The breeds · side by side
for a gentle big dog
Bernedoodle or Bernese Mountain Dog.
The big gentle dog, in two coats. Lifespan is the honest line to read first; the Bernese entry carries a measured figure and the cross does not. Size comes from the Poodle in the cross, so ask which one.
Every value below shows its source and how sure we are. Breed sets the odds; the parents set the dog. Nothing here is a prediction about one dog.
What the question turns on
Median lifespan
Not recorded for this breed yet.
10.1 years (9.8 to 10.4)
Coat
Not recorded for this breed yet.
AKC: thick, moderately long, slightly wavy or straight, bright natural sheen; extremely curly or dull coats undesirable; shown in natural coat. Color jet black with rich rust and clear white markings, tri-color only. UKC: thick single coat. FCI: long, shining, straight or slightly wavy; distinctly curly coat a fault. RKC: coat length medium
Grooming load
3 of 5 · Parents differ: Bernese Mountain Dog more than once a week (3, RKC band), Poodle every day or regular clipping (4, RKC band). Which end a dog sits at depends on the coat it inherits; no cited source says how furnishings or curl are inherited
3 of 5 · RKC: grooming more than once a week; medium coat; sheds. AKC breed page: double coat, weekly brushing and daily during the twice-yearly shed
Weight
dogs 60 to 120 lb · bitches 40 to 100 lb
dogs 80 to 120 lb · bitches 70 to 100 lb
Exercise need
Both parents center on 60 minutes a day: Bernese Mountain Dog 30 to 60 minutes a day (AKC at least half an hour of moderate exercise; RKC up to 1 hour); Standard Poodle up to 1 hour a day (RKC band)
RKC: up to 1 hour per day. AKC breed page: at least half an hour of moderate exercise every day; enjoys walks, hikes, carting and drafting
The rest, read the same way
Height at the shoulder
22 to 27.6 in
dogs 25 to 27.6 in · bitches 22.8 to 26 in
Shedding
Not recorded for this breed yet.
AKC breed page: sheds a fair amount, more in shedding season, which comes twice a year; AKC trait score for shedding 5 of 5. RKC: sheds yes
Heat tolerance
2 of 5 · Parents differ: Bernese Mountain Dog 2 (long, thick, straight or slightly wavy coat; the parent file records a double or woolly-undercoat description from AKC); Standard Poodle 3 (dense curly coat, kept clipped). The coat a given dog inherits, and the clip it is kept in, sets where it sits
2 of 5 · FCI: coat long, shining, straight or slightly wavy; the standard disqualifies a short or double (Stockhaar) coat. AKC standard: thick, moderately long, slightly wavy or straight. AKC breed page calls it a double coat with a woolly undercoat; UKC calls it a thick single coat
Exercise need
Not recorded for this breed yet.
RKC: up to 1 hour per day (large house, large garden suggested). AKC breed page: at least a half-hour of moderate exercise daily, indoor family dog, good on long walks and hikes, pulls a child's cart; AKC page also lists agility, herding, obedience, rally and tracking
Energy
Not recorded for this breed yet.
AKC breed page trait scores (1 to 5): energy level 4, mental stimulation needs 3, playfulness 4, trainability 4, adaptability 4
Grooming
Not recorded for this breed yet.
RKC: more than once a week. AKC breed page: weekly brushing, daily during shedding season; tangles worked out with a slicker brush or metal comb
Role
Not recorded for this breed yet.
FCI utilization: originally a guard, draught and cattle dog on farms in the Canton of Bern, today also a family dog and versatile working dog. AKC standard: intelligent, strong and agile enough for the draft and droving work of its mountain origin. UKC: general farm worker, flock guardian and draft dog. RKC: Swiss draught dog that pulled carts for weavers and milk and cheese carts; general farm dog herding sheep and cattle. AKC history: droving cattle, guarding farmyards, pulling many times its own weight in a cart
Also used on
Not recorded for this breed yet.
Carting and drafting (AKC history: the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America sponsors drafting and carting events); AKC page also lists agility, herding, obedience, rally, tracking, camping and backpacking. Wikipedia: eligible for AKC herding events from July 1, 2010; police dogs in Switzerland; herd guardianship in the Swiss Alps
Field trial standard
Not recorded for this breed yet.
Wikipedia (editorial): the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America offers drafting trials open to all breeds with four individual titles (Novice Draft Dog, Advanced Novice Draft Dog, Draft Dog, Master Draft Dog) and four brace titles, two dogs working one cart; regional clubs offer carting events. AKC page: the national club sponsors drafting and carting events that test working ability
Hip dysplasia
Not recorded for this breed yet.
16.3% · 16.3% dysplastic of 31,630 OFA hip evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 82.1% normal; mild 10.5%, moderate 5.1%, severe 0.7%; breed rank 77 on OFA's list
Elbow dysplasia
Not recorded for this breed yet.
26.6% · 26.6% abnormal of 26,039 OFA elbow evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 73.1% normal; grade 1 18.5%, grade 2 6.1%, grade 3 2.0%; breed rank 13 on OFA's list
Most common disorders
Not recorded for this breed yet.
AKC breed page: breeders should screen for hip and elbow dysplasia, blood disorders, some cancers and progressive retinal atrophy; bloat risk as in all large breeds. Wikipedia (editorial): malignant histiocytosis accounts for about a quarter of tumours in the breed (heritability 0.298); high-grade mastocytoma about three times the general population (Austrian study); immune-mediated glomerulonephritis and renal disease higher than any other breed in a Swiss study; degenerative myelopathy variants (SOD1:c.52T in 3.5%, a second variant in 38%); von Willebrand disease type I
Aggression, as studied
Not recorded for this breed yet.
C-BARQ online sample, 67 Bernese Mountain Dogs: 1.5% of owners reported a snap, bite or attempt to bite at a stranger, 3% at an owner, 4.5% at an unfamiliar dog and 1.6% in dog rivalry (Table 4). The authors list the Bernese among the breeds that scored low (below the median) for stranger-directed aggression and among those least aggressive toward both humans and dogs
What to ask a breeder for
Clearances
- Poodle: Eye testing (Standard, Miniature and Toy) (ask for this on the Poodle parent) · UK
- Poodle: Hip scoring (Standard, Miniature and Toy) (ask for this on the Poodle parent) · UK
- Poodle: DNA (Standard): PRA (rcd4), prcd-PRA, von Willebrand disease (vWD1); imported Standard Poodles must be clear or carrier of prcd-PRA and rcd4 for registration since 6 January 2025 (ask for this on the Poodle parent) · UK
- Poodle: Hip dysplasia evaluation (Standard and Miniature; CHIC requirement) (ask for this on the Poodle parent) · US
- Poodle: Health elective, at least one of: OFA thyroid evaluation, OFA sebaceous adenitis evaluation by an approved dermatopathologist, or heart evaluation by an ACVIM board-certified cardiologist (Standard; CHIC requirement) (ask for this on the Poodle parent) · US
- Poodle: Yearly eye exam by a board-certified ACVO ophthalmologist (all varieties; CHIC requirement) (ask for this on the Poodle parent) · US
- Poodle: Neonatal Encephalopathy with Seizures (NEwS) DNA test or clear by parentage (Standard; AKC/CHIC listing) (ask for this on the Poodle parent) · US
- Poodle: Von Willebrand Disease I DNA test (Standard; AKC/CHIC listing) (ask for this on the Poodle parent) · US
- Bernese Mountain Dog: Hip scoring (Good Practice) (ask for this on the Bernese Mountain Dog parent) · UK
- Bernese Mountain Dog: Elbow scoring (Good Practice) (ask for this on the Bernese Mountain Dog parent) · UK
- Bernese Mountain Dog: DNA: degenerative myelopathy, common variant (ask for this on the Bernese Mountain Dog parent) · US
- Bernese Mountain Dog: Ophthalmologist evaluation (ask for this on the Bernese Mountain Dog parent) · US
- Bernese Mountain Dog: DNA: degenerative myelopathy, Bernese Mountain Dog variant (ask for this on the Bernese Mountain Dog parent) · US
- Bernese Mountain Dog: AKC DNA profile (ask for this on the Bernese Mountain Dog parent) · US
- Bernese Mountain Dog: Elbow evaluation (ask for this on the Bernese Mountain Dog parent) · US
- Bernese Mountain Dog: Cardiac exam (ask for this on the Bernese Mountain Dog parent) · US
- Bernese Mountain Dog: Hip evaluation (ask for this on the Bernese Mountain Dog parent) · US
- Elbow scoring (Good Practice) · UK
- Hip scoring (Good Practice) · UK
- DNA: degenerative myelopathy, common variant · US
- AKC DNA profile · US
- Hip evaluation · US
- Elbow evaluation · US
- DNA: degenerative myelopathy, Bernese Mountain Dog variant · US
- Ophthalmologist evaluation · US
- Cardiac exam · US
The health clearances each breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.
The selector
Which one, for your life?
A few minutes of honest answers: the birds, the ground, the water, the house, the week. The selector ranks both of these against what you said, explains every rank, and shows exactly where the one you came in wanting lands.
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