- Dog suitable for owners with some experience
- Extra training required
- Generally healthy breed
- Enjoys active walks
- Enjoys one to two hours of walking a day
- Giant dog
- Some drool
- Requires grooming once a week
- Chatty and vocal dog
- Barks and alerts to visitors/anything unusual
- Generally friendly with other dogs
- Gets along with other pets with training
- May need additional supervision to live with children
- Needs a large garden
- Can live in semi-rural areas
- Can be left alone with training
Key Facts
Lifespan: | 6–10 years |
Weight: | 40–44kg |
Height: | 58–70cm |
Colours: | The Bernese Mountain dog is always tricoloured with a jet-black coat, white muzzle and blaze, white chest, white paws and white tail tips. A rich chestnut or tan colour separates the black and white on the legs and cheeks |
Size: | Large |
Kennel Club group: | Working |
Ratings
Family-friendly: | 5/5 |
Exercise needs: | 3/5 |
Easy to train: | 4/5 |
Tolerates being alone: | 1/5 |
Likes other pets: | 3/5 |
Energy level: | 4/5 |
Grooming needs: | 4/5 |
Shedding: | 5/5 |

Personality
Bernese Mountain dogs are good-natured pets who love to be included in all aspects of family life, making wonderful companions. They are affectionate, patient and especially good with children, protecting them if necessary. They are social and need to be with people and given affection. They will generally bark to advise the arrival of visitors but will soon settle down again. Provided they have been introduced to cats and other household animals when young, they will live with them happily.
The Bernese Mountain Dog will suit a home-loving owner who has space for this gentle giant, likes grooming and enjoys an affectionate but not particularly active companion and doesn’t mind some canine drool.

History and Origins
The Bernese Mountain dog (or 'Berner') breed can be traced back 2,000 years to when the Romans invaded Switzerland (then known as Helvetia) with their cattle drovers and guard dogs. These Roman mastiff-type dogs were likely crossed with flock-guarding dogs who could withstand the severe weather in the Alps and also served to soften their temperaments. Bernese Mountain Dogs were often used as cart-pullers to transport woven goods or dairy products from village to village.

Did You Know?
- One of their previous jobs was as a farmer’s hand as many of the local farmers couldn’t afford horses, so they would use their strong dogs to pull carts of produce to market.
- Their name refers to where they were bred: ‘Bern Canton’ – a region in central Switzerland.
- Bernese Mountain Dogs are extremely strong and can pull up to 10 times their own weight.
- They possess goofball personalities and can be a bit slower to mature than other dogs, so they retain their puppylike attitudes well into adulthood.
- Interestingly, many owners of the Bernese Mountain Dog claim that they can understand laughter and when they do something that makes their owner laugh, they’ll likely repeat it!