Historical origins

More than 2,000 years ago, the Roman army brought the ancestors of the Bernese Mountain Dog to Switzerland, and later cross-mated them with local Swiss shepherd dogs, resulting in four varieties of mountain dogs, the Bernese Mountain Dog It is one of them, and its name comes from the Swiss canton of Bern. The Bernese Mountain Dog is a better working dog and can serve well as a herding dog and a transportation dog. In the early days, it was used to pull goods in the Bern area of ​​Switzerland. In the mid-19th century, the number of Bernese Mountain Dogs began to decline, and they were almost on the verge of extinction at the beginning of the 20th century. Only a small number of purebred dogs remained, and they were bred with short-haired Saint Bernard dogs. In 1907, the Bernese Mountain Dog Club was established in Switzerland, and this dog continued to develop. Today, the Bernese Mountain Dog has become more and more popular among dog lovers. In the 1930s, some people bred this kind of dog because of its large body and strong protective ability. The Bernese Mountain Dog is a better working dog and can serve well as a herding dog and a transportation dog. It is easy to train and is very successful at exhibitions. It can be an emotionally fragile giant dog and therefore requires an experienced owner. The Bernese Mountain Dog is an excellent and popular breed and one of the existing Chinese mountain dogs produced in Switzerland.

Morphological characteristics

Appearance

Strong and strong , the head is short and thick, the eyes are black and lively, the ears are drooping in a "V" shape, the tail has long hair that does not curl upward, the coat is thick, bright black, there are light brown spots on the upper legs and above the eyes, and white spots on the chest and edges Light gray, with white claws, tail tips and face.

Head

The expression is intelligent, lively and elegant. The eyes are dark brown and slightly oval, with eyelids close to the eyeballs. Ears are of medium size, set high and triangular in shape. When resting, the ears hang down to the side of the head. When the Bernese Mountain Dog is alert, its ears are turned forward, the base of the ears is raised, and the highest point of the ears is flush with the top of the head. The top of the head is flat, broad, slightly wrinkled and well defined. The muzzle is strong and straight, the nose is black, and the teeth have a scissors bite.

Body

The head is flat, the brows are obvious, the muzzle is strong, the muzzle is straight and the eyes are almond-shaped, the ears are small to medium, triangular, and the ears are flat when resting , ears tilted forward when alert. The upper lip of the muzzle does not have :-shaped interlocking teeth, and the upper teeth overlap in front of the lower teeth. The body is strong and strong, the back is flat, the chest is broad and thick, the neck is thick: straight and strong, and the hind limbs are well muscled. The toes are round and short, and the toes are clenched.

limbs

Thighs are broad, strong and muscular. The stifles are well angulated, tapering gently and smoothly downward to meet the hock joints. The hocks are as low as possible, when viewed from behind, and the hindquarters are straight.

Living Habits

The Bernese Mountain Dog is energetic, polite, impulsive, difficult to train, loyal to its owner, affectionate, suspicious and wary of strangers, and is not suitable for living in tropical areas. The Bernese Mountain Dog's staple food is meat. It should be paired with an equal amount of starchy food and an appropriate amount of water. Both hot and cold food can be used. Generally, the adult Bernese Mountain Dog is a very gentle, polite and generous dog.

Puppies sometimes appear to be very curious and lively, but they will never make them People are annoying. Many Bernese Mountain Dogs will become very quiet when they grow up and will ignore strangers, but they will be very excited about familiar people and will often climb on other people's laps. It is very gentle to children and other animals, making it an expert in caring for children and other animals. They are very sensitive to human nature, so they are also a perfect family dog. The Bernese Mountain Dog is loyal to its owner and will stand firm and remain calm when facing strangers. It is the most outstanding working dog.

What makes Bernese Mountain Dogs different from other dog breeds is their strong desire to communicate with their owners. Although there are some similar dog breeds in other dog breeds, among the Bernese Mountain Dog breeds, almost every Bernese Mountain Dog has a strong sense of this aspect. Therefore, the Bernese Mountain Dog is regarded as a dog breed with unique style and high intelligence. Bernese Mountain Dogs cannot be left alone in a cage or in a back garden.

Training method

Imitation training method

The imitation training method is to let the trained Bernese Mountain Dog watch how a well-trained Bernese Mountain Dog is trained and Those who are rewarded are influenced and inspired by it. This method can vividly and effectively let the Bernese Mountain Dog understand what to do. The training effect is sometimes inferior to the mechanical stimulation method. The Bernese Mountain Dog's offense is a serious flaw.

Training method combining mechanical stimulation and rewards

This method uses mechanical methods to force the Bernese Mountain Dog to act according to instructions when it refuses to accept training. At the same time, when the action is successful or there is improvement, Give rewards. If the intensity of mechanical stimulation is too strong and too frequent, Bernese Mountain will produce the opposite reflex, causing fear and avoidance from the beginning of every training, and the inability to remember the essentials of movements. Although rewards are necessary, they must be appropriate. If there are too many rewards, it will affect normal appetite and will not be conducive to future training. Bernese Mountain Dogs can be rewarded by combining petting and verbal praise, and pet owners should reward them in time.

Mechanical stimulation method

Mechanical stimulation method is a method of using instruments to control the behavior of Bernese Mountain Dogs when they do not listen to instructions. The most commonly used is a leash (dog leash). When accompanying and training Bernese Mountain Dogs, pet owners must take the initiative in the direction. If the dog does not act according to the owner's wishes, you can pull the leash to force it not to do anything against the owner's wishes.

Food reward training method

The food stimulation method is to give food rewards when Bern Mountain is successfully trained or attracts its attention to mobilize training enthusiasm. If you only train and ignore rewards, the Bernese Mountain Dog will feel that training is a very meaningless thing, and all training methods are in vain. Food can stimulate the Bernese Mountain's conditioned reflex, making it understand that there will be benefits if it obeys.

Disadvantages of the Bernese Mountain Dog

Timidity

The Bernese Mountain Dog can dominate with its intelligence on its own territory, but almost 50% of Bernese Mountain Dogs have even experienced urinary incontinence after being frightened. Even a large adult Bernese Mountain Dog will pucker its ears or even turn its belly to show complete surrender when faced with the touch of a stranger in a strange place.

Energy

The Bernese Mountain Dog is very energetic and requires a relatively large amount of exercise. Dog owners need to provide them with enough space and time to move around.

Genetic instability

The genetic inheritance of the Bernese Mountain Dog is very unstable. Whether there are stable genes behind good appearance is worthy of scrutiny.

Advantages of the Bernese Mountain Dog

Smart

Smartness is the biggest advantage of the Bernese Mountain Dog. The IQ of the Bernese Mountain Dog is ranked first in the dog IQ rankings, which is also the starting point for most pet lovers to know the Bernese Mountain Dog. But even among humans, IQs vary widely. Therefore, although they are both Bernese Mountain Dogs, they cannot be generalized.

High obedience

Just like smart children, they may not necessarily be obedient. IQ is innate, and a pet dog's obedience is determined by its personality. Therefore, a dog with a high IQ must have good obedience; or a dog with high obedience must be smart, but the Bernese Mountain Dog has both of these qualities. Advantages, which is why working dogs like the Bernese Mountain Dog can become a very suitable family companion dog.

Unity and strong sense of hierarchy

Dogs belong to the phylum Chordata, the class Mammalia, the order Carnivora, the order Canidae, and the genus Wolf. However, in the process of continuous evolution and being raised by humans, many dogs All species have lost the concepts of unity and clear hierarchy that social animals should have, but the Bernese Mountain Dog still maintains this character. No matter what kind of fights there are internally, they are very consistent externally, and they have the effect of responding to everything. Dog owners who have raised two or more Bernese Mountain Dogs at the same time will have personal experience of this.

Beautiful appearance

The Bernese Mountain Dog is known as the canine panda because its black and white pattern is similar to that of a panda, especially puppies under 60 days old, with a round body shape , waddling gait, more like a red panda. Of course, Bernese Mountain Dogs also have other colors and white combinations, such as red and white, blue and white, yellow and white, merle, etc., but usually the black and white combination is considered the most basic and standard.

Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, and so does every dog. When raising Bernese Mountain Dogs, we must know their advantages and disadvantages to facilitate our raising and care.