first litter of a pair of Bernedoodles in 2003.
This is relatively a new breed of the two purebreds, but the American Kennel Club does not recognize the Bernedoodle. However, they are recognized by the American Canine Hybrid Club, the International Designer Canine Registry, the Designer Dogs Kennel Club, and also the Designer Breed Registry. They also appear in rescue and shelter groups that focus mainly on the Poodles and the Bernese mountain dog and the mixture of these two.
How Big Does a Bernedoodle Get? -
As they are available in 3 varieties, their sizes varies based on which category they belong to. Standard variants are popular and on an average they are 25 inches tall and weigh around 70-75 lbs.
Bernedoodle Size & Varieties (Size Chart)
- Standard Bernedoodle - Full size Bernedoodles usually are 23 to 29 inches tall & weigh around 50 to 90 lbs.
- Mini Bernedoodle - A full grown mini (miniature) Bernedoodle can be18 to 22 inches tall & weigh 25 to 29 lbs
- Tiny Bernedoodle - 12 to 17 inches tall & weighs 10 to 24 lbe
Temperament and Personality
Bernedoodles inherit many of the significant personality traits of both the Poodle and the Bernese mountain dog breeds. The trait they will inherit may differ a bit and the individual personalities of these dogs can vary. Bernedooodles are highly intelligent and hardworking dogs, loyal and a bit goofy. They go well with children and other dogs too and have a happy-go-lucky temperament. Some may have a stubborn nature because of their Bernese mountain dogs’ inheritance, but this nature may fade away as the puppies grow up as adult dogs.
They have high levels of energy and do not like to be alone at home. Tiny and mini Bernedoodles adapt well to city life and apartment living. But they can behave a bit weird in front of strangers so early socialization is essential. They need a lot of human interaction. You will adore their friendliness, love affection and playfulness of the Bernedoodles. Due to its funny name pet lovers often ask, "what is a bernedoodle?".
Care
Exercise
The level of activity of the miniature Bernedoodles or other variants depends on the type of breeding, but usually, they are moderately active dogs. The smaller varieties tend to become more active in comparison with the larger varieties. However, a daily walk is enough to satisfy their exercise needs. They can have high levels of energy at times and crave for attention, so they should be given moderate exercise.
These dogs are at their best at homes and you should not keep them alone at home for long hours. They adapt more comfortably to apartment life than the standard Bernedoodle dogs. A nice long walk of 30 minutes to an hour is therefore needed on a daily basis to burn off their energy and calories and maintain a sound health along with mental fitness. They are not much demanding and just want humans around them and are ready to go outside.
Grooming
The coats of a Bernese mountain dog poodle mix may vary and might appear more like the poodle or the Bernese mountain dog. But generally, they have curly and wavy coats with minimal shedding, but this can lead to proneness for allergies. At times, Bernedooodles may have a straight coat instead of a curly one which will shed more and cause allergies.
The soft thick coat helps them to thrive in cool weather conditions and also provides them protection from the heat during the summers. But the curlier the coat, grooming gets more difficult. As they shed less, they need brushing more often for prevention of the coats from getting matted. Brushing can prove to be a bonding activity of the owner with the dog. The coat may be trimmed every few months depending on the growth.
Health problems
Unlike other dogs, they are a healthy breed. In most cases, the crossbreed is less prone to development of congenital problems than the purebred dogs because of the fact that the gene pool is much larger. But that does not guarantee that the Bernedoodle is not at all prone to some conditions and all the breeds of these may be affected by some diseases.
Some health issues they may face. are hip dysplasia, several skin problems, eye issues and elbow dysplasia. But all in all, the Bernedoodle is a much healthier dog than both of its parents. Allergies may also occur in some cases.
Training
At younger stages, the Bernedoodles can be headstrong and stubborn natured dogs mainly the toy and miniature versions. It is said that gradually this nature fades away in its growth days to adulthood. Due to this reason, start their training from its puppyhood days.
Positive reinforcement is the best approach to train these dogs as negative reinforcement can never help in dealing with predisposed stubborness. As puppies they are more strong-willed which fades away as they grow older. Hence pair positive reinforcement techniques with consistency and repetitions to ensure your dog grows into a well-mannered breed.
As mentioned they are vary of strangers but socializing since early age helps in dealing with this nature. Limited socializing may become destructive as the dog may become anxious around strangers and make your guests uncomfortable. Being extremely intelligent thanks to the brain of its Poodle parent, they also love playing with a range of toys and games that keeps them mentally stimulated. A perfect idea to keep your pet occupied is by indulging them in playing brain games.
Feeding
There are mainly three sizes of the Bernedoodle dogs. So you must choose the dog food quality and formula according to its size. Feed the Toy and medium bernedoodle with dog food formula for small breed dogs.
However, the amount of the food depends mainly on the age, size, and level of activity. A full grown Bernedoodle may be voracious in eating so they will gulp down every food you put in front of them. Hence, you must take care of them to monitor their weight and the quantity of food intake and also balance it with plenty of exercises. If you are cooking your own, you might give them white or brown rice as a single source of protein.
Also, you may add yogurt, boiled pumpkin or sweet potato along with it. Even items like tofu, cottage cheese, baby food and boiled chicken or turkey, boiled liver are apt for their healthy diet. But make sure to insist on a low protein diet so protect its coat from ruining fast.
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