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    • Home
    • News
    • About Bernese MTN. Dogs
    • Health
    • Puppies Available
    • Past Puppies
    • Dams
    • Sires
    • Expected Litters
    • Planned Breedings
    • Pricing
    • Comes Home with Puppies
    • Methods of Travel
    • Deworming & Vaccines
    • Possible Pet Toxin Charts
    • Important Info Charts
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  • Home
  • News
  • About Bernese MTN. Dogs
  • Health
  • Puppies Available
  • Past Puppies
  • Dams
  • Sires
  • Expected Litters
  • Planned Breedings
  • Pricing
  • Comes Home with Puppies
  • Methods of Travel
  • Deworming & Vaccines
  • Possible Pet Toxin Charts
  • Important Info Charts
  • Potty Training Tips
  • Dog Food Tips
  • Treat Recommendations
  • Probiotic Recommendations
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417-260-2087


Sweet Success Bernese Mountain Dogs

Dedicated to a Happy, Healthy, Long Legacy

Dedicated to a Happy, Healthy, Long LegacyDedicated to a Happy, Healthy, Long LegacyDedicated to a Happy, Healthy, Long LegacyDedicated to a Happy, Healthy, Long Legacy

About Us

Experienced Breeders

Official AKC Breed Standard of the Bernese Mountain Dog

Description of Bernese Mountain Dog

My name is Devyn Lea Foster and I am in my mid-twenties. I created this website to introduce myself and my love for the Bernese Mountain Dog breed. I fell in love with the breed in 2016. I finally got to welcome my first BMD to my home at the beginning of 2020. I welcomed a little girl and I named her Hope Clarise. My plan is to start out small with the one BMD then expand from there over the course of the next few years I plan to build my program up before breeding. I plan to hopefully add a handsome AKC male into my home in the near future but until that time I plan to find some nice male studs to use for my girl Hope when the time comes. I did three years of research on the breed and learned everything I could before I started purchasing my future dogs for my breeding program. I still learn new things every day when it comes to dogs and puppies, etc. I plan to raise and breed AKC Bernese Mountain Dogs in my home.  They are my furr children and are very spoiled. I breed to produce quality puppies for my program and make wonderful pets for loving families.  I have done my research into pedigrees to try to avoid health problems that plague this breed and have done my best to choose females from free whelping lines. I personally will always strive to breed to the AKC breed standard for BMD’s. Good responsible breeding comes at a price. I have put thousands and thousands of dollars into my breeding stock and program for the future to produce quality puppies that I hope will better the breed. 

Description of Bernese Mountain Dog

Official AKC Breed Standard of the Bernese Mountain Dog

Description of Bernese Mountain Dog

Big, powerful, and built for hard work, the Bernese Mountain Dog is also strikingly beautiful and blessed with a sweet, affectionate nature. Berners are generally placid but are always up for a romp with the owner, whom they live to please. A hardy dog who thrives in cold weather, the Berner’s brain and brawn helped him multitask on the farms and pastures of Switzerland.

Berners get along with the entire family and are particularly gentle with children, but they will often become more attached to one lucky human. Berners are imposing but not threatening, and they maintain an aloof dignity with strangers.

Official AKC Breed Standard of the Bernese Mountain Dog

Official AKC Breed Standard of the Bernese Mountain Dog

Official AKC Breed Standard of the Bernese Mountain Dog

General Appearance: The Bernese Mountain Dog is a striking. tri-colored, large dog. He is sturdy and balanced. He is intelligent, strong and agile enough to do the draft and droving work for which he was used in the mountainous regions of his origin. Dogs appear masculine, while bitches are distinctly feminine.

Size, Proportion, Substance: Measured at the withers, dogs are 25 to 271⁄2 inches; bitches are 23 to 26 inches. Though appearing square, Bernese Mountain Dogs are slightly longer in body than they are tall. Sturdy bone is of great importance. The body is full.

Head - Expression is intelligent, animated and gentle. The eyes are dark brown and slightly oval in shape with close-fitting eyelids. Inverted or everted eyelids are serious faults. Blue eye color is a disqualification. The ears are medium sized, set high, triangular in shape, gently rounded at the tip, and hang close to the head when in repose. When the Bernese Mountain Dog is alert, the ears are brought forward and raised at the base; the top of the ear is level with the top of the skull. The skull is flat on top and broad, with a slight furrow and a well-defined, but not exaggerated stop. The muzzle is strong and straight. The nose is always black. The lips are clean and, as the Bernese Mountain Dog is a dry-mouthed breed, the flews are only slightly developed. The teeth meet in a scissors bite. An overshot or undershot bite is a serious fault. Dentition is complete. 

Neck, Topline, Body: The neck is strong, muscular and of medium length. The topline is level from the withers to the croup. The chest is deep and capacious with well-sprung, but not barrel- shaped, ribs and brisket reaching at least to the elbows. The back is broad and firm. The loin is strong. The croup is broad and smoothly rounded to the tail insertion. The tail is bushy. It should be carried low when in repose. An upward swirl is permissible when the dog is alert, but the tail may never curl or be carried over the back. The bones in the tail should feel straight and should reach to the hock joint or below. A kink in the tail is a fault.

Forequarters: The shoulders are moderately laid back, flat-lying, well-muscled and never loose. The legs are straight and strong and the elbows are well under the shoulder when the dog is standing. The pasterns slope very slightly, but are never weak. Dewclaws may be removed. The feet are round and compact with well-arched toes.

Hindquarters: The thighs are broad, strong and muscular. The stifles are moderately bent and taper smoothly into the hocks. The hocks are well let down and straight as viewed from the rear. Dewclaws should be removed. Feet are compact and turn neither in nor out.

Coat: The coat is thick, moderately long and slightly wavy or straight. It has a bright natural sheen. Extremely curly or extremely dull-looking coats are undesirable. The Bernese Mountain Dog is shown in natural coat and undue trimming is to be discouraged.

Color and Markings: The Bernese Mountain Dog is tri-colored. The ground color is jet black. The markings are rich rust and clear white. Symmetry of markings is desired. Rust appears over each eye, on the cheeks reaching to at least the corner of the mouth, on each side of the chest, on all four legs, and under the tail. There is a white blaze and muzzle band. A white marking on the chest typically forms an inverted cross. The tip of the tail is white. White on the feet is desired but must not extend higher than the pasterns. Markings other than described are to be faulted in direct relationship to the extent of the deviation. White legs or a white collar are serious faults. Any ground color other than black is a disqualification.

Gait: The natural working gait of the Bernese Mountain Dog is a slow trot. However, in keeping with his use in draft and droving work, he is capable of speed and agility. There is good reach in front. Powerful drive from the rear is transmitted through a level back. There is no wasted action. Front and rear legs on each side follow through in the same plane. At increased speed, legs tend to converge toward the center line.

Temperament: The temperament is self-confident, alert and good-natured, never sharp or shy. The Bernese Mountain Dog should stand steady, though may remain aloof to the attentions of strangers.

Disqualifications: Blue eye color. Any ground color other than black.

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Sweet Success Bernese Mountain Dogs

Success, Missouri, United States

417-260-2087 SweetSuccessBerneseMountainDog@gmail.com

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I am available at all hours and will respond to you when I can. What I ask is that you please be considerate of the different time zones and message me at a reasonable hour, and not all hours of the night. I am in Central Time Zone. Best ways to reach me is by Facebook Messenger or Sweet Success Bernese Mountain Dogs page, email, or text message. If you call me and I do not answer, please leave a voicemail and I will call you back. 

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