10 Dog Breeds Similar To The Bernedoodle
The Bernedoodle is a designer dog. For those unfamiliar, that means it is the planned offspring of a Bernese Mountain Dog and a Standard Poodle. The goal of designer dogs is to create a canine companion with the best characteristics of both parents, which is a very luck-dependent process. If you like the general idea of these dogs, you should also check out dogs similar to the Bernedoodle. The more options you investigate, the better your chances of finding your perfect canine companion.
1. Afghan Hound
The Afghan Hound is a stylish-looking dog with a long, beautiful coat. Thanks to that, it is a surprisingly common sight in movies and TV shows. For that matter, Scientific American says the first cloned dog is an Afghan Hound named Snuppy. Said project is a bit tarnished because the project leader fabricated experiments. Still, it paved the way for the pet cloning industry of modern times.
In any case, the Afghan Hound is a basal breed that originated in Afghanistan. Once upon a time, it helped its owner hunt large prey by running ahead, engaging its target, and keeping its target in place until its owner could catch up. Even now, it retains characteristics that would have been beneficial for this purpose. One example is how the Afghan Hound is independent enough to act out of its own volition, thus explaining why it isn’t the most readily obedient of dogs. You may or may not see this as a bad thing.
2. Bernese Mountain Dog
Bernese Mountain Dogs are one of four kinds of Swiss Mountain Dogs. The other three are Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs, Appenzeller Mountain Dogs, and Entlebucher Mountain Dogs. Out of the four, Bernese Mountain Dogs are the most common in the United States. Meanwhile, the other three are rarer in that country.
Unsurprisingly, Swiss Mountain Dogs look like one another. All of them are larger dogs with tri-colored coats. However, Bernese Mountain Dogs stand out because they have longer coats than the other three. Other than this, the AKC says there are strict rules for the look of these dogs’ markings. There are supposed to be white crosses on their chests when viewed from the front. Simultaneously, there are supposed to be white marks on their necks, which can’t be white rings without being penalized. Suffice it to say that many of these dogs don’t meet all of the requirements included in the standard.
Swiss Mountain Dogs are working dogs. They are famous for being livestock guardians, but they also worked as draft dogs, guard dogs, and herding dogs. As a result, Bernese Mountain Dogs are outdoor dogs that get along well with their families but are much more standoffish toward everyone else. If you choose one of these dogs, you will need to provide it with regular training and socialization to prevent any potential complications.
3. Caucasian Shepherd Dog
Getting enough food to eat is one of the most pressing concerns for every human society ever in existence. As a result, people used the land available to them even when it wasn’t fertile enough to support crops. One way was raising livestock. That was possible because livestock can eat a wider range of plants than humans, thus enabling them to graze on a wider range of land. The issue is that the people responsible for the livestock needed to move the animals from place to place to prevent overgrazing, which could destroy the value of marginal land with horrific speed. All of this was dangerous. As such, it was no coincidence that a wide range of people developed a wide range of livestock guardians.
Some of those dog breeds are more recent creations than others. Caucasian Shepherd Dogs can trace their roots to prehistoric times. Even so, they came into existence in the first half of the 20th century. Specifically, Soviet dog breeders started gathering dogs from the Caucasus and Southern Russia before crossbreeding those dogs in 1920. Over time, their efforts produced Caucasian Shepherd Dogs, which were supposed to be better livestock guardians than their predecessors.
If you are interested in Caucasian Shepherd Dogs, you need to make sure you have the space for one. These aren’t particularly energetic dogs, but these aren’t a good fit for smaller living spaces because their creators made them big enough to scare off bears. Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about yourself and your family. Caucasian Shepherd Dogs get along great with their humans. Unfortunately, you need to know what you are doing as a dog owner. Livestock guardians needed to be capable of acting without human guidance, meaning these dogs have a huge streak of independence. Those who can manage that well can ensure a wonderful canine companion for themselves.
4. English Mastiff
A lot of big dogs have soft spots for their humans. For instance, consider the English Mastiff, a classic example of the good-natured, even-tempered giant. It isn’t unclear how the dog came into existence. Some people think it descends from the dogs of ancient Britain, which were already famous for their formidable capabilities in Roman times. Other people point to dogs such as the Alaunt and the Molossus. Whatever its exact origins, the English Mastiff has a place of pride in the British imagination. The dog breed almost died out in Great Britain because of a one-two punch from the Second World War and a post-war outbreak of canine distemper. Luckily, it is now in a much more secure position.
5. Goldendoodle
Goldendoodles are another designer dog. Specifically, Dogtime says they descend from Golden Retrievers and Standard Poodles. Both of those are smart, biddable, and affectionate dogs, so it isn’t hard to see why people would want a dog representing the best of them.
Of course, that is exactly why you should be very careful when you are looking for a Goldendoodle. High demand translates into high sale prices. As a result, it isn’t uncommon to see unscrupulous individuals setting up puppy mills to capitalize on that interest with no or next-to-no consideration for how sloppy breeding can hurt the dogs. Checking out a dog breeder’s operations can give you a great deal of insight into how they do things, thus helping you decide whether to trust them or stay far away from them. Furthermore, you want to know the exact dog you are interested in, particularly since designer dogs aren’t consistent in the same way as purebred dogs.
6. Great Dane
Great Danes aren’t Danish dogs at all. Instead, The Spruce Pets says these dogs came into existence in Germany. Supposedly, continental European nobles imported large, long-legged dogs from England during the early modern era. Over time, these dogs went their separate way from their English cousins, thus resulting in a new dog breed specializing in a couple of tasks. One, they protected their owners from those who would harm them. Two, they helped their owners hunt large animals by holding them in place for the kill. As for why the Great Danes became known as the Great Danes in the English-speaking world, well, there is no great mystery there. They are just one of the dog breeds that received a rename because of the two World Wars during the 20th century.
Moving on, the Great Danes aren’t quite like what one might expect based on their historical roles. For starters, they get along with not just humans but also other animals. That doesn’t just mean dogs. The Great Danes don’t have much of a prey drive, so they can get along with other animals as well. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can just count on their good nature to make them good dogs. As always, training and socialization are critical for ensuring that everything turns out well.
7. Kuvasz
The Kuvasz is another large dog breed with ancient roots. In its case, it originated in Hungary, which was settled by the Hungarians in the late 9th and early 10th centuries. Before that, the Hungarians were nomads, meaning they were extra reliant on their livestock for food. Naturally, they had livestock guardians, which protected their livestock during their movements. When the Hungarians settled in their new homeland, these livestock guardians continued doing their jobs, thus leading to the Kuvasz of modern times. Besides this, the Kuvasz served as guard dogs and hunting dogs to Hungarian nobles, which says much about their regard in those people’s eyes.
Sadly, the Kuvasz was one of the dog breeds devastated by the conflicts of the 20th century. It hadn’t spread beyond Hungarian borders much, so Hungarian enthusiasts weren’t able to replenish its numbers by importing it from other countries. As a result, there is some speculation that the Kuvasz received a sizable infusion of new blood from other large dog breeds.
8. Newfoundland
Newfoundland refers to a region in Eastern Canada. To be exact, it includes the island of Newfoundland plus most of the Labrador Peninsula. The region has long been famous because of its fishing, though that is less prominent in the present because of the collapse of its cod fishing in the 1990s. Much about the Newfoundland Dog becomes understandable in this context. After all, these dogs originated as assistants to Newfoundland fishers.
On the whole, the Newfoundland Dog is yet another large dog with a good temper plus a great deal of fondness for its family members. It originated as a working dog. That means the Newfoundland Dog needs regular exercise, with Barkercise recommending 30 to 60 minutes of daily activity. Without that, it can get bored, at which point, it could start barking, chewing, and otherwise making a nuisance of itself. The Newfoundland Dog is also prone to weight gain without regular exercise, so that is an additional incentive to get those minutes in.
9. Poodle
Poodles are the other parent breed of the Bernedoodle. These dogs are some of the smartest canines in existence, though it might be more accurate to say that they are some of the easiest-to-train canines in existence. Better still, Poodles combine that trainability with a sweet nature, thus making them very popular with a wide range of people with a wide range of preferences.
That is even more true because these dogs come in different sizes. The Poodle Club of America states that the Standard Poodle is the largest at an average of 22 to 27 inches at the shoulder. Meanwhile, the Miniature Poodle average 13 to 15 inches at the shoulder, while the Toy Poodle is either 10 inches or less at the shoulder. If you have ever wondered why Poodle-descended designer dogs show such a wide range of sizes, this is the reason. Yes, modern techniques and technologies mean that dogs can successfully give birth even though they wouldn’t be able to do so under natural conditions. That doesn’t mean that dog breeders are going to use them when there are easier alternatives.
10. Tibetan Mastiff
It is very common for people to name animals after similar-looking animals. That is as true for dogs as it is for other animals. For proof, look no further than the Tibetan Mastiff, which is one of several Tibetan dog breeds that received a more familiar label from European visitors for the sake of convenience. Certainly, “mastiff” does a good job at communicating the fact that this is a huge dog one wouldn’t want to aggravate.
That is a real concern because Tibetan Mastiffs are also livestock guardians. Essentially, they aren’t the most aggressive dogs out there. Fights are risky, so it makes sense for livestock guardians to focus on scaring off predators rather than go chasing after every single one of them. Still, if Tibetan Mastiffs believe that their charges are threatened, they won’t hesitate to step up. Be warned they aren’t a good choice for people living in urban areas. These dogs are prone to barking at unidentified things during the night, meaning they can be a huge nuisance to neighbors.
