Bernese Sennenhund

Originally dwelling side by side with humans, sharing duties with them and taking food from their hands, the Bernese Sennenhend gradually evolved from a herding dog into an excellent companion. But at the same time his formidable appearance has remained, which instills panic fear at a single glance. Such a contrast among the canine breed is not uncommon, so what attracts dog breeders?

Historical information about the breed.

The Bernese Sennenhund is a type of common Swiss mountain dog. Researchers have been able to find out that the history of the breed goes back centuries, and there is evidence that it existed more than 2000 years ago.

However, even in our time it is still a mystery who was the ancestor of the Bernese Sennenhund. According to one version, it is a Tibetan mastiff from which a group of molossos and mountain shepherd dogs originated. According to another, this breed is a result of natural selection and multiple crossbreeding of different breeds.

In contrast to the origin, the purpose of the dogs is not in doubt – they are primordial guard dogs shepherds. Originally all the giant-sized dogs used for sheep grazing on the Swiss slopes were called halachic dogs, and only later they were herded, depending on the locality. This is how the breed was formed, whose representatives lived and worked near Bern.

For a long period of Bernese sennenhunds were used only as guards, but the dogs attracted their owners by other merits and not only physical but also mental. Their power and stamina allowed them to be used for transportation of goods, they could carry carts over long distances.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, dogs were able to “go out into the world,” and it was then that a representative of the breed was at an exhibition on a global scale. Naturally, such a powerful beauty was immediately noticed and appreciated. This was the starting point in the development and improvement of the breed. In the future, to improve the quality of some indicators, they were crossed with no less gigantic and beautiful Newfoundlands.

Description of the Bernese Sennenhund breed

This type of sennenhund has some similarities with the rest of the species, but is characterized by a longer and thicker coat. Dogs are distinguished by their large size: the height at the withers of males is 64-70 cm, bitches are not much smaller – 58-66 cm. The standards do not specify the weight of the animals, males weigh from 35 to 55 kg, females – from 35 to 45 kg.

The physique of the Bernese SS is strong, but they can not be called chunky. All parts of their body are well-proportioned. If to look under the dense undercoat, you can find a well-developed muscle corset. Dogs are distinguished by strength and unreal stamina.

According to the generally accepted standard, have this structure:

• The tail of representatives of this breed is luxurious – long and completely covered with long hair, narrower at the end.
• The head is located on the strong neck, the muzzle has smooth features, without sharp transitions. The muzzle of the sennonhund is closed tightly, there is no salivation.
• The eyes are small, almond-shaped, and have a dark brown iris. The dogs are characterized by a very attentive, expressive look.
• The ears are floppy, triangular, when the animal is alarmed or interested in something, they are slightly raised. If we take into account all the characteristics, then we have the opinion that the dogs of Bern are very intelligent and balanced animals.
• Wool – the pride of the Bernese Sennenhund, the other varieties of the breed can not boast of it. It has a single layer, a bright natural shine. There are representatives with a straight hair, with soft waves or quite a slight “disheveled”. According to experts, it is half-long, a little shorter in the area of the head, muzzle and on part of the limbs.

The color of the Bernese Sennenhand

The coloring of dogs of this breed is one – tricolor. The main color is black, on its background are symmetrical spots with clear boundaries – reddish rusty hue and white. Redness should be in the area of the brow arches, on the sternum, under the tail and on the limbs.

Due to the long crossing of different breeds, sometimes puppies with a different color are born. But they do not meet the standard requirements, so they are not suitable for breeding and for a show career. But this does not prevent them from being wonderful family favorites.

The temperament of the Bernese Senneckhund

Today, this breed is gaining momentum, which is more associated with the character of its representatives, rather than their flashy appearance or fashion trends. Any breed standard pays more attention to this aspect, and responsible breeders give preference to breeding good-natured dogs rather than aggressive ones.

According to many owners’ descriptions, the Burns dog is giant and very patient. Pets are very strongly attached to owners, are distinguished by loyalty and perfectly understand humans. Despite the fact that they choose only one member of the whole family as the owner, they communicate well with the rest of the members as well. And their feline habits – to settle on the lap of the owner, just to please, especially since this “kitten” weighs half a “centner”.

While bonding with his family, the dog also does not refuse to communicate with others (a rare quality for large breeds), this is due to their past sledding life, when they carried goods to the noisy and bustling market squares. Once properly socialized, dogs behave politely with strangers. Without proper training, dogs may become nervous and timid in the company of strangers, but they very rarely show aggression.

The Bernese Sennonhund can be a guard, as its thunderous bark and growl are enough to make an intruder change his plans. However, there is no aggression in these displays and with some knowledge of canine psychology, burglars can still break into the territory.

But if the territory the sennenhund guards unimportantly, when there is a threat to the life or health of someone in the family, the behavior of the giant changes dramatically. It is almost impossible to stop the rage that has descended upon the offender.

These dogs are great for families with children, even babies. Dogs are patronizing towards babies and take care of their parents. They bear all pranks patiently, never take revenge, and their huge size does not prevent them from being very accurate and gentle.

Berns find a common language with other pets, even dogs. They even like the company of their relatives. They do not tend to dominate, divide territory or show aggression over food. The latter quality is often used by smaller but somewhat brash pets – cats. Their insolence can make a dog cringe, but more often they retreat away. Such tolerance is associated with the purpose of the breed and the lack of hunter instincts.

All of this applies to socialized dogs. If the dog has not been brought up, or mistakes in the educational process were made, Bernese Bernhard males can show uncharacteristic qualities – aggression to males.

Naturally the size of the Bernese Sennenhand can already pose a threat to smaller animals, so the education of the dog is important.

Representatives of this breed are very intelligent and calm to training. Their desire to please the owner makes this process easy and pleasant. The main thing is to systematize lessons and act competently. In interaction, it is important that the commands are given by the leader of the family, otherwise the dogs perform the task, but with less enthusiasm.

However, if you compare other breeds, still zennenhunds are more malleable. They do not tolerate rudeness and always respond to encouragement, whether it is a tasty treat, a pet or just an affectionate word. A positive attitude will produce better results than mushing.

See what to call a boy or girl sennenhund.

What care is required

Berns are equipped with a well-developed undercoat that protects them from both low and high temperatures. Breeders strongly recommend trying to protect the dog from the scorching sun and overexertion during this period, but they are naturally hardy too. Dogs like to sleep on snow patches and seldom enough spend time in a kennel.

An excellent place to keep them is an aviary. And the insulation of the kennel is necessary only in the case if the animal sits on a chain. In this case, and walks should be more frequent and longer. Once every day for at least two hours.

The dog will feel normal on a leash if the chain will allow to move in an area of not less than 10 square meters.

An apartment sennenhund requires two daily walks. As for puppies, everything depends on the age. All walks shall be necessarily accompanied by active jogging and games.

How to feed the Bernese Sennenhund

With their large size and excellent appetite, dogs will require a decent amount of food. If you take the percentage of products in natural feeding, it is as follows:

• 70% – meat products, including by-products;
• 15% – cereals (in the form of porridges boiled in water);
• 5% – boiled and raw vegetables and fruits;
• 10 per cent – dairy products.

In the diet can include lean saltwater fish, but not more than once a week. It is also recommended to give raw chicken eggs no more than 1-2 in 7 days. You should provide your pet with fresh drinking water in unlimited quantities. This is especially important on hot days.

Like other large dogs, Berns need food containing cartilage, it helps to strengthen the ligaments. It is better to give meat that is coarse and wiry. They should give tripe, because they adore it, and it also positively affects the gastrointestinal tract activity.

As for feeding ready-made diets, they should choose low-fat menus for large breeds. This is due to the fact that Bernese Sennonhunds can suffer from excessive body weight. Vitamin complexes are better not to give on their own, it is worth first consulting the veterinarian.

Read more: what to feed the Bernese Sennenhand.

Photo of Bernese Sennenhund

Bernese Sennenhund video

Puppies price

If you have the desire to buy this giant beauty, you should know that a purebred puppy for a family without further exhibition career and breeding will cost $300-$400. The price of Bernese Sennenhund for breeding and successful participation in exhibitions ranges from $ 800to $1400.

When purchasing a puppy, owners should be warned – the Bernese Sennenhund has a very long period of childhood – up to 2.5 years. Therefore, some pranks can be safely written off on age.