26 Oct Interesting Facts about the Bernese Mountain Dog Breed

Bernese Mountain Dog is a robust, well-built, and heavy dog ​​with long and beautiful hair. He has straight or wavy and waterproof hair, which can be seen in three colors: black, white, and brown. His coat is white on the chest, head, toes, above the eyes, chin, under the tail, and back of the legs. These dogs are calm and cheerful and love children; they are also intelligent and talented in learning training. The Bernese mountain is a good guard dog and can be a loyal friend for you. He has friendly behavior with strangers, is usually compatible with other dogs and pets, and likes being in groups. Bernese Mountain Dog breed is susceptible, and you should know how to behave with him. Stay tuned to the end of this article to learn more about this breed.

Bernese Mountain Dog breed Appearance 

• Breed classification: group dog
• Weight in males: (36-52) kg, in females: (32-43) kg.
• Height in males: (63.5-67) cm, in females: (58-66) cm.
• Lifespan: 6 to 8 years

Highlights of the Bernese Mountain Dog breed 

• These dogs have many health problems, which may be due to genetics or undiagnosed problems. 
• Since these dogs have many health problems, their veterinary care is expensive.
• The Bernese Mountain Dog sheds heavily, especially in spring and autumn; that’s why if you hate hair loss, dogs of this breed may not be the right choice for you.
• Bernese likes to always be with family members. If he is left alone or doesn’t do his daily activities, he may have annoying behaviors such as barking or chewing things.
• Although they are gentle with children, sometimes they accidentally pull the child’s arm or leg too much.

Health and diseases of the Bernese Mountain Dog breed

Dogs of this breed are generally healthy, but like all other dogs, they may get some conditions. To take care of this breed, you should have the necessary knowledge.

Cancer

Symptoms of cancer include unusual swelling, pain in one part of the body, wounds that don’t heal, bleeding from any part of the body, and difficulty breathing. Cancer is treated through chemotherapy, surgery, and drugs.

Hip dysplasia

This disease is usually shared among dogs of this breed. Factors such as genetics, environment, and diet effectively change the shape of the hip joint. Although dogs with this disease live everyday and healthy lives, some may need surgery. Hip dysplasia is a hereditary disease in which the femur doesn’t connect well to the hip joint, resulting in lameness in one or both hind legs of the dog. You won’t see any signs of pain in a dog with this disease, but in old age, It causes arthritis. Factors such as a high-calorie diet or injuries caused by jumping or falling on smooth and soft surfaces can influence the rapid development of this disease.

Elbow Dysplasia

This inherited disease is common among dogs. It causes the elbow bones do not to grow in harmony and causes laxity of the joints, which causes lameness with pain in the dog. A veterinarian may perform surgery for it or treat it with the help of medication, weight control, medical management, and antitumor drugs.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)

This disease is a degenerative eye disorder in which the affected dog becomes blind due to the loss of the photoreceptors located at the back of the eye. It can be diagnosed before the symptoms of this disease appear. Fortunately, dogs can use their other senses to solve their needs and lead a healthy and complete life if they lose sight.

Portosystemic shunt (PSS)

This disease causes the blood vessels to go around the liver, and the liver can’t clean the blood. Its symptoms include neurobehavioral disorders, lack of appetite, low blood sugar, intermittent digestive system problems, urinary problems, drug intolerance, and stopped growth. These symptoms appear at the age of 2. The best way to treat this disease is surgery.

Von Willebrand’s disease

This disease causes mild or severe and prolonged bleeding. If you suspect your dog has von Wieblerand’s disease, ask your veterinarian to do a blood test before surgery.

Panosteitis in Dogs (Growing Pains in Dogs)

This is a rare disease, but it’s sometimes seen in young dogs. One of its main symptoms is the sudden lameness of the dog, which can live up to 2 years despite this disease. Lameness can be mild or severe. Many veterinarians aren’t aware of the existence of this disease, which is why they may diagnose it as elbow dysplasia, hip dysplasia, patella dislocation, or even more severe problems. If the veterinarian misdiagnoses it, they may perform surgery, which isn’t needed. Therefore, if these symptoms occur in a dog, ask the veterinarian to consult an orthopedic specialist before surgery.

Nutrition 

It‘s better to give your dog 3 to 5 cups of high-quality ​​food per day, divided into two meals.

The amount of food your dog eats depends on his age, body structure, metabolism, and activity level. Dogs have natural behaviors, their nutritional needs aren’t the same, and the quality of their food is also different. It’s better to give your dog less nutritious food instead of filling his food bowl several times a day.

Grooming

• The Bernese Mountain Dog breed has a beautiful double-layered coat. The top layer is complex, and the bottom layer is wool. Most of the dog’s body is covered with black and white hair with light and white spots.
• His hair sheds heavily all year round, especially in spring and autumn. So, brush his hair several times weekly for neat and clean skin.
• You can bathe him once every three months to make him look clean.
• To prevent the accumulation of bacteria in the mouth, it’s necessary to brush the dog’s teeth 2 or 3 times a week. You must do it daily if you want him not to suffer from gum disease or bad mouth.
• It’s necessary to trim your dog’s nails once a month. If you hear the sound of the dog’s nails dragging on the floor when walking, it means that they’re too long.
• When grooming the dog, check him for signs such as sores, itching, signs of infection such as redness, sensitivity to touch, and inflammation on the skin of the nose, mouth, eyes, or feet. The dog’s eyes should be without any redness or secretions. If you check your dog once a week, you will avoid serious problems that may occur.
•  Ears should be checked weekly for redness or foul odor, which could indicate infection. When you check your dog’s ears, clean them with a cotton swab dipped in a mild pH-balanced ear cleaner to prevent disease. Don’t insert anything into the ear channel. Just clean the outer ear. Start your dog grooming when he’s a puppy.

Compatibility

The Bernese Mountain Dog breed is a good companion for the family. He is usually calm and kind and gets along well with children or animals. You should train your child how to handle and touch the dog. Supervise their actions when they play together because they can hurt each other. When the dog is being trained, never allow your child to take food for him or to approach him. No matter how tame the dog is, it would be best if you tied him up when he is with the child. Dogs of this breed never like to be left alone. If you train them early, they can easily play with other animals and cats.

Keeping pace

It isn’t suitable to keep these dogs indoors; they need at least a large yard to do their daily activities and sports. Due to their thick skin, keeping them in hot weather isn’t recommended.

Training 

Socialization and training classes are required from a young age for all dogs, especially for large breeds such as the Bernese Mountain Dog. Brenners are intelligent and enthusiastic, so they are usually easy to train. They also have affection and intimacy, so they do not respond well to punishment or harsh training methods. A Brenner wants to be with his family and will exhibit undesirable behaviors if left alone for long periods.

Activity 

Bernese Mountain Dogs need at least half an hour of gentle exercise daily to stay healthy and happy. Although Brenners stick to living indoors with their family, they enjoy outdoor activities and long walks or hikes and are great companions. Outgoing owners often take their dogs to camp. Brenners enjoy pushing small children in shopping carts; some even compete in cart-pulling and cart-carrying competitions. Other canine sports in which Brenners participate and excel include agility, herding, obedience, gathering, and searching.

To wrap up

Large, robust, and built for hard work, the Bernese Mountain dog is also excellent and blessed with a sweet and gentle nature. Brenners are usually calm but always ready to play with their owner.  To have a healthy and lively dog, you need to pay attention to nutrition, activity, health, grooming, etc. You can prevent the disease and have a healthy dog in this case. In all these steps, you can count on the specialized team of MishkaGrooming. Our experienced and precise groomers have carefully and accurately groomed your dogs so they count the moments for the next session.