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A Brief Introduction

Descending from Swiss working farm dogs Bernese Mountain Dogs are very attractive and good natured which makes them much sought after family pets.

Bernese Mountain Dogs love humans and need company during the day. Strong, intelligent dogs, they do not have high energy levels which require huge amounts of exercise but regular walks will do much to benefit the physical and mental health of your dog. Early training is essential as an untrained adult dog will be a nuisance and can cause a lot of damage. Bernese are eager to please and enjoy working with their owner which makes them easy to train.

A growing puppy's skeleton is still soft and exercise should be controlled as the dog develops. Being a large breed that grows a lot in its first two years it is essential to provide good quality food to meet their nutritional needs.

There are several diseases that affect Bernese and many other dogs. Some of these are heriditary and good breeding and rearing can do much to reduce the risk of your dog developing these diseases.

Potential Health Problems

Hip and Elbow Displasia:

A deformity of the hip or elbow joints which may cause severe problems later in life.
Eyes:
  • Entropian - The eyelids turn in on themselves rubbing the eyeballs causing pain and infections. A puppy showing symptoms should be rejected and animals carrying it should not be bred from.
  • Ectropian - The eyelids turn out and leave the eyes open to infection and cornea disease. Again animals carrying ectropian should not be bred from.
  • Wall Eye - The dog will lack brown pigment in one or both eyes. Not important from a health point of view but the animal will be of no use in the show ring or for breeding.

Bloat:
The exact cause is not known for certain, but bloat is thought to be caused by a fermentation of food in the stomach. The stomach inflates and eventually twists, strangling organs in the body. It causes great discomfort and unless vetinary assistance is sought immediately it is almost always fatal. The risk of bloat may be reduced by restricting vigorous exercise one hour either side of feeding.


Learn the names of various body parts by rolling over areas of the dog.

 


Introduction
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Ask The Breeder
Questionnaire

 

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