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Bergamasco Sheepdog

independent / intelligent / sociable
Herding Group >>

Average sizes and life
expectancy of the breed.

Height

23.5 inches (male)

22 inches (female)

Weight

70-84 pounds (male)

57-71 pounds (female)

Life Expectancy

13-15 years

Breed Traits & Characteristics

Affectionate With Family
  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    60% 60%
How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.
Good With Young Children
  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    60% 60%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.
GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS
  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    60% 60%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    20% 20%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    20% 20%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    38% 38%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    60% 60%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    60% 60%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    80% 80%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    60% 60%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    60% 60%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    60% 60%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    20% 20%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    58% 58%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

Affectionate With Family

  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    60% 60%

How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.

Good With Young Children

  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    60% 60%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.

GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS

  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    60% 60%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    20% 20%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    20% 20%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    38% 38%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    60% 60%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    60% 60%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    80% 80%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    60% 60%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    60% 60%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    60% 60%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    20% 20%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    58% 58%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

About the Breed

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.

What To Expect When Caring For a Bergamasco Sheepdog

Owning a dog is not just a privilege; it’s a responsibility. They depend on us for, at minimum, food and shelter, and deserve much more. When you take a dog into your life, you need to understand the commitment that dog ownership entails.

Health

Bergamascos are a relatively healthy breed. There may be certain health difficulties, like with any breed. Although some Bergamascos may suffer severe health issues, the vast majority of Bergamascos are healthy dogs.  
Recommended Health Tests From the National Breed Club:
  • Hip Evaluation
  • Elbow Evaluation
  • Degenerative Myelopathy DNA Test

Grooming

An mature Bergamasco's coat is virtually maintenance-free. It is composed of three types of hair: 'dog,' 'goat,' and 'wool.' Goat and wool hairs do not appear until the dog is a year old. When they do, the coat must be ripped into matting, which can take several hours or several evenings. But once it's finished, it's finished. A Bergamasco does not shed, does not need to be brushed, and does not require bathing more than twice a year. A Bergamasco should never be shaved because the coat aids in thermoregulation. The Bergamasco's nails, like those of all breeds, should be cut on a regular basis.

Exercise

Every day, the Bergamasco Sheepdog requires only modest activity. Because dogs build strong bonds with their owners, this exercise should take the shape of a shared activity rather than the dog being left alone in the backyard. While Bergamascos are normally quiet, they have a lot of energy and are willing to accompany their owners in nearly any activity, whether it's retrieving a ball, going on a fast walk or hike, or romping in an open field.  

Training

As with all breeds, early socialization and puppy training classes are recommended. Gently exposing the puppy to a wide variety of people, places, and situations will help him develop into a well-adjusted, well-mannered adult. The Bergamasco is a sociable, highly intelligent breed who possesses a deep desire to please his master. The breed thinks independently, however, and often sees itself more as an equal partner than as a subordinate to the members of his family. A Bergamasco who can be made to understand what is wanted of him, and why he should do it, will happily comply, if in his own way.

Nutrition

The Bergamasco Sheepdog should do well on a high-quality dog food, whether commercially manufactured or home-prepared with your veterinarian's supervision and approval. Any diet should be appropriate to the dog's age (puppy, adult, or senior). Some dogs are prone to getting overweight, so watch your dog's calorie consumption and weight level. Treats can be an important aid in training, but giving too many can cause obesity. Learn about which human foods are safe for dogs, and which are not. Check with your vet if you have any concerns about your dog's weight or diet. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times.

History

Bergamasco Sheepdogs (Italian plural: Bergamaschi) have long been connected with Bergamo, an Alpine town near Milan. They are one of the numerous Middle Eastern breeds that were traded over the Mediterranean basin in the distant past by the Phoenicians, shrewd pre-Roman traders.

According to French sources, the Bergamasco is descended from the Briard, an ancient Gallic herder. Patriotic Italians, on the other hand, argue that the Bergamasco was the first to appear and contributed to the genetic makeup of the Briard and other European flock-dog breeds. They make the compelling case that if the breed was originally Middle Eastern, it had to have arrived in Italy before spreading as far west as France.

Bergamasco is a muscular, balanced, and hardy dog that is suitable for moving and guarding sheep on the steep slopes of the Italian Alps. “It would not be exaggerating to describe this breed as the shaggiest dog in the world,” one expert says. The numerous and diverse flocks that cover the dog shelter him from the terrible cold of high altitudes, and they also act as armor when battling sharp-toothed, razor-clawed predators seeking wayward sheep. (It should be noted that, while the Bergamasco resembles its Hungarian relative, the corded Komondor, the coats are distinct: the Bergamasco’s flocks are flat, whereas the Kom’s cords are circular, like a rope.)

The Bergamasco’s numbers declined in Italy after WWII, but dog lovers all over the world have recently rallied behind this calm but fearless defender.