Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Bernese Mountain Dog Breed Overview
- History of the Bernese Mountain Dog Breed. Where Bernese Mountain Dogs came from
- What the Bernese Mountain Dog Looks Like
- How Much is the Bernese Mountain Dog Puppy?
- Best Bernese Mountain Dog Breeders
- Adopting or Rescuing the Bernese Mountain Dog
- Bernese Mountain Dog Growth
- The Temperament of the Bernese Mountain Dog
- How Long Bernese Mountain Dogs Live
- Bernese Mountain Dog Litter Size
- How Fast Bernese Mountain Dogs Can Run
- Good Names for Bernese Mountain Dogs
- How Intelligent are Bernese Mountain Dogs?
- How Popular are Bernese Mountain Dogs with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Bernese Mountain Dogs and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of Bernese Mountain Dog
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Bernese Mountain Dogs
- Other Things to Know About Bernese Mountain Dogs
Bernese Mountain Dog Breed Overview
The Bernese Mountain Dog is a giant-sized dog.
The adult Bernese Mountain Dog stands 23 to 28 inches.
The Bernese Mountain Dog belongs to the Working Dogs group.
Dogs in the Working Dogs group, like the Bernese Mountain Dog, were developed to assist humans in some capacity – including pulling sleds and carts, guarding flocks, guarding homes, and protecting their families.
Breeds in the Working Group are known for their imposing stature, strength, intelligence, and fearless.
Because of their size and strength, working dogs require a structured home life and firm, fair, consistent training by someone who can provide leadership without resorting to anger or physical force.
The fact that the Bernese Mountain Dog belongs to the Working Dogs group is one of the reasons why Bernese Mountain Dogs have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Bernese Mountain Dog is generally described as:
- Affectionate
- Faithful
- Intelligent
- Loyal
History of the Bernese Mountain Dog Breed. Where Bernese Mountain Dogs came from
The Appenzeller Sennenhund, Entlebucher Sennenhund, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, and Berner Sennenhund are the four different breeds that make up the Swiss Sennenhund group (Bernese Mountain Dog).
The only member of this group with lengthy fur is the Bernie.
While all of these dogs have existed from the beginning of time, it wasn`t until 1902 that they started to receive widespread recognition.
The Bernese Mountain Dog got its moniker at an international show in Bern two years after the Swiss Dog Club staged a competition that brought notice to the Swiss dogs.
This worker dog was recognized as a breed in the same year.
Two British breeders found the stunning Berners and other breeds in 1936.
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What the Bernese Mountain Dog Looks Like
Large in size and with a stunning tri-colored coat that is black draped over a white chest with brown accents, the Bernese Mountain Dog is a breed.
The toes and tail tip are typically white, but the white blaze that runs up the forehead into a point may be the most distinctive trait.
These canines have big, soulful brown eyes that occasionally droop but are constantly alive with life.
Due to the Bern`s Mastiff lineage, it has a massive head and oversized, floppy ears.
This friendly dog has a haughty demeanor, a strong physique, and enormous paws by virtue of their enormous size.
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How Much is the Bernese Mountain Dog Puppy?
The average price of a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy is $2870. The price of a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy ranges from $1800 to $3438.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Bernese Mountain Dog. These factors include what health records the Bernese Mountain Dog puppy has, the lineage of the Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Bernese Mountain Dog based on the many factors that determine the price of the Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Bernese Mountain Dog puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Bernese Mountain Dog breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best Bernese Mountain Dog Breeders
We have researched reputable Bernese Mountain Dog breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Bernese Mountain Dog breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
Newburg Berners
Puppy Price: $700
John & Sarah Lengacher
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Puppy Love
Puppy Price: $1800
Sallie Fauble
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Jared and Heidi Zimmerman
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Adopting or Rescuing the Bernese Mountain Dog
You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Bernese Mountain Dogs included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.
These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.
In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.
Below is an adorable Male Bernese Mountain Dog named Bernese Mountain Dog Males & Female, Purebred that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Bernese Mountain Dogs like Bernese Mountain Dog Males & Female, Purebred on pefinder.com.
You can find more Bernese Mountain Dogs that are available for adoption on petfinder.
Bernese Mountain Dog Growth
New Bernese Mountain Dog owners need to know about the growth of their Bernese Mountain Dogs. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Bernese Mountain Dog will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Bernese Mountain Dog early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your Bernese Mountain Dog puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Bernese Mountain Dog at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Bernese Mountain Dog
The Temperament of the Bernese Mountain Dog
The temperament of the Bernese Mountain Dog based can be summarized as in the table below.
The table shows the scores of the Bernese Mountain Dog for 13 important dog behavioral factors.
We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.
The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.
See our complete analysis of the temperament of the Bernese Mountain Dog here.
| Factor | Score |
|---|---|
| Separation Related Behavior | 9.7 percent |
| Owner Directed Aggression | 7.3 percent |
| Attachment Attention Seeking | 48.8 percent |
| Energy Level | 42.1 percent |
| Excitability | 40.1 percent |
| Stranger Directed Fear | 25.3 percent |
| Dog Directed Fear | 22.7 percent |
| Stubbornness | 21.9 percent |
| Nonsocial Fear | 19.8 percent |
| Dog Directed Aggression | 19.5 percent |
| Stranger Directed Aggression | 18.8 percent |
| Touch Sensitivity | 12.7 percent |
| Dog Rivalry | 12.4 percent |
| Prey Drive | 11.3 percent |
How Long Bernese Mountain Dogs Live
The lifespan of the Bernese Mountain Dog is typically from 6 to 10 years.
Moreover, a few years back, veterinarian researchers performed a scientific study to determine the lifespan of the Bernese Mountain Dog. In this study, the scientists collected data on how long 394 pet Bernese Mountain Dogs lived.
From the study, it was found that Bernese Mountain Dogs have an average lifespan of 8 years. Furthermore, the study found that it is not uncommon for Bernese Mountain Dogs to live as long as 15.1 years.
Note that you need to put in some effort if you want your Bernese Mountain Dog to live long.
Bernese Mountain Dogs live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
There are also dog supplements that you can give your Bernese Mountain Dog to improve your Bernese Mountain Dog`s quality of their life.
Click here to learn more about how to make your Bernese Mountain Dog live long.
Bernese Mountain Dog Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 137 different Bernese Mountain Dog birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Bernese Mountain Dogs can have is 6 puppies. Also, the Bernese Mountain Dog can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 15 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Bernese Mountain Dog will have depends on factors such as the age of the Bernese Mountain Dog, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Bernese Mountain Dog will have and how the litter size of the Bernese Mountain Dog compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
How Fast Bernese Mountain Dogs Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 59 different Bernese Mountain Dogs, the average speed of the Bernese Mountain Dog is 20.8 mph (33.5 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Bernese Mountain Dog ran in a race is 25.51 mph (41.1 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Bernese Mountain Dog is 11.95 mph (19.2 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Bernese Mountain Dog compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for Bernese Mountain Dogs
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Bernese Mountain Dog ranked by popularity:
- Bernie
- Henry
- Duke
- Forest
- Ripster
- Captain
- Oliver
- Thor
- Pappas
- Harvey
How Intelligent are Bernese Mountain Dogs?
| Bernese Mountain Dog | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 22 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 5 To 15 Repetitions |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the Bernese Mountain Dog has an obedience intelligence rank of 22 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Bernese Mountain Dogs in the `Excellent Working Dogs` category.
This means that Bernese Mountain Dogs tend to learn new commands after 5 to 15 repetitions.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| Border Collie | 1 |
| Standard Poodle | 2 |
| German Shepherd Dog | 3 |
| Doberman Pinscher | 5 |
| Shetland Sheepdog | 6 |
| Belgian Tervuren | 14 |
| Weimaraner | 21 |
| Cardigan Welsh Corgi | 26 |
| Welsh Springer Spaniel | 31 |
| Dalmatian | 39 |
| Ibizan Hound | 53 |
| Akita | 54 |
| Skye Terrier | 55 |
| Norfolk Terrier | 56 |
| Italian Greyhound | 60 |
| Dandie Dinmont Terrier | 62 |
| Old English Sheepdog | 63 |
| Great Pyrenees | 64 |
| Pekingese | 73 |
| Afghan Hound | 79 |
How Popular are Bernese Mountain Dogs with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Bernese Mountain Dog.
The popularity of the Bernese Mountain Dog averaged over the years is Number 25 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in Bernese Mountain Dogs and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Bernese Mountain Dog is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Bernese Mountain Dog breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Bernese Mountain Dogs for:
- AKC DNA Profile
- Cardiac Evaluation
- Degeneratative Mylopathy (DM) DNA results for both SOD1-A and SOD1-B, or an at-risk result for either SOD1-A or SOD1-B registered with the OFA.
- Elbow Dysplasia
- Eye Examination
- Hip Dysplasia
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Bernese Mountain Dogs here.
How to Take Care of Bernese Mountain Dog
To take good care of your Bernese Mountain Dog, you need to make sure that you groom your Bernese Mountain Dog regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Bernese Mountain Dog regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Bernese Mountain Dog`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Bernese Mountain Dog daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Bernese Mountain Dog.
Also, you need to feed your Bernese Mountain Dog high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Bernese Mountain Dog from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the Bernese Mountain Dog and how much food to feed the Bernese Mountain Dog at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your Bernese Mountain Dog has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Bernese Mountain Dog needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Bernese Mountain Dogs
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Bernese Mountain Dog.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Bernese Mountain Dog:
- Irish Setter (73 percent match with Bernese Mountain Dog). Learn more about the Irish Setter here.
- Leonberger (75 percent match with Bernese Mountain Dog). Learn more about the Leonberger here.
- Newfoundland (79 percent match with Bernese Mountain Dog). Learn more about the Newfoundland here.
Other Things to Know About Bernese Mountain Dogs
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Bernese Mountain Dog that you need to know about the Bernese Mountain Dog breed: