Mini Bernese Mountain Dog | The Gentle “Mini” Giant

If you’re looking for a loving, relaxing family dog you might want to consider the Mini Bernese Mountain Dog. This breed is known for its calm demeanor and small size.

mini bernese mountain dog
Mini Bernese Mountain Dog

Full-sized Bernese Mountain dogs are a popular breed and make it to many new pet parent lists. However, their large size when reaching full adult age is a big reason why many pet parents can’t commit to them.

The Mini Bernese Mountain Dog breed has become a popular choice for pet parents who want all the positive qualities of the regular sized dog but in a smaller package.

To make sure that this is the right choice for you, there are a few things that you should know. Let’s look at some of the most important factors that you’ll need to take into account.

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Mini Bernese Mountain Dog Appearance

Let’s start by looking at the size of the Mini Bernese Mountain Dog. For many owners, this is one of the most appealing aspects of owning this breed. They tend to stand at around 12.5 inches (32cm) tall when they’re fully grown.

They will also weigh between 11 to 17 pounds (5 to 11 kilograms). This is substantially less than the full-sized Bernese Mountain Dog which averages close to 100 pounds, making the miniature a better choice for families with younger children or a lack of big space.

In most cases, the Mini Bernese Mountain Dog will have three colours in their fur. It’s common for them to have white, brown, and black spots. However, each dog will have the colours distributed slightly differently, so you’ll be able to tell them apart.

Mini Bernese Mountain Dog Temperament

Before you get a dog, it’s important to know some of the behaviours that you’ll be able to expect. This will let you know whether you’ll be a good match. Thankfully, the Mini Bernese Mountain Dog tends to have a very relaxed personality, which will allow them to fit into most lifestyles.

Because they are larger dogs, they tend to have less energy than smaller animals. As a result, they will be more docile and will be able to spend more time napping throughout the day. Because they love to be around you, they’ll often try to find a spot that’s close to you before settling down to sleep.

Funny Bernese mountain dogs and puppies like to have fun!

This breed is highly social, and won’t take long to get used to new people.

Though, at first, they might take a little while to get used to strangers. They also love to display their affection through frequent pets and cuddles. As a result, they tend to make great family pets

The Mini Bernese Mountain Dog tends to be very intelligent and responds well to your commands. This tends to make them easy to train.

Like all dogs, you’ll get better results if you enroll them in a training course from a younger age. They might also make a great guard dog, barking to warn you of potential danger.

However, one of the biggest problems that you might encounter is that they won’t want to be left alone. Because of this, you might need to put in a little more training to get them used to being left on their own.

Living With Other Animals

If you’re an animal lover, you’ll likely want to have other animals around the house. Thankfully, the Mini Bernese Mountain Dog tends to get along well with other animals. This is especially true for other dogs, as they’ll have someone to play with.

Unlike some other breeds, they don’t have much of a prey drive, so you’ll be able to keep animals like rabbits. They’ll be able to get along well with a cat, as long as you introduce them from a young age and explain that it isn’t prey.

Mini Bernese Mountain Dog & Exercise

It’s important to make sure that you do regular exercise with your Mini Bernese Mountain Dog. This will allow you to grow your connection. It will also make sure that they stay in shape.

This breed tends to be fairly high-energy. In many cases, you’ll need to spend at least one hour per day playing with them.

There are several ways that you’ll be able to make sure that you’ll be able to meet this energy requirement.

You might want to take them on a long walk. You can also try to take them to the dog park, playing games like fetch. In most cases, they’ll be pretty good off-leash.

With some training, they’ll have no problem coming back to you when you call. Due to their reduced prey drive, it’s unlikely that they’ll run off chasing animals.

Though they might occasionally enjoy playing a little rough, they will know the boundaries. Once playtime is over, they’ll revert to their relaxed nature. This can make them a great choice for people with older children, as they’ll be able to play together.

Grooming The Mini Bernese Mountain Dog

It’s important to make sure that you keep your Mini Bernese Mountain Dog groomed. This will help protect them from some health conditions. As a longer-haired breed, they will shed frequently.

You’ll be able to address this by brushing your Bernese Mountain dog at least once a week, to catch all the old hair.

You can also spend a little more time vacuuming your house, to make sure that you keep it clean from the hair.

However, you shouldn’t bathe them more than once a week, as this will remove the protective oils from their skin.

If you like to do your own dog grooming then make sure you get some dog-specific shampoo and consider getting a dog dryer, as this can save a ton of time with the Mini Bernese Mountain.

How to trim your Bernese Mountain Dogs’ foot hair | Grooming lesson for your dog

You might also want to check their toenails. Because of the most physical activity, they do each do they’ll tend to naturally wear down their nails. However, if they get too long, you might need to trim your dog’s nails yourself.

Finally, you might want to check their eyes. Sometimes they might get blocked up by sleep and other gunk. If you think that this is the case, you might need to gently wipe their eyes with a tissue.

Apart from these areas, the Mini Bernese Mountain Dog tends to be a relatively easy dog to groom and take care of.

And of course, don’t forget, as we humans sometimes do, to consider brushing your dog’s teeth, always best to start from a young age.

Mini Bernese Mountain Dog Health

In many cases, the Mini Bernese Mountain Dog will have an expected life span of between 7 to 10 years. This is somewhat shorter than other small dogs.

This is because they might experience a range of health problems. For example, they might experience Mitral Valve Disease.

This can impact the way that their heart functions, causing the valve to leak. They might also experience a few issues with their hips and joints. These conditions will get worse as they age.

Because of this, it’s important to make sure that you’re checking in with your vet frequently. This will let you diagnose these issues early.

Ideal Home For Mini Bernese Mountain Dog

If you’re considering getting a Mini Bernese Mountain Dog, you might want to think about the type of environment that you’ll be keeping them in. They tend to be happiest when a few environmental conditions are met.

First, because of the length of their fur, they are better suited to colder climates. If you’re keeping them in a hotter place, you’ll need to monitor them, making sure that they aren’t overheating.

For example, you might want to give them a shady area where they can lie down if they start getting too hot. 

As we mentioned, they tend to like a lot of daily exercise. As a result, they tend to need a big backyard, where they’ll have plenty of space to run around.

Because of this, it might not be appropriate to keep them in a small apartment, unless you go to the dog park for a few hours each day.

Mini Bernese Mountain Dog Puppies

How Do Bernese Mountain Dog’s Become Miniaturized

You may be wondering at this point how the Bernese Mountain Dog even became miniaturized in the first place.

Here are three of the most common ways miniaturization can take place in dog breeds.

Bernedoodle

One of the more common ways for Bernese Mountain dogs to become miniaturized is with the creation of the Bernedoodle breed.

When a Bernese Mountain Dog is bred with a Poodle, you get the Bernedoodle.

Crossbreeding

Specific to miniaturization, the Bernese Mountain Dog can be bred with other similar-looking dogs who are smaller in size.

When you take a dog that also looks similar, especially in colouring, like the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, you end up with a breed that still looks similar, just smaller.

And so the two most popular breeds that are crossbred with the Bernese Mountain Dog to create a Mini version are the miniature poodle and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Dwarfism

Dwarfism in dogs is a genetic condition referred to scientifically as chondrodysplasia.

And although dwarfism can result in shortened limbs for dogs, it does create other health problems, especially in relation to their bones.

Cute mini bernese mountain dog
Cute Mini Bernese Mountain dog

Final Thoughts

The Mini Bernese Mountain Dog is a great choice if you’re looking for a loving, family dog.

Their relaxed nature means that they’ll be relatively easy to take care of, as long as you spend at least one hour per day playing with them.

So, if you have some space in your backyard or a close-by park, you might want to consider getting a Mini Bernese Mountain Dog to keep you and or your family company.

stuart and his dog

Family Dog Expert Author

Hi there! I’m Stuart, a devoted dog lover and family dog expert with over a decade of experience working with our furry companions. My passion for dogs drives me to share my knowledge and expertise, helping families build strong, loving bonds with their four-legged friends. When I’m not writing for SirDoggie, you’ll find me hiking, playing with my beautiful dog, or studying music.