BREED INFORMATION
ORIGINS OF THE BERNESE
MOUNTAIN DOG
The
Bernese Mountain Dog originates from
Switzerland. Although called
"mountain dog" the breed
developed from the farm dogs in the
pre-alpine area of the Canton Berne where
farmers could afford to keep fairly large
dogs.
The original name of the dog was
Durrbachler after Durrbach-Gasthaus, the
local inn of a small hamlet where this
tricoloured farm dog was often sold. They
were first exhibited in 1902 at a Dog
Show near Berne.
From 1910 the breed was renamed Berner
Sennenhund. The direct translation of
Sennenhund is "Alpine
Herdsman's-dogs".
The Sennenhund comprise four different
types of tricoloured dogs. Of these only
the Berner Sennenhund, known in English
as the Bernese Mountain Dog, has a medium
to long coat.
The Sennenhund are listed below in order
of size, from small to large:
- Entlebucher
Sennenhund
- Appenzeller
Sennenhund
- Bernese
(Berner) Sennenhund
- Great
Swiss (Grosser Schweizer
Sennenhund)
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Bernese
Mountain Dogs were kept by farmers
principally for protection of the farm
against all intruders, alerting the
approach of strangers or other animals
yet friendly with all people and animals
on the farm.
Some farmers may also have used Bernese
in herding, although generally smaller
dogs like the Appenzeller or the
Entlebucher were preferred for this task.
In the city of Berne the Bernese and
other big dogs were used as draught dogs
by local craftsmen. In the late 19th
Century Bernese were still used by some
farmers to pull carts loaded with milk
and cream to the dairies twice a day and
to take goods to market. |
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