Sometimes we get elated with the fact that Bernese Mountain dogs make excellent lifetime companions and forget that they too need companions.
And why would anyone blame us?
This dog breed’s alluring personality can make anyone (even I included) enchanted to the extent that we think that it’s right that we only spend time with it and nobody else should!
So, if you are searching for the best companion dog for Bernese Mountain dog, then read on as I got you covered.
I will walk you through a top 9 list of dogs that can make an excellent play buddy for your Berner.
This article will also be capturing each of the listed dog breed history, physical appearance, life span, health conditions, and the reasons that make it an excellent longtime companion for your Berner.
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Border Collie
Also known as Shepherd dog and Sheepdog.
History And Physical Appearance
The Border Collies are recognized as both a working and a herding dog breed.
They were first bred around the late 1800s on the border between Scotland and England to herd sheep.
These workaholic dogs can grow to a height of 22-34 inches long and weigh around 12-20 kgs as an adult.
Their water-resistant double coat can either be smooth or rough.
The coats come in over 24 shades, with black, blue, blue merle, white, red merle, sable merle, brindle, and chocolate being the most common coat colors.
They have a wedge-shaped head, small-medium-sized ears that may be pointed or floppy, oval-shaped eyes which may be brown, blue, green, or have both eyes with different colors.
Lifespan And Medical Conditions
With a proper diet, proper physical stimulation, and regular vet checkups, the Border Collies have a lifespan of 10-17 years.
Heart conditions (patent ductus arteriosus), canine hip dysplasia, and eye anomalies are some of the diseases that affect this relatively healthy dog breed.
What Makes The Border Collie A Good Companion For Your Berner?
These dogs are pretty principled, loyal, energetic, affectionate, intelligent, and protective.
All these temperaments match a Bernese Mountain dog’s temperament, making them both a good fit.
Old English Sheepdog
Also abbreviated or known as the OES.
History And Physical Appearance
Its origins are believed to be from the Southwestern counties of England. Its name is actually ironical.
This hound is only 2 centuries old as it was bred around the early 18th century.
And it was produced to be a drover of the cattle and not sheep as the name would have you believe.
William Wade was the first person to bring this dog breed to the USA in the late 1880s.
These hounds can grow to a height of 21-22 inches long and weigh around 27-45 kgs as adults.
Usually, the males outdo the females in both size and weight.
OES waterproof shaggy double coats come in appealing shades of gray, blue, blue merle, brown, fawn, and grizzle.
Their square-shaped heads, long and strong jaws with evenly placed and large teeth give this breed a sturdy appearance.
Their almond-shaped eyes can either be brown (most common) or pale blue or grey. Their small-sized ears are typically carried back to the side of their heads.
Lifespan And Medical Conditions
The Old English sheepdog has a lifespan of 10-13 years.
Eye conditions, deafness, hip dysplasia, and gastric torsion(a medical condition where a dog’s stomach becomes overstretched due to excessive gas buildup) are some of the medical conditions that affect this dog breed.
What Makes The OES A Good Companion For Your Bernese Mountain Dog?
The OES is exceptionally extroverted, energetic, playful, affectionate, and intelligent like the Berners.
The Great Pyrenees
Also known as Patou.
History And Physical Appearance
This breed has its origins in the Pyrenees Mountains, which border both Spain and France.
Scholars believe that this dog breed evolved from the White Mountain dogs.
These dogs are nocturnal in nature which is quite a unique feature when compared to most dog breeds who are diurnals (work in the daytime).
These hounds can grow to a height of 25-32 inches long and weigh around 39-72 kgs as adults.
Their thick double coat may be; white, gray, badger, red, or tan.
Its slightly rounded head, black rounded nose, brown eyes, and small-medium sized V-shaped drooping ears rounded at the tips give this hound its characteristic physical appearance.
Lifespan And Medical Conditions
The Great Pyrenees have a lifespan of 10-12 years.
Cancerous tumors like osteosarcoma, hip dysplasia, and skin conditions are among the health conditions known to affect this sturdy dog breed.
What Makes The Great Pyrenees The Best Companion For Your Berner?
The Patou is equally affectionate, protective, calm, patient, energetic, and outgoing like the Bernese Mountain dog, thus making the 2 an ideal match for a longtime companionship.
Australian Cattle Dog
Also known as ACD, Cattle dog, Queensland Heeler, and the Blue or Red Heeler.
History And Physical Appearance
This herding dog breed was originally bred in Australia as a cattle drover.
The ACD can grow to a height of 17-20 inches and weigh around 18-25 kgs as an adult. Its double coat comes in many colors, but the accepted coat color is red or blue.
It has a broad skull, a medium-length powerful muzzle, small-medium-sized pricked ears, oval dark eyes, all of which give this muscular dog its distinguishing characteristics.
Lifespan And Medical Conditions
The Australian cattle dog has a life expectancy of 12-14 years.
Deafness, hip dysplasia, and elbow dysplasia have been known to shorten the life span and lower the life quality of these dogs.
What Makes The Australian Cattle Dog The Best Companion For Berners?
The ACDs complements the Bernese temperament as they are also bold, energetic, loyal, obedient, intelligent, outgoing, protective, and affectionate, just like the Berners.
Samoyed
Sensationally nicknamed the Sammy or Smiley face dog (due to their grinning face).
History And Physical Appearance
This working dog breed originated from the Western region of Siberian, which is inhabited by the Samoyed people, who are also known as the Nenets.
It was bred to herd reindeer, hunt prey, and haul sleds in Siberia’s icy mountains. It can grow to heights of 19-23.5 inches long and weigh around 16-30 kgs as an adult.
Its ultra-thick and lustrous double coat functions to insulate this hound during cold weather and also give it its distinguishing feature.
Usually, Samoyeds coats are white (most dominant color), cream or white, and biscuit.
Samoyeds are heavy shedders, making them unsuitable for dog enthusiasts who are allergic to dog dander.
Lifespan And Medical Conditions
Samoyeds have a life expectancy of 10-12 years.
Proper nutrition, adequate exercise, and regular visits to the vet can extend their life expectancy by 1-2 years.
However, diseases like hip dysplasia and renal conditions, specifically the Samoyeds Hereditary Glomerulopathy (SHG), tends to lower this dog breed life span and quality.
What Makes The Samoyed The Best Companion For Bernese Mountain Dog?
Samoyeds make excellent companions to Bernese Mountain dogs since they are playful, friendly, extremely outgoing, affectionate, tolerant, and nonaggressive.
All these personality traits ideally complement those of a Berner.
Australian Shepherd
Also previously known as the Spanish dogs (their place of origin) bobtail dogs, the California dogs and presently sensationally nicknamed as Aussie(s).
History And Physical Appearance
This dog’s origins can be traced to the Basque region in Spain.
However, the Australian Shepherd we know today was undoubtedly bred to herd cattle in the USA in the late 1800s in California.
The Australian Shepherd dog can grow to a height of 18-23 inches long and weigh around 18-32 kgs.
These dogs have a double coat which comes predominantly in black and red shades.
The Aussies are heavy shedders, thus not ideal for dog owners who are allergic to dog dander and fur.
Most Aussies are born with bobbed tails (short tails).
This dog breed has a remarkable oval eye, which can be blue, brown (most common), green, or hazel in color.
Sometimes, this dog can have 2 eyes with different coloration. And rarely, these adorable dogs will have one eye with more than one eye color.
Lifespan And Medical Conditions
Aussies have a life expectancy of 13-15 years.
Epilepsy, heart conditions, drug sensitivity, and chronic allergies are some of the medical conditions known to lower these dog breeds’ life expectancy and quality.
What Makes The Aussie A Good Companion For The Berners?
Their affectionate, playful, intelligent, energetic, and protective nature makes them an ideal dog companion for your Bernese Mountain dog(s).
Siberian Husky
Also known as the Chukcha, Husky, or the Sibe.
History And Physical Appearance
AKC first recognized this working dog breed in 1930.
It was bred by the Chukchi people of Siberia, Northeastern Asia, around 3,000 years ago.
It was specifically bred to pull sleds, guard its owners, and herd reindeers.
This workaholic dog is a medium-sized dog breed that can grow to a height of 21-23.5 inches and weigh around 16-27 kgs as an adult.
Its thick water-resistant double coat comes in attractive shades of black, white, gray, sable and white, silver-gray, black and white, black and tan, and red and white.
Its erect ears, almond-shaped eyes, which can be blue, green, or mismatched, and triangular-shaped body makes this dog look similar to the Alaskan Malamute.
Lifespan And Medical Conditions
This furry loyal lifetime companion has a lifespan of 12-15 years.
Eye conditions such as cataracts and progressive retinal atrophy, and thyroid gland conditions(hypothyroidism) are some of the diseases that reduce the life expectancy and quality of this dog breed.
What Makes The Siberian Husky A Good Companion For Your Berner(s)?
The Sibes are incredibly outgoing, energetic, friendly, intelligent, and calm dogs.
All these personality traits equally match those of a Berner, making these 2 canines a good fit for companionship.
Bernedoodle
Also known as the Bernese Mountain Poo.
History And Physical Appearance
This dog breed is a mix of the Bernese Mountain dog and the poodle (no wonder the name) and was specifically bred for companionship in 2003.
This fashion or toy dog can grow to a height of 12-29 inches long and weigh around 13-41 kgs as adults.
The Tiny Bernese Mountain poos can measure an average height of 12-17 inches long, while the medium to large-sized ones can measure approximately 12-19 inches in height.
Their hypoallergenic double poofy coats come in a variety of colors.
However, black, brown, cream, tan, white and red are the most common coat colors found in this goofy dog breed.
Their oval and somewhat set far apart eyes are predominantly brown; however, sometimes they can be blue in color.
They also have a long triangular muzzle that complements their black, bluish, or red noses.
The nose color gradually changes as the Bernedoodle ages.
Lifespan And Health Conditions
This adorable dog breed has a lifespan of 12-18 years. Its longevity of life is attributed to the fact that these dogs are not susceptible to many health conditions like most dog breeds’ mix.
Common health conditions that tend to affect these hounds include; skin allergies, hip dysplasia, and eye conditions (majorly blindness).
What Makes The Bernedoodle The Best Companion Dog For Your Bernese Mountain Dog?
Despite not being recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC), this dog breed makes a good companion for a Bernese Mountain dog due to its affectionate, playful, alert, protective, kid and pet-friendly, and extremely outgoing nature.
All these temperaments perfectly complement the dispositions of a Berner.
Another Bernese Mountain Dog
Why adopt another Bernese Mountain dog to be a companion to your Berner?
You can also adopt another Bernese Mountain dog to be your Berner’s Companion.
These 2 hounds will make excellent play buddies as their intelligence, energetic needs, outgoing nature, and playful temperament are sure to complement each other.
Pro-tip; Do NOT adopt another Berner of the same sex as your resident dog, as the 2 are likely to clash over territorial dominance.
If you are not ready to be a Bernese Mountain pup parent, have both of the 2 neutered or sprayed by a certified vet to reduce the risk of breeding your hounds.
Do Bernese Mountain Dogs Need A Companion?
Yes, Bernese Mountain dogs need a companion.
These dogs dislike being left alone for long hours, thus making it necessary to have a companion dog around.
Most of the time, a Berner will follow you around or resort to destructive behaviors like chewing on things or becoming aggressive, all in a bid to let you know that they are in need of a companion.
Conclusion
Consider adopting a dog from this list as a companion for your Bernese Mountain dog.
Ensure that you adopt a dog who is of the different sex of your resident dog to avoid personality clashes.
To avoid unprofessional interbreeding between your 2 hounds, ensure that you have both of them spayed or neutered by a certified vet.
Make sure that you know how to effectively and efficiently introduce your new dog to; Your resident dog, other pets around your home, and your family (that’s if you don’t live alone).
