The low-maintenance and robustly healthy Bergamasco is much more than a show-stopping haircut. It is generally friendly with children and other animals. Bergamascos are gentle but protective, eager to please, intelligent, and tenaciously committed to their profession.
A huge, strong shepherd dog with a historic ancestry lies behind the one-of-a-kind coat. But, because the coat is the breed’s distinguishing feature, let’s take a closer look. The Bergamasco Sheepdog has three different textures of hair that form naturally occurring loose mats or’flocks’ (strands of hair knotted together, creating flat layers of felted hair) that cover the body and legs. The flocks protect the breed from the harsh weather and wild predators of the Italian Alps, where it originated. Bergamascos are intelligent, loyal, affectionate, and trainable, with a mountain-dog sense of independence. They adopt a calm vigilance over their loved ones. Bergamascos are wary of strangers unless properly introduced, and they are only violent as a last resort.