The Bernese Mountain Dog (German: Berner Sennenhund) is a large dog breed from Bern, Switzerland and the Swiss Alps, being one of the four breeds of Sennenhund-type dogs, with roots in the Romanmastiffs. The name Berner (or Bernese in English) refers to the breed's area of origin in the canton of Bern, and Sennenhund is derived from the German Senne ("alpine pasture") and Hund ("hound/dog"), as they accompanied the alpine herders and dairymen called Senn. This breed was originally kept as a general farm dog and large Sennenhunde in the past were also used as draft animals pulling carts. The breed was officially established in 1912.[3]
^Borge, K. S.; Tønnessen, R.; Nødtvedt, A.; Indrebø, A. (2011). "Litter size at birth in purebred dogs—A retrospective study of 224 breeds". Theriogenology. 75 (5): 911–919. doi:10.1016/j.theriogenology.2010.10.034. PMID21196028. "n=137 litter size=6.4 range 1-15"
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^"100th Anniversary". Swiss Club for Bernese Mountain Dogs. 2007. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2020.