Bernedoodle: Swiss Mountain Heritage Meets Poodle Intelligence

3 Common Bernedoodle Behaviour Problems (And How To Fix Them)

Remember: Bernedoodles were created with genuine intention—to extend the tragically short lifespan of Bernese Mountain Dogs. Understanding their size and the challenge of mixing two very different temperaments helps you work with your dog's reality.

Where Do Bernedoodles Come From?

The Bernedoodle emerged in the early 2000s as breeders attempted to create a "healthier" Bernese Mountain Dog by crossing with Poodles, theoretically gaining hybrid vigour and longer lifespan. Bernese Mountain Dogs have tragically short lifespans of only 6-8 years, and the cross was meant to address this heartbreaking reality.

The marketing focuses on "gentle giant" temperament with "hypoallergenic" coat. Size ranges dramatically from "Mini" (25-45 pounds using Miniature Poodle) to Standard (60-100+ pounds), with massive variation even within litters.

F1 (first generation) and F1B (backcross to Poodle) are most common, creating unpredictable temperaments and coats. Multi-generational breeding is rare outside a few specialised programs.

What were they bred to do?

Bernedoodles have no working purpose—they're purely a companion cross created to address health concerns in Bernese Mountain Dogs.

Bernese Mountain Dogs were bred as Swiss farm dogs—calm, steady, devoted companions who worked alongside farmers pulling carts and guarding property. They're "shadow dogs" following their person everywhere, bonding intensely to family.

Poodles were originally water retrievers requiring high intelligence and handler focus.

Mixing both these breeds creates temperamental conflicts: some Bernedoodles are calm and steady like Bernese, others are high-energy like Poodles, many are anxious mixes of both. The unpredictability makes placement difficult—families expecting gentle giants often get energetic, anxious dogs requiring extensive management.

Key breeding traits:

Bernedoodles are large dogs—even "Minis" often exceed 20kg+, and breeding for size reduction is inconsistent. Their coats require complex maintenance despite marketing (wavy to curly coats that mat easily, requiring professional grooming every 6-8 weeks at $100-150+).

They face significant health concerns including hip/elbow dysplasia from both breeds, bloat (life-threatening emergency requiring immediate surgery), von Willebrand's disease, sebaceous adenitis, Addison's disease, and tragically high cancer risk from Bernese genetics.

The claim that crossing breeds eliminates health issues is false—genetic testing of both parents is the only way to reduce risk, and most breeders don't do this.

Why Do Bernedoodles Have These Behaviour Problems?

Your Bernedoodle isn't misbehaving—they're expressing traits from two very different breeds. Well-bred Bernedoodles from health-tested parents placed with experienced large-breed owners can be wonderful. Most are not well-bred and are placed with families unprepared for reality.

These are huge dogs (often 50kg+) requiring significant space, exercise, training, and financial resources. Their size means behavioral issues (jumping, reactivity, pulling) are more dangerous and harder to manage than in small dogs.

Many owners are overwhelmed by adolescent Bernedoodles (10-18 months) who are large, strong, energetic, and going through fear periods making them potentially reactive.

Problem 1: Size-Related Behaviour Management Issues

What's happening: Your Bernedoodle's normal puppy behaviors—jumping, pulling on lead, play biting, counter surfing—have become dangerous and difficult to manage because they're now 40-60kg. What was manageable at 15 pounds is overwhelming at 50+ pounds.

Why it happens: These dogs regularly reach 40+kg. At this size, normal puppy and adolescent behaviors become dangerous. Many owners fail to train properly during puppyhood (8-20 pounds) thinking they have time, then are overwhelmed by a 6-month-old adolescent who's already 50+ pounds and has practiced problematic behaviors for months.

The fix: Start training at 8 weeks old before size is an issue—every behavior you allow at 15 pounds becomes a 90-pound habit. Implement strict "no jumping" protocol from day one: all four paws on floor is the only way to get attention. Jumping = everyone turns away and ignores completely until calm.

Use your figure-8 drills and stop/start techniques to help them understand you are going on a walk (and they are coming with you). Prevent problem behaviors from developing: management is easier than fixing. Use baby gates to prevent counter-surfing access, lead in house to prevent jumping rehearsal, crate when you can't supervise to prevent destruction.

Use appropriate equipment: front-clip harness for lead training—you need mechanical advantage during the training period. These are training tools, not permanent solutions.

Consider the physical reality: if you cannot physically manage an 80-pound dog pulling on lead or jumping on guests, you need professional trainer help immediately—waiting until they're full grown makes training much harder.

Struggling with size-related issues? Managing large breed behaviors requires early intervention before they become dangerous. Join our free Skool community for lead training protocols specifically for large breeds.

Problem 2: Separation Anxiety

What's happening: Your Bernedoodle becomes distressed when left alone, follows you everywhere, can't settle unless touching you, shows signs of panic when separated, or develops destructive behaviors during absences.

Why it happens: Bernese Mountain Dogs were bred to work alongside farmers all day—they're "shadow dogs" following their person everywhere, bonding intensely to family, struggling when separated. Poodles are similarly handler-focused and prone to separation anxiety.

Many owners inadvertently create separation anxiety by providing constant companionship during puppyhood, especially those who got dogs during COVID or work from home.

The fix: Independence training from 8 weeks old is non-negotiable regardless of your current schedule. Practice micro-departures: leave room for 10 seconds, return before they react, ignore them for full 5 minutes until calm—gradually build to 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, and more over weeks.

Never make departures or arrivals emotional: no "goodbye" rituals, no excited reunions—teach your comings and goings are non-events not worthy of reaction. Make sure you practice leaving (getting keys, putting on shoes) multiple times daily during puppyhood to get them desensitised.

These dogs will want constant companionship, and it's very important that you have independent time during the day otherwise you will create a problem. Accept lifestyle limitations: some Bernedoodles cannot handle long absences even with training. Doggy daycare, dog walker midday, or work-from-home arrangements may be required—factor this into your decision about whether this breed is appropriate.

Finding separation anxiety overwhelming? This genetic trait requires systematic work from day one. Our Skool community has micro-departure protocols and you can troubleshoot specific situations during weekly Q&As.

Problem 3: Excessive Greeting (Jumping to "Cuddle")

What's happening: Your Bernedoodle greets people by jumping up on their back legs attempting to "cuddle." At their size, this knocks people over, frightens children, and has become dangerous despite their friendly intentions.

Why it happens: Similar to Boxers, Newfoundlands, and Golden Retrievers, Bernedoodles commonly greet on their back legs attempting to "cuddle." Unfortunately, due to their size, this is a problem behavior for most owners, even though the intention is affectionate.

The fix: Make sure your dog understands they should not have this behavior rewarded. This can be challenging. Inside, leave your dog on a short line around the house. Make sure that guests do not encourage the jumping behavior by turning their back on your dog.

If they persist, move them calmly into a quiet room and let them calm down. After a few repetitions, your dog will start to understand. Practice with 100% consistency—every person who enters your home must follow the protocol, or you're teaching that jumping works sometimes.

Struggling with greeting behavior? Large breed jumping is dangerous and requires household-wide consistency. Join our Skool community for greeting protocols and guest management strategies.

Is a Bernedoodle Right for a New Owner?

A Bernedoodle might be perfect for you if you're looking for:

• An affectionate, devoted companion - When well-bred, they form deep bonds with their families and want to be part of everything you do.
• A large, gentle family dog - Those who inherit more Bernese temperament can be calm, steady, wonderful with children.
• An intelligent, trainable dog - They combine intelligence from both parent breeds and excel at structured training.
• A striking, beautiful dog - Their tri-colour coats and teddy bear appearance are genuinely stunning.

If you can commit to training from 8 weeks old before size becomes unmanageable, budget $1000-1800+ annually for professional grooming, provide extensive independence training to prevent separation anxiety, manage a dog that may reach 50-80kg, ideally find a reputable breeder with health-tested parents (hip/elbow scores, cancer screening, cardiac clearances), and have significant space for a large dog, a well-bred Bernedoodle can be an outstanding companion.

Get the Full Support System for Your Bernedoodle

This guide gives you real solutions you can start using today. But raising a well-behaved Bernedoodle is an ongoing journey, not a one-time fix.

That's why we created our free Skool community—to give you continuous support every step of the way.

Inside the community, you'll get:

• Weekly live Q&A sessions where you can ask about YOUR specific Bernedoodle and get personalised advice from experienced trainers
• Full breed-specific courses covering everything from large breed management to separation anxiety protocols
• A supportive community of other Bernedoodle owners who understand the reality of living with a giant, affectionate shadow
• Video demonstrations of size-appropriate training techniques
• Troubleshooting help when things don't go to plan (because they won't always!)
• Updated resources as we add new courses and training blueprints

Best part? It's completely free. No subscription. No catch. Just dog owners helping dog owners.

Join The Toe Beans Co community today and get the ongoing support you need to build the best relationship with your Bernedoodle.