The
Bernese Mountain Dog, called in Swiss German the
Berner Sennenhund, is a large
breedDog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock....
of
dogThe dog is a domesticated form of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The domestic dog has been one of the most widely kept working and companion animals in human history...
, one of the four breeds of Sennenhund-
typeDog types are broad categories of dogs based on function; dog types are not identical to modern dog breeds but dogs identified primarily by specific function or style of work rather than by lineage or appearance, including ancestral forms that arose undocumented over a long period of time...
dogs from the
Swiss AlpsThe Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position with the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
. The name
Sennenhund refers to people called
Senn, herders in the Swiss Alps.
Berner (or
Bernese in English) refers to the area of the breed's origin, in the
Canton of BerneThe canton of Bern is the second largest of the 26 Swiss cantons. Located in west-central Switzerland, it borders the Canton of Jura and the Canton of Solothurn to the north. To the west lie the Canton of Neuchâtel, the Canton of Fribourg and Vaud. To the south lies the Valais...
in
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
. Originally kept as general
farm dogFarm dog may refer to:* Any working dog used on farms* Danish Swedish Farmdog...
s, large Sennenhunds in the past were also used as draft animals, pulling carts.
Like the other Sennenhunds, the Bernese Mountain Dog is a large, heavy dog with a distinctive tricolored
coatThe coat of a dog is the pelage that covers its body. A dog coat may be a double coat, made up of a soft undercoat and a coarse topcoat, or a single coat, without an undercoat...
, black with white chest and or rust colored markings above eyes, sides of mouth, front of legs, and a small amount around the white chest.
The
Bernese Mountain Dog, called in Swiss German the
Berner Sennenhund, is a large
breedDog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock....
of
dogThe dog is a domesticated form of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The domestic dog has been one of the most widely kept working and companion animals in human history...
, one of the four breeds of Sennenhund-
typeDog types are broad categories of dogs based on function; dog types are not identical to modern dog breeds but dogs identified primarily by specific function or style of work rather than by lineage or appearance, including ancestral forms that arose undocumented over a long period of time...
dogs from the
Swiss AlpsThe Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position with the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
. The name
Sennenhund refers to people called
Senn, herders in the Swiss Alps.
Berner (or
Bernese in English) refers to the area of the breed's origin, in the
Canton of BerneThe canton of Bern is the second largest of the 26 Swiss cantons. Located in west-central Switzerland, it borders the Canton of Jura and the Canton of Solothurn to the north. To the west lie the Canton of Neuchâtel, the Canton of Fribourg and Vaud. To the south lies the Valais...
in
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
. Originally kept as general
farm dogFarm dog may refer to:* Any working dog used on farms* Danish Swedish Farmdog...
s, large Sennenhunds in the past were also used as draft animals, pulling carts.
Appearance
Like the other Sennenhunds, the Bernese Mountain Dog is a large, heavy dog with a distinctive tricolored
coatThe coat of a dog is the pelage that covers its body. A dog coat may be a double coat, made up of a soft undercoat and a coarse topcoat, or a single coat, without an undercoat...
, black with white chest and or rust colored markings above eyes, sides of mouth, front of legs, and a small amount around the white chest. An ideal of a perfectly-marked individual gives the impression of a white horse shoe shape around the nose and a white “Swiss cross” on the chest, when viewed from the front. A Swiss Kiss is a white mark located typically behind the neck, but may be a part of the neck. A full ring would not meet type standard. Both males and females have a broad head with smallish, v-shaped drooping ears. Height at the
withersThe withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of a four-legged animal. In many species it is the tallest point of the body, and in horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal's height .-Horses:The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the...
is and weight is . Females are slightly smaller than males. The breed standard lists, as disqualifications, a distinctly curly coat, along with wry mouth and wall eye. Exact color and pattern of the coat are also described as important.
History
The Bernese Mountain Dog, like the other Sennenhund, is believed to have descended from Roman molossers, crossed with the
livestock guardian dogA livestock guardian dog is a domesticated canine used to defend livestock against predators. LGDs are also commonly referred to as sheepdogs since they most often have guarded flocks of sheep, but most are capable of guarding other species of livestock. They can be characterized as part of...
s of the
indigenous peopleThe term indigenous peoples can be used to describe any ethnic group of people who inhabit a geographic region with which they have the earliest known historical connection, alongside more recent immigrants who have populated the region and may be greater in number...
of the Alps in antiquity. The breed was used as an all purpose
farm dogFarm dog may refer to:* Any working dog used on farms* Danish Swedish Farmdog...
, for guarding property and livestock, and for driving cattle in the areas around Berne. The type was originally called the Dürrbächler, for a small town (Dürrbach) where the tricoloured dogs were especially noticeable. In Berne, weavers used the dogs as draft animals but the dogs declined in number through the 1800s. In the early 1900s,
fanciersAnimal fancy is a hobby involving the appreciation, promotion, and/or breeding of pet or domestic animals.Fancy may include ownership, showing, trialling and other competitions, breeding and judging. Hobbyists may simply collect specimens of the animal in appropriate enclosures, such as aquaria...
exhibited the few examples of the large dogs at
showsConformation shows, also referred to as breed shows, are a kind of dog show in which a judge familiar with a specific dog breed evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard...
in Berne, and in 1907 a few breeders from the Burgdorf region founded the first
breed clubA dog breed club is an association or club of fanciers of a single, specific breed of dog.Breed clubs define the breed with which the club is associated in a document called a breed standard, although there may be multiple breed clubs for the same breed, each defining the breed in a somewhat...
, the "Schweizerische Dürrbach-Klub", and wrote the first Standard which defined the dogs as a separate breed. By 1910, there were already 107 registered members of the breed.
Mortality
Health surveys of Bernese Mountain Dogs in Denmark, the UK, and USA/Canada all show that this breed is very short-lived compared to breeds of similar size and purebred dogs in general. Berners have a median longevity of 7 years in USA/Canada and Denmark surveys and 8 years in UK surveys. By comparison, most other breeds of similar size have median longevities of 10 to 11 years. The longest lived of 394 deceased Berners in a 2004 UK survey died at 15.2 years.
Cancer is the leading cause of death for dogs in general, but Berners have a much higher rate of fatal cancer than other breeds. In both USA/Canada and UK surveys, nearly half of Berners died of cancer,
compared to about 27% of all dogs. Berners are killed by a multitude of different types of cancer, including
malignant histiocytosisMalignant histiocytosis is a rare hereditary disease found in the Bernese Mountain Dog and humans, characterized by histiocytic infiltration of the lungs and lymph nodes. The liver, spleen, and central nervous system can also be affected. Histiocytes are a component of the immune system that...
, mast cell tumor,
lymphosarcomaLymphoma in animals is a type of cancer defined by a proliferation of malignant lymphocytes within solid organs such as the lymph nodes, bone marrow, liver and spleen. The disease also may occur in the eye, skin, and gastrointestinal tract. It is also known as lymphosarcoma.-Lymphoma in...
,
fibrosarcomaFibrosarcoma is a malignant tumor derived from fibrous connective tissue and characterized by immature proliferating fibroblasts or undifferentiated anaplastic spindle cells.- Pathology :...
, and
osteosarcomaOsteosarcoma is the second most common primary malignancy of bone behind multiple myeloma. Osteosarcoma accounts for 20% of primary bone malignancies. There is a preference for the metaphyseal region of tubular long bones. 50% of cases occur around the knee...
.
Berners also have an unusually high mortality due to musculoskeletal causes. Arthritis, hip dysplasia, and cruciate ligament rupture were reported as the cause of death in 6% of Berners in the UK study; for comparison, mortality due to musculoskeletal ailments was reported to be less than 2% for purebred dogs in general.
Mobility
Owners of Berners are nearly three times as likely as owners of other breeds to report musculoskeletal problems in their dogs. The most commonly reported musculoskeletal issues are
cruciate ligamentThe anterior cruciate ligament is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament....
rupture,
arthritisArthritis is a group of conditions involving damage to the joints of the body....
(especially in shoulders and elbows), hip dysplasia, and
osteochondritisOsteochondritis is a painful condition where the cartilage and bone in a joint is inflamed.It often refers to osteochondritis dissecans...
. The age at onset for musculoskeletal problems is also unusually low. For example, in the USA/Canada study, 11% of living dogs had arthritis at an average age of 4.3 years. Most other common, non-musculoskeletal morbidity issues strike Berners at rates similar to other breeds.
In short, prospective Berner owners should be prepared to cope with a large dog that may have mobility problems at a young age. Options to help mobility-impaired dogs may include ramps for car or house access. Comfortable bedding may help alleviate joint pain.
Activities
The Bernese calm temperament makes them a natural for pulling small carts or wagons, a task they originally performed in Switzerland. With proper training they enjoy giving children rides in a cart or participating in a parade. The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America offers drafting trials open to all breeds; dogs can earn an NDD (Novice Draft Dog) or a DD (Draft Dog) title. Regional Bernese clubs often offer
cartingCarting is a dog sport or activity in which a dog pulls a Dogcart filled with supplies, such as farm goods or firewood, but sometimes pulling people. Carting as a sport is also known as dryland mushing and is practiced all around the world, often to keep winter sled dogs in competition form during...
workshops.
Grooming
The Bernese
coatThe coat of a dog is the pelage that covers its body. A dog coat may be a double coat, made up of a soft undercoat and a coarse topcoat, or a single coat, without an undercoat...
is slightly rough in outline, but not at all harsh in texture. The undercoat is fairly dense; the coat is quite dirt and weather resistant. A good brushing every week or two is sufficient to keep it in fine shape, except when the undercoat is being blown; then daily combing or brushing is in order for the duration of the shed. Regular use of a drag comb (it looks like a small
rakeRake may refer to:* Rake , various angles in bicycle and motorcycle geometry* Rake , a long-handled tool with tines* Rake , a cellular automaton pattern that moves while regularly emitting spaceships...
), especially in the undercoat, is highly effective.
See Dog groomingDog grooming refers to both the hygienic care and cleaning of a dog, as well as a process by which a dog's physical appearance is enhanced for showing or other types of competition. A "dog groomer" is a person who earns their living grooming dogs.-Reasons for grooming:Grooming is an important...
. Bernese Mountain Dogs shed year-round, and drifts of fur are to be expected.
Temperament
The breed standard for the Bernese Mountain Dog states that dogs should not be "aggressive, anxious or distinctly shy," but rather should be "good natured," "self-assured," "placid towards strangers," and "docile." Temperament of individual dogs may vary, and not all examples of the breed have been carefully bred to follow the Standard. All large dogs should be well socialized when young, and given regular training and activities throughout their lives.
Bernese are outdoor dogs at heart, though well-behaved in the house; they need activity and exercise, but do not have a great deal of endurance. They can move with amazing bursts of speed for their size when motivated. If they are sound (no problems with their hips, elbows, or other joints) they enjoy hiking and generally stick close to their people.
The Bernese temperament is a strong point of the breed. They are affectionate, loyal, faithful, stable, intelligent, but sometimes shy. The majority of Bernese are friendly to people, and other dogs. They often get along well with other pets such as cats, horses, etc. They are trainable provided the owner is patient and consistent in training; Bernese need time to think things through. They do not respond well to harsh treatment, however Berners are willing and eager to please their master. Bernese love to be encouraged with praise and treats. The breed is sweet and good with children, despite their great size. Overall, they are stable in temperament, patient, and loving.
Bernese Mountain Dogs are quirky, loving dogs, craving love and affection. They love to lean against people, sit on their feet, or lie down under their legs while people sit.
Bernese Mountain Dogs are slow to mature, and can display puppy-like tendencies up to 2 1/2 years of age.
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