Bernese Mountain Dog

The Bernese mountain dog is a strong, large breed of dog. Their body is slightly longer than it is tall and very sturdy in build. They come only in tri colour with symmetrical markings, their base colour is black with a while blaze on the chest and white on the head, tips of tail and toes. The rust colouring appears on their cheeks, over each eye and on each side of the chest, all 4 legs and underneath the tail.
The breed originated in the Swiss mountains a very long time ago. Dog’s that looks like the Bernese appear in many 18th century paintings. They were used as working dogs, pulling carts to market, drive cattle and as companions for the farmers and were named for the Canton of Bern in Switzerland. By the end of the 19th century many other breeds of working dog were being imported into Switzerland, this brought the number of Bernese working dogs down as other began to use the other breeds. A group of people came together in an effort to save the breed, they tried to find the remaining Bernese that were around in the hope they could stabilize numbers and luckily they did. Today the Bernese mountain dog makes a fantastic companion animal who will still work their heart out for their owner.

The Bernese had a beautiful temperament and is a very intelligent breed, making training easy with the right owner. As with all breeds, they require a strong, calm pack leader who can display this position clearly to the dog. Once you have this under control, everything becomes very easy and gives the dog a happy place in the family. They are a cheerful breed of dog and are great with children, generally good with other pets and quite friendly with strangers. They are very much a people dog and need to be with the family as much as possible. They are not the breed of dog that is happy to live in the backyard, walked daily and then returned the back yard. They do require a long, daily walk (as they are prone to weight gain easily) but love nothing more than being inside with the family. 
They do fantastic as working dogs and being bred for draft work they are naturally great in this field.

The Bernese mountain dog isn’t ideal for small house living, although fairly inactive they still require a large yard and area to move around in. They do grow to a large size, generally wider then taller. Males can reach up to 71cms and weight around the 40 – 50kg mark, with females reaching around 69cms and 35 – 48kgs. If you’re considering a Bernese mountain dog as your next pet you need to do your research and make sure you can meet the breed’s needs. Grooming is a requirement, daily brushing will help maintain a healthy coat and extra attention is required during shedding as they are heavy, seasonal shedders. Bloat is a concern as they are a larger chested dog and they are prone to hip and elbow dysplasia.