How to Care for a Bernese Mountain Dog

Series Summary

Dogs can bring an infinite amount of joy and companionship into people's lives. Coming home to a wagging tail and an eager smile creates a feeling of love and happiness and can make anyone feel needed as part of an intimate family. In fact, studies have shown that having a pet can reduce stress, lower blood pressure and relieve depression. Whether favorite activities to share with a puppy include a long walk in the park or just watching television on the couch, it's important to show dogs just as much love as they show their owners. Can't decide what dog breed to get as a family pet? In this free video series on dog care and obedience, an experienced dog trainer explains how to care for different breeds of dogs. Get information on caring for and training boxers, greyhounds, Great Danes and Bernese Mountain Dogs. Learn pet care information for golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers and standard poodles. Find out about a variety of other large and medium dog breeds in these free videos on dog care.

Video Transcript

"I'm Nancy Frensley, with the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society. I'm the training manager. We're in Berkeley, California. How do you care for a Bernese mountain dog? Well, a couple of things to consider. The Bernese mountain dog is very large, they're very long-haired, and they're only moderately active. So, when you set out to care for your Bernese mountain dog the main things that you're going to want to consider are your dog's grooming needs, your dog's walking needs, your dog's energy needs, and in general large breeds need a different type of diet than small breeds, so you want to make sure that you have the right food. In the training department, which is my specialty, a very large dog like a Bernese; your biggest problem, especially when they're puppies is to teach them to walk quietly beside you instead of pulling you everywhere, so we recommend either a easy walk or a chest harness which helps slow them down, or a head collar. Those are pieces of equipment which will help you start your Bernese mountain dog off with with nice, polite manners."