Home / Dog breeds / Bernese Mountain Dog
Bernese Mountain Dog breed guide
AKC calls the Bernese Mountain Dog big, powerful and built for hard work, with a sweet, affectionate nature.
The thick, silky coat is jet black, clear white and rust and the distinctive markings on coat and face are breed hallmarks.
- Height
- 25 to 27.5 inches male, 23 to 26 inches female
- Weight
- 80 to 115 pounds male, 70 to 95 pounds female
- AKC group
- Working Group
Bernese Mountain Dog temperament
Bernese Mountain Dogs are placid but always up for a romp with the owner they live to please. A hardy dog that thrives in cold weather, the Berner used brain and brawn to multitask on Swiss farms and pastures.
Intelligent and eager to please, Bernese Mountain Dogs are usually easy to train. AKC says they are affectionate and openhearted dogs whose feelings are easily hurt.
Bernese Mountain Dog lifespan
Bernese Mountain Dogs live 7 to 10 years.
Breeders screen for hip and elbow dysplasia, blood disorders, some cancers and progressive retinal atrophy. Like all large breeds, Bernese Mountain Dogs are susceptible to bloat, so owners should learn the signs and what to do.
Bernese Mountain Dog care
The double coat has a longer outer layer over a wooly undercoat. Bernese Mountain Dogs shed a fair amount, more in the twice-yearly shedding season, so weekly brushing, daily in season, removes loose hair.
They need at least half an hour of moderate exercise daily and while they belong indoors with the family they make great companions for long walks or hikes and camping and backpacking trips.
Bernese Mountain Dog history
The Bernese is one of four mountain-dog breeds long at home in the canton of Bern, a vast agricultural region tied to the dairy production behind two of Switzerland's most profitable exports, chocolate and cheese. Bernese Mountain Dogs earned their keep by droving cattle, guarding farmyards from predators and serving as gentle companions after the day's hard work.
AKC counts their ability to pull many times their own weight among their greatest claims to working-dog fame.
AKC trait ratings
| Trait | AKC rating | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Level | 4 of 5 | Couch Potato to High Energy |
| Trainability Level | 4 of 5 | Self-Willed to Eager to Please |
| Shedding Level | 5 of 5 | No Shedding to Hair Everywhere |
| Barking Level | 3 of 5 | Only To Alert to Very Vocal |
| Adaptability Level | 4 of 5 | Lives For Routine to Highly Adaptable |
| Good With Young Children | 5 of 5 | Not Recommended to Good With Children |
| Good With Other Dogs | 5 of 5 | Not Recommended to Good With Other Dogs |
| Watchdog/Protective Nature | 3 of 5 | What's Mine Is Yours to Vigilant |
More Working Group guides
Sources
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Bernese Mountain Dog by FriendlyToaster, CC BY 4.0
