Bernese Mountain Dog

The Bernese Mountain Dog belongs to the family of Swiss cattle dogs, its name comes from the German name Berner Sennenhund, meaning "Alpine dairy farmer dog from Bern". The very ancient breed comes from the villages of Dürrbach and Berthoud near Bern. Two origins are attributed to the ancestor of the Bernese Mountain Dog, either a cross with the Tibetan Mastiff used by Roman armies as a war and herd guard dog, or a farm dog transporting milk carts and guarding herds of cattle for several millennia. In 1899 the association La Berna was created, bringing together breeders of purebred dogs. This group presented the Dürrbach dogs at an exhibition in 1902. In 1907 the Swiss club of Dürrbachler was created to promote the breeding of Bernese Mountain Dogs (which is why Bernese Mountain Dogs were called Dürrbachs until 1913). Long called "the poor man's horse", a nickname due to its task of transporting milk cans on a cart, some associations made it a guide dog for the blind, and it is also used in Switzerland as a search dog to find skiers buried in the snow. At the present time its main role is to be a companion dog. Rumor has it that the Bernese was crossed in 1949 with a Newfoundland to soften its character. From the Middle Ages, the existence of dogs that could be the ancestors of the current Bernese Mountain Dog is reported in the Swiss mountains where they were used as human auxiliaries to protect farms and herds

The Bernese Mountain Dog is calm, affectionate, very greedy and faithful. This breed indeed has a great need for human contact, it is even nicknamed by some "glue pot", because of its great attachment to its masters. Its guardian nature means that it will show mistrust at the arrival of a newcomer. This mistrust will dissipate as soon as it has had time to evaluate the person. From then on, it will become very pleasant with this newcomer. Although belonging to the molossoids, it is part of group II without obligation to wear a muzzle in public. Quiet and not very athletic, it nevertheless requires long walks. Of a naturally non-wandering nature, it will never stray out of sight of its masters; it nevertheless remains of a naturally very curious nature. Some cases of bites have even been reported in Bernese in reaction to harsh training. The Bernese will only take action if it feels its life is in danger. Nevertheless, its education will be done quickly thanks to its adaptation abilities and its intelligence.