One of the reasons that the Bernedoodle craze has taken the nation by storm is that they come in different sizes.
Whether you want a standard-sized Bernedoodle, a miniature version, or a happy medium, there’s a Bernedoodle for you. If you choose a mini Bernedoodle, you’re likely wondering how big your puppy will be when it’s fully grown.
Average “mini” size
On average, mini Bernedoodles can be anywhere from 13″ to 18″ tall from floor to shoulders and weigh 20 to 40 pounds. However, some Bernedoodles bred to be miniature have grown up to 22″ tall and weighed up to 49 pounds.
While all “mini” Bernedoodles are smaller than medium and standard doodles, they aren’t all the same size. This is because dogs, just like people, have different genetics and are unique from one another. In addition to genetics, there are several other factors that determine how big mini Bernedoodles get, and we’ll explore each of them below.
What factors influence the size of a Bernedoodle?
Several factors affect how big your Bernedoodle will get, include genetics, nutrition, and exercise.
Genetics
Genetics, aka your Bernedoodle’s parents, have the biggest impact on how big their offspring will get. To get a mini Bernedoodle, a small or toy poodle is often bred to a small Bernese Mountain Dog.
However, try as they may, breeders can’t guarantee that every puppy will be as small as intended. In the same way that two short people can produce a 6’+ child, some dogs simply get bigger than you’d expect.
Nutrition and Exercise
While genetics has the biggest impact on how big your dog will naturally grow, nutrition and exercise also play a role. If you feed your Bernedoodle healthy dog food, they are more likely to grow to their full potential without getting overweight.
Cheap or bad food, on the other hand, can lead to being undersized, even for a toy doodle.
What are Bernedoodle size categories?
As a general rule, Bernedoodles are sized according to their weight rather than according to height or length. Additionally, every breeder has their own size criteria and categories depending on their preferences.
Here’s the sizing system we use
- Standard: 60–100+ lbs
- Medium: 40–60 lbs
- Mini/medium: 25–50 lbs
- Mini: 20–40 lbs
- Micro-mini (i.e. toy): Under 20 lbs
Here’s an FAQ with more details about the different sizes we breed.
How large do mini Bernedoodles get?
At Fawn River Doodles, our mini Bernedoodles can be anywhere from 20 to 40 pounds. Additionally, our mini Bernies typically max out at 18″ tall at the shoulder but they can be as short as 13″.
How to estimate a mini Bernedoodle’s full-grown weight
If you’re curious and want to know how big your Bernedoodle will be when it’s full-grown, there’s a trick you can use. When they’re 16-18 weeks old, weigh them and double their weight. In most cases, this will provide a good ballpark of how big your dog will be when it’s fully grown. However, this only works with mini and medium doodles and not on standard ones.
Can you guarantee that your puppy will grow to the advertised size?
Unfortunately, while breeders try their best to get sizing just right, we can’t guarantee that your puppy will grow to the advertised size.
For example, we once had a litter of puppies that were supposed to be in the mini/medium category. The father was a 19-pound Poodle and the mother was a 90-pound Bernese Mountain Dog, which typically results in puppies that weigh 35 – 55 pounds when full-grown.
However, nature had other plans for this particular litter, as some of the puppies ended up being 70 pounds when full-grown! In addition to nature and genetics, it’s also possible for dogs to be overfed and under-exercised. This can lead to obesity and significantly increase your dog’s adult weight.
The same is true of mini Bernedoodles. We never guarantee the maximum size or weight of our puppies, because there are no guarantees. Instead, we’ll tell you what the anticipated size will be based on the size of the parents.
A runt becomes one of the biggest in the litter
You also can’t base the full-grown size on how big they are as a puppy.
For instance, we once sold a standard Bernedoodle puppy that was the runt of the litter. However, rather than maxing out at what we guessed would be 70 pounds, the “runt” of the litter ended up being over 100 pounds and one of the biggest of the litter!
This is a perfect example of why we can’t guarantee the sizes of our mini Bernedoodles, because you just never know.
Why is there such a big size difference in “mini” Bernedoodles?
To be fair, there’s a big difference with all types of Bernedoodles, whether mini, medium, or standard. However, there’s such a big difference with minis because most breeders breed mini Poodles to Bernese Mountain Dogs. As you likely know — there’s really no such thing as a mini or even a medium Bernese — females typically weigh between 70 and 100 pounds.
Doing what we can to eliminate guesswork
At Fawn River Doodles, we try to take the guesswork out of breeding mini Bernedoodles. Rather than breeding a mini Poodle to a Bernese Mountain Dog, we breed two mini Bernedoodles together. That way, we have more control over what the maximum size and weight of the puppies will be (20–40 lbs).
When we breed a mini Poodle to a Bernese Mountain Dog we call them mini/medium Bernedoodles and provide a wider range (25–50 lbs) because the parents are so far apart.
Is there a way to chart my Berendoodle’s expected growth?
If you’re not satisfied with doubling your Bernedoodle’s weight when they’re 16 to 18 weeks old, we also have a growth chart that you can use.
| Age | Micro-mini | Mini | Medium | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks | 3–5 lbs | 5–8 lbs | 8–10 lbs | 10–15 lbs |
| 12 weeks | 4–7 lbs | 8–15 lbs | 12–16 lbs | 15–25 lbs |
| 18 weeks | 6–10 lbs | 10–20 lbs | 20–30 lbs | 25-50 lbs |
| 6 months | 10–15 lbs | 15–30 lbs | 30–40 lbs | 35–60 lbs |
| 1 year | 15–20 lbs | 20–40 lbs | 40–60 lbs | 50–90 lbs |
| Full grown | 15–20 lbs | 20–40 lbs | 40–60 lbs | 60–100 lbs |
When will my Bernedoodle be full-grown?
While predicting how big your mini Bernedoodle will be when it’s full-grown is difficult, predicting when it will be full-grown isn’t.
In general, mini and micro-mini Bernedoodles reach their maximum size when they are 8 to 9 months old. Medium Bernedoodles are full-grown at 10 to 12 months, while standard Bernedoodles reach adult size at 12 to 15 months.
What do people on Reddit think about mini Bernedoodle sizes?
In addition to our expertise at Fawn River Doodles, it’s always good to hear firsthand experiences from the general public. Here’s what two users on Reddit had to say about the “mini” Bernedoodles they purchased.
“My F1 mini is nearly 60 lbs (mini poodle dad was 12 lbs, Berner mom was ~100).”
alexfitness13 on Reddit
“My “mini” is 65 lbs…”
jil-e-beans on Reddit
Apparently, neither of these individuals are storytellers, nor do they explain why their “mini” Bernedoodles got so big.
Our best guess is they were misled or misinformed about the parents because true mini Bernedoodles shouldn’t reach 60 pounds. At Fawn River, for instance, our biggest mini Bernedoodles are 40 to 45 pounds.
Additionally, here are a few Reddit threads explaining how big you should expect your mini Bernedoodle to get when they’re full-grown.
“My smol man is an F1 Mini as well and he capped out at 35lbs. He’s long and low. We did get him neutered early as possible so that may have something to do with it. The general rule of thumb is take their weight at 16 weeks and double it, and that’s the size they’ll probably end up being. He was 17lbs at 16 weeks.”
cakes28 on Reddit
“I have two minis that are 30 lbs at 1 1/2 and 2 years. I’m glad because I can wrangle them at that weight. You can do DNA testing with Embark. They give an adult weight prediction but take off 15lbs for accuracy.
“One of my dogs was given an accurate 30 lbs adult weight but the other one was given 47 lbs. You can also check if they have the dilution gene which may explain the fading. On the D-locus it will be DD if they aren’t prone to fading and one or two ‘d’ if they are. She’s pretty white so I’m guessing she’s spsp on her S-locus.”
shellycya on Reddit
“I was told mine would be mini…. She definitely is not. She’s about 50lbs currently, and I doubt she’s done. She was 30 pounds at 4 months.”
msmurderbritches on Reddit
While these Reddit threads give you a general idea of what to expect, it’s essential to remember that every dog is different. Your mini Bernedoodle’s size will depend on its parents, genetics, what you feed it, and how much exercise it gets.
Final thoughts about mini Bernedoodles
As you can see, there’s really no way to predict how big or small your mini Bernedoodle will be when it’s full-grown. We can offer our best guess based on genetics and the size of the parents, but there are always surprises.
We also make an effort to breed “true” mini Bernedoodles, which is when you breed a mini poodle to a mini Bernedoodle or two mini Bernedoodles.
However, raising puppies isn’t an exact science, so we can’t offer size guarantees. Therefore, it’s important that you purchase your mini Bernedoodle with realistic expectations and be okay with the fact that it might end up bigger or smaller than you originally planned.
Ultimately, if you choose the dog that’s right for you, you won’t care one bit if it’s a few pounds heavier or lighter than you expected. You’re going to love your Bernedoodle for the fluffy bundle of joy that it is, and not because of its size or weight.