Bernese Mountain Dog

It descends from mastiff-type dogs brought to the Alps by Roman traders and refined over centuries by farmers in the hills around Bern into four related Sennenhund breeds, of which the Bernese is the only long-coated one. It hauled milk and cheese carts to market, drove cattle between pastures, and guarded isolated farmsteads through harsh Alpine winters, doing whatever heavy work a smallholding needed from a dog large enough to matter. By the early twentieth century the breed had declined sharply as motor transport replaced cart dogs, and it survived largely through the efforts of Swiss fancier Franz Schertenleib, who tracked down remaining examples in the hills.

Living with a Bernese means living with a calm, patient, deeply affectionate giant that is genuinely gentle with children and generally easygoing with other animals. It is not a highly energetic breed and does not need relentless exercise, but it does need company: it forms close bonds with its family and does not thrive left alone for long stretches. The double coat sheds heavily year-round and needs brushing two or three times a week to control, and the breed's size means training and manners matter early, before an adult dog's strength becomes a handling problem.

Today the Bernese Mountain Dog is popular as a family companion worldwide, though prospective owners should know its Achilles heel: a relatively short lifespan of 7 to 10 years, driven largely by high cancer rates in the breed. It remains, while it is with a family, an unusually calm and devoted dog for its size.