Bernese Puppy Growth & Weight Chart, Month by Month

By the Riverside Berner Guide editorial team
Last updated November 7, 2026

There is no official month-by-month Bernese Mountain Dog growth chart. We checked the breed club, the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the research, and found Berner-specific numbers only for birth, the first three weeks and adulthood. This page shows those sourced points, labels growth data from other large breeds as exactly that, and helps you track your puppy with your vet instead of against a made-up chart.

Nothing here replaces your vet’s advice. Every puppy grows at its own pace, and your vet is the right person to judge whether yours is on track.

Why we don’t show a month-by-month Bernese Mountain Dog growth chart

You’ve probably seen Berner charts online with a weight for every month. We looked for a published source behind those numbers and couldn’t find one. So we don’t repeat them, and we don’t invent our own.

Here is what the main sources cover:

• The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America (BMDCA) gives adult weights only, in its 2024 FAQ.
• The AKC breed standard gives adult heights only, and no weight at all (AKC standard).
• The largest growth-chart study of pet dogs left out dogs like many Berners, as explained below.

The study that stopped at 40 kilograms

In 2017, researchers published growth standard charts in PLoS ONE, built from the medical records of a network of more than 900 vet hospitals, mostly in the US. The charts cover ages 12 weeks to 2 years. They were made for dogs with a predicted adult weight of up to 40 kilograms (about 88 pounds).

The authors say their charts don’t apply to dogs over 40 kilograms. Giant breeds such as Great Danes, Mastiffs and Rottweilers grew in such varied ways that no single curve fit them, and the authors call for breed-specific curves for those breeds. Berner males, at 80 to 115 pounds by the BMDCA’s figures, can weigh more than that 40-kilogram cutoff.

The sourced data points, from birth to adult

This table shows every growth figure we could source. The last column tells you whether the data is about Berners or about other dogs.

Notice the gap. Between about 3 weeks and adulthood, we found no Berner weight data at all.

Birth and the first three weeks: Berner data

A 2019 study in the journal Animals weighed 44 live Bernese puppies from 6 litters out of 3 mothers, all from one kennel. Birth weights ranged from 380 to 720 grams, or roughly 13 to 25 ounces. Average birth weight by litter ran from 462 to 662 grams.

The Berner puppies were small next to their mothers, at about 1.3% of the mother’s weight. That compared with 2.1% for Tibetan Terrier puppies and 2.5% for Lhasa Apso puppies in the same study. Berner puppies gained about 61 to 90 grams a day (about 2 to 3 ounces), doubled their birth weight in about 10 days and tripled it in about 18.

Females gained a little more per day than males. The authors say normal birth weight and early growth should be judged breed by breed, not by broad size groups. It’s a small study from a single kennel, so treat the numbers as a guide, not a standard.

From weaning to adulthood: no Berner data

This is the stretch most owners want a chart for, and it’s where Berner data is missing. The closest published work looks at other big breeds.

A 2007 study in the Journal of Animal Science followed 700 Newfoundlands, Labrador Retrievers, Leonbergers and Irish Wolfhounds living in homes. Their weight rose fast for the first 100 days, then leveled off. They reached mature weight between 351 days (female Labradors) and 413 days (male Newfoundlands), at estimated adult weights from 30.8 kilograms to 65.7 kilograms.

The AKC also publishes a rough guide to the share of adult size a puppy has reached by age. It isn’t Berner data, and the AKC says all its numbers are approximate and to ask your vet if in doubt (AKC).

Berners straddle both columns, since adult males can range from 80 to 115 pounds. We haven’t turned these percentages into Berner pounds, because that would be our own estimate, not data.

Adult size: Berner data

Adult figures are the firmest numbers you’ll find. The BMDCA says males generally weigh 80 to 115 pounds and females 70 to 95. For height, comparisons and what a big dog means at home, see our guide to Bernese Mountain Dog size and weight.

When do Bernese Mountain Dogs stop growing?

No source we found gives an age when Berners stop growing. The BMDCA’s FAQ says only that the breed can be slow to mature. It adds that many Berners’ bodies grow faster than their “brains.”

General figures for big dogs give a rough frame:

• Bones: The AKC says growth plates in large and giant breeds close as late as 16 to 18 months, compared with 6 to 9 months in toy breeds.
• Height and weight: The AKC’s chief veterinarian says giant breed puppies grow until 12 to 18 months old.
• Filling out: The same AKC article says puppies keep building muscle and body fat after their bones stop growing.

Ask your vet before starting hard exercise or sports. The AKC advises asking your vet about your own dog’s growth plate timing.

How to track your Bernese puppy’s growth

Without a Berner chart, the best tool is your puppy’s own record, checked by your vet. Here’s a simple routine.

1. Weigh at every vet visit. Write down the date and weight so you and your vet can see the trend. Our Bernese puppy vaccine and vet schedule shows how often those visits come in the first year.
2. Check body shape, not just weight. Cornell’s Riney Canine Health Center advises keeping growing puppies lean. You should feel the ribs under a very light layer of fat, and see a clear waist and tummy tuck.
3. Ask your vet to score body condition. Ask at each visit whether your puppy looks too thin, too heavy or just right.

Steady growth, not fast growth

The BMDCA’s puppy’s first year sheet says large breeds can grow very fast, and that fast growth isn’t wanted because it strains young muscles and tendons. It says many Berner breeders feed a low- to moderate-protein diet to keep growth and weight steady and slow.

Cornell advises a commercial large-breed puppy food that meets AAFCO standards for growth, and avoiding overfeeding. It says not to add calcium, vitamin D or extra protein to a complete diet. Cornell’s hip dysplasia page adds that overfeeding and rapid growth can make hip dysplasia worse in puppies already prone to it.

What and how much to feed is a decision for you and your vet. Our Bernese puppy feeding schedule covers meal timing and portions.

Growth, exercise and young joints

A puppy’s growing bones need care. The BMDCA says puppy exercise should never be forced, such as jogging or long rough play. It warns that unsupervised play with older or larger dogs can easily injure a puppy.

Cornell says panosteitis, a bone condition, mainly affects large and giant breeds between 5 and 16 months of age. It advises regular, age-appropriate exercise and no repetitive high-impact activity during rapid growth. If your puppy limps or seems sore, call your vet.

See how much exercise a Bernese puppy needs for a full guide.

Hips, elbows and spay or neuter timing

Ask your vet early about hip screening. Cornell says puppies at risk can be checked for hip looseness with PennHIP before 20 weeks, while final OFA hip grades use X-rays taken after age two. Our guide to hip and elbow dysplasia in Bernese explains both.

Spay or neuter timing also overlaps with growth. The BMDCA notes growing evidence that waiting may have health benefits. Read when to spay or neuter a Bernese, then ask your vet.

Questions to ask your vet about growth

Bring these to your puppy’s next visit:

• Is my puppy’s weight trend steady, and how does its body shape look?
• How much should I be feeding right now, and when should that change?
• When do you think my puppy’s growth plates will be closed?
• When should we screen hips and elbows?
• What exercise is safe at this age?

The bottom line

A month-by-month Berner chart would be handy, but no published data supports one. Use the sourced points above, keep your own record, and let your vet judge your puppy’s growth.

Growth is only one part of the first year. Behavior changes too, so see when Bernese Mountain Dogs calm down. For price, choosing a puppy and the whole first year, start with our guide to Bernese Mountain Dog puppies.