Bernese Cattle Dog

The Bernese Cattle Dog is a modern hybrid breed that still does not have much information documented. Therefore, it is unknown when and where they were first created.  However, we do know the history of both of its parent breeds. The Bernese Mountain Dog was originally from the Swiss Mountains, with some evidence of similar looking dogs dating back as far as the 18th century. They got their name from the Canton de Berne in Switzerland. These canines were used as working dogs and were particularly skilled at draft work, like pulling carts. They were also used on the farms as either companion pets for the farmers or driving the dairy cattle and watching over the farm. Their numbers were brought down in the 19th century when more working dogs were imported to Switzerland and began replacing them on farms. It took the efforts of several people, some of which were Professor Albert Heim and Franz Schertenleib, in order to keep this breed alive. They began collecting the remaining dogs of this breed and stabilized their population by breeding. Despite their name, Europe is where the Australian Cattle dog is originally from. They had first been developed in the 18th century by pioneer settlers. These dogs were great workers and were very talented at herding cattle on ranches, as they were prized for their impressive stamina as well as their guarding and hunting instincts. These dogs are still very skilled at several activities to this day, including herding.