Bernese Mountain Dogs are a strikingly beautiful breed. Their animated, friendly countenance, rich  tri-colored markings and large size often make them popular wherever they go.

The Bernese breed is well known to have a superb temperament and be family friendly. A Berner can make a great watchdog because they love to announce the arrival of visitors. However, the well-bred Berner should never make a good guard dog. Bernese are well known to become wonderful Therapy Dogs. Most of all, the Bernese is touted as a wonderful and devoted companion.

More than most breeds, the Bernese requires significant time spent with their human(s). This is a breed who must interact a lot with its human family as a regular part of their day. If left alone for large amounts of time, a Berner's temperament will most likely deteriorate and become problematic.

Activities with their human is a vitally important part of a Berner's life. The Bernese Mountain Dog was bred to be a working companion for Swiss dairy farmers. Still today, the structure and movement of a Bernese should reflect their history on those Swiss dairy farms.

A Bernese should be solid and strong enough to pull a cart laden with items like heavy milk containers. And their temperament should be such that they are easy to train because of their deep connection with their human. This means a typical Berner can be a good choice for the Obedience ring.

Berners are bred for endurance as a draft dog. They are not bred to be runners or retrievers. Most Berners will not have a clue about retrieving. Interestingly, there are Berners who have won titles in Agility and Tracking. They can be taught to accomplish tasks outside of their normal scope when consideration is given to their physical limitations.

The Bernese is not a natural water dog, irregardless of the Newfoundland outcross so many years ago. However, if taught from an early age, many Berners can easily become a dog who swims well and loves the water.

A typical Berner's favorite hobby is digging large holes. Some Berners are more avid diggers than others but digging is a very common trait throughout the breed.

Berners love a cool spot to lay down and stretch out. Its very common to see a Berner laying down flat on their belly with their rear legs spread partly or completely behind them. This position has nothing to do with poor orthopedics. Its simply a position that many Berners enjoy so their belly can benefit from the cool floor.

Also, its very common for a Berner to lay down and roll one paw in at the 'wrist'. This position may make it appear that the paw is bent under the foreleg as the Berner lays there. It may look uncomfortable to a human, but to a Berner this is a very comfortable position and does not necessarily reflect any orthopedic issues.

A typical Bernese will consume a high volume of water on a daily basis. Sometimes, the amount of water they consume can even seem excessive. This trait is very common throughout the breed. Berners need lots of fresh water that's readily available, no matter what season it is.

Berners are very susceptible to excessive heat. This is a breed that flourished in the Swiss Alpine region. Its was not bred to live in dry, arid areas where excessive heat is normal. However, if great care and consideration is given, a Berner can adjust to living in a hotter climate.

This breed has a double coat common to 'snow breeds'. There is an outer coat, called 'guard hairs' that helps protect the Berner from the elements like cold and heat. This part of the coat is maintained year round with a little bit of shedding constantly. Berner people jokingly refer to this constantly shed Berner fur as a 'food group'. In truth, Berner fur ends up pretty much everywhere in the Berner's home.

A Berner should never have its guard hairs shaved. These hairs are an important part of keeping the Berner cool during the heat of summer as well as being protection from the cold of winter. However, in late Spring, it can be a good idea to shave off only the hairs on a Berner's belly to allow for better cooling when the Berner is lying down.

There is also an inner coat which is begins to grow during late Summer and early Fall. The purpose for this inner coat is to better insulate the Berner from the extreme cold of winter. This part of the coat will begin to shed about mid-to-late Spring and should be completely shed by early Summer. Regular baths during Spring and Summer can help eliminate problems with shedding of the inner coat.

Usual grooming includes only clipping excessive fur on the ears and feet and trimming of the toenails. No other part of the Berner's coat is typically clipped.

Extreme stress, hormonal fluctuations and similar events can affect a Berner's coat. For instance, intact females will 'blow coat' (shed a lot of their coat) prior to coming into estrus. Poor food choices will deteriorate a Berner's coat. In fact, some poor commercial dog foods may even give a Berner's coat an orange hue.

There are various types of coats among the Bernese breed. Typically, a Berner will grow through several types of 'puppy coat(s)' before maturing into its final 'adult coat'. Some of the variations of coats are: very curly, slightly wavy, straighter, very straight, shorter, longer, etc. Some coats are more desirable than others, i.e., excessively curly coats are incorrect.

Puppy coats are generally very fuzzy all round. By about age 6 months, the typical Berner has developed significant curls on the top of its back. On the 9 month old puppy, the fur on the ear leather has grown long and is beginning to look a bit shaggy. If the puppy spends time in the sun, this fur on its ears and the top of its head may turn a tinge reddish.

""Puppy Dread(locks)" is what some of us lovingly call the longer fur fringe growing on the Berner pup's ears. Berner pups with large coats often develop what some people call a "bubble head", because this is the shape the fur may take growing around the head.

Also, Berner feet will begin to grow what some may call "Dr Seuss feet". The (usually white) hairs on the feet grow slightly longer and begin to look like slippers.

Typically, Europeans do not groom their Berners very much. In America, good Berner people trim the extra fur off of the pup's ears and feet. Tools often used are scissors, thinning sheers and a small slicker brush.

Correct coat markings include a black base coat, white accents on all four paws and tail tip, white muzzle and nose blaze, rich brown or rust accents on all four legs and cheeks. Other important markings are the very famous classic Berner "White Swiss Cross" on their chest with a spot of tan on the right and left sides. Other important markings are the small, deep brown or rust spots above each eye. These gave this breed the nickname 'yellow eyes' when the breed was younger.

Berner pups are born with all these markings. However, markings may alter a bit by adulthood. Often, white markings will decrease a bit.

Also, Berner pups are born with pink noses and pink paw pads. These areas acquire 'freckles', and fill in with black pigment over time. On some Berners, a small portion of the black pigment does not ever fill in, which leaves the Berner with a small "pink" coloring in that area. Black pigment can begin to be seen filling in as early as one week of age and can take as long as three years.

While a Berner's markings can be very lovely to look at, markings are not a huge factor in ethical breeding decisions. Factors like temperament, structure and movement are far greater considerations.

Like most domestic dog breeds, Bernese bitches generally come into season twice per year. However, its not uncommon for a Bernese bitch to come into season only once per year or three times per year. 'Silent heats' are not uncommon. Bernese litters can be between one to twelve or more pups. The average litter is about five or six pups. Its not uncommon for pups to die during the whelp process. C-sections and emergency spays during whelp are not uncommon, either. Bernese can present an array of serious fertility and/or whelping issues.

Like fertility and whelping issues, there are many various ailments that affect the Bernese breed. Some of these ailments are genetic, many are not. To learn about other various ailments common to the Bernese breed, please visit our Bernese Health webpage.

Some Bernese books I  recommend to you for further education about our lovely breed:

"Bernese Mountain Dog: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet" by Julia Crawford.

"Book of the Breed: The Complete Bernese Mountain Dog" by Jude Simonds

"The New Bernese Mountain Dog" by Sharon Chesnutt Smith

"The Beautiful Bernese Mountain Dogs: A Complete American Handbook" by Russ & Rogers

"The Bernese Mountain Dog: A Dog Of Destiny" by Bernd Guenter

"The Bernese Mountain Dog Today" by Dr. Malcom B. Willis

All the above books are available at http://www.amazon.com

Some other good resources to learn about Bernese Mountain Dogs are:

Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America  http://www.bmdca.org

Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Canada  http://www.bmdcc.ca

Berner.org   http://www.berner.org

Panda's Bernese Consortium  http://www.bernesebreeders.org

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