Bernese Mountain Dog (Detailed Introduction)

　　The ideal height at the shoulders for a male Bernese Mountain Dog should be 58.4–68.6 cm; for a female dog, it should be 55.9–64 cm. It gives people the impression of being energetic, gracefully curved, and possessing almost all the characteristics a shepherd dog should have.

　　Morphological Characteristics
　　Eyes
　　The spacing between the eyes is appropriate, with the inner and outer corners of the eyes level horizontally. The eyes are large, well-opened, and calm; they must not be too narrow or slanted. Regardless of coat color, the eyelids must be black or black-brown with deep pigmentation. Disqualifying conditions — yellow eyes or spotted eyes.
　　Ears
　　Ears are set high, the ear shells thick, with a solid base. Low-set ears make the head look too arched. Natural ear length equals or is just less than half the length of the head, covered with straight and dense long hair. When natural, the small ears should be parallel to the head, and when alert, ears should raise slightly, making the top of the skull appear square. When cropped, ears should stand erect and parallel, emphasizing the parallel lines of the head; when alert, both ears open forward, covered with long hair, with the base wide gradually tapering, and the tips rounded.
　　　Skull
　　The width of the head, i.e., the broadest part of the skull, is slightly less than its length (from the occiput to the stop between the forehead and nose). Although the head is covered with hair and the contours are indistinct, the occiput protrudes and the forehead is slightly rounded.
　　Muzzle
　　The whiskered muzzle is somewhat wide with a straight angle at the end; the muzzle should not be narrow or pointed.
　　Wing plane
　　The dorsal line of the muzzle is parallel to the top line of the skull; their junction forms a distinct stop between the forehead and nose, located at the midpoint between the occiput and the tip of the nose and level with the eyes.
　　Nose
　　The nose is square, black, and the nostrils open well; any color other than black is disqualifying.
　　　Lips
　　The lips are thick, firm, and tight with no folds or drooping; they are black. Bite, teeth — teeth are strong with scissor bite.
　　Neck
　　The neck is strong, well-structured, shaped like a truncated cone, and connects well with the shoulders. The muscles are developed and relatively long.
　　　Backline
　　The Bernese Mountain Dog’s backline is relatively straight from the prominent shoulders to the back, descending slightly to the wider loin and rump. The rump muscles are developed and rounded; the backline is firm without sagging or arching.
　　　Body
　　The chest is broad and deep, ribs moderately curved, egg-shaped but not too rounded; the sternum moderately projects forward and smoothly descends to the level of the elbows, creating a deep chest; the abdomen is moderately tucked up but still capacious.
　　　Tail
　　The tail cannot be docked, has good ornamental hair forming a hook at the end, neither leaning to the right nor the left. When at rest, the tail vertebrae droop to the hock, with the tail tip hooked, ending at the hook; viewed from the right side, it resembles the letter "J." In motion, the tail is raised, forming a harmonious curve, but except for the hooked tail tip, never exceeds the level of the backline.
　　Forequarters
　　The forequarters have long shoulder blades tilted backward at a 45° angle to the horizontal line, with solid muscle attachments, the shoulder joint being smooth and curved. Legs — muscular, strongly boned, from the side vertical except for a slight tilt in the paw region; from the front or rear view, the legs are straight and parallel to the body midline, neither turned in nor out. The distance between the two front legs equals the distance between the two rear legs. Leg structure is extremely important as it determines the dog’s work capacity and fatigue resistance. Dewclaws — front leg dewclaws may be removed or left intact. Feet — feet are solid and round or slightly oval, the walking line aligns forward with the motion line between the toes. Toes are sturdy, arched, and tightly grouped. Footpads are developed, compact, and resilient, covered with hard tissue, and nails are black and hard.
　　Hindquarters
　　The hindquarters are powerful and resilient, capable of tireless movement. The pelvis is inclined at a 30° angle to the horizontal and forms a right angle with the femur. Legs — viewed from the side, the hind legs have proper curve, metatarsals slightly tilted, and the hock joint angle is 135°. Dewclaws — each hind leg has 2 vestigial toes located on the lower leg that provide a broad base for the foot. Occasionally, nails may be completely absent; absence of toenails is not considered a fault as long as the toes exist between. Ideally, vestigial toes form functional extra toes. Disqualifying conditions — fewer than 2 vestigial toes per hind leg. Feet — when the hock and metatarsal parts are parallel, if the hind toes are slightly separated, this is the correct position.
　　Coat
　　The outer coat is coarse, hard, and dry to the touch (twisting hair makes a dry dull sound). Hair lies flat, long, and naturally hangs, slightly wavy, with a healthy shine. The coat on the shoulder is about 15.2 cm or longer. The undercoat is fine and tight, adheres closely to the whole body. The head is covered with hair lying backward, naturally parted in the middle. Eyebrows are not pressed down but arched, slightly covering the eyes. Hair is dense and long, covering the head contours or even completely covering the eyes.
　　Color
　　All colors other than white are acceptable. The colors mainly include black, various gray tones, and various brown tones. The darker the shades of these colors, the better. Mixing of these two colors is also allowed but without obvious spotting; transition between colors should be gradual and uniform. White hairs can be distributed over the whole body and/or white spots no larger than 2.5 cm in diameter are allowed at the root of the chest hair.
　　Gait
　　The power of a well-structured Bernese Mountain Dog is amazing. It has the athletic ability to make sudden turns, jumps, and stops required for a shepherd dog. Its gait is smooth and light, much like a large cat, giving the impression that the dog is sliding without contacting the ground. Strong and elastic movement is the most basic requirement for a shepherd dog. Generally jogging, occasionally running fast, continuously changing speed to complete tasks smoothly. Its morphology is balanced, fairly robust, and suitable for long hours of work all day. Clumsy or ungainly gait is considered a fault.