Bernese Mountain Dog

The Bernese Mountain Dog is a large Swiss working dog established in the agricultural valleys around Bern, Switzerland.

Ancestral farm dogs guarded livestock, drove cattle, and hauled heavy milk carts through rural communities near Burgdorf during the nineteenth century. By 1907, Swiss fanciers led by Franz Schertenleib and Albert Heim standardized the dogs under the name Berner Sennenhund to preserve the traditional working strain. Of the four Swiss Sennenhund breeds, it is the only one with a long coat. The American Kennel Club officially admitted the breed in 1937. Today, these working dogs frequently compete in carting trials, draft obedience, and search work across Europe and North America.

Assigned to Group 2, Section 3 by the Federation Cynologique Internationale, males stand 64 to 70 centimeters (25 to 28 inches) tall and females 58 to 66 centimeters (23 to 26 inches), with typical weights ranging from 36 to 52 kilograms (79 to 115 pounds). The long, straight or slightly wavy coat carries a natural sheen over a jet-black body accented by rich rust and clean white facial blazes, chest crosses, and white paws. The breed standard defines a self-confident, vigilant, fearless, and good-natured temperament, devoted to its household and calm toward strangers.

Thick double coats require thorough weekly grooming and daily brushing during heavy seasonal shedding phases. Deep chests and heavy bone structures predispose the breed to gastric dilatation-volvulus, hip and elbow dysplasia, and histiocytic sarcoma, and the typical lifespan is only seven to ten years.