A Short History of Bernese Mountain Dogs
Not so long ago, the ancestor of today’s Bernese Mountain Dog spent all year guarding the yard — protecting sheep during summer and pulling milk carts from autumn to spring. The inhabitants of the Swiss Alps would not let themselves keep such a huge pet unless it was useful on the farm throughout the year. Due to practical reasons, villagers preferred to breed the dogs long-coated (therefore resistant to cold) and strong (to give the owners protection and help).
Today it is hard for us to imagine that Bernese Mountain Dogs were used to watch yards, but at the beginning it was one of their main tasks. Nevertheless, they were only supposed to guard and not to defend. Their task was to bark to warn off intruders and alert the hosts. The posture of a Bernese Mountain Dog was supposed to deter potential attackers, but they were never brought up to be aggressive towards animals or people. These dogs, guarding yards in the country, lived among other animals like cows, sheep, and poultry, and were therefore raised to be mild towards others. This feature was cultivated by breeders later on, and today we can say that Bernese Mountain Dogs are “friends of the whole world.”
The ancestors of today’s Bernese Mountain Dogs reached the area of Switzerland with the Roman legions around the 1st century B.C. Their origin is uncertain, but it is probable that they descended from Roman Mastiffs crossed with sheepdogs. They were living on Swiss mountain farms unrecognized until the end of the 19th century, when Professor Albert Heim and Franz Schertenlieb decided to rescue the breed and promote it. The first official name was Dürrbachler (after a small village Dürrbach), but changed to Bernese Mountain Dog (for the canton of Berne) in 1908. The breed was recognized by the Swiss Kennel Club in 1913. In the 1920s, Bernese Mountain Dogs arrived in America and were recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1937.
Here is what professor Albert Heim once wrote about the breed:
“I think a good Bernese Mountain Dog is the most beautiful dog one can imagine – due to its proportions, symmetry and elegant color. Many other breeds are of course interesting, pretty and nice, but the Bernese Mountain Dog is perfect in every respect. “
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