Bernedoodle Grooming Guide: Coat Types, Brushing and How Often to Groom
Dog LoveThe Bernedoodle grooming guide, from a groomer's chair
A Bernedoodle is a Bernese Mountain Dog crossed with a Poodle, which is the biggest gap between two parents we deal with all week. One side brings a thick double coat built for a Swiss winter; the other brings single curly hair that never stops growing. Your Bernedoodle got some mixture of the two, and that mixture, not the breed name, decides what your week of brushing looks like.
Groom the coat, not the cross
Work out which of the three coats your Bernedoodle carries, then follow that coat's routine. Whichever one you have, there is a lot of coat on this dog.
- Straight or flat coat (Bernese side): brush two or three times a week, more while it is dropping. Salon every eight weeks. Never clipped to the skin.
- Wavy fleece coat (the most common): brush every second or third day. Salon every six to eight weeks.
- Curly or wool coat (Poodle side): brush daily, right down to the skin. Salon every four to six weeks.
- Somewhere in between? Follow the curlier routine.
In this guide
Why one Bernedoodle coat needs nothing like another
Two parents, two completely different kinds of hair, and a cross that shuffles them freely from one puppy to the next.
The Bernese side brings a long double coat. Coarse guard hairs sit over a soft dense layer underneath, it drops hair steadily and then a great deal more twice a year, and it was built to hold warmth in on a Swiss hillside rather than on a February afternoon in Adelaide.
The Poodle side brings the opposite: a single coat with almost nothing beneath it, very little shedding, and hair that keeps growing until somebody clips it. Those two coats want different tools, a different rhythm and a different haircut, which is why the honest answer always starts with another question.
With a Bernedoodle you are grooming a coat, not a breed.
In the salon we see three outcomes:
- Straight or flat. Takes after the Bernese side. Lies flat, often with feathering on the legs and tail, and the one most likely to carry a true undercoat.
- Wavy fleece. The most common of the three, and the one most people picture when they picture the breed.
- Curly or wool. Takes after the Poodle side. Sheds almost nothing and mats faster than anything else we handle.
- Plenty land between two. A wavy body with tighter curl on the ears, legs and tail is very common.
Not sure which coat you have? Our guide on telling a fleece coat from a curly coat walks through a hands on test that takes about thirty seconds, and what coat type your dog actually has covers the layered side of the family in more detail.
The double coated Bernedoodle and the curly Bernedoodle, side by side
These two sit at opposite ends of the cross, and they behave so differently on the table that they barely feel like the same dog.
The straight or flat coat
Longer hair that falls with gravity rather than springing, usually with feathering on the legs, chest and tail, and often a soft dense layer sitting underneath it.
- It sheds, and it surprises people. Steady hair all year, then a much heavier drop twice a year when the undercoat lets go.
- It mats the least of the three. The body coat is forgiving. The feathering on the legs and behind the ears is where the work is.
- We do not clip this one to the skin. A double coat regulates temperature and shields skin from sun, and it can grow back patchy. We tidy and thin it instead.
- Thinning the undercoat out? That means a brush, a deshedding comb and a release spray. Never a rake or anything with a blade, because those cut the top layer and leave the soft hair exactly where it was.
The curly or wool coat
Tight springy curls close to the body that hold their shape when pressed. It sheds almost nothing, which sounds like a gift until you learn where the shed hair goes instead.
- Loose hair stays in the coat. It cannot fall out, so it twists around the curls holding it and locks, usually close to the skin where you cannot see it.
- It mats everywhere. Not only at friction points: across the back, down the legs, over the whole chest.
- Damp is the danger. A curly coat felts fastest while it dries, so comb it through after a wet walk or a swim once your dog is properly dry.
- Daily brushing is the truthful answer, with a full groom every four to six weeks.
- A dematting rake earns its place here. Used lightly, and only on a knot you can already slide with your fingers.
And the coat in the middle
The wavy fleece coat is where most Bernedoodles land. Soft and open enough to part to the skin, curly enough to knot if a week gets away from you, and long enough on a big dog to hide a surprising amount of trouble underneath. Brushing every second or third day and a full groom every six to eight weeks keeps it comfortable. A first cross, often written as an F1, is the most unpredictable and usually lands here. A dog crossed back to a Poodle, an F1b, comes out curlier and sheds less, so the brushing goes up rather than down.
Bernedoodle coat types compared: shedding, brushing and grooming
One table for the fridge. Work down the left column, see which column your dog keeps landing in, and take that routine as yours.
| Checking | Straight or flat | Wavy fleece | Curly or wool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shape of the hair | Flat, falls with gravity | Loose open wave | Tight defined curl |
| Feel in your hand | Coarser on top, soft beneath | Soft, almost cottony | Springy and dense |
| Shedding | Steady, heavy twice a year | Light | Almost none |
| Layer underneath | Usually yes | Sometimes, patchy | No |
| Brushing at home | Two or three times a week | Every second or third day | Daily |
| In the salon every | Eight weeks | Six to eight weeks | Four to six weeks |
| What the salon does | Tidy and thin, never to the skin | Full groom | Full groom |
| Matting risk | Low on the body, higher in the feathering | Moderate, at friction points | High, and fastest when damp |
The five places a Bernedoodle gets matted first
Whichever coat you have, trouble starts in the same handful of spots. On a dog this size it is easy to brush the top and miss all five.
- Behind and under the ears. Warm soft hair that rubs against itself every time your dog turns its head. The single most common mat we cut out of this cross.
- The armpits and the chest. Hair that moves against itself with every stride, on a dog with a broad front and plenty of coat across it.
- Under the collar and wherever gear rests. Steady friction in one narrow band. Take the gear off at home and comb that band after walks.
- The leg feathering and the trousers. Long hair down the backs of the legs and around the back end, which picks up damp grass and holds it against the skin.
- The tail and the sanitary area. A big plumed tail knots from the base outward, and the hair under it wants keeping short for simple hygiene.
A Bernedoodle grooming routine at home, and the Adelaide bits nobody warns you about
The tools are the easy part. The method, the heat and the local hazards decide how the coat looks in six weeks.
Three tools for every coat
- A slicker brush to open the coat.
- A metal comb to check your work.
- A detangling spray so the hair slides instead of snapping. Our Dogify Detangling Spray is what we reach for on the table, because a dry coat is where most breakage happens.
- Fleece or curly coat? Add a dematting rake for stubborn spots, used lightly. Undercoat? Add a deshedding comb instead.
Brush in lines, let the comb decide
Part the coat into a horizontal line low on the body, hold the hair above the part out of the way, and brush the exposed strip from the skin outwards. Drop the next strip down and repeat, working up the dog. Finish every section with the comb: if it reaches the skin, that section is done.
That sounds slow, and the first few times it is. On a coat that is being kept up, fifteen or twenty minutes covers a standard Bernedoodle. Our guide on how to brush an oodle properly at home walks through the sequence, and how often to groom an oodle sets the salon rhythm around it.
What the week actually looks like
Ears and the friction band
Lift both ears, comb behind them, then run the comb under where the collar or harness sits. Two minutes saves the most coat.
Armpits, chest and legs
The rest of the friction points. A curly coat wants the whole body at this pace.
The full once over
Whole body in lines, tail combed from the base out, nails and paw pads checked.
The salon
A full groom, or a Tidy Up in between: a bath and blow dry, plus eyes cleaned, paws shaped, paw pads shaved and the sanitary area cleaned.
Heat, and why we will not shave a double coat
This is the Adelaide question we get asked most about this breed, and we understand exactly why. A big black and tan dog carrying a Swiss mountain coat through a forty degree week looks like an obvious candidate for a shave down.
If the coat is single, fleece or curly, a shorter cut over summer is sensible and kind and we are glad to take it down. If there is a genuine undercoat, we thin and tidy instead of clipping to the skin, because that layer holds heat away from the skin and shields it from the sun, and it can come back patchy and a different texture. Our guide on why you never shave a double coat explains the reasoning. Either way, shade, water, early and late walks and a coat combed clear so air moves through it do more than length ever does. Heavy panting, drooling or wobbling in the heat is an emergency rather than a grooming problem.
The Adelaide bits
- Grass seeds. Leg feathering and long trousers are precisely the shape that catches them. From spring to the end of summer, check the feet, between the toes, the armpits, the ear openings and the back legs after any walk through dry grass. Our nose to toes grass seed check has the order we do it in.
- Beach and river days. Salt and sand grind through the coat while it dries, and a fleece or curly coat felts fastest at exactly that moment. Rinse, dry properly, then comb. Our Adelaide summer grooming guide has the rest.
- The twice yearly drop. If there is undercoat in there, two periods a year will fill your house with fluff. That is a deshedding job: a brush, a deshedding comb and a release spray, never a rake or a blade. Our guide to what deshedding actually is covers it.
Three things the cross brings with it
- Floppy hairy ears. Both parents give low set ears that lie flat and hold warmth and moisture in, and the Poodle side can add hair inside the canal. Keep them dry after baths and swims, lift them to let air at them, and comb the feathering so it is not matting against the opening. We only pluck ear hair when a vet has advised it for that dog. Head shaking, redness or a smell is a vet visit rather than a grooming fix, and why dogs keep getting ear infections explains the repeat ones.
- A big frame that grows fast. A standard puppy gets heavy quickly, and standing still on a table is a learned skill. Short, happy handling sessions from week one beat anything we can do later.
- Teeth cleaning. A small daily habit beats anything done occasionally. Get a finger brush onto the outside surfaces while your dog is young.
Bernedoodle grooming questions we hear in the salon
Do Bernedoodles shed?
Most shed lightly, but no Bernedoodle is guaranteed shed free. A curly or wool coat takes after the Poodle side and sheds almost nothing. A wavy fleece coat, the most common of the three, sheds lightly. A straight or flat coat takes after the Bernese side, sheds steadily all year and drops a great deal more twice a year when the undercoat lets go.
How often should a Bernedoodle be groomed?
A curly coat wants a full groom every four to six weeks. A wavy fleece coat sits comfortably at six to eight weeks, and a straight coat can usually stretch to eight. The salon interval varies less than the brushing does, because on a dog this size the coat gets too long and too dense to manage much past two months.
How often should I brush a Bernedoodle?
Daily for a curly coat, every second or third day for a wavy fleece coat, and two or three times a week for a straight coat, with the ears and the collar band checked every day whatever the body coat is doing. If your dog sits between two coats, follow the curlier routine. Five honest minutes most days beats an hour on a Sunday, because a knot caught early combs out and a knot left for a week does not.
Do Bernedoodles have a double coat?
Some do. Most inherit the Poodle's single coat, which is why the breed gets sold as low shedding, but a straight coated dog is quite likely to have a soft dense undercoat as well. Part the hair on the ribs and press a finger to the skin. A second, softer layer means undercoat, and that changes both the tools you use and the haircut we will recommend.
Can you shave a Bernedoodle in summer?
If the coat is single, fleece or curly, a shorter summer cut is sensible and we are glad to do it. If there is a genuine undercoat, we thin and tidy instead of clipping to the skin, because that layer holds heat away from the skin and shields it from the sun, and it can grow back patchy and a different texture. Shade, water, early and late walks and a coat combed clear so air moves through it do more than length does.
Where do Bernedoodles get matted?
Five places: behind and under the ears, the armpits and chest, under the collar or wherever gear sits, the leg feathering and trousers, and the tail and sanitary area. Push a knot sideways with your fingers. If it slides, combing with a detangling spray will clear it. If it feels fixed against the skin, it is a job for a groomer.
When does a Bernedoodle's coat change?
Somewhere between eight and fourteen months for most dogs. The soft puppy coat gives way to the adult one, and for a few months both lengths sit in the coat together and tangle into each other. If your Bernedoodle has started knotting after a year of easy brushing, that change is almost always why. Nothing has gone wrong, but check the coat type again, because it may not be the one you started with.