# Greater Swiss Mountain dog vs Bernese?



## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

Hello folks its been awhile (stuck in escrow but thats another story, perhaps for another forum)-
well am starting to consider a new puppy, and a companion for our bossy giant schnauzer girl- she is 2 years old. Have been looking into the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (GSMD) vs. a Bernese mountain dog d/t wanting a large-ish, less guardy, less intense, perhaps more tolerant of friendly strangers/ pets- livestock yet is playful but not ball-obsessed canine- male I think would be a necessity given my alpha female. 
Liked the dogs we visited at the GSMD kennel (she is very well known for our area)--
one concern is that I did not realize the gene pool is so limited, and was hoping to get a longer lifespan from a GSMD than a Berner-- the information out there seems to indicate that cancer and other maladies are so prevalent that 7 or 8 years is about average for a Berner...and that some of these issues were due to a smaller gene pool here in the US-- I am in the SF Bay area....
However, have just found a breeder who appears to be a very responsible, well known one in Berner circles here-- who has pups due out of a European import sire--
and am wondering if this would dilute some of these issues....
One thing that is attracts me to the Berner is that they can be a little less huge (males) than the GSMD, depending on the lines, and seem alittle less dominant and more gentle, easy going-- definitely easy-going would be a plus....
SO just putting this out there- for folks who have familiarity with these breeds-- input would be greatly appreciated...
THanks


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## Avie (Jul 10, 2011)

If you're hoping that the Bernese pups born from the European import sire will be healthier, simply because the sire is from the other side of the world, then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Here in Europe, Bernese Mountain dogs aren't exactly considered healthy either. Of course I can't speak for the entire breed, but according to the info and experiences on Dutch forums, the breed is getting better but it's still not very healthy. Lifespan averages are about 6 years, but while there are dogs that grow older, there are many who don't make it to their sixth. 
There was a sad story a couple of months ago, of a Bernese Mountain dog lover who has had Bernese all her life, but the dogs died so young. Her last dog didn't even make it past four years old. For the first time she got a dog of another breed after her last Bernese died, because the Bernese's health, although it is getting better here, is still not very good. 

To my knowledge, the Greater Swiss is indeed healthier and longer lived than the Bernese. There is a Greater Swiss owner on this forum whom you could contact, Greater Swiss.


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## LoveCWCs (Oct 21, 2011)

Bernese Mountain Dogs were one of the breeds I was heavily researching, because I love the look of them, and they have a lovely laid back type personality. I talked to three breeders and finally had to decide against them due to health concerns. 

Berners have an incredibly high instance of osteosarcoma and they normally don't live past six or seven. Eight years is considered unusual. 

Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs do not have that sweet, laid back temperament that Bernese Mountain Dogs are famous for. They're quite intense, actually. Not a breed I was ever interested for various reasons, mainly because they're known for being handler sharp and not biddable.


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

Thanks you guys, both of your responses were what I was thinking, but hoping wasnt true.... sigh...
The Greater Swiss Mt Dog sounds a bit like my Giant Schnauzer, who I love and we are tightly bonded, but I am not sure two of these would be a good idea.....I guess I will have to think on this awhile longer....


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## AgentP (Dec 12, 2011)

How about moving away from the Swiss breeds (most of which are not that friendly towards strangers, just like their humans, lol, believe me, I grew up there ), and consider a Neufundland dog? The ones I've met and walked, were always very gentle giants.


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

Well am still really torn. Have always been drawn to big athletic dogs (had a major dog crush on the cane corso for some years, had boxers, and remember very clearly at the age of four picking out a GSD pup / which was immediately ovverruled by my mother, we had a sweet Golden for years)-- I think that is why the GSMD appeals to me- they are well built and remarkedly agile for their size-- I was just looking for something needing less excercise than my Giant Schnauzer (she is so athletic! A bit on the smaller size for a Giant so so agile!- her favorite game is running down to the beach with me and then having me throw a ball up the sand dunes/cliffs from the beach and then she charges up the hill grabs the ball and runs straight back out to water and plops down into the waves (this is how we spent Xmas afternoon-- it is unseasonably warm here in SF-- low 60's!)

Now am rethinking the GSMD options, they must somewhat less "sharp" then the Giant Schnauzer... and definitely less excercise intense (actually my Giant terrier ...is intense all the way around!)...
Also recently met a Bernese breeder with 16 years breeding for longivity-- her sires are Swedish, danish imports she claims to have met grandparent dogs ages 11 or 12 and her dogs have consistently made it past age 9 or so... am going to visit her soon I think...
(The Bernese strikes me as more like a Golden in temprament but maybe not so responsive, which actually appeals to me.)...
Guess am still stuck.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Candydb said:


> Well am still really torn. Have always been drawn to big athletic dogs (had a major dog crush on the cane corso for some years, had boxers, and remember very clearly at the age of four picking out a GSD pup / which was immediately ovverruled by my mother, we had a sweet Golden for years)-- I think that is why the GSMD appeals to me- they are well built and remarkedly agile for their size-- I was just looking for something needing less excercise than my Giant Schnauzer (she is so athletic! A bit on the smaller size for a Giant so so agile!- her favorite game is running down to the beach with me and then having me throw a ball up the sand dunes/cliffs from the beach and then she charges up the hill grabs the ball and runs straight back out to water and plops down into the waves (this is how we spent Xmas afternoon-- it is unseasonably warm here in SF-- low 60's!)
> 
> Now am rethinking the GSMD options, they must somewhat less "sharp" then the Giant Schnauzer... and definitely less excercise intense (actually my Giant terrier ...is intense all the way around!)...
> Also recently met a Bernese breeder with 16 years breeding for longivity-- her sires are Swedish, danish imports she claims to have met grandparent dogs ages 11 or 12 and her dogs have consistently made it past age 9 or so... am going to visit her soon I think...
> ...


My experience with mountain dogs are limited, but I'll agree with what everyone has said. The Berners seem a lot more laid back and accepting of strangers handling them. GSMD's, not as much. Not to say GSMD's can't be great dogs for the right owner, but unfortunately people think a GSMD is just a smooth coated Berner, get the dog with the "easy" coat care and in 2 years have a problem on their hands. Good to see you're doing your research, though  Good luck.


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## CatCaspers (Jan 3, 2014)

I own a greater swiss mountain dog and he is very sweet and easy. Very obedient, easy going, laid back yet still a lot of energy and character. House training is apparently a problem with the breed, but hew was housetrained in less than a month. Very agile, energetic and loves to do things. Mostly focused on being with his family. He is very obsessed with being around people but does not have separation anxiety etc. We have two small dogs he is very gentle with and they are both very assertive and he is very submissive to them. He is protective but not in a way that he barks at every stranger he meets. He is very friendly to other people but if people act unfriendly, randomly come out of nowhere or we walk him at night he will bark at people because he does not like not being able to see strangers. He has not got an aggressive bone in his body, he is a huge coward with a big bark! He loves the cats and everyone he meets who he is introduced to. He loves other dogs and is way too over friendly haha! He does really, really need a good hour of exercise a day or he will be very high strung but after that he will be calm and relaxed for most of the rest of the day. He is very sweet and so, so, so affectionate. Extremely loyal and so well behaved, its almost like he came trained!
Wonderful dogs but I do agree that they are not for everyone. To be fair, we haven't owned big dogs before and we did perfectly with him but we did do a lot of research on his breed and dog training before getting him.


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## luv mi pets (Feb 5, 2012)

I work with someone who owns a GSMD. He did well in the show ring and since has retired to her farm. He is 10 years old and still going strong. He is starting to show some age when he has been lying down for awhile and wants to get back up. He has bloated some and even bloated with a tacked stomach. Thankfully the stomach did not twist like it did the first time. The bloat was not due to overeating or heavy exercise, it just happened. Thankfully his mom is a vet. He does bark when you pull in the driveway but has never bitten anybody or showed any signs of doing so. Other than learning to stack, he did not have much other training and does ok. I do not think he would do well as an excitable agility dog but as a farm dog to come when called and to go around a gate he does ok. This person chose this breed because of his coat. It is a coat that can withstand the weather and not tangle nor collect a bunch of burrs. His breeder also comes to the vet clinic as a client so we get to see a variety of her dogs of different ages. I will add that he also lives with 3 other dogs. Two female English Mastiffs and one male Freaknese (French bulldog and Pekingese). It is the Freak who runs the show.

Berners are more open to people and not seem as put off as a GSMD. During surgeries we are more cautious with this breed. There is a client who Berners are frequent exploratories patients due to them always eating something. I think it is more owner fault than breed fault because it just seems to be this one client. Hip problems seems to be a big problem with them. The coat would be a put off for me. For life span. Hard to tell. The two who are always in for surgeries are 9 and 10 and besides the surgeries are doing ok.

Large breed dogs life span is generally about 10 years of age. I know some make it past that but when you look at life spans 10 seems to be the magic number


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## Greater Swiss (Jun 7, 2011)

CatCaspers pretty much described what Caeda is like, except that she isn't a coward lol, she is completely fearless. 

I will say with Caeda, she isn't a papered purebred. She is supposedly from pure parents (I saw the mom, and know of the dad), but no guarantees on her. She is also a runt at 70lbs (and has decent hips!). That aside, she is very typical of the breed. 

Sweet with cats (did take socialization with cats and some training, but not a ton). She has crazy amounts of energy but has a VERY good off switch, though skipping a day of solid exercise can show a fair bit. She is incredibly powerful for her size, I'm SO glad she is a runt. She is incredibly intelligent, and has a pretty crazy grasp on context. House training was NOT a problem with her either, so it seems that it isn't as huge a problem for everyone. She can be vocal, will bark, but not at EVERY snowflake or blade of grass, but if someone is at the door, she will always let us know. She isn't aggressive, but honestly, I don't doubt that she would take matters into her own "paws" if she felt it were truly needed (hence socialization being VERY important). TOUGH dog, pain insensitive and stubborn. They are NOT dogs to be left tethered alone all of the time, they badly need the time, training, and co-habitation (I could see a neglected GSMD becoming a major liability to someone). Despite some of the fantastic leaps I made with our fosters, helping them, I've still never had quite the rewarding feeling I've gotten from training Caeda. 

The biggest downside of a GSMD is that they will test limits, push buttons, and you need to figure out how to respond to that! Very hard, with a tough dog that isn't as interested in pleasing you as you may want.

In comparison to Bernese...I haven't owned one, but from what I've experienced interacting with some, and living with Caeda, she is SO much more engaged with the world, more curious and independent, a bit more pushy sometimes. I've heard that Bernese are a lot like Golden Retrievers temperament wise (though I've owned neither....but having met some of both, I can see the comparison). 

You don't want too much guardiness, not prone to ball (or other) obsession, you want less intense, then I'd suggest that a GSMD isn't for you....they are awesome dogs, great for some people, but there are some quirks that I could see you finding less desirable. The big downside of the Bernese though is, as mentioned, the lifespan/health problems. If you are interested in the Mountain Dog type, or the type that Bernese and GSMD are (Sennenhund breeds) there is also Appenzeller and Entelbucher. They are the smaller of the Sennenhund breeds, and much longer lived (11-15 years), they do however to varying degrees incorporate some of the traits that you may not like in the GSMD....worth some research and consideration perhaps though.


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