Story Time:
The Bernese Mountain dog breed originated when the Romans brought Tibetan Mastiffs to invade and attempt to conquer Switzerland. The Swiss had the Swiss Mountain dogs working as farm dogs. The Roman’s Tibetan Mastiff’s and the Swiss Mountain dogs fought and in some cases mated during the war. The Swiss were not conquered! As a result of these two breeds interacting, “war puppies” were born.
Many Swiss farmers let the “war puppies” live because they were cute, funny, and good with children. Eventually, cart pulling was taught and tested. This dog excelled at pulling carts too!
In 1907, the descendants of the 2 breeds —Tibetan Mastiff and The Swiss Mountain dog —became officially named the Bernese Mountain dog.
Due to the joining of these 2 distinct breeds, Head & Body structure can take after either the Tibetan Mastiff shape or the Swiss Mountain dog shape. Example: Cobbie verses Slender.
Bernese Mountain dogs range from 80 to 135 pounds with some exceptions. These dogs are Tri colored — Black, Brown (Rust or Tan) & White. They have prominent markings — black bodies, a white blaze on the forehead, brown eyebrows, white cross or triangle on the chest, legs black, brown with white paws. The black tail often has a white tip. There may be a white spot on the back of the head which is called “The Swiss Kiss”. Dogs with Eyes of brown may be used in the show circle. In some cases purebred Bernese may have eyes of another color such as flecks of slate or even eyes of blue.
This story is a short summary compiled after reading multiple history books and online accounts over the years. In addition, I visited Switzerland twice and listened to stories from locals that had been passed down from generation to generation.
Many of the Swiss people continue to refer to this breed of dog simply as Sennehund. Which is kind of like calling it an Alpine Farmdog.
Bernese Mountain dog is the registered name of this breed in the official dog groups of Switzerland, Europe, Canada, and USA.
The popularity of the Bernese Mountain dog continues to grow. How could it not? These dogs are GORGEOUS, amazing, intuitive, affectionate, loyal, smart, strong, and beautiful!
xMaximums Bernese Mountain Dogs of Washington state, USA
2 July 2026