Is my dog a Bernese Mountain Dog?
Black, rust and white in a fixed pattern, a long silky coat and a calm expression: the Berner is one of the easiest giants to recognise. Upload a photo to compare your dog.
Also known as: Berner, Berner Sennenhund, Bernese
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About the Bernese Mountain Dog
The Bernese Mountain Dog comes from the farms around Bern in Switzerland, where it guarded the yard, drove cattle and pulled carts of milk and cheese to market. It is the only long-coated breed among the four Swiss mountain dogs, the Sennenhunde. Good-natured, calm and devoted to its family, it is usually gentle with children and slow to mature. It is a gentle giant with a short life for its size, which makes good breeding and health checks especially important.
At a glance
- Type
- Pedigree breed
- Size
- Giant
- Adult weight
- 32–52 kg
- Life expectancy
- 7–10 years
- Exercise
- Moderate
How to recognise a Bernese Mountain Dog
- Tricolour only: a jet-black base with rich rust on the cheeks, above the eyes, on the legs and under the tail, and white markings.
- White blaze on the face, white muzzle, and a white chest marking that often forms an upside-down cross; white feet and tail tip are common.
- Long, silky coat, straight or slightly wavy, with a dense undercoat and a bushy tail.
- Strong head with a flat skull, a well-defined but moderate stop and a straight, strong muzzle; triangular ears set high and hanging close.
- Sturdy, slightly longer than tall, with a broad chest and a calm, steady outline.
Photo tip. Take a face-on photo with the eyebrows and chest visible, plus one side-on: the rust eyebrows, white blaze and chest cross are what confirm a Bernese pattern.
Bernese Mountain Dog or look-alike?
Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
Same colour pattern but a short, dense coat and a larger, heavier frame. A long silky coat means the Bernese.
Entlebucher and Appenzeller Mountain Dogs
The two smaller Swiss mountain dogs share the tricolour but have short coats and a compact, medium build; the Appenzeller carries its tail curled over the back.
Black tricolour Australian Shepherd
Aussies are smaller and lighter, with a moderate coat and often a short or docked tail. The Bernese’s rust markings sit in a fixed pattern and its build is far heavier.
Saint Bernard
The Saint Bernard is red and white rather than black, rust and white, with a much heavier head and a dewlap.
Bernese Mountain Dog mixes
The best-known Bernese cross is the Bernedoodle (with a Poodle); crosses with Golden Retrievers, Labradors, Australian Shepherds and Great Pyrenees are also common. The tricolour face pattern, with rust eyebrows and a white blaze, is the trait that survives most often, even when the coat turns curly or shorter. On a photo, a Bernese mix usually comes back as Bernese Mountain Dog plus the other parent; Bernedoodles may come back as Bernese and Poodle. A DNA test confirms the split.
Health and care
- Cancer is the leading cause of death in Berners, above all histiocytic sarcoma, an aggressive cancer of immune cells. Have any new lump, lameness or loss of appetite checked promptly; a DNA risk test is available from the French laboratory Antagene.
- Elbow and hip dysplasia are both common. Ask for hip and elbow scores, a cardiac and eye examination, and a DNA test for degenerative myelopathy on both parents.
- Like many deep-chested giants, Berners are prone to bloat. Feed two or three meals a day, and treat a swollen belly with retching as an emergency.
- Von Willebrand disease (type I) occurs at low rates; eye problems such as entropion and cataracts are also reported.
- Use a giant-breed puppy food for controlled growth, keep the dog lean, and keep it cool in summer: the heavy coat makes heat hard to bear.