Bernese Mountain Dog

They are one of 4 tri-coloured Swiss Mountain Breeds, (Appenzeller, Entlebucher and Great Swiss Mountain Dog being the other), but are the only one with longer coat. The Bernese is still popular in Switzerland generally but especially in the hills of the Bernese Oberland.

Source: Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Great Britain

FCI:

The Bernese Mountain Dog is a farm dog of ancestral origin which was used as a guard and draught dog and for driving cattle in the prealpine regions and in the midland areas around Bern. Originally he was named “Dürrbächler” according to the name of the hamlet and of the inn of Dürrbach, near Riggisberg in the Canton Bern where these long-haired tricoloured farm dogs were especially numerous. In 1902, 1904 and 1907 specimen of this breed had already been exhibited at dog shows, and in 1907 some breeders of the region of Burgdorf decided to promote the pure breeding of these dogs by founding the “Schweizerischer Dürrbach-Klub”, and fixing the characteristic traits of the breed. In 1910, at a show in Burgdorf where many farmers of that region brought their Dürrbächler dogs to, already 107 specimen were shown.

From that day onward this dog, renamed “Bernese Mountain Dog” following the example of the other breeds of Swiss Mountain Dogs, became rapidly appreciated all over Switzerland and in the neighbouring parts of Germany. Today the Bernese Mountain Dog is well known and appreciated all over the world as a family dog thanks to its striking tricoloured coat and its great adaptability.

English

Illustrated FCI – Standard No. 45
Bernese Mountain Dog (“Dürrbächler”)
Approved by the Swiss Club of Bernese Mountain Dog © 2020  
Swiss Club of Bernese Mountain Dog

• http://www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Education/045g02-PRE-en.pdf
• (Internal) 045g02-PRE-en.pdf

AKC Video Link

View more videos on AKC's YouTube Channel

SCC Video Link

View more videos on SCC's YouTube Channel

See: The German Kennel Club (VDH) for information and video (if available).
(Hint: your browser should be able to Translate to English, at least for text (e.g., right click in Google Chrome or Internet Explorer).)

Video Link

This and other breed videos are available in full length here

For Judges: An Illustrated Commentary on the BMD Breed Standard (FCI)

• Norwegian Version
• English Version

Dansk Berner Sennen Klub: Health Symposium BerneseMountainApollo Hotel, Kennemerboulvard 25, NL-1976 EG Umuiden

Regula Bürgi: International Judge Meeeting - presentation: http://berner-sennen.dk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Health-Symposium-2018-Regula-Burgi.pdf -- (Internal: Health-Symposium-2018-Regula-Burgi.pdf)

• Berner Sennenhund
• Bouvier bernois
• Perro boyero de montaña bernés

Country of origin: Switzerland

FCI : KBS
Schweizerischer Klub für Berner Sennenhunde

Get a GRIHP! on Bernese Mountain Dogs

This article on Bernese Mountain Dogs is part of a series to highlight the Big Picture of health, welfare and breeding and to help develop Globally Relevant Integrated Health Profiles (GRIHPs) for many breeds.  See IPFD's Get a GRIHP! on Breed Health Initiative

Inbreeding Calculators - How They Work and What They Tell Us

Bernese Mountain Dog - Hip Rating Comparison Chart
BMD International Health Symposium 9-2011 Kenilworth England
IWG International Health Symposium 8-2015

• Increasing Longevity with Estimated Breeding Values - 10th Bernese Mountain Dog International Health Symposium
  Presenter: Katariina_Mäki_PhD
  Contents include:
  Introduction to EBVs
  EBV for longevity: Bernese Mountain Dog data
  Some conclusions 
  
  "Longevity as a trait in breeding is Complicated!
  BUT...
  With a large amount of data, hopefully some regularities can be found
  If they are genetic, breeding for longer lifespan is possible."

Consider...

• Finnish Kennel Club Breeding and Health in Focus

Kirsi Sainio 30.8.2015

Presentation from the 10th Bernese Mountain Dog International Health Symposium

• Judges Meeting Minutes - Helsinki Finland, 2015 - Bernese Mountain Dog Breed Standard Discussion

Breed Standard Review - BMDINFO.ORG

 

Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America - Info Series: Bernese Mountain Dog Breed Information Sheets

• Downloadable Information sheets include About Buying BMDs; Rescue, Bernergarde & Regional Clubs; BMD Health & Care; Activities with BMDs Numerical Index of BMDCA Info Sheets

There are numerous breed standards.

The basis of breed/conformation shows is the judging of pedigree dogs against the 'Breed Standard', which is a picture in words that describes the range of features that are deemed appropriate for the breed.

Three of the major international standards are:

The American Kennel Club

The Kennel Club, UK

FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale)

1. Swedish Insurance Data
Breed-specific information on rates of disease and death from Agria Pet Insurance (Agria Djurförsäkring) is available for many breeds.This breed has information on Veterinary Care and Life Insurance.

2. Breed Club Health Surveys:

3. Health testing: Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA): Bernese Mountain Dog - Report of OFA Evaluations

OFA statistics for BMDs and other breeds are available.

4. Norwegian Kennel Club Bernese Mountain Dog Breed Statistics

• Click here to view downloads

5. BMD Breed Statistics - AKC Registrations and OFA data on Hips and Elbows - multiple years

• CHIC Breed Tests BMD

6. Finnish Kennel Club - Bernese Mountain Dog - Report 2010 - 2014: health information and data including HD | ED statistics. See downloads: Berninpaimenkoira - Bernese Mountain Dog (in Finnish)

• Also see the FKC's Database for registration, health, show, litters, breeding statistics and more.

7. SSV: see Schweizer Sennenhund-Verein für Deutschland e.V.'s Rassen & Zucht Allgemeine Infos

• Health tests statistics
• Breeding strategies in the Swiss Sennenhund Association for Germany (SSV)Longevity, hip joint dysplasia, Elbow dysplasia
  • English version - SSV Breeding Strategy HD-ED-Longevity.pdf

8. USA: Breed Statistics - Registrations and Health

This file, created for presentation at the 4th Dog Health Workshop Breed-Specific Health Strategies sessions, contains data on BMD testing for vWD, DM and HS Pre-test.

• USA - BMD Statistics - Registrations and Health - Patricia Long

Health/Breeding Strategy Documents and Links:
1. The Kennel Club, UK: Breed Watch

• Breed Health Conservation Plan (2018)
• Breed Population Analysis (2020) http://bernese.co.uk/health/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/Bernese-Mountain-Dog-population-update-2020-1.pdf - Internal-Bernese-Mountain-Dog-population-update-2020-1.pdf

2. Sweden: Breed-specific Breeding Strategies: (in Swedish) and/ or English summary
3. Finland: Breed-specific Breeding Strategies: JTO: Berninpaimenkoirien jalostuksen tavoiteohjelma 2022-2026

JTO 2015-2019--Bernese Mountain Dog.pdf (in Finnish)
4. Germany: SCHWEIZER SENNENHUND-VEREIN FÜR DEUTSCHLAND e. V. - SSV
5. Degenerative Myelopathy in Bernese Mountain Dogs

 From an explanation of what degenerative myelopathy is (symptoms, diagnosis), a clear overview of the genetics of the disease (what we know and do not yet know), through recommendations for how to use test results to make informed breeding decisions, in August of 2017 Pat Long put together this informative article on "Breeding Bernese Mountain Dogs to Avoid Degenerative Myelopathy without Negatively Impacting the Gene Pool".

6. Denmark: Breed-specific Breeding Strategies: RAS: http://berner-sennen.dk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Race-Avls-Strategi-2021.pdf

See the HGTD: Bernese Mountain Dogs

INTERNATIONAL: B-IWG

• https://berner-iwg.org/

Check under the "Events" tab for materials/presentations!

• 2022 Presentations This page contains survey information from several countries.

Databases:
NOTE: Databases listed are identified as "open" or "closed"; data availability may be for BMDs only or purebred dogs in general; language utilized may vary.

• Berner-Garde Foundation - Open Bernese Mountain Dog Database (USA|English)

• Also see Inbreeding Calculators - How They Work and What They Tell Us in DOWNLOADS.
• SSV Dogbase, closed, member breeders only.
  Used by the German, Swiss, and Austrian clubs.
• The Kennel Club – open
  Look up BVA hip and elbow scores.
• The Finnish Kennel Club - open (all breeds)

Letko A, Hédan B, Snell A, Harris AC, Jagannathan V, Andersson G, Holst BS, Ostrander EA, Quignon P, André C, Leeb T. Genomic Diversity and Runs of Homozygosity in Bernese Mountain Dogs. Genes. 2023; 14(3):650. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14030650 

Life expectancy and causes of death in Bernese mountain dogs in Switzerland

Michael Klopfenstein, Judith Howard, Menga Rossetti and Urs Geissbühler

Published: 25 July 2016

"New regulations by the Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office provide for the monitoring of breed health by Swiss breeding clubs. In collaboration with the Swiss Bernese Mountain Dog Club, the purpose of this study was to investigate the causes of death in purebred dogs registered by the club and born in 2001 and 2002."

Conclusions

"This study confirms the high prevalence of neoplasia in BMDs. Although the prevalence may be overestimated due to the lacking histological or cytological confirmation, neoplasia is an important factor for the low life expectancy in BMDs.

The diagnostic accuracy leaves much to be desired and further research on malignant processes with a high diagnostic standard is necessary to improve breed health."

Open Access --- BMC Veterinary Research

DOI: 10.1186/s12917-016-0782-9

©  The Author(s). 2016

---------------------------------------------

Risk Factors Associated with Development of Histiocytic Sarcoma in Bernese Mountain Dogs

Authors: A. Ruple, PS Morley

First published: 10 May 2016

excerpt...

"Methods

An internet-based cross-sectional survey was used to collect information from owners of BMD diagnosed with HS and owners of disease-free littermates of dogs with HS. Mixed-effects logistic regression (MELR) and conditional logistic regression (CLR) were used in parallel to examine associations between potential risk factors and the occurrence of HS.

Results

When controlling for litter as a marker of relatedness, dogs diagnosed with orthopedic conditions were found to be more likely to develop HS (MELR, OR: 2.5, 95% CI: 1.5, 5.2; CLR, OR: 2.81, 95% CI: 1.1, 7.3), whereas dogs receiving prescription anti-inflammatory medications were found to be at considerably lower risk of developing HS (MELR, OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.2, 0.8; CLR, OR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.1, 0.8).

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

These results suggest inflammation may be a modifiable risk factor for the development of HS in BMD."

Full Article

Epidemiology, Pathology, and Genetics of Histiocytic Sarcoma in the Bernese Mountain Dog Breed

Jérôme Abadie*,Benoit Hédan*,Edouard Cadieu,Clotilde De Brito,Patrick Devauchelle,Catherine Bourgain,Heidi G. Parker,Amaury Vaysse,

Patricia Margaritte-Jeannin,Francis Galibert,Elaine A. Ostrander andCatherine André

excerpt...

" HS is a highly breed-specific disorder that has become of significant concern to Bernese mountain dog (BMD) owners throughout the world in recent years. The number of cases has expanded greatly in the last 10 years."

Full Article

Canine Histiocytic Malignancies—Challenges and Opportunities

Katherine Kennedy, Rachael Thomas and Matthew Breen

"While infrequent in the general dog population there is a particularly strong breed predisposition to HM in Bernese mountain dogs (BMD) and flat-coated retrievers (FCR), with odds ratios of 45.0 and 62.0 respectively [3]."

Molecular cytogenetic characterization of canine histiocytic sarcoma: A spontaneous model for human histiocytic cancer identifies deletion of tumor suppressor genes and highlights influence of genetic background on tumor behavior

Authors: Benoit Hedan, Rachael Thomas, Alison Motsinger-Reif, Jerome Abadie, Catherine Andre, John Cullen and Matthew Breen

The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America's website contains information on current research studies.

Research studies and projects covered are:
• Histiocytosis;
• Mast cell tumors / Mastocytoma;
• Lymphoma / Lymphosarcoma;
• Hemangiosarcoma;
• Osteosarcoma;
• Melanoma;
• Degenerative myelopathy;
• Renal Dysplasia;
• Portosystemic shunt [liver shunt];
• Epilepsy;
• Progressive retinal atrophy;
• BMD DNA Repository
GO TO BMDCA'S HEALTH RESEARCH STUDIES PAGE FOR PARTICIPATION DETAILS.

Health Symposia - Research information/presentations: • B-IWG: Researchers, testing and BMD health

• BMD International Health Symposium 9-2011 Kenilworth England

Cancer Research

• Peri-articular Histiocytic Sarcoma and Previous Joint Disease in Bernese Mountain Dogs
• Risk Factors Associated with Development of Histiocytic Sarcoma in Bernese Mountain Dogs

Also see the B-IWG resources page for more cancer research info: https://berner-iwg.org/index.php/resources/

We are listing sites for National Breed Clubs with health or other information that might be helpful. Follow links below.

INTERNATIONAL B-IWG Contacts (Club Websites & B-IWG member contact info)

Australia: Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Victoria Inc.
Australia: Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Western Australia (BMDCWA)
Austria: Verein für Schweizer Sennenhunde Österreich (VSSOE)
Belgium: Belgische Sennenhonden Club
CKC - Canada: Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Canada
Denmark: Dansk Berner Sennen Klub (DBSK)
England: Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Great Britain
Finland: Finlands Sennenhundar (FSH)
France: Association Française des Bouviers Suisses (AFBS)
Germany: Deutscher Klub für Berner Sennenhunde (DCBS)
Germany: Schweizer Sennenhund Verein für Deutschland (SSV)
Hungary: Berner Sennenhund Club Hungária
Italy: Club Italiano Amatori Bovari Svizzeri (CIABS)
KBS: Regionalgruppe Bern
KBS: Regionalgruppe Dürrbach
KBS: Regionalgruppe Ostschweiz
KBS: Regionalgruppe Romand
Netherlands: Vereniging de Berner Sennenhond (V.B.S.H.)
Norway: Norsk Berner Sennenhundklubb (NBSK)
Sweden: Svenska Sennenhundklubben (SShK)
US: Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America