The Ultra Bernedoodle: The Definitive Guide to More Bernese, Less Poodle, and Why It Works
The Ultra Bernedoodle is a multigenerational Bernedoodle with 56-85% Bernese Mountain Dog genetics while maintaining the furnishings gene for a low-shedding coat. Pioneered by Rocky Road Doodles in early 2020, the Ultra goes against the conventional wisdom of adding more Poodle and instead preserves the Bernese traits families love most.
I have spent over a decade breeding Bernedoodles, and one question has come up more than any other: “Can I have a dog that looks like a Bernese but doesn’t shed?” The industry has been answering that question wrong for years. The standard answer is always the same: add more Poodle. That answer strips away the very qualities that made you fall in love with the Bernese Mountain Dog in the first place.
The Ultra Bernedoodle is the answer I spent years building — a dog that is more Bernese than Poodle, with the heavy bone, the calm steadiness, and that deep, soulful expression. And it does not shed. Not because I added more Poodle, but because I learned to work with the furnishings gene across generations instead of relying on breed percentages as a shortcut.
What Is an Ultra Bernedoodle?
An Ultra Bernedoodle is a Bernedoodle selectively bred to carry 56-85% Bernese Mountain Dog genetics while maintaining the low-shedding coat or “hair” that is expected from a typical doodle. It is not a first-generation cross, not an F1b, and not achieved through a single backcross to a Bernese Mountain Dog. The Ultra is the product of many generations of intentional, data-driven breeding - tracking coat genetics, health outcomes, temperament, and structure across entire lineages to arrive at a dog that delivers maximum Bernese character with minimum shedding.
Where the industry has spent years pushing Bernedoodle genetics toward the Poodle side, the Ultra pulls in the opposite direction. Instead of adding more Poodle to control shedding, the Ultra controls shedding through the furnishings gene directly — and keeps the Bernese.
That distinction changes everything about the dog: the way it looks, the way it moves, the way it behaves, and the way it fits into a family’s life.
Why I Created the Ultra Bernedoodle
The Problem With “More Poodle”
The doodle industry has operated for years on a single assumption: if you want less shedding, add more Poodle. This logic drives the entire F1b recommendation — cross back to a Poodle, increase Poodle content to 75%, and get a curlier, lower-shedding coat. But every time you add more Poodle, you subtract Bernese.
At 75% Poodle, the dog is only one-quarter Bernese Mountain Dog. That matters, because the Bernese is the reason people want a Bernedoodle. They want the calm temperament, the heavy bone, the broad face, the tri-color markings, and that gentle, grounded presence. At 75% Poodle, many of those traits are diluted or gone. The dog tends to be lighter-boned, higher-energy, and temperamentally closer to a Poodle. If what you wanted was a Poodle, you would have gotten a Poodle. Families came looking for a Bernese Mountain Dog that does not shed, and the industry kept giving them less and less Bernese.
The Question That Changed Everything
In early 2020, I stopped accepting that framing. Instead of asking how much Poodle I needed to add, I asked: how much Bernese can I keep while still maintaining a low-shedding coat?
Shedding is not controlled by how much Poodle is in the dog. It is controlled by the furnishings gene — RSPO2. A dog that carries two copies of this gene (FF) will have a low-shedding coat whether it is 25% Poodle or 75% Poodle. The furnishings gene does not care about breed percentages. It cares about whether it is present.
That realization was the foundation of the Ultra program. If I could maintain confirmed furnishings through multigenerational selection, while increasing Bernese content, I could produce a dog that was more Bernese than any standard Bernedoodle and still did not shed. It took years of rigorous DNA testing, many generations of documented lineage data, and meticulous tracking of coat genetics, temperament, and structure. It was not fast. But it worked.
The Genetics: How You Keep Furnishings While Increasing Bernese Content
The Furnishings Gene (RSPO2)
The furnishings gene controls the length of the hair growth cycle. Dogs with furnishings grow hair that stays in the growth phase much longer before entering the shedding phase. There are three possible genotypes:
FF (homozygous furnished): Two copies. Maximum non-shedding hair. Comparable to a poodle in terms of turn over.
Ff (heterozygous furnished): One copy. Low-shedding. Hair will grow out just like “hair” and is similar to FF but can have some variability in how “robust” the growth comes in. Slower copies can have a little more shedding, one good copy is indistinguishable from FF.
ff (unfurnished): No copies. The dog sheds like a purebred Bernese Mountain Dog and is “fur”, does not need to be cut as it will cycle naturally and stay at a relatively short length. We do not have ff dogs in our program because all of our parents will genetically produce puppies with 1-2 copies of the furnishings gene.
In the Ultra program, all of our puppies will be “furnished”. That genetic certainty is what allows us to increase Bernese content without increasing shedding risk.
Why a Simple Backcross Does Not Work
A reverse F1b — crossing a Bernedoodle back to a purebred Bernese — increases Bernese genetics in one generation but destroys furnishings in half of the puppies, in the process. A purebred Bernese is ff. Crossing an FF Bernedoodle to an ff Bernese produces 50% Ff and 50% ff puppies. Half of those puppies will shed like a Bernese Mountain Dog. That is not acceptable for families who need low shedding, and it defeats the purpose entirely.
The Ultra achieves what a simple backcross cannot: it increases Bernese content generation by generation while keeping every single puppy furnished. This is only possible through multigenerational selection — selecting furnished parents in every generation, tracking Bernese content through lineage data and DNA, and building a program where the furnishings gene is locked in before Bernese content is increased.
Ultra vs. F1 vs. F1b vs. Standard Multigen: A Complete Comparison
| Trait | Ultra Bernedoodle | F1 Bernedoodle | F1b Bernedoodle | Standard Multigen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poodle % | 15–44% | 50% | ~75% | Varies (often 50%) |
| Shedding | Low to Non shedding (1–2 Furnishing gene/s) | Low shedding (1 furnishing gene) | Low to non shedding (1–2 furnishings gene/s) | Depends on program and testing; ours: (1–2 furnishings gene/s) |
| Furnishings Status | FF or F/n | F/n | FF or F/n | Ours: F/n or F/F |
| Temperament Predictability | Calm, steady Bernese influence | Moderate (50/50) | Trends toward Poodle energy | Moderate (50/50) |
| Bernese Look and Build | Strong — robust bone, broad head, classic expression | Moderate — balanced mix | Low — lighter, more Poodle-like | Moderate-balanced mix |
| Generational Data | Typically many generations documented | First generation (no lineage data) | Second generation only | Typically many generations documented |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an Ultra Bernedoodles Look Like?
When you see an Ultra standing next to a standard F1b, the difference is immediate.
Build and structure. Ultras carry the robust, heavy-boned frame of the Bernese Mountain Dog — broad chest, strong legs, substantial physical presence. Where F1b dogs often develop the lighter, more angular Poodle build, the Ultra maintains the Bernese’s powerful, well-proportioned frame.
Temperament: The Bernese “Off Switch”
The higher the Poodle content, the more likely you are to get a dog with that trademark Poodle drive: quick, reactive, always looking for the next thing to do. Ultra Bernedoodles lean heavily into the Bernese temperament. They are calm, steady, and present without being demanding.
Health Advantages
Coat and Shedding: FF Furnishings Despite Lower Poodle ContentStandard Ultra Bernedoodle: 50 to 90 pounds, the full Bernese Mountain Dog frame at its most impressive
Mini Ultra Bernedoodle: 25 to 49 pounds, the Ultra temperament and look in a more manageable package
Munchkin Ultra Bernedoodle: 15 to 25 pounds, incorporating our Cavalier-influenced Munchkin lines for an even smaller companion
Size is managed through the same multigenerational approach as every other trait — documented data across generations, not guesswork.
Ultra Bernedoodles carry confirmed FF furnishings and shed at levels comparable to a purebred Poodle or a high-Poodle-content F1b — with sometimes as little as 15% Poodle compared to 75% in an F1b.
Size Options
Ultra Bernedoodles are available in the size ranges Rocky Road Doodles produces across our program:
How? Because shedding is controlled by the furnishings gene, not by Poodle percentage. The industry’s insistence on adding more Poodle was always a roundabout way of increasing the probability of inheriting furnishings. We removed the middleman: we test for the gene directly and breed for it explicitly.
The coat is typically wavy to loosely curly, with good body and density. It requires regular grooming — brushing two to three times per week and professional grooming every six to eight weeks. The hair that does not shed stays in the coat and can mat if not maintained. But for families committed to a grooming routine, the Ultra delivers the low-shedding coat they need without sacrificing the Bernese traits they want.
No dog is truly zero-shedding. But a well-bred Ultra with confirmed FF furnishings comes as close as any dog can.
Hybrid vigor comes from genetic diversity at the individual gene level, not from breed percentages on a pedigree chart. In a well-managed multigenerational program with comprehensive DNA testing, we maintain meaningful genetic diversity while increasing Bernese content. We know the specific health markers each dog carries, we pair dogs to avoid doubling up on risk genes, and we track health outcomes across every generation.
With 5 to 8 or more generations of documented health outcomes, our Ultra program has a depth of health information that most breeding programs do not possess. We know which lines have produced longevity, where orthopedic strengths lie, and the cardiac, ophthalmologic, and genetic health profiles of dogs going back years. That data is the foundation of every breeding decision.
Every breeding dog undergoes comprehensive health testing: hip and elbow evaluations, cardiac clearances, ophthalmologist exams, and a full DNA panel covering breed-relevant genetic conditions. Every puppy is DNA tested individually. There are no shortcuts in this program.
Bernese Mountain Dog people talk about the “off switch” — the ability to be fully engaged and playful when the moment calls for it, then settle completely when it does not. Ultras inherit this quality. They will play with your kids in the yard, then lie at your feet while you work without pacing, whining, or looking for trouble.
The Bernese is one of the most deeply bonded breeds in existence. Ultra Bernedoodles carry that same quiet, absolute loyalty. They want to be near you — not because they are anxious, but because your presence is where they are happiest. There is a warmth and emotional intelligence to the Bernese temperament that is difficult to describe until you have lived with it.
Ultras are also highly trainable, but with a Bernese willingness to please rather than Poodle-style independence. They want to get it right because they want to make you happy, not because they are calculating the reward.
Head and expression. Ultra Bernedoodles have broader skulls, a more pronounced stop, and that classic Bernese expression — the deep, warm look that Bernese owners describe as “looking into your soul.” It is the face that stops people on walks.
Coat and color. Ultras maintain their furnishings — beard, eyebrows, mustache — giving them the doodle look while retaining Bernese coat texture. Coats tend to be wavy to loosely curly rather than tight Poodle curls. Color expression is richer: the classic tri-color pattern presents with greater clarity, and Bernese-pattern markings including the Swiss cross on the chest and rust eyebrows tend to be more pronounced.
The overall impression. If a Bernese Mountain Dog and an Ultra Bernedoodle stood side by side, you would think they were closely related. The difference is the coat — the Ultra’s furnishings make it low-shedding while the purebred Bernese’s does not. That is the whole point.
Ultra Bernedoodles with confirmed FF furnishings are among the best options for allergy-conscious families, shedding at levels comparable to purebred Poodles. However, no dog is truly hypoallergenic — allergens come from proteins in skin cells, saliva, and urine, not just hair. The Ultra’s furnishings status dramatically reduces shedding, meaning fewer allergens distributed through loose hair. For mild allergies, an Ultra can be a reasonable choice. For severe allergies, I recommend spending time with a dog carrying the same coat genetics before committing, and consulting your allergist.
How much does an Ultra Bernedoodle cost?
Ultra Bernedoodle pricing from Rocky Road Doodles reflects the investment required for a multigenerational program with comprehensive DNA testing, health screening, and years of documented lineage data. Pricing varies based on size and availability. For current pricing, visit rockyroaddoodles.com. Be cautious of anyone marketing “Ultra Bernedoodles” at unusually low prices — the depth of work required to produce a genuine Ultra is significant, and shortcuts compromise the result.
What generation is an Ultra Bernedoodle?
The Ultra is from a multigenerational Bernedoodle parent and either a Bernese Mountain Dog or another Ultra multigenerational Bernedoodle. It does not fit neatly into the F1, F1b, F2 classification because it was not produced through those conventional crosses. The generation depth is what makes the Ultra possible — this is not a result you can achieve in one or two crosses.
Do Ultra Bernedoodles shed?
Ultra Bernedoodles with good furnishings shed very little, comparable to a purebred Poodle. No dog is truly zero-shedding, but the Ultra’s hair genes mean that their hair turns over in a way that is very infrequent, similar to the hair on your head — it has a long, long, long growth cycle.
How is an Ultra Bernedoodle different from a regular Bernedoodle?
The fundamental difference is breeding philosophy. Regular Bernedoodles — F1, F1b, or standard multigen — typically trend toward higher Poodle content to manage shedding. The Ultra reverses that trajectory, intentionally increasing Bernese content to 60-85% while maintaining low-shedding coats through confirmed FF furnishings rather than Poodle percentage. The result is a dog that looks more like a Bernese, acts more like a Bernese, and carries the robust build and calm temperament of a Bernese — while shedding no more than a properly furnished standard Bernedoodle.
What is an Ultra Bernedoodle?
An Ultra Bernedoodle is a multigenerational Bernedoodle selectively bred to carry 60-85% Bernese Mountain Dog genetics while maintaining confirmed FF furnishings for a low-shedding coat. Pioneered by Emily Scott at Rocky Road Doodles in early 2020, the Ultra was developed through 5 to 8 or more generations of documented breeding data and rigorous DNA testing. It proves that maximum Bernese content and a low-shedding coat are not mutually exclusive.
The Ultra is not simply another point on a spectrum. It represents a fundamentally different breeding philosophy: instead of treating Bernese traits and low-shedding as opposing goals, the Ultra treats them as compatible traits that can be selected for simultaneously.
Written by Emily Scott, founder of Rocky Road Doodles and pioneer of the Ultra Bernedoodle. Emily created the Ultra Bernedoodle concept in early 2020 after more than a decade of hands-on breeding experience, proving that maximum Bernese Mountain Dog content and a low-shedding coat could coexist through multigenerational genetic selection rather than the industry’s conventional approach of adding more Poodle. Her program is built on 5 to 8+ generations of documented health, temperament, and genetic data, with every breeding dog and every puppy DNA tested. Learn more at rockyroaddoodles.com.Who created the Ultra Bernedoodle?
The Ultra Bernedoodle was pioneered by Emily Scott, founder of Rocky Road Doodles, in early 2020. Emily developed the concept after years of observing the industry push Bernedoodle breeding further toward the Poodle side at the expense of the Bernese traits families wanted most. Drawing on over a decade of breeding experience and multigenerational lineage data, she proved that more Bernese and low-shedding coats could coexist through rigorous genetic testing and intentional selection for confirmed FF furnishings.