Breed Priorities – The Bernese Mountain Dog

by Nikki Riggsbee

This discussion is not intended to promote fault or part judging. Nor is it to imply that any characteristic called for in the standard is unimportant. Judging, and breeding, is about prioritizing and about what the judge or breeder must have and what will be forgiven. Discussing priorities can help in learning how to better evaluate a breed.
Questions, Comments, or Concerns? Contact AKC Judge Ms. Nikki Riggsbee at Email: nriggsbee@aol.com

The Bernese Mountain Dog is one of four Swiss Mountain Dogs or Sennenhunds, also including the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, the Entlebucher Mountain Dog, and the Appenzeller Sennenhund. All four share the same coloration, with a black base coat and white and rust/tan markings. The Bernese and Greater Swiss are the largest and are in AKC’s working group. The Entlebucher is the smallest and competes in AKC’s herding group. The Appenzeller Sennenhund is listed in AKC’s Foundation Stock Service. The Bernese Mountain Dog was named for the area where he is thought to have been developed, the Canton of Bern, Switzerland.

We found thirty Berner breeder-judges and seventeen breed mentors to invite to take a survey about their breed’s priorities. Twenty-three of the breeder-judges and ten of the mentors agreed to participate. By the deadline, twenty- five completed surveys were received.

The experts have been involved in the breed almost thirty-two years on average. Those who judge have been doing so for nearly thirteen years on average, with most having judged their national specialty and other Bernese Mountain Dog specialties. Many of the mentors have also judged at their national.

Bernese Mountain Dog Virtues

The survey included a list of virtues from the breed standard for the experts to prioritize. The list below has the virtues in sequence by the average of the experts’ ranks, with 1 being the most important.

1. Topline level, back broad and firm
2. Sturdy bone
3. tie: Good reach, powerful drive, no wasted action
3. tie: Body full
5. Chest deep, capacious, well-sprung ribs, brisket at least to elbow
6. Shoulders moderately laid back, flat-lying, well-muscled, never loose
7. Strong and agile enough to do draft and droving work
8. Dogs masculine, bitches distinctly feminine
9. Thighs broad, strong, muscular, stifles moderately bent
10. Expression intelligent, animated, gentle
11. Neck strong, muscular, medium length
12. Slightly longer in body than tall
13. Tri-colored, ground color jet black, markings rich rust and clear white
14. Eyes dark brown, slightly oval, close-fitting eyelids
15. Coat thick, moderately long, slightly wavy or straight
16. Lips clean, dry-mouthed, flews only slightly developed

The Bernese Mountain Dog did “draft and droving work” … “in the mountainous regions of his origin,” and the experts prioritized the body type to do that work. They didn’t rank the characteristics very consistently, so there were just seven virtues with majorities. There were some strong pluralities, as well as many features with bi-polar opinions.

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Posted by Alex on Jun 30 2017. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.