In short, a Merle Bernedoodle is a Bernese Mountain Dog-Poodle mix that happens to feature a coat with an unusual light and dark marbled appearance.
But this eye-catching dog is so much more than just its unique look. If you want to truly understand what a Merle Bernedoodle is and why it may (or may not) be the perfect dog for you or your family, then you’ve come to the right place.
Since you’re reading this article, there’s a good chance you’ve already made the decision to bring some type of dog into your home. And, while it’s also very likely you’re leaning toward a poodle-mix, you probably don’t want just any variety of doodle. You’re looking for something special. Something unique. And that is what has brought you to the Merle Bernedoodle – a dog that is not only family-friendly, intelligent, and hypoallergenic, but is among the most beautiful types of doodles.
What is a Merle Bernedoodle?
A Bernedoodle is a cross between a Bernese Mountain Dog and a Poodle. Merle is a genetic condition that produces a distinctive color pattern in the dog’s coat. It makes the dog’s coat lighter in color than it would otherwise be, were it not for the merle. But the lighter color is not evenly distributed, making the dog appear as if it’s marked with splotches or smears of color.
What Causes Merle?
Merle results when a specific type of mutation, known as short interspersed nuclear element (or “SINE”), is present in a particular pigmentation gene of the dog. As a reminder, offspring inherit their genes in pairs—one copy from the mother and one copy from the father. Dogs that exhibit “standard” merle have inherited one merle form of the pigmentation gene and one non-merle form of the pigmentation gene, which also means they are heterozygous for merle since they have different forms of the gene for that particular trait.
Here we use “M” to represent the dominant merle form of the pigmentation gene and “m” to represent the recessive non-merle form of the gene. So, Merle Bernedoodles are Mm for the pigmentation gene.
Further, merle is inherited in an “incompletely dominant” manner. Incomplete dominance is when the dominant form of a gene (M) does not completely mask the effects of the recessive form (m), and the organism’s resulting physical appearance shows a blending or mixture of both.
Merle Bernedoodle Colors
The effect of merle is that it dilutes the dog’s natural coloring. But the lighter coloring occurs in an uneven manner. So, in the case of the dog’s coat, irregularly shaped patches of the diluted coloring are interspersed among the darker, fully pigmented base color.
The Merle Bernedoodle’s base color is typically black, chocolate brown, or reddish brown. In addition to the unique patterning on their coats, Merle Bernedoodles will often have white markings around their necks, on their muzzles, and under their bellies, as well as tan points between the white and darker areas of the coats. Merle Bernedoodles that have a black base marked with a grey diluted pattern can often appear blueish in color. These so-called Blue Merle Bernedoodles are among the most sought-after varieties.
The presence or absence of the SINE mutation determines whether or not merle characteristics might appear on the Bernedoodle. But, how much the merle patterning does appear is based on the length of a specific component of the mutation called the poly-A tail. The shorter the poly-A tail, the less apparent the merle patterning. The longer the poly-A tail, the more apparent the merle patterning. So, merle patterning varies along a continuum, with little to no color dilution showing at the lowest end of the poly-A tail range (referred to as cryptic merle, also known as phantom merle or ghost merle) and dramatic color dilution/completely white coloring showing at the highest end of the poly-A tail range (referred to as “harlequin” or “merlequin;” though not to be confused with Great Dane Harlequin).
Not surprisingly, since merle impacts pigmentation, it can also modify eye color and coloring on the nose and paw pads. Blue eyes, partially blue eyes, or one dark eye and one blue eye are often seen in Merle Bernedoodles. The paw pads and nose will often appear in two colors, typically black with pinkish spots.
It’s important to note, however, that while the presence of merle can give Bernedoodles a more beautiful appearance, it has also been shown to be associated with a greater instance of hearing and eyesight abnormalities.
Double Merle Bernedoodles:
If two “standard” Merle Bernedoodles (Mm) are mated, on average, one-quarter of their offspring will be homozygous for merle (MM), having inherited the merle form of the pigmentation gene from both the mother and father. These so-called Double Merle Bernedoodles will often have all-white coats. In addition, Double Merles are prone to having several health irregularities, including deafness, blindness, cardiac and reproductive abnormalities, and susceptibility to skin cancer due to their lack of pigment. Because of the likelihood of these significant health issues, breeding two Merle Bernedoodles is highly discouraged.
Punnett Square Showing Possible Outcomes of a Genetic Cross Between Two Merle Bernedoodles:
Merle Bernedoodle Coat
The coat of a Merle Bernedoodle is relatively fluffy and can be straighter like that of a Bernese Mountain Dog or curlier like that of a Poodle. Generally, the straighter the coat, (indicating a greater proportion of Bernese Mountain Dog genetics inherited), the more it will shed and the more likely the dog will be to cause allergic reactions. The curlier the coat (more Poodle genetics inherited) the less it will shed and the more hypoallergenic the dog will be.
Merle Bernedoodle Size
Bernese Mountain Dogs are relatively large – weighing as much as 115 pounds and reaching close to 30 inches at the shoulder. But a Bernedoodle’s height and weight depend primarily on the Poodle side of its lineage. This is because Poodles range in size much more so than Bernese Mountain Dogs. The American Kennel Club recognizes three breeds of Poodle: Standard (shoulder height: 15+ inches / weight: 40-70 pounds), Miniature (shoulder height: 10-15 inches / weight: 10-15 pounds, and Toy (shoulder height: no more than 10 inches / weight: 4-6 pounds). Thus, breeders may produce different-sized Merle Bernedoodles that can fit into various lifestyles. For example, people who live in small apartments might be better off with a smaller Merle Bernedoodle, that was bred from a toy or miniature Poodle.
Standard Merle Bernedoodle Size
The Standard Merle Bernedoodle will typically weigh 70 to 95 pounds and stand 23 to 29 inches tall at the shoulder.
Mini Merle Bernedoodle Size
A Mini Merle Bernedoodle will typically weigh anywhere from 20 to 50 pounds and stand approximately 18 to 22 inches tall at the shoulder.
Toy Merle Bernedoodle Size
The Toy Merle Bernedoodle (usually produced through artificial insemination) will typically weigh 10 to 20 pounds and stand 12 to 17 inches tall at the shoulder.
Merle Bernedoodles will experience their largest growth spurt between 4 and 8 months old. They will typically reach their final adult height by the age of 12 months, while their final weight will take slightly longer to be reached.
Merle Bernedoodle Personality & Temperament
Merle Bernedoodles have a terrific temperament. The Bernese Mountain Dog is gentle, loving, and very loyal, and much of these traits are ingrained in the Bernedoodle offspring. Other areas of the Bernedoodle personality, such as activity levels, attention levels, and sociability are driven largely by their Poodle parent. This results in Merle Bernedoodles being quite intelligent, as well as fairly energetic and in need of a good amount of exercise (especially the larger Bernedoodles). While they enjoy running around the yard, playing fetch, and going on hikes, Merle Bernedoodles can be just as happy sitting by your side or on your lap while you relax.
Merle Bernedoodles require a good amount of attention and TLC, so they should not be left alone for long periods of time. Isolation can lead to separation anxiety, which may cause nervous habits such as whining or chewing.
One other thing to be aware of is that Merle Bernedoodles can be somewhat sensitive to new stimuli, and can be somewhat nervous around other dogs, unfamiliar people, and new environments. For this reason, beginning socialization at a young age (4-8 months) is highly recommended.
Ultimately, when raised by caring and thoughtful owners, Merle Bernedoodles that come from a good breeding program will tend to exhibit the best personality traits of their parent breeds. This makes them great family pets that do well with children and adults of all ages.
Caring for a Merle Bernedoodle
A Merle Bernedoodle can be a wonderful addition to any home, especially when you make your pup’s health and happiness a priority. Proper grooming, exercise, and health monitoring will create an environment in which your dog can thrive.
Grooming
A Merle Bernedoodle’s coat is their most attractive feature. However, due to their parentage, it does require frequent brushing. Their coats can be curly, wavy, or straight. As such, their shedding habits vary. Breeders can usually tell what type of coat the dogs will have around six weeks of age.
The curlier the coat, the less shedding will occur, making the dog more hypoallergenic. Curlier coats need to be brushed often to keep the coat untangled. Straighter coats need to be brushed to remove loose hair (to prevent excessive shedding) and to prevent matting. Wavy and curly coats should be trimmed by a professional groomer every four to eight weeks.
In addition to coat maintenance, you should aim to trim your Merle Bernedoodle’s nails at least once per month and, at least as often, you should clean the inside of their ears with a pet safe ear cleaner if they look dirty.
Exercise
Walking your dog is associated with a wealth of physical and mental health benefits, including the following:
- keeping your dog agile and limber
- benefiting your dog’s digestive system and helping them maintain a healthy weight
- provides opportunities for enrichment and exploration (including through sniffing)
- helps promote bonding with your dog
- helps build trust between you and your dog
- can help to alleviate extra energy your dog may have, reducing hyperactivity
- can help reduce any destructive behavior your dog may be engaging in, such as chewing, digging, or scratching.
All dogs need at least one 15-to-20-minute exercise walk each day (and more if you don’t have a fenced-in backyard in which your dog can play fetch or run about freely for 15 minutes). The larger, Standard Merle Bernedoodles will require more exercise walks than the smaller Mini or Toy Merle Bernedoodles.
Health
With a life expectancy of between 12-17 years, depending on size (smaller varieties tend to live longer), Merle Bernedoodles are largely healthy, hardy dogs. But crossing a Bernese Mountain Dog with a Poodle means the puppies can potentially inherit any of the genetic diseases common to either breed.
Potential Genetic Diseases (from Bernese Mountain Dog and Poodle Parents)
Diseases most common to Bernese Mountain Dogs are hip and elbow dysplasia, eye diseases, cardiac disease, hypothyroidism, autoimmune diseases, gastric dilatation (bloat) and cancer. Diseases most common to Poodles are hip dysplasia, bloat, thyroid issues, epilepsy, Addison’s disease (defective adrenal glands), von Willebrand’s disease (a blood clotting disorder), progressive retinal atrophy, luxating patellas (slipped kneecaps), and Sebaceous Adenitis (a skin disease often leading to progressive loss of hair).
Health Issues Common in Double Merle Bernedoodles
As previously stated, Double Merle Bernedoodles (MM) are much more likely to experience a range of serious health conditions than either standard Merle (Mm) or non-Merle (mm) Bernedoodles. For this reason, mating two Merle Bernedoodles is considered inhumane and will be avoided by ethical breeders.
As previously mentioned, however, while rare, a dog that does not outwardly present with obvious merle characteristics may still possess the merle form of the pigmentation gene. These Phantom Merle or Cryptic Merle dogs are capable of producing Double Merle offspring if mated with a Merle dog. For this reason, a DNA test for the M Locus (merle) should be administered to the non-merle presenting dog if a breeder intends to mate it with a merle dog.
Training a Merle Bernedoodle
Training a dog takes patience. And each dog learns at his or her own pace. But in order for every pup to feel comfortable and thrive in their new home, clear rules and boundaries need to be established from day one. These are the four keys elements of an effective training program for your Merle Bernedoodle:
Manage Your Merle Bernedoodle’s Activities and Environment
A management plan is the first step of any effective training program. Dogs like to chew, sniff, dig, bark, run and jump, so you’ll need to provide appropriate outlets for these natural doggy behaviors. Meanwhile, a management plan prevents your Merle Bernedoodle from doing these things at the wrong time and place. We use leashes, gates, and crates to help keep our dogs out of trouble – to prevent unwanted habits from starting or getting worse – while they are still learning what is expected of them.
Provide Your Merle Bernedoodle With Clear, Kind Leadership
Dogs thrive under capable and benevolent leadership. In a healthy dog-human relationship, the human needs to be the one in charge, the same way a parent is in charge of a child. Lack of clear leadership can lead to anxiety, insecurity, fear and even aggression.
This means that you will need to provide for the needs of your Merle Bernedoodle in a consistent, predictable manner. Your doodle should be able to rely on you to ensure he gets the food, exercise, outside access, play, attention and rest he needs each day (your pup’s daily routine should be generally a cycle of walk > play > eat > rest). Being cared for in this way allows a dog to feel relaxed and safe, taking the load of daily decision making off of his furry shoulders.
Provide For Your Merle Bernedoodle’s Needs, But Don’t Entitle Them
A dog whose daily needs are unfulfilled clearly lacks good leadership, which can manifest in behavior problems. Conversely, many dogs are overindulged, which can also cause anxiety and generally make training your dog more difficult. Besides lacking the security of clear leadership, a lavish lifestyle can dilute the value of the things your Merle Bernedoodle likes (including praise and treats), making it difficult to motivate him with positive reinforcement.
Always Use Positive Reinforcement
Most professional dog trainers agree that positive reinforcement should be used early and often to train your dog. Positive reinforcement simply means we give our dogs things they like in order to reward and reinforce, (i.e. strengthen), desirable behaviors. Because Merle Bernedoodles can be a bit stubborn and wary of strange people and new situations, positive reinforcement can be a particularly effective training method since it will help mitigate their nervous tendencies, allowing them to socialize more quickly.
Dogs, like all animals, learn by direct association. The immediate consequences of a behavior will strengthen that behavior. In order for positive consequences to be linked to a specific action, they must occur within just a few seconds of the behavior. For example, for your Merle Bernedoodle to understand that he got a treat for sitting, the treat must be delivered immediately after the behavior, or your pup may not make the connection between the sit and the food.
To help our dogs understand the exact behaviors that earned them a positive consequence, we teach a marker word. This word or sound (e.g., “Good girl/boy!” or “Yes!”) marks the precise moment the dog performs a correct action and gives us time to deliver a reward.
Buying a Merle Bernedoodle
If your heart is set on bringing a Merle Bernedoodle into your home, you’ll almost certainly need to acquire your future pup from a breeder. Merle Bernedoodles are quite rare and, while not inconceivable, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to find one (especially a puppy) from a local shelter or rescue organization.
Finding a Merle Bernedoodle Breeder
You’ll want to get your Merle Benedoodle from a reputable breeder. There generally are three ways to go about finding a breeder that is well thought of:
Search the Internet
You’ll want to search on “Merle bernedoodle breeder” and include your city, state and/or region to narrow the search. You may need to go with a broader search since Merle Bernedoodle breeders are relatively scarce.
Existing Owners of a Merle Bernedoodle
If you’re lucky enough to have a friend, neighbor, or relative who has a Merle Bernedoodle, then they’re probably the best source for a breeder recommendation. But you should try to get to know their dog so you can get a sense of their health, behavior, and temperament first hand.
You can also find #merlebernedoodle owners on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook (Groups) and then try to message them.
Professional Groomers and Trainers
Professionals that work with dogs may themselves know of a trustworthy breeder or have clients with a Merle Bernedoodle that can recommend a breeder.
How to Tell if a Breeder is Reputable
On their website, reputable breeders will have pictures and descriptions of the available pups. They also show the parent pairings, samples of their past offspring and will often list upcoming litters.
Once you’ve identified a breeder that you’re potentially comfortable buying from, you should either arrange a phone call, a Zoom meeting, or, if possible, meet them face-to-face so you can get a better feel for how trustworthy they seem and as well as how clean and organized their facilities are.
A reputable breeder will eagerly answer questions about their facility, their breeding practices, the specific pup you’re interested in, and more.
At a minimum, they should answer the following questions:
- How long have you been breeding Merle Bernedoodles
- How did you choose the parentage for this litter(the breeder should be able to tell you about the temperament of the parent dogs as well as what types of health screenings were done on the parents. Reputable breeders keep detailed records of all dogs under their care).
- Would you be able to provide names and phone numbers of people who have bought puppies from you in the past
- Can I see copies of the pup’s health records (all pups should get their first worming at five weeks another at seven weeks and their first vaccines at seven weeks)
- Can I see the parents of the pup, as well as their medical history? Reputable breeders will often have the puppy parents (or at least the mother) on premises.
Lastly, a reputable breeder will present you with a contract that clearly states the purchase price of the puppy as well as the responsibilities of both parties regarding vaccinations, neutering/spaying, and worming. The contract protects you, the breeder and the dog. Many breeders include a return to breeder clause in the contract, which requires that if the puppy turns out to not be a good fit for your home, it should be returned to the breeder. This prevents the dog from ending up at the shelter or out on the street.
Merle Bernedoodle Cost
Because of their relative scarcity and complexities in the breeding process, Merle Bernedoodles can be quite expensive (two to three times as much as the average dog variety). When purchased from a reputable breeder, Merle Bernedoodle puppy prices range from about $3,000 to $6,000, with an average of around $4,500. Prices lean toward the higher end of that range when buying from a breeder on the East and West Coasts of the U.S. and toward the lower end when buying from a breeder in the Midwest.
There are a variety of factors the affect the price of a Merle Benedoodle, including size (smaller are more expensive), coloring, age, amount of training, and genetic testing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Merle Bernedoodles Rare?
Merle Bernedoodles are relatively rare due to the complexities involved in their breeding. In addition, because 25% of the litter that results when mating two Merle Bernedoodles are fairly likely to have some serious health issues, ethical breeders will completely avoid breeding two merles. This puts additional limitations on the number of Merle Bernedoodles available for sale.
Is the Merle Bernedoodle A Good Family Dog?
Merle Bernedoodles make fantastic family dogs. They have great temperaments – gentle, loyal and loving, and due to their high intelligence, they are relatively easy to train. Merle Bernedoodles also tend to be at least somewhat hypoallergenic, so they are less likely than many other breeds to trigger allergic reactions. Merle Bernedoodles are also bred in three sizes – standard, mini and toy, which makes it possible to find one that best fits your home and lifestyle (urban living in small apartment, open indoor and outdoor spaces in suburban setting).
What is a Blue Merle Bernedoodle?
Merle causes a dog’s natural, base color to be diluted. Merle Bernedoodles that have a black base will be marked with a grey diluted pattern that can often take on a blueish tint. Because the lighter coloring is distributed over the dog’s coat in an uneven manner, Blue Merle Bernedoodles appear as if they’re marked with patches or smears of blue. Further, Blue Merle Bernedoodles can also have blue eyes, heightening their blueish look.
What is a Phantom Merle Bernedoodle?
All Merle Bernedoodles carry the merle-type mutation in a specific pigmentation gene. But the extent to which the characteristic merle patterning occurs in Merle Bernedoodles varies from dog to dog. Some have little to no pigmentation dilution while others have significant color dilution. Those Merle Bernedoodles with minimal merle patterning are called Phantom Merle Bernedoodles, also known as Cryptic Merle or Ghost Merle Bernedoodles.
Note (source):
Dogs having Mm and MM genotypes often exhibit a wide range of auditory and ophthalmologic abnormalities (3). Reetz et al. (4) studied the auditory capacity of Dachshunds and found that 54.6% of MM and 36.8% of Mm dogs had auditory dysfunction, ranging from mild to severe deafness. All control dogs (mm) in the study had normal hearing. Klinckmann et al. (5, 6) conducted ophthalmologic studies with three groups of Dachshunds (MM, Mm, and mm) and found that merles and double merles had significantly greater frequencies of ocular abnormalities, including increased intraocular pressure and ametropic eyes. Microphthalmia and colobomas are well described in merle and double merle Dachshunds and Australian Shepherds (3, 7, 8). In all breeds, the double merle genotype can be sublethal and is associated with multiple abnormalities of the skeletal, cardiac, and reproductive systems (3, 9, 10). For these reasons, merle-to-merle breedings are strongly discouraged (9).