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AUSTRALIAN NATIONALKENNEL COUNCIL

Extended Breed Standard of the

BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOG

Produced by

The Berner Collegiumcomprising

Ann WatermanJim Cain

Karen HindsonBronwyn Longhurst

Natalie Sperling

in conjunction withThe Australian National Kennel Council

Kennel Club (London) 1994 StandardStandard adopted by ANKC 1994

BSE adopted by ANKC 2000Copyright Australian National Kennel Council 2000

Country of Origin — Switzerland

Extended Breed Standard of the Bernese Mountain Dog -

Extended Standards are compiled purely for the purpose of training Australianjudges and students of the breed.

In order to comply with copyright requirements of authors, artists andphotographers of material used, the contents must not be copied for commercialuse or any other purpose. Under no circumstances may the Standard or ExtendedStandard be placed on the Internet without written permission of the ANKC.

HISTORY OF THE BREED

The Bernese Mountain Dog is one of a group of four Swiss working dogs known asSennenhunde (sennen being Alpine herdsmen). After much research, Margret Bartschi,a Swiss authority on the breed, believes the mountain dogs originated in Switzerland,in the mountainous regions of Central Europe and Southern Germany. Their originscan be traced back in Celtic times, long before the Romans occupied the country in58 BC. Each region developed the type of dog most suited to its particular needs,and thus the four different types of Sennenhunde were established; Entlebucherbeing the smallest, the slightly larger Apenzeller, the Bernese and the Great Swiss.The Bernese is the second largest in size, being 58-70 cms (23 to 27.5 inches) highat the withers, and the only one with a long coat.

As they work closely with their owners, whether driving cattle to and from the Alpinepastures, guarding the farm, pulling small wagons or carts, the Bernese makes anideal family dog, only wanting to be with its owners and to take part in every activity.

Photo: B Günter


!!!!! GENERAL APPEARANCEStrong, sturdy working dog, active, alert, well boned, of striking colour.

The Standard only gives the rough outlines. This was intentional, for it was considereddangerous to give too many details, as people tend to stick to the details and forgetthe main guidelines; minor points becoming overstressed and the functioning entitylost.

Although the Bernese is called a mountain dog, it should not be confused with the StBernard or the Pyrenean, being more like the Golden Retriever in outline, but somewhatheavier and stockier. The noticeable difference between the male and female Berneseis that the males are distinctly masculine and the females distinctly feminine. Thecorrect male has a larger and bulkier body, usually a broader head and chest, and aheavier coat particularly the bib on the chest. The female has a softer expression anddemeanour and is smaller.

The general appearance of the Bernese is that he is an above medium size, strong,sturdy, working dog, who is active and alert, well-boned, yet agile, well balanced andstriking in colour. The immediate thing that takes the judge’s eye is the striking contrastof colours, which are his basic body colour of shiny jet black, with clean white andrich tan, clearly defined, symmetrical markings. Their appearance is as attractive astheir personality, basically gleaming black with a white muzzle and blaze, white crosson the chest and white paws and tail tip. Between the black and white on the legsand cheeks is a rich chestnut or tan. The markings should be as symmetrical aspossible and not haphazard as in some other breeds.

While correct markings are essential in the expression of breed type, considerationmust also be given to the structure and soundness of this large, working dog. Doremember to judge to type and the dog as a whole. Note his good points and makethese your criteria.

When pictured as a whole, the Bernese must be strong, agile, harmonious and wellbalanced, with straight and sturdy limbs. All the early descriptions of the dog attestedit to be a ‘dog full of spirit, intelligent, lively, quick and alert, very affectionate to theirmasters and ready to defend them against offenders’, and this epitomises the breed.

!!!!! CHARACTERISTICSA multi purpose farm dog capable of draught work. A kind and devoted familydog. Slow to mature.

Bernese do not make particularly good kennel dogs, preferring to live and spend timewith their owners, and live in a family environment. They love to be with people andlove to be given affection, however, they are not constantly on the move in the house,demanding exercise, or retrieving objects to be thrown for them.

When visitors (strangers) arrive at the house they will bark. A good Bernese willobserve his owner and react accordingly. If the owner receives the visitor in a friendlymanner, he will be friendly too; if the person is dismissed, he remains reserved; avaluable attribute in a house dog.


The Bernese Mountain Dog is not considered a giant breed, but is quite late maturing.They usually reach their full adult height by about fifteen months, but can take afurther two or three years to reach full maturity.

IDEAL EXAMPLES OF MALE AND FEMALE BERNESE

Fig. 1

!!!!! TEMPERAMENTSelf-confident, good natured, friendly and fearless. Aggressiveness not to betolerated.

The temperament of the Bernese is one of its most important points. In the showring, a Bernese should show no shyness or aggressiveness. It should stand there fullof self-confidence, and readily tolerate being touched by the judge. Bernese thatgrowl or hide their tails between their legs, or demonstrate any other signs of fear,should be heavily penalised.

One of their main points is their outgoing friendliness. The temperament is very stable,being very affectionate, patient and especially good with children. They may be reservedwith strangers initially, but are a superb and loyal family dog. For all their size, theyare very active and take a lively interest in all that is going on.

To quote Professor Heim, who did much to establish the breed as we know it today:‘All the Swiss Mountain Dogs are without deceit, excellent house and family dogs, byother breeds hardly to be surpassed for their attachment, loyalty, alertness andunderstanding’.


THE FIVE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE TYPESA dog is typical if it substantially or generally conforms to the Standard in everything.The term type is usually only used by dog people in reference to general appearance,the overall shape, the basic body type, that is the physical structure type.

In general, five physical structure types can be found in the Bernese Mountain Dog.In their outline they appear as follows and are named by their attributes:

Fig 2

(A) Light — ref(A) Light — ref(A) Light — ref(A) Light — ref(A) Light — refined.ined.ined.ined.ined.A little high off the ground. Lacking spring of rib and development of loin. Poorly developedmuscles.NNNNNooooot accort accort accort accort according tding tding tding tding to the So the So the So the So the Standartandartandartandartandard.d.d.d.d.(B) Jus(B) Jus(B) Jus(B) Jus(B) Just medium heat medium heat medium heat medium heat medium heavyvyvyvyvy, s, s, s, s, strtrtrtrtrong, wirong, wirong, wirong, wirong, wiryyyyy, spor, spor, spor, spor, sporty type.ty type.ty type.ty type.ty type.Medium distance from the ground. Sufficient spring of ribs, forechest and loin formation indepth and width. Sufficiently wide stance of forelegs.PhPhPhPhPhysical sysical sysical sysical sysical structure type accortructure type accortructure type accortructure type accortructure type according tding tding tding tding to the So the So the So the So the Standartandartandartandartandard.d.d.d.d.

(C) Medium s(C) Medium s(C) Medium s(C) Medium s(C) Medium strtrtrtrtrong - poong - poong - poong - poong - powwwwwerererererful breed type.ful breed type.ful breed type.ful breed type.ful breed type.Moderately deep. Good spring of ribs and forechest development, deep, broad loin.Wide stance of forelegs. Well developed, firm muscles.PhPhPhPhPhysical sysical sysical sysical sysical structure type accortructure type accortructure type accortructure type accortructure type according tding tding tding tding to the So the So the So the So the Standartandartandartandartandard.d.d.d.d.

A B C

(D) S(D) S(D) S(D) S(D) Strtrtrtrtrong, vong, vong, vong, vong, vererererery poy poy poy poy powwwwwerererererful breed type.ful breed type.ful breed type.ful breed type.ful breed type.Deep set, or in the case of tall dogs, moderate distance from the ground.Pronounced spring of ribs. Usually voluminous and very broad, deep loins in smaller dogs.Pronounced wide stance of forelegs especially in the not so tall dogs. Generously developedmuscles, often not firm because of storing a lot of fatty tissue.PhPhPhPhPhysical sysical sysical sysical sysical structure accortructure accortructure accortructure accortructure according tding tding tding tding to the So the So the So the So the Standartandartandartandartandard.d.d.d.d.

(E) T(E) T(E) T(E) T(E) Too heaoo heaoo heaoo heaoo heavyvyvyvyvy, coar, coar, coar, coar, coarse, ponderse, ponderse, ponderse, ponderse, ponderous.ous.ous.ous.ous.Deep set, or in the case of large dogs, set medium deep.Very pronounced spring of ribs, forechest development, abdomen and loin development,expecially in not too tall dogs. Forelegs often set too wide. Muscular development too bulky,rather spongy through lacking firmness, too much fatty tissue.NNNNNooooot accort accort accort accort according tding tding tding tding to the So the So the So the So the Standartandartandartandartandard.d.d.d.d.

TTTTToo lightoo lightoo lightoo lightoo light SporSporSporSporSporting typeting typeting typeting typeting typeCorrectCorrectCorrectCorrectCorrect

Medium type —CorrectMedium type —CorrectMedium type —CorrectMedium type —CorrectMedium type —Correct>>T>>T>>T>>T>>Type type type type type to aim fo aim fo aim fo aim fo aim for <<or <<or <<or <<or <<

HeaHeaHeaHeaHeavy type — Correctvy type — Correctvy type — Correctvy type — Correctvy type — Correct TTTTToo heaoo heaoo heaoo heaoo heavy — Svy — Svy — Svy — Svy — St Bernart Bernart Bernart Bernart Bernard typed typed typed typed type

D E


Fig. 3


!!!!! HEAD AND SKULLStrong with flat skull, very slight furrow, well defined stop; strong straightmuzzle. Lips slightly developed.

The Bernese head should look strong and be well balanced, and in proportion to thesize of the dog. His nose should be black with large nostrils. The bridge of the nose isflat, the muzzle strong with good depth, and is of medium length, tapering veryslightly from stop to nose. The stop should be well defined, neither too shallow nortoo deep. Short muzzles, rounded skulls and heavy heads are a malformation andshould be penalised. Lips and nose should be black with no lack of pigmentation.

The skull has a slight indentation or furrow between the eyes, extending from thestop to half way along the skull. His skin is quite well fleshed around his skull.

According to Professor Heim, the head should be a ‘natural head’ with a strongmuzzle and a flat skull, so that the ‘face’ is almost triangular when viewed from thefront, if the dog is alert. Pendulous flews are faulty; they should be straight and clean.

IDEAL BERNESE HEAD

Fig. 4


Head type: 1960-1970 Incorrect head typeShort muzzles, rounded skulls, heavy headsare a malformation. They often go together withtoo much skin in the face and can causeentropion, undershot bites and open flews.

Too much stop. Correct head shape Long, flat headRounded skull

Fig. 5

According to Professor Heim, the head should be a ‘natural head’ with a strongmuzzle and a flat skull so that the foreface is almost triangular if the dog is attentive.

Top of stop

Nose

Occiput

Correctear set

Correct proportionsRatio of muzzle:skull = 10:11


!!!!! EYESDark brown, almond shaped, well fitting eyelids.

The Bernese eyes should be dark brown and almond in shape, with tight eyelids.Round or protruding eyes and loose eyelids are undesirable. The eyes are forwardlyplaced on each side of the stop to look at one directly; they are not too deeply set, sothat he has an excellent field of vision. A wall or blue eye is highly undesirable; in thecountry of origin it is a disqualification.

Correct Incorrect

Fig. 6

Fig. 7

!!!!! EARSMedium sized; set high, triangular shaped, lying flat in repose, when alertbrought slightly forward and raised at base.

Their ears should not be too long or fold, but should lie close to the head. The slightlyrounded tips of the ears should be covered with short hair. When alert, the tops of theears are level with the top of the skull.

Ear when alert


!!!!! MOUTHJaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e., upper teethclosely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

The teeth are strong, white and evenly spaced, with a scissor bite. The underjaw isstrong. Full dentition is preferred.

Fig. 8

Correct scissor bite

!!!!! NECKStrong, muscular and medium length.

The neck should be strong, muscular and of medium length — too short a neck givesthe impression that the head is growing out of the shoulders and too long a neckappears unnatural in a Bernese. Head and neck should be free from all superfluousskin.

!!!!! FOREQUARTERSShoulders long, strong and sloping, with upper arm forming a distinct angle,flat lying, well muscled. Forelegs straight from all sides. Pasterns flexingslightly.

The shoulders are required to be long, strong and well laid back, with the upper armforming a distinct angle. There is more space between the shoulder blades at thewithers, than in some other breeds. Forelegs should be well boned, strong and straight,and must be placed well apart. The pasterns should slope slightly.

When we speak of the structural parts - withers, back, loin and croup, an understandingis important. In writing as well as in practical evaluation, these body sections aresometimes defined differently, so a definition is necessary.

The withers, not mentioned in the Standard, starts at the set on of neck, just beforethe palpable front edge of the upper part of the shoulder blades. They reach back toa tangible, slight depression that lies approximately over the centre of the thorax.(This does not mean the so-called dip in the back. This lies about 3-4 vertebraefurther back, over the 11th, the changing vertebrae). The exact location depends onthe development of the musculation. The so-called trapezoid muscle may be poorlydeveloped; then the withers are flat and short and reach only a little further than therear edge of the shoulder blade. If the trapezoid is strongly developed, the withers arehigh and long and reach much further towards the tail. If the length of the withers areset in proportion to the vertebrae, it cannot be definitely stated up to which projectionof the thoracic vertebrae it reaches.


Fig. 9

The withers are required to be well developed. Thus it is, if the shoulder blades aresloping, then their upper part reaches further back than if they were steeply set. Wespeak of distinctly developed (loaded) withers if the underlying musculature is toopronounced and the dog is fat.

A B C

A The steeply set shoulder-blade does not reach far back, only to about the projectionof the 3rd thoracic vertebra.

B The upper part of the pronounced, sloping shoulder-blade reaches far back toabout the projection of the 6th vertebra.

C Well placed shoulder-blade (the rear upper edge just about reaches the projectionof the 5th thoracic vertebra). The trapezoid muscle, on the upper layer of muscles,illustrated with its two parts, one reaching towards the neck (trapezius thoracic).Because of its shape, it is also called the cap or capuchin muscle. It is situatedon both sides of the vertebrae. Towards the rear it reaches - depending on itsdevelopment - to about the projection of the 8th or 9th vertebrae.

WithersBack

Thoracic vertebraeLoin

Lumbar vertebrae SacrumCroup

Caudal vertebrae

THE FORMATION OF THE WITHERS


FORELEGS

!!!!! BODYCompact rather than long. Height to length 9:10. Broad chest, good depth ofbrisket reaching at least to elbow. Well ribbed, strong loins. Firm straightback. Rump smoothly rounded.

The chest is broad, and the ribs should be well sprung. In profile, the prosternumshould be slightly forward of the points of shoulder. The brisket should reach, at least,to the elbows and be at least 50% of the height at the withers. The back should befirm and level from behind the withers to the croup. The loin should be strong andwell muscled, and the outline, over the croup to the set on of tail, should slopeslightly downwards, giving the rump a smoothly rounded appearance. The belly shouldnot be too tucked up. As the Bernese is a slow maturer, the young sometimes appearhigher at their back end than at their withers, but if it has good angulations, it shouldbalance out once this awkward stage has passed. Sometimes the rise at the backend is due to the hock joint and/or stifle being too straight, and this does not usuallycorrect itself.

The back in actual meaning is very short. It reaches from the withers, down to the13th thoracic vertebra. This is situated at about the centre of the thorax. How fartowards the front it starts depends on the length of the withers. In the well proportionedBernese Mountain Dog, the actual back is only about an ample hand’s breadth, andencompasses around the last 5 thoracic vertebrae. It should be firm and straight,that is, neither dipped nor roached.

The loin starts at the first lumba vertebra around the middle of the body and reachesto the 7th lumba vertebra. Thus the loin encompasses the part between the thoraxand the hip projection, above the lateral abdominal wall. It should be broad andstrong. As the vertebrae of the loin are not stabilised through the ribs, as are thethoracic vertebrae, their firmness is guaranteed solely through a well developedmusculature.

The correct ratio of height, from withers to the ground, to length of body, fromprosternum to back of thighs, is as 9 is to 10.

Fig. 10

Correct Too soft pasterns Weak at pasterns

Incorrect


Fig. 11

PROPORTIONS

IncorrectIncorrectIncorrectIncorrectIncorrect CorrectCorrectCorrectCorrectCorrect IncorrectIncorrectIncorrectIncorrectIncorrectDepth of chest too pronounced. Depth of chest : length Legs too long. Ratio ofLegs too short, hence length of of legs = 1:1 or 50:50 height to length isdog, height ratio more than 10:9 10:10 or more

!!!!! HINDQUARTERSBroad, strong and well muscled. Stifles well bent. Rear pasterns strong, welllet down and turning neither in nor out. Dewclaws to be removed.

The hindquarters should be in balance with the rest of the body and should be strong,broad and well muscled, not fat. Hind angulations should be similarly balanced withthe fore, the stifle being well bent with strong rear pasterns. Seen from behind,parallel stance is most important.

Fig. 12

Correct Too straight croup (and stifle) Too short secondresulting in lack of angulation resulting in lack of

angulation


!!!!! FEETShort, round and compact.

The feet should be short, round and compact (cat-like). The soles are well paddedand the longer hair around the feet should be trimmed. Dewclaws to be removedform the hindlegs and may be removed form forelegs.

!!!!! TAILBushy, reaching just below hock. Raised when alert or moving but never curledor carried over back.

The tail should not be set too high, otherwise the smoothly rounded appearance willbe lost, and there will be a tendency to carry the tail too high. The tail is well furnishedwith bushy, long hair. It should be noted that the bone should reach to the hock jointwith the hair reaching just below. The tail should not curl, be carried over the back, orbe kinked.

!!!!! GAIT/MOVEMENTStride reaching out well in front, following well through behind, balanced stridein all gaits.

The correct gait of the Bernese is a free, slow, working trot, with plenty of drive frombehind, with the limbs converging slightly towards the centre, depending on speedand the front and rear legs on each side following through in the same plane. He isstill, in some parts, used as a draught dog, but, as he is mainly used as an overallfarm dog and watch dog, he is also capable of speed and agility. He is a working dogand should be judged as a working dog.

Fig. 13

Compact foot Hare foot Open foot(Long & flat)

Compact, short Too long Openarched toes

Correct Incorrect


Fig. 14

Fig. 15

An example of a curly coat whichsometimes occur in puppies andjuniors, but is not desirable inadults.

Correct balanced side gait can be thought of as a loosely spread “M”. There shouldbe equal distance between the outer “legs’ of the “M” and the feet should not

overlap in the centre of the “M”.

!!!!! COATSoft, silky with bright natural sheen, long, slightly wavy but should not curlwhen mature.

There is feathering from the hock joint and down to the back pastern, but this is notas long as the front leg feathering. Under the body, the coat on the sides of the bodyis longer than that on the head, but not quite as long as the coat on the top of theback. There is a fluffy, soft hair on the outside of the base of the ear which tends tobe knotted, and it is better to remove this fluffy hair and leave the silky hair whichblends well with the longer hair. The texture of the body coat should be silky, thoughthe hair is slightly coarser on the breeching and under the tail. A slight wave on amature dog is permissible, but a curly coat is undesirable. Puppies sometimes havea curly coat along their back, but this usually disappears when they get their adultcoat. The Bernese has a soft but not dense undercoat.

SIDE GAIT


!!!!! COLOURJet black, with rich reddish brown on cheeks, over eyes, on all four legs andon chest. Slight to medium sized symmetrical white head marking (blaze) andwhite chest marking (cross) are essential. Preferred but not essential, whitepaws, white not reaching higher than pastern, white tip to tail. A few whitehairs at nape of neck, and white anal patch undesirable but tolerated.

On the head of the Bernese, distinctive, richly coloured brown or dark tan spots areon the inside top corners of each eyebrow. There is tan between the white muzzlemarkings and the corners of the lips - the amount depending on the amount of whiteon the muzzle. The white should not pass the corners of the flews. The tan should notextend much further up the cheek than the cheek bone, which leaves black aroundthe eyes, the rest of the head and the outer ears. Even though the bottom of the jawmay be white, there is, in the majority of dogs, tan at the bottom corners of themouth. There are sometimes a few black and/or brown pigmented spots inside thewhite areas of the muzzle, but they should not effect the appearance of the cleardividing line of colours. The white continues down the chin, extending to moderatelylarge, unbroken white markings on throat and chest, The white cross can only beseen in dogs with narrow chest markings. In those dogs with a large amount of whiteit extends into a white ‘shirt’. The necessity for this white cross has diminished overthe years, especially in Europe, as is shown by the fact that it was dropped from theFCI Standard in 1993.

Tan also comes between the white and black at both sides of the chest, and the tanon the front and around the legs must come between the white feet and the black onthe top of the legs. Feet without black markings are preferred. The tan on the hindlegs extends from the white feet up the front of the rear pastern and inside the hockjoint, stifle and hind legs. The long hair which forms the breeching or feathering, onthe back of the thighs and under the tail, is tan mingled with black. The shorter hairsurrounding the anus is tan, as is the longer hair under the root of the tail. The whiteanal patch, which is undesirable but tolerated, should only be small. White legs or awhite collar are serious faults.

!!!!! SIZEHeight: Dogs 64-70 cms (25-27½ ins)

Bitches 58-66 cms (23-26 ins)

The ideal size is considered to be: Dogs 66-68 cms (26-26¾ ins)Bitches 60-63 cms (23½-24¾ ins)

There is no criteria for weight given in the Standard, however, most mature dogs’weight averages 45-50 kgs in dogs and 38-40 kgs in bitches.


Fig. 16 CORRECT BERNESECORRECT BERNESECORRECT BERNESECORRECT BERNESECORRECT BERNESE

This table is meant as a help in correcting faults through adequate matings.It says: Never try to correct with an opposite fault.Corrections must be made by using dogs that are correct at the point in question.


This immature, lanky youngsterturned out to be an idealexample of a well balanced dog.

See below:

Ch Shersan’s Change of Pace v Halidom C.D.at 18 months

Shows symmetry and balancein proportion

At almost 5 years

!!!!! FAULTSAny departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and theseriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exactproportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

!!!!! NOTEMale animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descendedinto the scrotum.

Fig. 17


REFERENCES

Breed Standard No: 45, 1993, THE BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOG by the FCI(Federation Cynologique Internationale)

Bartschi Margret/Spengler Hansjoachim:Hunde sehen - zuechten - erlebenDas Buch Vom Berner SennenhundCopyright @ 1994, Verlag Paul Haupt, Bern.

Heim Albert, Prof. Dr. (Zurich 1849-1937 ‘Father of the Breed’Die Schweizer Sennenhunde, 1914 andhis reports as mentioned in the above book.

Mair Bernice Secretary of Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Great Britain 1984-1989

The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Great Britain.

Illustrations: From Hunde sehen-suechsten-erlebenDas Buch vom Berner Sennenhundwith permission of Verlag Paul Haupt, Bern.Hansjoachim Spengler, Margret Baertschi:

Pages 4 (left hand photo) 5, 6, 7, 8, (top), 9-13, 15.

Page 2: Prof Gunter: Int, Dt, VDH Ch Berri v.d. Horlache

Pages 7 & 9: (lower) Swiss Club for Bernese Mountain Dogs

Page 4: (right hand) Gasser Vreni: Int Ch Jenny vom Waldacker,World Dog Show 1994, Best of Breed and Best of Group(photo: Brigitte Hoser)

From: The Beautiful Bernese Mountain Dog by Diane Russ andShirle Rodgers with permission of the publisher (Alpine Publications,225 S. Madison, Loveland, CO 80537 USA)

Page 15: Sketch on movementImmature dog with curly coat

Page 18: Ch Shersan’s Change of Pace v Halidom

Prepared by: ‘The Berner Collegium’

Jim Cain, Victoria

Karen Hindson, Victoria

Bronwyn Longhurst, New South Wales

Natalie Sperling, Queensland

Ann Waterman, South Australia

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