Bernese de-shedding

Bernese mountain dog shedding: a giant coat, managed.

Name: Bay Area Mobile Dog Wash
Telephone: (408) 599-8317
Price range: $75–$155

Berners shed heavily all year and blow their undercoat every spring and fall. The breed is not unusual in how it sheds. It is unusual in how much coat there is, and how hard a 100 lb dog is to brush out, wash, and dry at home.

Quick facts

The berner shed at a glance.

Coat structure

Long, heavy, tri-color double coat

Thick and weather-resistant, built for cold mountain farms, with feathering on the legs, pants, chest, and tail.

How it sheds

Heavy all year, with spring and fall blowouts

Brushing does more daily work on this breed than bathing does. The blowouts are when it stops being enough.

The size problem

A lot of coat on a 70 to 115 lb dog

More coat to rake, more water to hold, and a dog you cannot lift into a tub.

De-shed visit

$170

Our $155 XL / giant tier wash plus the $15 de-shedding treatment. Flat, whatever the coat looks like when we arrive.

Why it sheds this way

A mountain coat in a mild climate.

The Bernese was bred as a farm dog in the Swiss mountains, and its coat is built for that: a thick undercoat for insulation under a long, weather-resistant outer coat. The outer coat is longer than on most double-coated breeds, with heavy feathering on the legs, chest, and tail. That length is what makes berner shedding feel different. Released undercoat has further to travel before it falls, so more of it stays tangled in the feathering until a brush, a couch, or your car pulls it out.

The spring and fall blowouts follow daylight, not the thermometer. In the Bay Area that puts the fall blow around September and October, even when San Jose is still warm, and the spring blow as the days lengthen. A mild climate does not cancel it. If anything, a berner living somewhere its winter coat is barely needed makes the case for clearing that coat out on schedule.

How often to bathe a berner is its own question, answered in the Bernese bathing schedule (every 6 to 8 weeks). This page is about the shed.

At home

Brushing a berner without losing your whole weekend.

Two or three times a week, split by zone.
On a dog this size, one session for the body and one for the feathering is easier on both of you than a single marathon.
Undercoat rake on the body, slicker and comb on the feathering.
The rake pulls dead undercoat through the long outer coat. The slicker and a metal comb keep the legs, pants, and tail from matting.
Behind the ears every time.
The softest fur on a berner and the first place a mat forms. A comb check takes seconds.
Step up to daily during a blowout.
Short sessions. A few weeks of daily brushing beats one heroic day, because the coat releases on its own schedule.

More on the tools in the deshedding tools guide, on the seasonal timing in the fall shedding guide, and on the year-round levers in how to reduce dog shedding.

The professional de-shed

A berner de-shed, step by step, and nobody lifts anything.

A soaked golden retriever with its head down, standing by the van ramp after the rinse — After the rinse, standing by the ramp it walked up. This is a golden retriever from one of our washes, not a berner. The ramp is rated to 180 lbs.

01
Walk up the ramp, then the pre-bath brush-out
No lifting. The van ramp folds down and the dog walks in on its own. Then we open the coat and work loose the shed caught in the feathering, the pants, and behind the ears before any water goes on.
02
De-shedding shampoo and deep soak
On a coat this long and this big, getting shampoo to the skin everywhere is real hand work. It then sits long enough to release the anchored undercoat.
03
High-velocity blow-out in the van
The longest part of a berner visit. Forced air works section by section over a very large coat, blowing the released undercoat out and drying the dog all the way to the skin.
04
Final brush and inspect
A finishing brush through the feathering, and a look at the skin under that thick black coat, which is where irritation and hot spots stay hidden on a berner.

How the ramp works is on the big dog wash page, and the general process on the de-shedding treatment page. Older berners who are stiff or nervous: how we handle senior and anxious dogs.

The honest answer

One price for a giant coat.

Brushing is the everyday tool for this breed, and nothing we do replaces it. What brushing cannot do on a berner mid-blowout is reach the base of that much coat, and what most homes cannot do is wash and dry a 100 lb dog down to the skin without a tub it walks into and a forced-air dryer. That combination is the job we are built for.

A Bernese de-shed visit is $170: our $155 XL / giant tier wash plus the $15 de-shedding treatment. No surcharge for coat condition or size beyond the tier. The brush-out, full blow-dry, nail trim, and ear cleaning are included, and the pounds of undercoat stay in our van.

Frequently asked

Bernese shedding questions.

Heavily, and all year. On top of a steady baseline, the undercoat blows out every spring and fall and the shed gets noticeably heavier for a few weeks. Because the dog is so large and the coat so long, the sheer volume is what catches owners out: a single brushing session during a blowout produces a startling pile of fur.

In the long parts. Blown undercoat gets caught in the feathering on the back of the legs, the pants, the tail, the chest, and the soft fur behind the ears, and those are the spots where it packs down and mats. If you only have time for part of the dog, brush those first.

Most dogs are done in 60 to 90 minutes, and large double-coated breeds can take up to two hours. A berner during a blowout is often at the long end, almost all of it in the blow-out and dry. We do not rush that step, because a berner sent home damp under the coat is the dog that smells a week later.

No. Berners are a cold-weather breed and warm Bay Area days are hard on them, but the double coat is part of how they handle heat and sun, and shaving can leave it growing back patchy or wrong while the shedding continues. What helps is getting the dead undercoat out so air can move through the coat, plus shade, water, and walks in the cool part of the day. If your berner struggles in the heat, ask your vet. We are a wash-only service and do not shave or clip.

Usually not. A bernedoodle often inherits a wavy or curly coat that sheds less but mats more, and it needs a slicker brush and comb rather than an undercoat rake. A de-shed is built for true double coats. If yours is a bernedoodle, see our bernedoodle bathing guide instead.

Bernedoodle owners: the bernedoodle guide covers the curlier coat.

Blowout season for a 100 lb dog? We bring the ramp.

Bernese de-shed and full forced-air dry in the van at your driveway, $170. Nails and ears included.

CALL: (408) 599-8317 Book Now

5.0 on Google · 32 reviews in total

or text us at (408) 599-8317

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Bernese de-shedding

Bernese mountain dog shedding: a giant coat, managed.

Quick facts

The berner shed at a glance.

Coat structure

Long, heavy, tri-color double coat

Thick and weather-resistant, built for cold mountain farms, with feathering on the legs, pants, chest, and tail.

How it sheds

Heavy all year, with spring and fall blowouts

Brushing does more daily work on this breed than bathing does. The blowouts are when it stops being enough.

The size problem

A lot of coat on a 70 to 115 lb dog

More coat to rake, more water to hold, and a dog you cannot lift into a tub.

De-shed visit

$170

Our $155 XL / giant tier wash plus the $15 de-shedding treatment. Flat, whatever the coat looks like when we arrive.

Why it sheds this way

A mountain coat in a mild climate.

How often to bathe a berner is its own question, answered in the Bernese bathing schedule (every 6 to 8 weeks). This page is about the shed.

At home

Brushing a berner without losing your whole weekend.

Two or three times a week, split by zone.
On a dog this size, one session for the body and one for the feathering is easier on both of you than a single marathon.
Undercoat rake on the body, slicker and comb on the feathering.
The rake pulls dead undercoat through the long outer coat. The slicker and a metal comb keep the legs, pants, and tail from matting.
Behind the ears every time.
The softest fur on a berner and the first place a mat forms. A comb check takes seconds.
Step up to daily during a blowout.
Short sessions. A few weeks of daily brushing beats one heroic day, because the coat releases on its own schedule.

More on the tools in the deshedding tools guide, on the seasonal timing in the fall shedding guide, and on the year-round levers in how to reduce dog shedding.

The professional de-shed

A berner de-shed, step by step, and nobody lifts anything.

01
Walk up the ramp, then the pre-bath brush-out
No lifting. The van ramp folds down and the dog walks in on its own. Then we open the coat and work loose the shed caught in the feathering, the pants, and behind the ears before any water goes on.
02
De-shedding shampoo and deep soak
On a coat this long and this big, getting shampoo to the skin everywhere is real hand work. It then sits long enough to release the anchored undercoat.
03
High-velocity blow-out in the van
The longest part of a berner visit. Forced air works section by section over a very large coat, blowing the released undercoat out and drying the dog all the way to the skin.
04
Final brush and inspect
A finishing brush through the feathering, and a look at the skin under that thick black coat, which is where irritation and hot spots stay hidden on a berner.

How the ramp works is on the big dog wash page, and the general process on the de-shedding treatment page. Older berners who are stiff or nervous: how we handle senior and anxious dogs.

The honest answer

One price for a giant coat.

Frequently asked

Bernese shedding questions.

Bernedoodle owners: the bernedoodle guide covers the curlier coat.

Blowout season for a 100 lb dog? We bring the ramp.

Bernese de-shed and full forced-air dry in the van at your driveway, $170. Nails and ears included.

CALL: (408) 599-8317 Book Now

5.0 on Google · 32 reviews in total

or text us at (408) 599-8317

Bernese mountain dog shedding: a giant coat, managed.

The berner shed at a glance.

A mountain coat in a mild climate.

Brushing a berner without losing your whole weekend.

A berner de-shed, step by step, and nobody lifts anything.

One price for a giant coat.

Bernese shedding questions.

Blowout season for a 100 lb dog? We bring the ramp.

Hi, I’m Ace.

Trusted by Bay Area dog parents

Bernese mountain dog shedding: a giant coat, managed.

The berner shed at a glance.

A mountain coat in a mild climate.

Brushing a berner without losing your whole weekend.

A berner de-shed, step by step, and nobody lifts anything.

One price for a giant coat.

Bernese shedding questions.

Blowout season for a 100 lb dog? We bring the ramp.

Hi, I’m Ace.

Trusted by Bay Area dog parents