Many of these tribes mingled their bloodlines, allowing many types of dogs numbering in the hundreds to develop from this common stock. These mountain people were shepherds, hunters, and warriors who needed a strong dog for their many purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over time, some communities became especially well-known for their dogs that accompanied cattle and the associated hunters who used them. Bern was among those tribes with a long history of using dogs to drive and protect livestock and hunt on foot and horseback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Roman roads brought new ideas and people into this area and the dogs they sold and traded. The Roman conquest marked the beginning of written history in Switzerland, and naturally, much is known about them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, we don\u2019t know anything about what breeds were used by the Helvetians and early Romans and how these affected those who emerged later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first written records of a distinctive variety of dogs in Switzerland came with the nobleman Albertus Magnus, Bishop of Ratisbon (Regensburg), who visited these mountains about 1250. He wrote about \u201cblack-and-tan\u201d dogs in Switzerland, and it is possible this was a reference to the Bernese Mountain Dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For many, the early history of the Bernese Mountain Dog is a bit of a mystery. But it\u2019s clear from records of their ancestors that this dog was used as an all-around farm and draft animal for hundreds or even thousands of years, likely originating in ancient times when mastiff-type breeds were widely used as war dogs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Roman armies are said to have brought this type of dog with them when they invaded Switzerland around 100 B.C., and it\u2019s thought that the large Roman estate owners would then use these dogs to protect their estates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Around A.D. 500, the Roman armies were driven out of the area, but these powerful mastiffs were still used in rural areas throughout Switzerland to protect livestock, people, and property. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These dogs were presumably bred with other mastiff breeds brought in by the Goths around this time. As Europe settled down after the Dark Ages, these Swiss farm dogs began to spread throughout parts of the country, where they became almost ubiquitous in many mountainous farming districts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The breed was split into two main types, the Jura-type<\/em> farm dog and the Entlebucher<\/em> or Emmenta<\/em>l variety. The Jura-type resembled today\u2019s English Mastiff, with an extremely large head and heavy muzzle, while the latter looked more like today\u2019s Bernese Mountain Dog, with a long head and lighter muzzle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Entlebucher Mountain Dog was the original variety exported to the United States in 1928. However, it wasn\u2019t until 1959 that an AKC breed club for the Bernese Mountain Dog was formed in the U.S., making it an American breed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America (BMDCA) was founded in 1968, and the first standard for the breed was written that same year. The name changed from the “Entlebucher” to \u201cBernese\u201d in 1976, at which time its coat color became tri-color for conformation showing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, Bernese Mountain Dogs continue to be a well-loved and friendly breed in the United States and worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is essential to understand that Poodles and Bernese Mountain Dogs are very intelligent breeds, each with a long history of ability and success as working dogs. The goal for creating the Bernedoodle was to take two different types of dogs and breed them together to produce offspring who could serve as excellent family pets and versatile workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bernedoodle was first bred in 2003 by Sherry Rupke of Swissridge Kennels. Mrs. Rupke wanted to produce a type of dog that would serve as both an excellent family pet and an intensely loyal worker capable of completing the tasks its ancestors were known for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By breeding two intelligent breeds, she hoped to create a new dog capable of doing both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before creating the Bernedoodle, Mrs. Rupke maintained Swissridge Kennels as a breeder of purebred Poodles and Bernese Mountain Dogs. Creating the breed was to take two different types of canine and mate them together to produce offspring who could serve as excellent family pets and versatile workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mrs. Rupke first became interested in the idea of creating a Bernese poodle mix by combining the Poodle and the Bernese Mountain Dog after she visited a client’s home and saw this combination for herself. The client had two breeding pairs of older, retired Bernese Mountain Dogs and used them to do light yard work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the dogs, a female named Molly, became intrigued with Mrs. Rupke. Rupke’s purebred Poodle followed him everywhere he went. Seeing this interaction excited Mrs. Rupke about the idea of creating a new breed through crossbreeding these two intelligent breeds together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Believing that the combination of a Poodle and a Bernese Mountain Dog would produce an excellent family Bernepoo, Mrs. Rupke set out to make this crossbreeding happen. She designed her breeding program, first mating one female Purebred Bernese Mountain Dog with four male purebred Miniature Poodles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This mating lived up to her expectations, producing a litter containing six male Bernedoodles and one female. She then bred this single female with an additional four Poodle males (for a total of five Poodle sires), resulting in the birth of 14 more puppies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further breeding between these two crosses resulted in additional litters (and many requests for puppies from interested future pet owners). Finally, Mrs. Rupke became confident she was on her way to creating an entirely new breed that would serve as a family pet and versatile worker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since creating this new breed, Mrs. Rupke and other breeders have worked hard to strengthen and promote the Bernedoodle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While the American Kennel Club does not yet recognize the breed, it is considered a registered, non-recognized breed with the Designer Dogs Kennel Club and has been called a breed ready to become standard in size for some working dog organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Bernedoodle can vary significantly in appearance depending on what breeds are used to create the mix, but it generally takes after either of their parents. For example, if they take after a poodle parent, they will have hair instead of fur and generally be hypoallergenic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If their parents are both Bernese Mountain Dogs, their coats will be very thick and shed quite a bit. Their coats can come in many colors: black, brown, gray, white, or even red. They can have either single or double coats. They generally have floppy ears and look like a labrador retriever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, if they take after the Bernese Mountain dog parent, but not the poodle parent, their coats will be thick and generally black. If they take after the Bernese Mountain dog parent but have some poodle mixed, their coats will be very thick and typically brown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If their parents are both Bernese Mountain dogs, the Bernedoodle dog will likely have short, strong front legs. However, if they take after a poodle parent, their front legs may be longer and stronger than after a Bernese Mountain dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bernese Poodle mix has a coat that requires attention and care. The length of the coat will vary depending on what type of parent breed your dog takes after, but be sure to always take into account the weather and temperature conditions in your area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, if you live somewhere with long periods of warm weather year-round, it may not be ideal to have your dog shaved down all the time. In this case, keeping a medium-length coat may be what you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Short-haired Bernese Poodle mixes do not hold their coats well and will often need regular clipping or stripping of the dead hair from the skin. They cannot produce enough new hair to replace what they have lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Adult](\"https:\/\/poodleslove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Adult-brown-and-white-bernedoodle-dog.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nHow the Bernedoodle Came About<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Bernedoodle’s Appearance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Bernese Poodle Mix’s Coat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Female](\"https:\/\/poodleslove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Female-Puppy-Bernedoodle.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Cute](\"https:\/\/poodleslove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Cute-Bernedoodle.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n