There is a wide price range when it comes to the cost of a Bernedoodle or a Mini Bernedoodle.
On the lower end of the price range you can find a Bernedoodle puppy priced as cheap as $750.
But this may not be the bargain you think it is. Bernedoodle puppies in this price range tend to be poorly bred by unknowing or neglectful breeders and often come with health problems including allergies.
On the opposite end of the price range are turnkey Bernadoodles that cost $20,000. We will discuss what this means later in the post.
However, the average Bernedoodle cost is $2,000 to $5,000. But even then there is a big difference between what you get when you pay $2,000 vs $5,000.
Much like other types of doodles, there is a wide range of factors that go into the price of a Bernese Mountain Dog Poodle Mix . These factors include; demand, size, color, health testing, environment and training.
Keep reading to find out how each of these factors affect the price of a Bernedoodle. Plus find out why the average cost of a Bernadoodle is so high.
Quick Facts About the Bernedoodle
| Trait | Overview |
| Weight | Standard: 60 to 100 lbs; Mini: 25-50lbs; Micro: 10 to 24lbs |
| Height | Standard: 23 to 29″; Mini: 18 to 22″; Micro: 12-17″ |
| Colors | Tri color (white, black with brown markings), Two tone (white with another color), cream, red, black, chocolate (dark brown), silver and gray coloring. |
9 Things That Affect The Bernedoodle Price
1. Size: Does Size Affect the Price of a Bernedoodle?
The size of the Bernadoodle you want will have a big impact on the cost of your puppy.
The original Bernedoodle was a standard sized doodle. Meaning they bred a full sized Bernese Mountain Dog with a standard Poodle. This resulted in a large dog. Standard sized Bernedoodles typically weigh between 70 to 90lb and are 23-29 inches at the shoulder. Though you may find a smaller standard in the 50lb to 60lb range.
Since not everyone wants a large dog, breeders started to breed smaller Bernedoodles. But breeding a large dog down to a smaller one takes time and experience to ensure that the dog is healthy and structurally sound.
The smaller sized doodles are referred to as “Mini Doodles” and “Toy Doodles” or “Micro Mini Doodles”. A full grown mini Bernedoodle generally ranges in size from 25 to 49 lbs and 18-22″ at the shoulder. A Tiny or Micro Mini Bernedoodle ranges in size from 10 to 24 lbs and 12-17 inches at the shoulder.
Mini Bernedoodles are generally bred using a mini or moyen poodle and a Bernese Mountain Dog to create a smaller sized Bernedoodle.
Since a smaller Bernedoodle is harder to breed and require several generations to properly breed down the size of the dog they are more expensive to buy.
Mini and Micro mini Bernedoodles can cost $1,000 to $2,000 more than a full sized Bernadoodle
2. Training: How does training affect the Bernedoodle Price?
One of the issues with doodles is that first time dog owners flocked to the allure of cute faces and promise of easy training. This resulted in stories of crazy, out of control doodles.
Although most doodles do inherit the intelligence of the poodle and willingness to please, puppies don’t train themselves. They still need an experienced person to guide them to acceptable behaviors.
To alleviate this issue, breeders started offering trained puppies for an additional cost.
Training varies by breeder. Some will provide different levels of training, while others only offer fully trained turnkey dogs. In all cases the puppies are older than 8 weeks when you get them.
The cost of training is in addition to the cost of the puppy. Training cost can range between $1,000 for one month of training to $15,000+ for a turnkey puppy.
What is a Turnkey Bernadoodle Puppy?
The definition of turnkey is ultimately up to the breeder. But in general you will get an older puppy that has been crate trained, leash trained, and knows basic commands such as, Sit, Stay, Come, Down and No. They should also be started on potty training.
Other items that may be included in training are vetting and boarding.
In addition to the training listed above another benefit to getting a turnkey puppy is that you will most likely miss the puppy biting stage. The downside of getting an older puppy is that you will miss the puppy bonding time.
Always check with the breeder to see what they include in turnkey training.
3. Color: What color Berndoodles are the most expensive?
In addition to size, color can also have a big impact on the cost of a Bernedoodle.
Bernedoodles can come in either the traditional tri-color of the Bernese Mountain Dog or any of the colors and color combinations of the poodle. Common colors include black, brown, and sable. Bernadoodles can also be bi-colored; black and white or sable and white. Plus any of the special color combinations of the poodle including the rare merle coat.
Tri color Bernedoodle premium
Bernedoodles with the traditional Bernese tri color coat of black, and white with tan marking are the hardest to breed and also the most often requested coat colors. This also makes the tri-color Bernedoodle the second most expensive to purchase.
The price difference can easily be $1,000 to $2,000 more for a tri-colored Bernedoodle than an all black Bernedoodle.
Merle Bernedoodle premium
Another premium color is the tri color merle Bernadoodle. A merle coat is commonly associated with the Australian Shepard but is making its way into the designer dog breed world very quickly.
Depending on the breeder a merle tri color Berniedoodle can cost $500 to $1000 more then the standard tri color coat.
Merle coats are rare and they need to be carefully bred not to cause blindness in a dog. A merle tri-color coat is the most expensive colored Bernedoodle to buy.
4. Quality Breeder: How where you get your Bernedoodle affects the cost of a puppy
Where you get your Bernedoodle will have the most impact on the cost of a puppy. These are the 4 basic ways to get a puppy and their price points.
1, Backyard Breeder
One of the lowest cost places to get a puppy is through a backyard breeder. These are people that decide to breed their family pet to make a little money. They know nothing about how to breed healthy dogs. Because of the poor breeding practices these dogs end up with many health issues.
Backyard breeders are found on Facebook or Craigslist.
You can often determine if someone is a backyard breeder by simply asking questions about the breed and their breeding process. They will not be able to answer the questions. They also don’t conduct health testing, provide a contract or a health guarantee. You should not get your puppy from a backyard breeder.
Backyard breeders typically charge between $500 to $1,000.
2. Puppy Mills
A puppy mill puppy will cost less than a reputable breeder, but you should not buy from them. Puppy mills are farms that breed hundreds of dogs at a time.
The breeding dogs live in horrible conditions and the puppies are not taken care of before they are sold.
Puppy mill puppies have health issues and are often sold when they are sick. They are not socialized and are harder to train. In the long run a puppy mill puppy will cost you more than a well-bred bernadoodle for a quality breeder.
Puppy mill puppies are sold either through pet stores or on-line puppy brokers. They can also be sold through the internet by the puppy mill disguising themselves as a reputable breeder.
When dealing with a breeder, always ask lots of questions about the breed and their breeding process. Ask about health testing and what the results are. Call multiple times and ask the same question in a different order. A reputable breeder will be able to answer all your questions.
Bernadoodle puppies from a puppy mill can cost between $750 and $3,000.
Are you surprised at the $3,000 Bernedoodle price tag? The higher price tag is one way puppy mills try to hide who they really are.
3. Puppy Brokers
A Puppy Broker is not a breeder but they may portray themselves as one. Puppy brokers work with puppy mills and backyard breeders to sell their puppies either to puppy stores or direct to consumers on-line.
Some online puppy brokers are easy to spot because they sell all different types of breeds, from many breeders.
But others are harder to spot. Instead of using one site for all breeds some brokers will use multiple sites by breed to make it look like they are different places. One way to spot them is to follow the trail of links. In order to cross promote their sites they will have links to their other sites.
Puppies sold by brokers are sold at a premium price with popular colors being sold for over $3,000. In these cases the broker keeps the cost difference for the puppy as a payment for selling the dog.
4. Quality Breeders
A quality breeder is one that takes pride in the dogs they produce. They strive to make the breed healthier by carefully selecting the best mating pairs possible. They do this by having all their breeding dogs health tested and they use guardian homes which allow breeding dogs to live with a family.
Another advantage of dealing directly with the breeder is that you may be able to pick your puppy from the litter with the guidance from the breeder.
Because of the care they take in breeding and the cost involved with health testing a quality breeder will cost more.
The average price range for a health tested Bernedoodle puppy is $4,000 to over $6,000.
5. Health Testing: How does health testing affect the Bernedoodle price?
Breeders that health test their dogs are generally well educated in the breed and best breeding practices. There are 11 health tests that is recommended for breeding Bernadoodles. Both the health tests and breeding education are expensive.
Plus not all potential breeding dogs pass the health tests. This means that breeders will not only need to pay for the tests but also their care for the first 18 months until all the health tests are performed.
Breeders also loses their income from not selling a premium puppy if it turns out that the puppy cannot be bred.
The cost of a health tested Bernedoodle can be twice the cost of a non-health tested Bernedoodle.
6. Bernedoodle Generations: F1 Bernedoodle vs F1B Bernedoodle
Some would say there is an art to breeding doodles. Unlike breeding two pure-breeds where the outcomes are pretty much guaranteed, breeding doodles are somewhat of a surprise.
When breeding a pure-bred Bernese Mountain Dog with a Poodle the puppies can take on an assortment of characteristics. Not all of them will have the desired look or traits that people want. To help potential puppy buyers understand what they may get, breeders created the Doodle Generation Classification.
F1 Bernedoodle– First generation Bernadoodle – Pups are 50% Bernese Mountain Dog and 50% Poodle. The F1 doodle is considered the healthiest cross, since there is less chance of inheriting breed specific health issues. Of course this only works for health conditions that only affect one of the breeds. First generation doodles are more likely to shed, though it should be less than a Bernese.
F1b Bernedoodle – Second generation Bernadoodle. In this combination when a F1 Bernedoodle is crossed with a Poodle, the genetic make-up is thought to be 25% Bernese and 75% Poodle. While there are no guarantees the puppy should be more poodle than Bernese. F1b Bernedoodles are more likely to not shed as compared to an F1. Because of this they cost more than an F1 Bernedoodle
F2 Bernedoodle– Multi generation Berniedoodles. This is when 2 Bernadoodles are bred. Later generation Bernedoodles will be more consistent in their look and shedding. Therefore F2 Bernedoodles will cost more than either a F1 or F2B.
7. Hair type
Bernedoodles can have straight, wavy or curly fur. The most sought after look is a soft, non shedding, wavy coat. Some less experienced breeders will price their puppies according to fur type. Experienced breeders that do genetic testing will produce a most consistent look. Therefore they will not have price differences for fur type.
8. Demand: Why Bernedoodles are so expensive
Supply and demand has a lot to do with the cost of anything, and dogs are no exception. Since the mini Bernedoodles are harder to correctly breed, they demand a high price tag. Same thing goes for merle and tri-colored Bernedoodles.
The less they are available the more breeders can charge. If paying $5,000 to $6,000 for a Bernedoodle is too much, consider some of the other common color combinations that cost less.
If your goal is to have a great family dog it is better to get a common color than a cheaper dog without proper health testing and breeding.
9. Breeding Rights: Companion Dogs vs Breeding Rights
It’s important to understand what you are buying when you purchase a puppy. When you buy a puppy you are not only buying the dog itself but also whether or not you can breed the dog. Most puppies are sold as companions with spay/neuter contracts.
This basically means you have agreed to have your puppy fixed by a certain age so they can not produce more puppies. Companion puppies cost less then puppies with breeding rights.
Breeding right puppies are expensive and typically sold to breeders that plan to produce litters for profit.
The cost of breeding dogs will depend on the quality of the dog. Premium prices are charged for dogs with popular colors and that are health tested.
Is a Bernedoodle a good family dog?
If you are looking for a laid back, family oriented dog that is hypoallergenic, then a Bernadoodle is a great choice. Just keep in mind that no dog is perfect. While a Bernedoodle is claimer and requires less daily exercise than the popular Goldendoodle and Labradoodle, the Bernadoodle is also more stubborn and harder to train.
Why are Bernedoodles so expensive?
Bernedoodles can fetch a higher price because there are few quality breeders to breed them and because they are harder to breed.
Breeding a Bernadoodle with a traditional Bernese tri-colored coat is much harder to accomplish than breeding a single colored Goldendoodle or Labradoodle.
It often takes multiple generations and extensive genetic testing to consistently breed a Bernedoodles tri-colored coat.
The same thing goes for breeding Mini or Micro mini Bernedoodles. To properly breed down to a smaller dog it takes a few generations to breed healthy, structurally sound, mini Bernedoodles.
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Bernedoodle Price Resources
- Bernedoodles: A Head to Tail Guide by Sherry Rupke from Swiss Ridge Kennels