What is a Bernese Mountain Dog?

The Bernese Mountain Dog, or Berner, is a working dog that originated in Switzerland over 2,000 years ago. Brought by the Romans, they were bred to pull carts, protect farms from predators, and drive cattle. They are known for their hardiness, long silky black coat with rust-colored spots, and white markings on their chest, nose, tail, and feet. Berners are easy to train, playful, and affectionate. They make good watchdogs, but their large size can be challenging for children and seniors. They need space and can shed and drool. Bernese Mountain Dogs enjoy cold weather and activities like swimming, trick training, and carting. The breed's life expectancy is 7–10 years.

What does a Bernese Mountain Dog look like?

The Bernese Mountain Dog, or Berner, is a working dog that originated in Switzerland over 2,000 years ago. They have broad chests, V-shaped hanging ears, and a long, silky black coat. You'll find rust-colored spots on their chest, forelegs, and above the eyes, along with white markings on the chest, nose, tail tip, and sometimes the feet. These dogs are large, with males standing 25–27.5 inches (64–70 cm) and weighing 80–115 pounds (36–52 kg), while females stand 23–26 inches (58–66 cm) and weigh 70–95 pounds (32–43 kg). Known for their hardiness, Bernese Mountain Dogs were originally used for pulling carts, driving cattle, and protecting farms. They enjoy activities like carting, sled pulling, and swimming.

Where did the Bernese Mountain Dog originate?

The Bernese Mountain Dog originated in Switzerland and was brought there more than 2,000 years ago by the Romans. Also called Berners, they were bred as working dogs and used to pull carts, drive cattle to and from pastures, and protect farms from predators. The American Kennel Club recognized the Bernese Mountain Dog in 1937.

What were Bernese Mountain Dogs originally bred to do?

Originally, Bernese Mountain Dogs were bred in Switzerland over 2,000 years ago as working dogs. They were brought to Switzerland by invading Romans and were widely used to pull carts, drive cattle to and from pastures, and protect farms from predators. Today, they still enjoy activities such as carting and sled pulling, and some even compete in weight pulling.

What is the personality of a Bernese Mountain Dog like?

The Bernese Mountain Dog is easy to train, affectionate, demonstrative, and playful. They are generally friendly toward strangers, other dogs, and other pets. Though they can be intimidating watchdogs with a deep bark, they only offer fair protection and do not bark excessively. Their easygoing temperament makes them an excellent choice for people of all ages, but their size and strength can be challenging for children and seniors to manage.

What care and exercise do Bernese Mountain Dogs need?

Bernese Mountain Dogs need appropriate accommodations due to their large size, including soft bedding to avoid callouses and bursitis. They are not suitable for warm climates unless they can spend most of their time in air conditioning, but they love snow. These dogs need about an hour of walking or playing in cooler times of the day. They enjoy swimming, nose work, trick training, and games like tug. They especially enjoy carting and sled pulling, and some compete in weight pulling. Weekly brushing and occasional bathing are required for coat care, with daily brushing needed during seasonal shedding. The breed's lifespan averages 7–10 years. They are prone to gastric dilatation-volvulus and mast cell tumors. Like other large breeds, puppies should be fed food that slows their growth rate to lower the risk of hip dysplasia.

Bernese Mountain Dog

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Bernese Mountain Dog

breed of dog

Also known as: Berners, Bernese

Written by

Caroline Coile

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 30, 2026 •History

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Top Questions

What is a Bernese Mountain Dog?
The Bernese Mountain Dog, or Berner, is a working dog that originated in Switzerland over 2,000 years ago. Brought by the Romans, they were bred to pull carts, protect farms from predators, and drive cattle. They are known for their hardiness, long silky black coat with rust-colored spots, and white markings on their chest, nose, tail, and feet.

Berners are easy to train, playful, and affectionate. They make good watchdogs, but their large size can be challenging for children and seniors. They need space and can shed and drool. Bernese Mountain Dogs enjoy cold weather and activities like swimming, trick training, and carting. The breed's life expectancy is 7–10 years.
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1. Bernese Mountain Dog
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What does a Bernese Mountain Dog look like?
The Bernese Mountain Dog, or Berner, is a working dog that originated in Switzerland over 2,000 years ago. They have broad chests, V-shaped hanging ears, and a long, silky black coat. You'll find rust-colored spots on their chest, forelegs, and above the eyes, along with white markings on the chest, nose, tail tip, and sometimes the feet.

These dogs are large, with males standing 25–27.5 inches (64–70 cm) and weighing 80–115 pounds (36–52 kg), while females stand 23–26 inches (58–66 cm) and weigh 70–95 pounds (32–43 kg).

Known for their hardiness, Bernese Mountain Dogs were originally used for pulling carts, driving cattle, and protecting farms. They enjoy activities like carting, sled pulling, and swimming.
1 Britannica Source
1. Bernese Mountain Dog
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Where did the Bernese Mountain Dog originate?
The Bernese Mountain Dog originated in Switzerland and was brought there more than 2,000 years ago by the Romans. Also called Berners, they were bred as working dogs and used to pull carts, drive cattle to and from pastures, and protect farms from predators. The American Kennel Club recognized the Bernese Mountain Dog in 1937.
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Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What were Bernese Mountain Dogs originally bred to do?
Originally, Bernese Mountain Dogs were bred in Switzerland over 2,000 years ago as working dogs. They were brought to Switzerland by invading Romans and were widely used to pull carts, drive cattle to and from pastures, and protect farms from predators. Today, they still enjoy activities such as carting and sled pulling, and some even compete in weight pulling.
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1. Bernese Mountain Dog
2. Definition of Bernese mountain dog
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What is the personality of a Bernese Mountain Dog like?
The Bernese Mountain Dog is easy to train, affectionate, demonstrative, and playful. They are generally friendly toward strangers, other dogs, and other pets. Though they can be intimidating watchdogs with a deep bark, they only offer fair protection and do not bark excessively. Their easygoing temperament makes them an excellent choice for people of all ages, but their size and strength can be challenging for children and seniors to manage.
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1. Bernese Mountain Dog: Temperament
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What care and exercise do Bernese Mountain Dogs need?
Bernese Mountain Dogs need appropriate accommodations due to their large size, including soft bedding to avoid callouses and bursitis. They are not suitable for warm climates unless they can spend most of their time in air conditioning, but they love snow.

These dogs need about an hour of walking or playing in cooler times of the day. They enjoy swimming, nose work, trick training, and games like tug. They especially enjoy carting and sled pulling, and some compete in weight pulling. Weekly brushing and occasional bathing are required for coat care, with daily brushing needed during seasonal shedding.

The breed's lifespan averages 7–10 years. They are prone to gastric dilatation-volvulus and mast cell tumors. Like other large breeds, puppies should be fed food that slows their growth rate to lower the risk of hip dysplasia.
1 Britannica Source
1. Bernese Mountain Dog: Care and upkeep
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Bernese Mountain Dog, breed of working dog taken to Switzerland more than 2,000 years ago by invading Romans. The breed was widely used to pull carts and to drive cattle to and from their pastures and to protect farms from predators. Bernese Mountain Dogs, also called Berners, are noted for their hardiness. The dog is characterized by its broad chest, hanging V-shaped ears, and a long, silky, black coat with rust-colored spots on the chest and forelegs and over the eyes and white on the chest, nose, tail tip, and, sometimes, feet. The American Kennel Club recognized the Bernese Mountain Dog in 1937.

Care and upkeep

The Bernese Mountain Dog’s large size requires a home and transportation that can accommodate it without it being forced into cramped spaces. While it often prefers cold hard surfaces, it should also have access to soft bedding to prevent callouses and bursitis (the inflammation of the cushioning sacs [called bursas or bursae] between tendons, joints, and tissues). The breed is prone to shedding and drooling, so it may not be a good choice for fastidious housekeepers. The Bernese Mountain Dog is not a good pet for warm climates, since the breed is vulnerable to heatstroke, unless the dog can spend much of the day in air-conditioning. However, the breed loves the snow.

Breed data

Also called: Berners, Bernese
Area of origin: Switzerland
Breed group: Working
Height at withers: 23–27.5 inches (58–70 cm)
Weight: 70–115 pounds (32–52 kg)
Life span: 7-10 years
Did you know?: Bernese Mountain Dogs are well known for acts of heroism. Some of these heroes include Bella, who in 2013 saved the life of her owner from a house fire in Canada; and Nico, a Berner from California who rescued two people from a rip current that was pulling them out to sea in 2015. Berners also respond well to laughter and portray a sort of sense of humor dubbed the “Berner chuckle,” deliberately repeating acts over and over again that make people laugh.

The Bernese Mountain Dog requires no more than an hour of walking or playing during the cool parts of the day. It enjoys the game of tug, swimming, nose work, and trick training. It especially enjoys carting (in which it pulls a loaded cart) and sled pulling, and some Bernese Mountain Dogs compete in weight pulling. Coat care consists of weekly brushing and occasional bathing. Seasonal shedding (in the spring and fall) can be profuse, requiring daily brushing.

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The breed is not long-lived, averaging only 7–10 years. It is subject to gastric dilatation-volvulus, a life-threatening emergency involving the bloating and blockage of the stomach that can require immediate (and often costly) veterinary intervention. Many owners elect to have the stomach surgically attached to the abdominal wall to prevent this condition. The Bernese Mountain Dog is also more prone to mast cell tumors compared with other breeds. Like all large breeds, puppies should be fed a large-breed puppy food that slows the rate of growth, which has been shown to lower the risk of hip dysplasia.

Temperament

The Bernese Mountain Dog is one of the more active giant breeds, but it is still fairly low-energy compared with most dogs. Easy to train, it is affectionate, demonstrative, and playful, and it is generally friendly toward strangers, other dogs, and other pets. It can be an intimidating watchdog with a deep bark (while still wagging its tail), but it is only a fair protection dog. It does not bark excessively. Although its easygoing temperament makes it an excellent choice for people of all ages, its size and strength can make it challenging for children and seniors to manage.

These are well established and widely accepted generalizations about the breed. Individual dogs may differ in behavior and temperament.

Caroline Coile The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Bernese Mountain Dog

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Care and upkeep

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Temperament