Top dog from Swiss farms

By Elizabeth Hart
The Bernese mountain dog is a rare breed. This explains the long waiting-lists of people wanting to buy one.
“We can’t keep up with the demand for puppies,” says Zoe Wall, breeder, handler and lover of dogs.
But the name is becoming better known in Australia as the breed grows, and Victoria is where much of the action is.
Zoe and her mother Lyney, of Berwick, own Zaanz Bernese Mountain Dogs Kennels, and the whole family shares a passion for the Swiss breed.
With plenty of support from Zoe’s dad David, they are involved in the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Victoria, which holds dog shows, provides education for prospective owners, and produces publicity for the breed. Zoe also contributes articles for the national publications Dog News Australia and Ringleader.
Dogs are big business, particularly ones that cost thousands of dollars. Zoe’s prize-winning pets live in comfort at her inner city home, with air-conditioning and TV.
As with all saleable items, the correlation between scarcity and price kicks in for dog breeds with particular appeal, and if demand for this breed is any indication, the Bernese Mountain Dog with its bulky frame, long silky coat, big gentle paws, large ears, and full brown eyes can be irresistible to a potential owner.
“These dogs end up on leather couches. They attract people who care for them like that,” Zoe says.
Zoe is the marketing and communications co-ordinator at Monash University’s Berwick campus. She grew up in Pakenham Upper and in Cranbourne.
“I guess I was just born with a love of dogs,” she says.
“Our family had a giant Newfoundland, and when I was at kindergarten I would draw and paint pictures of that dog. The teachers wondered whether I could have been scared or obsessed.”
The Bernese breed as it is known today developed in the Durrbach region south of Berne.
For centuries the fearless, good-natured, sometimes boisterous dogs would accompany cattle stockmen to the alpine regions for summer grazing, feeling equally at home in snow or sunshine.
Bernese have always been working dogs: herders, draught dogs, and guard dogs, driving cattle and pulling carts of milk and cheese to the local markets.
These days they are valued more as family companions.
Placid and loyal, they can at the same time make good watch dogs because of their imposing size and tendency to announce the arrival of visitors without too much impulsive aggression.
The male stands at about 64-70 centimetres tall, and the female about 58-66 centimetres.
Fossilised remains of dogs similar to Bernese mountain dogs, dating back 3000 years, have been found in Switzerland, and according to the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Victoria, it is possible that the breed developed when the Romans took mastiffs to the region and those dogs bred with the native dogs.
Paintings from the 17th century depict similar looking animals as farm dogs.
With their markings of black, tan, and white, the Bernese mountain dog looks spectacular in the snowfields.
It is one of four breeds of mountain dog, or sennenhunde, derived from the word senner, meaning Swiss stockmen. The others are the Entlebuch, the Apenzell, and the great Swiss mountain dog. They all share similar characteristics.
When Zoe acquired her first Bernese, whose call name is Axel, the idea of showing the dog had not entered her mind, until someone suggested it.
Axel, aka grand champion Zanzebern Sir Tristram, soon became a top dog.
“He finished 2008 as the number one Bernese mountain dog in Victoria and was recognised in the top 10 Victorian utility dogs,” Zoe said.
He is also the current number one all-breeds Bernese in Australia and the number two utility dog.
“The boy is basically put together beautifully: a gorgeous neck and shoulders, good forequarter and hind quarter angulation.”
Technically now a veteran, having turned seven last month, he is still winning at shows.
Last month on the week of his birthday he won best in show at Lang Lang agricultural show, under international Japanese judge Mr Toyakawa.
The breed has an average lifespan of about eight to 10 years and is slow to mature, hence breeders recommend caution in families with children under the age of 10.
Bernese also have a reputation for compatibility with other pets, but their loyalty to their own home and their own family can make them aloof with strangers.
While still relatively less common in the show ring, the breed is appearing more frequently in Victorian competitions as numbers increase.
There are only a handful of breeders in Australia.
Zoe is building up her expertise in breeding and showing, and she has had much success so far.
Another of her dogs, Kitty, is “the top girl of all time to date”, she says, having become the hardest to beat in the best bitch category.
“Victoria has one of the most competitive circuits in the country,” Zoe said. “Many of Australia’s top dogs are in this state.”
The first step in showing is to compete at breed level for best in the breed. Winners go on to compete for best in the group, then best in the show.
Nearly a year ago today, as part of her passion for the breed and as part of her self-education, she visited Crufts in England for the world’s most famous dog show. It attracts about 26,000 entrants.
“No, I did not take my own dogs,” she explains. “You pay by the kilo to travel.
“I went just to learn and to see how things worked over there.”
The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Victoria is keen to educate people who are considering joining the waiting list for a pup.
“Do not rush into this very important decision,” is the advice club members give.
“Bernese are not complementary to every lifestyle. They do not take kindly to solitary confinement. They thrive on regular human interaction.”
A person with a fully-fenced yard and at least 10 years of love to give to a canine companion is a suitable candidate, but breeders keen to see their puppies go to suitable homes usually ask plenty of questions to prospective buyers.
The club conducts snow trips as a homage to the breed’s Swiss heritage as well as seaside and country getaways, and it welcomes visitors because members see education as a starting point to ownership.
The club also hosts its own annual championship speciality dog show, which brings together more than 70 Bernese mountain dogs from across the nation, all competing for the coveted Best in Show award.
Lyney is show manager of the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Victoria Specialty Show.
Zoe hopes to become a judge one day.
Bernese are often in the ring at Berwick show.
Zoe is among many Bernese owners who oppose the sale of dogs in pet shops, partly because it is impossible to know enough about their lineage.