Bernese Mountain Dog
The Bernese Mountain Dog is one of the four breeds of working dog native to Switzerland. Of these four breeds of "Sennenhund", the Bernese is the only one to have a long coat and is the second largest. All four breeds have the same black, white and tan markings that are so striking.
An adult dog should be in the region of 25 to 27.5 inches (63.5 to 70 centimetres) at the shoulder and weigh approximately 80 to 120 lbs (36 to 54.5 kgs) and a bitch should measure in the region of 23 to 27 inches (58.5 to 68.5 centimetres) and weigh approximately 70 to 100 lbs (32 to 45.5 kgs).
The Bernese is slow to mature physically and whilst The Kennel Club describes a "Puppy" as up to 12 months for showing purposes, a Bernese cannot really be considered an adult until after approximately 3 years.
The exercise required by a Bernese is NOT in direct proportion to their size. Care must be taken not to over-exercise young dogs whilst they are still growing rapidly. An adult dog will require exercise daily to keep them fit.
Originally developed as an all round farm dog, the Bernese today makes an ideal family dog with its stable and friendly temperament. They are especially good with children and co-exist happily with other animals.
Bitches normally come into season twice a year and drop their coats around this time. The dogs cast their coats less frequently, however, when owning a Bernese the vacuum cleaner is never far away. This is NOT a breed for the extremely houseproud.
You will find that most owners and breeders are very proud of their dogs and are only too happy to answer questions or show you their dogs at a convenient time.
If you are interested in finding out more about the breed, there are 5 clubs in Great Britain. In addition to ourselves, there is a GB Club, a Scottish Club, a Northern Club and Central Club. Details of these clubs can be found on our links page.
All of these clubs hold fun days each year and these are an ideal opportunity to see not just top show winning dogs, but pet and working dogs of all qualities as well.
The GB, Scottish, Northern and Southern Clubs also hold at least two shows each year.
All clubs welcome spectators and providing your timing is not inopportune, officials will be pleased to help answer any questions.
Please feel free to E-Mail us at BERNESEwith any comments or queries that you may have about this site or Bernese in general.