Bernese Mountain Dog
Learn about the temperament and personality of the Bernese Mountain Dog. Discover what he's like to live with, his traits and characteristics and how he generally behaves. And look at lots of Bernese Mountain Dog photos.

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Guard Dog | ![]() |
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Bernese Mountain Dog Temperament
The Bernese Mountain Dog was bred to be the farmer's companion, and today, a Bernese Mountain Dog will want to be by your side at all times. They make a great family dog, and usually single out one person in the household to be their best friend. They are loyal and devoted and will strive to please you. They are excellent with kind and gentle children. They are extremely intelligent, and are known for manipulating their humans. Because of their intelligence, they need to be mentally stimulated. They are gentle, easygoing, good-natured, affectionate, and docile. They are incredibly devoted to their own family, and generally aloof towards strangers. A tendency to be shy runs in the breed, and early socialization is important. Most Bernese Mountain Dogs do well with other animals, but some of them do chase smaller animals. They need daily exercise, but not as much as some more energetic breeds. They don't enjoy playing fetch and certainly don't make good jogging partners. In warm weather, they will dig holes to try to get at the cool earth, and this will often happen in your favorite flower bed. In general, they love to be outside, as long as you are there with them. They always want to be part of the family and will demand a lot of your attention. Inside, they are usually quiet and calm, though their wagging tail will often find your cup of coffee. They do not bark unnecessarily, but will announce a stranger at the door, so they make good watchdogs. They are very protective of the members of their family. They are slow to mature, and can act "puppyish" for several years. The younger Bernese Mountain Dogs are very active, and the older ones are pleasantly mellow, though they still take a lively interest in family business. In short, this is a devoted breed who will need to be right in the thick of things.
Bernese Mountain Dog Training
The Bernese Mountain Dog is intelligent and quite easy to train. He learns new commands quickly at an above average rate.
Bernese Mountain Dog Shedding
The Bernese Mountain Dog is a very heavy shedder. He sheds an awful lot of hair! You'll find hair all over your home, stuck to everything! You'll probably even find it in the butter!
Bernese Mountain Dog Grooming
The medium-length coat of the Bernese Mountain Dog only requires an occasional brushing. But because he sheds excessively you may find yourself brushing him daily to remove loose hair. (What you get out with a brush doesn't fall out in your home!)
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Bernese Mountain Dog Photos
Rating: Ease of training
Tells you how easy or difficult a breed is to train.
A higher rating means the breed is easier to train, a lower rating means the breed is harder to train.
An easy to train breed require less time and patience to train.
Rating: Intelligence
Tells you how intelligent a breed is in terms of how quickly it can learn commands from humans. A higher rating means the breed will learn your commands faster (and is therefore generally considered to be more intelligent), while a lower rating means the breed will learn your commands more slowly (and is therefore generally considered to be less intelligent).
Keep in mind that this is only one way to measure a dog's intelligence and a low rating might still mean the breed is highly intelligent in other ways.
Rating: Shedding
Tells you how much hair the breed sheds. The higher the rating the more hair the breed sheds.
Rating: Watchdog
Tells you how good the breed is at being a watchdog and raising the alarm when a stranger approaches. A higher rating means the breed will bark vigorously to warn you of a stranger's presence on your property. A low rating means the breed probably won't bark much if a stranger enters your property.
Rating: Guard dog
Tells you how good the breed is at being a guard dog due to the appearance, size, and strength of the breed. A breed with a high guard dog rating will make an intruder think twice before stepping foot on your property.
Rating: Popularity
Tells you how popular the breed is in terms of ownership. A higher rating means that more people own the breed. The more popular a breed is the easier it is to find and purchase one because there are more breeders breeding it.
Rating: Size
Tells you how large or small the breed is. A lower rating means the breed is smaller and a higher rating means the breed is larger. It gives you a quick idea of how physically large or small the breed is compared with all the other breeds.
Rating: Agility
Tells you how agile the breed is. A higher rating means the breed is fast and nimble on its feet while a lower rating means the breed is heavier and slower on its feet.
Rating: Good with kids
Tells you how good the breed is with children. A higher rating means the breed is good with children. Note: all breeds are generally good with kids when they're raised with them.