Bernese Mountain Dog

The Bernese Mountain Dogs are good-natured and faithful helpers. They get along perfectly with every member of the family and condescendingly forgive any mischief to babies. Patience and composure turned the Bernese Mountain Dogs into almost perfect pets. They are not capricious in training and easily learn the commands. In addition, from their ancestors, they have inherited excellent watchdog skills, which they gladly use as soon as the opportunity arises. The name Bernese Mountain Dog (Berner Sennenhund) is owed to Professor Albert Heim of the University of Zurich, who did a tremendous job of systematizing the breed's specific traits. There are three other Sennenhund breeds but unlike them the Bernese Moutain Dog has relatively long hair. The winemaker F. Schertenleib from the small town of Bergdorf played an important role in the restoration of the breed. The businessman liked these giant dogs so much he traveled around the neighboring lands in search of worthy dogs for his private kennel. The breed is a slow maturing one, so they remain puppies up to two years old. In the 1940s, by accidental mating of a Bernese with a Newfoundland, people got puppies with much better breed qualities, especially the coat and disposition. Their hair got longer and expressively shinier, and the temperament calmer. Two-month-old Bernese Mountain Dogs must be fed five times a day. As they get older, the number of feedings is reduced but the portion size is increased. By one year of age, they should eat twice a day.