When is a Bernedoodle Full Grown? (with Photos)
There’s nothing like the excitement of bringing home a new puppy. But as you’re watching your puppy grow—and grow some more—it might get you wondering, “When is a Bernedoodle full grown?”
A Bernedoodle is usually full grown by around two years old, although they can sometimes continue growing close to three years old.
Knowing the type of Poodle parent your Bernedoodle has will also help you determine whether your puppy is full-grown.
I’ll share the must-knows of Bernedoodle growth so that you can stop wondering whether your Bernedoodle has more growing into its paws to do.
The Age of a Full-Grown Bernedoodle
Technically, a Bernedoodle can take anywhere from 1.5 to three years to become full-grown.
However, most Bernedoodles stop growing by 1.5 to two years of age.
That might sound counterintuitive if you’ve owned a smaller dog breed in the past. That’s because smaller dog breeds tend to reach their full size quicker.
In fact, the kennel clubs state that puppies can become full grown in as little as six months.
So, if you have a Bernedoodle with a Toy or Miniature Poodle parent, they’ll likely stop growing closer to the 1.5-year mark.
Determining the Adult Size of a Bernedoodle Puppy
Here’s the hard truth: It’s impossible to know how tall a Bernedoodle puppy will become as an adult. So, if you encounter a breeder telling you otherwise, I recommend steering clear of them.
That’s because, unlike the Bernese Mountain Dog and Poodle, the Bernedoodle isn’t purebred.
So, although a breeder can and should give you an estimated range of how tall your Bernedoodle might get, the measurements won’t be as accurate as if you were to buy a purebred Bernese Mountain Dog or Poodle.
Bernese Mountain Dog Size
The average size of a Bernese Mountain Dog ranges from 23 to 27.5 inches, making this a large dog breed.
Bernese Mountain Dogs can weigh anywhere from 70 to 115 pounds. Therefore, even if you purchase a Bernese Mountain Dog mixed with a Toy Poodle, your Bernedoodle won’t ever be as tiny as a small purebred Poodle.
Poodle Dog Size
The Poodle parent is what complicates determining the size of a Bernedoodle, given that the AKC recognizes three Poodle sizes. They are as follows:
- Standard Poodle: Over 15 inches tall, weighs 40 to 70 pounds
- Miniature Poodle: Between 10 to 15 inches tall, weighs 10 to 15 pounds
- Toy Poodle: Less than 10 inches tall, 4 to 6 pounds
As a result, there are three types of Bernedoodles you can purchase:
- Standard Bernedoodle
- Miniature Bernedoodle
- Tiny Bernedoodle
How Bernedoodle Gender Affects Size?
Whenever you’re trying to figure out a Bernedoodle full-grown size, it’s essential to factor in their gender. Male dogs of any breed are almost always taller and weigh more than their female counterparts.
So, when looking at the average height and weight statistics I’ll be sharing below, it’s crucial to consider your dog’s gender.
If your male Bernedoodle is already at the low end of the height range for their Poodle parent genetic makeup, it’s reasonable to assume they still have more growing to do.
In contrast, a female Bernedoodle of the same age and height might already have reached its maximum adult size.
Sizing Up Your Bernedoodle
By now, you should understand that there’s no guarantee of how large your Bernedoodle puppy will get. But the good news is that it’s possible to estimate their size based on their Poodle parent.
So, below is a breakdown of the approximate height and weight you can expect from your Bernedoodle, assuming you purchased them from a breeder who knows the parents’ lineage.
Tiny Bernedoodle Size
Tiny Bernedoodles, which also go by Toy Bernedoodles, is the smallest kind of Bernedoodle you can purchase.
If you’re wondering how breeders mate a Toy Poodle with a full-sized Bernese Mountain Dog, the answer is they don’t. Instead, they breed a Toy Poodle with a Miniature Bernedoodle.
That way, they can achieve a smaller size.
You can expect your Tiny Bernedoodle to grow up to around 17 inches tall. They’ll also weigh between 10 to 24 pounds, depending on their gender, diet, and exercise routine.
Miniature Bernedoodle Size
Miniature Bernedoodles are the result of breeding a Miniature Poodle and purebred Bernese Mountain Dog.
These dogs grow between 18 and 22 inches tall and weigh anywhere from 25 to 50 pounds.
Unlike the Toy Bernedoodle, the Miniature Bernedoodle has an even 50/50 split of purebred Poodle and Bernese Mountain Dog.
Standard Bernedoodle Size
Standard Bernedoodles are the largest type of Bernedoodle. They grow between 23 to 29 inches tall and weigh 70 to 90 pounds.
But some Bernedoodles grow over 100 pounds, so you should be prepared for a massive, cuddly pooch who might believe they’re fit for being a lap dog.
The Unofficial Exception
Although there are technically no “official” Bernedoodle size standards, given that the AKC won’t recognize the Bernedoodle since it’s a hybrid, the three sizes I just covered are generally accepted as the size ranges for Bernedoodles.
However, there’s an exception—the Medium Bernedoodle.
Due to what some people see as a size gap between the Miniature and Standard Bernedoodle, some refer to dogs between 19 to 25 or 21 to 24 inches tall as Medium Bernedoodles.
The 19 to 25-inch range is typically for female Bernedoodles, while the 21 to 24-inch range is for males.
In either case, these dogs can average 35 to 55 pounds, making them excellent medium-sized dogs to have in your home.
Factors Affecting Bernedoodle Size
While gender plays a role in size variation among Bernedoodles, it’s not the only factor. Below are other situations that can cause your Bernedoodle to vary in size.
- Height of the parents
- Weight of the parents
- Generation of Bernedoodle
As you can imagine, genetics plays a significant role in determining how large a Bernedoodle will grow. If one or both of a Bernedoodle’s Poodle and Bernese Mountain Dog parents were exceptionally small or large for their size, their litter might inherit these traits.
The generation of your Bernedoodle is also a vital factor. First-generation Bernedoodles consist of 50% Poodle and 50% Bernese Mountain Dog.
Since Bernese Mountain Dogs are larger than Poodles, second, third, or more distant generation Bernedoodles that acquire a higher percentage of Bernese Mountain Dogs will likely be taller.
In contrast, Bernedoodles with two or more generations of genes with a higher Poodle percentage are often shorter.
The bottom line is that the further you stray from first-generation Bernedoodles, the harder it can be to predict the size your Bernedoodle puppy will grow into.
Ensuring Healthy Growth for Your Bernedoodle
As a loving Bernedoodle puppy owner, it’s undoubtedly important to you that you provide your pooch with the best care possible.
One of the best ways to do this in terms of ensuring proper growth is by feeding your Bernedoodle puppy a well-balanced diet. You should ensure that at least 90% of your puppy’s nutrition comes from high-quality food your veterinarian recommends, not treats or table scraps.
The best puppy food for Bernedoodles includes the following macro and micronutrients:
- Protein
- Fat
- Carbohydrates
- Vitamins
- Minerals
Since dogs can only produce 13 of the 23 amino acids they need for proper health, it’s crucial to choose a dog food that states it offers the complete set of essential amino acids.
A Note on Exercise
Bernedoodle puppies are adorable, and it’s tempting to want to play with them all the time. However, aside from sleep being a crucial factor in their growth, too much exercise can damage their growing bodies.
The reason is that a puppy’s growth plates are soft when growing. So, it’s easier to injure them from play, particularly high-intensity exercise for long periods on a hard surface like pavement.
Should your Bernedoodle puppy overexercise when they’re still growing, it can damage their bones and joints, causing many long-term health issues.
The Bottom Line
So, when is a Bernedoodle full grown? While it’s understandable and important to have an idea of the expected Bernedoodle full-grown size for a litter of puppies, it’s impossible to say how big your puppy will get with accuracy.
So, you should ensure you have the space and means to care for a Bernedoodle if your puppy grows larger than the breeder’s estimated size.
Of course, the other option is to buy or adopt a full-grown Bernedoodle. A two to three-year-old Bernedoodle has little to no growing left, so you shouldn’t have to guess their size.
