Bernese Rottie

This designer breed was originally bred as working dogs to be used by the herdsmen in the Swiss Alps. They are big and powerful and make great guard dogs. Not much else is known of their past, but we do know the history of the parents. The Bernese Mountain Dog is from Switzerland and was originally bred to be a watchdog, a carting dog and to be on the farms. One task that they were known to do was to be the source of transport of small produce, like milk and cheese, for some farmers who were unable to own draft horses. This breed was almost forgotten up until the 19th century when a Swiss innkeeper and a college professor began searching for dogs of this breed. In 1892 they began re-stabilizing the breed’s numbers. The Rottweiler’s history is not known for sure, but it is thought that they were descended from drover dogs. Many centuries ago, those dogs were owned by the Romans and used to move livestock. They eventually evolved from moving livestock to being guard dogs for the soldiers, stock, and flocks of the Romans on the move. In 700 A.D., the ancient Roman baths were replaced by a Christian church by the orders of a local ruler. While the excavation was taking place, they discovered red tiles that were from the Roman villas. The site was then named Das Rote Wil, which means The Red Tile, and is now called Rottweil. Cattlemen and bucher men settled around that area after it was turned into a cultural hub center, and these men needed dogs to aid them in their trades. Until the 19th century, these dogs were used to drive the cattle into the market. They were then called the Rottweiler Metzgerhund, or the Butcher’s dog. Their numbers descended during the industrial revolution of the mid-1800s, but regained popularity during the 20th century when they were used as police dogs. During the first World War, these dogs were used in the German army.