Are Bernedoodles aggressive?
Curious about the aggression level of Bernedoodles? Owning a dog is an awesome experience, but understanding a breed’s nature is crucial before bringing one home. This is true especially if you have children or intend to be around different people outside of your usual family/friends. We’ll dig into the temperament of a Bernedoodle to determine if they’re an aggressive breed or not. We’ll also as give you 5 tips to ensure your Bernedoodle is well socialized to reduce any potential aggression.
The Bernedoodle Breed
To truly understand a Bernedoodles’ natural disposition, it’s important to look at the two breeds that contribute to their genetic makeup: the Poodle and the Bernese Mountain Dog. Poodles rank second only to the Border Collie in intelligence and are highly trainable, making them excellent service dogs. On the other hand, Bernese Mountain Dogs are emotionally intelligent and can sense human emotions and vocal cues.
The Temperament of Bernedoodles
Thanks to their Bernese Mountain Dog heritage, Bernedoodles inherit a gentle, calm, and docile temperament, turning them into affectionate and lovable companions. Bernedoodles are naturally gentle and well-behaved dogs, but the key to bringing out that disposition is socialization.
The Importance of Socialization
While Bernedoodles thrive on social interactions, early socialization is very important to the development of their temperament. Without exposure to different people and environments during puppyhood, your Bernedoodle could end up with timid behavior and potential aggressiveness when faced with strangers.
Engaging in socialization activities, such as introducing your Bernedoodle to friends, family, and new places, will foster their adaptability and confidence. Next, we’ll go a little deeper into the potential negative effects of not socializing your Bernedoodle:
Negative Effects of NOT Socializing your Puppy
If you choose not to or are unable to socialize your Bernedoodle puppy, it could potentially lead to negative consequences for their behavior and overall well-being. Socialization plays a key role in shaping a dog’s temperament and how they interact with the world around them. Here are some potential negatives if you don’t properly socialize your Bernedoodle puppy:
Fear and Anxiety
Without exposure to different people, animals, and environments, your Bernedoodle puppy may become fearful and anxious when faced with unfamiliar situations. This fear can manifest as trembling, cowering, or even aggressive behavior, as they are unsure of how to respond to new stimuli.
Aggression:
A lack of socialization may lead to aggression in Bernedoodles, especially if they feel threatened or overwhelmed by new people or dogs. An unsocialized Bernedoodle may resort to defensive behaviors like growling or snapping when they perceive a potential threat, even if the threat is not real.
Difficulty in Public Spaces
An unsocialized Bernedoodle may struggle to adapt to public places, such as parks, cafes, or crowded streets. They may display nervous or reactive behavior, making outings stressful for both the dog and the owner.
Behavioral Issues
Dogs that haven’t been properly socialized are more prone to developing behavioral problems like separation anxiety, excessive barking, destructive chewing, or house soiling. These issues can be frustrating for owners and may require professional training to address. This type of training can take time and be very expensive.
Strained Relationships
An unsocialized Bernedoodle may have difficulty forming positive relationships with other dogs, animals, and people. This can lead to conflicts and make it challenging for them to coexist peacefully with other pets or interact with new human friends.
Limited Activities
Without proper socialization, your Bernedoodle may miss out on various activities and experiences that can enrich their life. They may be hesitant or fearful of new adventures, limiting their opportunities for exercise, mental stimulation, and overall enjoyment.
Safety Concerns:
An unsocialized Bernedoodle can pose safety risks to themselves and others. Their fear-based reactions might lead to situations where they attempt to run away or react aggressively, potentially resulting in accidents or injuries.
4 Tips for Socialization
Now that we’ve covered the negative stuff, we’ll cover 4 tips for better socializing to help ensure your Bernedoodle doesn’t become aggressive.
Start Early:
Begin socialization as early as possible, ideally when your Bernedoodle is a young puppy. The critical socialization window for most dogs is between 3 to 16 weeks of age. During this period, they are more open to new experiences and less likely to develop fear or anxiety towards unfamiliar people, places or things. Introduce them to various people, places, sounds, and other animals in a positive and controlled way.
Positive Reinforcement:
Use positive reinforcement techniques during socialization to create positive associations with new experiences. Offer treats, praise, and affection when your Bernedoodle meets new people, animals, or environments. This positive reinforcement will help them associate these encounters with good things, building their confidence and trust in unfamiliar situations.
Gradual Exposure:
Expose your Bernedoodle to new environments and experiences gradually. Too many new things at once could be over whelming for your pup which could then lead to fear or anxiety. Instead, start with low-stress situations and slowly increase the complexity of the environments and interactions. Allow them to approach new things at their own pace, giving them time to sniff, observe, and explore at will. Couple this tactic with positive reinforcement for best results.
Controlled Playdates:
Arrange controlled playdates with other well-behaved and fully vaccinated dogs. These interactions can be invaluable in teaching your Bernedoodle appropriate canine communication and play skills. Supervise the play and intervene if play gets too rough or if either dog appears uncomfortable. Positive interactions with other dogs can lead to lasting friendships and prevent potential aggression issues later in life.
Cooper’s Story
We got our boy Cooper at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, and for the large part of a year, he really only interacted with our immediate family. As locations started to open up (we’re beer fans so we took him to outdoor breweries), his reactions to being in a public setting with other people was surprising.
Cooper is a submissive dog by nature, but his submissiveness was amplified because we weren’t able to socialize him when he was a young puppy. He was so used to just us that when other people would approach him when we were out, he would cower behind us trembling and barking. The second time we were out, a waiter bent down and put the back of his hand out and Cooper growled. That sent alarm bells off for us because he’s so good with us and the kids.
Long story short, we gradually started introducing him to friends and extended family, associating treats, toys and praise with meeting new people (positive reinforcement). We had a few people come over at a time over the course of a few months.
We gave them treats when they got to the house and told them to either slowly approach or just stop and let Cooper come to them at his own pace. It was slow going at first with a lot of barking, but over time he started to get used to meeting new people and is much better with it.
Even with the progress he’s made, he still gets a little timid when meeting new people. But we just ask them to approach slowly so Cooper can sniff around and that continues to work out really well! With him improving so much, it means we can take him out to various places more often without him being stressed or us stressing over him potentially being aggressive.
We’re telling you Cooper’s story to illustrate the fact that although Bernedoodles are very sweet and docile dogs, if they’re not socialized early, there’s a chance they could become aggressive around new people, especially if they feel threatened.
Our Best Advice
To ensure a well-adjusted and non-aggressive Bernedoodle, prioritize socialization during their puppy years. With the pandemic over, there’s now lots of options for social interaction, from playdates with friends’ pets to puppy socialization classes at pet stores to bringing your pup out to public places. The more you expose your Bernedoodle to various environments and individuals, the more they will blossom into a friendly companion.
Closing
Are Bernedoodles aggressive? No, not naturally. Their lineage contributes to their loving and docile nature. By dedicating time and effort to early socialization, you can ensure a happy and well-behaved Bernedoodle that will bring joy and peace of mind to you and your family.
