The bernese mountain dog has been kept as a pulling- and herding dog for centuries, but in the 1890's it almost went extinct thanks to its own fat! The reason for this was that dog fat was believed to cure tuberculosis, and many dogs were neutered to become fatter. It is thanks to one man, Franz Schertenlieb, who visited Dürrbach in Switzerland during the 1890's, that this breed was saved to the afterworld. He bought the few typical dogs that he could find and began to breed them in 1892. Twelve years later he showed the result, the so called 'Dürrbächer dogs'.
A breed club was formed in 1907 and the breed name was decided upon, namely 'berner sennenhund'. Professor Albert Heim from Zürich helped the breed greatly and it is thanks to him that the bernese mountain dog was recognized by the Swiss Kennel Club, and he wrote the breed standard that is used today.

The bernese mountain dog is large, powerful and strong. The head is broad with a clear but slight stop with a straight and powerful muzzle. The ears are of medium size, set high and held close to the head. The body is compact, with a broad and deep chest and straight back. The tail should be bushy and curved.