A warm hello to everyone who reads this post.

My name is sara and my sister and mom live with me. My mom is retired and 60yrs old but fit and active. My sister is 23yrs old and works from home. So theres 2 people at home all day, i am studying medicine and am currently in america studying medicine. But will be returning to the UK once i finished my degree to finish my training in the UK. Im only doing my degree in america as i did not get a place in any UK medical school as there very competitive.

We have wanted a dog for a very long time but have spent the last few years meeting a variety of breeds at discover dogs and then slowly going down our list of breeds we liked until we were left with one breed who we feel we suit and who suits us.

We have chosen the bernese mountain dog , we will be doing further research before bringing one home and would like to meet as many berners as possible and meet as many experienced people in the breed to learn as much as possible about living with berners. We will also be waiting until i return to the UK as i would like to be fully involved in training and raising the pup as possible. So a few years away yet (5yrs away)

It gives us plenty of time for reading And meeting and getting to know people in the breed.

I wanted to join here to see if theres any bernese owners and if they can give any tips and advice on what its like to live with a berner and i have 1 question on the breed.

I was dignosed 2yrs ago with a condition called hyperacusis which basically means im senstive to noise and loud noises cause pain in my ears. I want to stress im fine with dog barking and it only becomes painful to me if im around a dog that barks constantly. My nan has a terrier and he never stops so i never go to her house as my ears start to hurt me after around 10 minutes of being at her house.

So loudness is not the issue , the issue is how long it goes on for. We have been told at discover dogs last year that bernese's are not big barkers or yappy dogs and only bark for a reason and soon settle when told. We were told they are a quieter breed. Has this been your experience?

Looking forward to hearing from everyone And being part of the forum

Welcome , yes there are Bernice owners in here and hopefully will see your post and give advice .
There is also a lady her whose husband suffers with hypercusis and it might be helpful to use the search facility to read what she has found when looking for a suitable breed .I cant remember if bernese was one them

Hi Furriefriends

Thanks for yoyr reply. Im looking forward to hearing from the bernie owners you mention. And i hope the member whoses husband has hyperacusis sees my post it will be good to hear from someone else with the condition and how they are with barking.

Im looking forward to learning so much from here.

That lady is looking for a Rottweiler.
Hopefully Merlot will see the post as an owner and breeder of Bernese.
I have to say I never found my Bernese highly vocal, an alert bark yes but its a deep bark.

Thanks Suejaw.

Your experience has been the same as what we have been told that they only bark for a reason and are otherwise quiet.

Any tips or advice for a new bernie owner?

Hi

Im the lady with the husband who has hyperacusis who furriefriends mentioned.

Firstly i sympathize with your condition its awful how its affected my husband and so know why its impirtant to you. We started looking for a quiter breed after we lost our German shepherd as his ears Could not handle how vocal they are. We also own a female lab who is quiet but nuts.

We looked at a number of breeds including the bernese, from our research ( we asked owners on a bernie facebook group) most of the replies were that they are quiet compared to a German shepherd and only bark for a reason. So from our research they were perfect for my husbands condition. However we chose against them becuase of the health issues in the breed.

Suejaw is right we finally chose the Rottweiler and are still in the researching breeders stage. I woukd not reccomend a rottie as from you post im guessing your a first time owner and rotties are not for the inexperienced.

I'd definitely reccomend the bernie though and if you feel there right for your family id say go for it.

Thanks , SaraKingsley

Its nice to hear from someone who understands about the condition.

We are only interested in berners anyway and are not looking at any other breed.

Im glad you found the right breed for you and your husband.

Hi, yes I have Bernese and have been in the breed for many years. On the whole its not a noisy breed. They are however what is known as a Passive guard and as such will bark to alert the presence of strangers to your home. Most will then quiet once you have arrived to take over ! The breed does however have its drawbacks. We lose a large % of our dogs by 7-8 years old to cancers. They can suffer orthopaedic problems. They need extra care as youngsters to be allowed to grow and mature slowly and safely. They are very much people dogs and do not suffer being left well. Many do not become destructive but suffer mentally. The average lifespan is 7-8 though many do go on to reach 9-10 and a few live well into double figures. Finding a breeder who takes all aspects of the breed into consideration, Health , (Hips, elbows, DM, cancer, longevity ) type, ( you want a dog that is as a Bernese should be and type is important otherwise you may find you have spent your ££££'s on a pup that grows not into a beautiful bernese but a beautiful overgrown tri-colour collie ), temperament, ( The breed should be calm and accepting, gentle and confident, there really is NO excuse for either aggression or hyperactivity). If you do go ahead and step into the Bernese world and find a well bred puppy you will bring into your home a dog who will steal your heart and give you theirs and eventually take a piece of your heart with them once they leave. The ultimate "People" dog his life will be yours and he will fill your life with unadulterated love. You will find that either you need more and more or you will feel such pain at his loss that you will never be able to face the loss again and cannot bear to have another. PM me if you like to chat.

Pleased you replied Sara,

I would echo everything Merlot has said about the breed and they were the 1st breed I owned away from a family dog. They can be stubborn at times. They are a very special breed but I can't currently face having another with the life expectancy as low as it currently is. Im waiting for some good headway to be made before I would consider another. Im now in Rottweilers myself.

They are a lovely breed from those in my classes, but the cancer rates are awful. Losing a dog you love at 7-8 years old would just be a no-no for me, it is so incredibly painful emotionally.