Same parents still means all bets are off!

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Hi all!

So I have finally decided to start posting here and figured a good place to start would be describing my boys. They both are F1 Bernedoodles and have the same parents, just a year a part. They came from the nicest lady who is a family friend and is a great example to me of some one who does/did (Moose's litter was her last litter) breed puppies for the right reasons. She had one female Bernese and one male standard poodle who are her pets and extremely healthy dogs and she wanted to bring some nice pups into the world the right way. She kept one of her female doodles from her first litter named Shadow. Loki is one of 10 from her second litter and Moose is one of five from her third and final for their mother.

Which brings me to the title of this discussion. Both of their parents are so sweet and gentle and clearly have the traits new puppy parents are looking for (smart, calm, great with kids, ect ect ect) but that doesn't mean all puppies are exactly like their mother (Sadie, who is a typical Berner, very clam quiet and a true gentle giant).

Shadow is a larger than average doodle (70lbs) who has a poodle's personality and smarts. She is a protector and follows the family kids around none stop "keeping them safe". She does agility classes and is really talented. Her personality is almost a carbon copy of their fathers.
Loki has his mothers personality and is a huge gentle giant (90lbs) and a big chicken when it comes down to it. I could never sign him up for agility because while more agile than his mom he's a big clumsy Snuffy from Seseame street. He's a momma's boy.
Moose is a Moose and expected to weigh in around 110-120lbs, almost double his dad's weight (60lbs), so he clearly got the Berner's weight department genes. He is an alpha personality and pretty head strong and very very high energy which is something neither of his parents are! He at 6months is still challenging Loki every chance he gets until Loki re puts him into his place. Thank God he doesn't challenge me because that would not be ok!

So many people ask me what I think of bernedoodles "because they are so calm and mellow are basically non-shedding Berners" right? NO I say, No! They are just like any breed of dog, each dog is different. In general they are larger and calmer than some breeds but it all depends what you are comparing them too and the dog in question. By the "breed standards" Loki would fit most people's expectations for a bernedoodle but Moose would be so far off the mark. (Disclaimer/Side Bar- I had asked for a slightly higher energy pup with Moose as I thought that would pair well with Loki) Sure Loki has the personality of a berner and is non shedding but is mostly black. Shadow does not have a berner personality as she is far from a couch potatoe, but does have the colorings of one and sheds minimally. And then there's Moose who is a massive ball of puppy coat shedding! Who knows what his coat will look like but the only thing berner about him is his size.

Everyone who meets my boys doesn't hesitate to tell me "Loki is so calm and that's the Berner in him" well what about Moose then? They came from the same gene pool and look almost identical. People seem so confused, how could two puppies who have the same parents be so different? Easy! It's like kids, every child has a different personality and some kids are just like their parents and others are nothing like either one. Every pup has a different personality and while great parents is very important it does not mean you will know your exact personality of your puppy. All pups have different personalities, no dog is alike and picking out the breeds of you puppy is only part of the process.

When Loki was Moose's age he was 50lbs and he favorite thing to do was cuddle while I read a book, he would just lay there quietly and calmly. Moose is about 65lbs and can't sit still for more than 3 seconds before deciding to run in circles chasing after nothing!

Many people meet Loki, who goes everywhere with me, and instantly decide they MUST get a bernedoodle because "they are all so calm!" I usually say you should meet my other one because you shouldn't get a puppy unless you're ok with it being either extreme. Moose seemed mellow at 6weeks when I picked him too, and then a switch flipped and it doesn't look like it will be flipping back anytime soon. I should also note that most of the labradoodles and Goldendoodles I know and much calmer than Moose. In the three litters Sadie had there are a total of 25 puppies out there and while I only know 3, their personalities are so varied.

That's all for now, and a small intro into my boys :)

Jess, Loki and Moose

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Yes it is crazy how different they all can be. I picked up Loki at 12weeks and he has been mellow from day one. Moose I picked out from his litter at 6weeks and he seemed to be a little for curious than Loki but still mellow and when I went back to get him a day shy of 8 weeks, he was a puppy/land shark on caffeine! They make me laugh though, how different they are!

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Same here, Yogi and Maci are from the same parents, just different liters.  They have different personalities, but similar temperament.  I do enjoy the differences though.  It's entertaining

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I had two golden doodles from the same liter and they were night and day different.

[F, Calla & Luca]

All good points.

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Isn't that amazing how different each dog is? Thanks for posting this.

I'm a first time dog owner and when getting my second one, who has the same dad, just a different poodle mom, I thought "how different can they be?"  You know, I'm an only child so I've never experienced how different each sibling is...even with having the same genetics from their mom and dad. So while my first doodle was the love of my life...so I though, I just could not get used to the second doodle when he was a puppy. He was totally different from his bro. You can probably find some of my older blogs and discussions where I totally lost it with the new puppy and never believed I could share my love. Fast forward 3 years and I love my both boys to the moon and back. Yes, they are totally different, but in a wonderful way. I think it would be boring if you had two dogs that would be completely the same. They each have their own personalities and they keep you on your toes and entertained the whole time. And guess what? I caught myself thinking that I actually like my hyper, crazy second doodle's personality better now.

So you made a great point of people trying to generalize. No two dogs are alike, even when they are the same breed.

Hugs to you, Loki and Moose.