BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOG

Bernese mountain dog. breed of Swiss working dog brought to Switzerland over 2,000 years ago by invading Romans. The breed was widely used in Switzerland to pull carts and to drive cattle to and from their pastures. The Bernese mountain dog is noted for its hardiness. It has a broad chest, hanging, V-shaped ears, and a long, silky, black coat with brown spots on the chest and forelegs and over the eyes and, sometimes, white on the chest, nose, feet, and tail tip. The Bernese mountain dog stands 21 to 28 inches (53 to 70 centimetres) and weighs, ideally, about 88 pounds (40 kilograms). See the Table of Selected Breeds of Working Dogs for further information.