Bernese Mountain Dog

Bernese Mountain Dogs are one of the better choices for a family with children. Expect a big dog that is moderately active, sheds heavily and needs professional grooming on a cycle. The big catch is running cost — this is one of the pricier dogs to keep well.

Source: American Kennel Club breed standard.

Berners are Swiss farm dogs from the canton of Bern, where they drove cattle, guarded the yard and pulled carts of milk and cheese to market — a general-purpose farmhand rather than a specialist. The temperament that produced is famously steady and good-natured, and they are one of the gentlest large breeds with children. Two hard truths sit alongside that. The 7–10 year life expectancy is short even by giant-breed standards, and cancer accounts for a large share of Berner deaths. And the thick tricolour coat, built for Alpine winters, means heat is a real problem and shedding is constant. Families who adore them tend to be the ones who went in knowing the years would be few.

Day to day. Moderately active — a proper daily walk plus some play in the garden or the hallway keeps this breed happy. On noise, it is quiet.

The coat, honestly. This breed sheds heavily and needs professional grooming on a cycle. A brush a few times a week and the occasional tidy-up keeps it in good order.

Being left alone. Fine alone for a few hours. A few hours is fine; a full working day, every day, is asking a lot.

Training. Trains at an average pace. Consistent, reward-based training from day one does most of the work.

• You want a dog with a reputation for putting up with children
• You have room for a big dog and a car it actually fits in

• Nobody has budgeted for a groomer every few weeks
• You cannot live with hair on the sofa, the car and your clothes
• A surprise vet bill would be a real problem this year
• You are in a flat, or nobody can physically hold this dog on a lead

Every animal is an individual, and plenty of Bernese Mountain Dogs live long, healthy lives. This is here so nobody is surprised — ask a vet, and ask whoever you get the dog from what they have tested for.

Rough running cost: $$$ (one of the pricier dogs on our list) — because it is a big dog, so food, medicines and anaesthetics all cost more, and the coat needs a professional groom on a cycle, and that is the bill people forget, and the breed has known health issues that can mean extra vet visits.

Those are relative bands, not live prices. For real numbers across every pet we cover, see the pet cost study and the cost calculator.

Rescues do have Bernese Mountain Dogs and Bernese Mountain Dog crosses, usually adults whose size, coat and temperament you can see rather than guess at.