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Bergamasco: Origin, Personality, Fitness & Health
About Bergamasco
Country of Origin, History of Bergamascos
The Bergamasco dog has its origins in the Italian Alps. This ranks as a very ancient Italian dog breed. It served as a flock guide in the Alpine regions over many centuries.
The process of modernization adversely affected the flocks and their dogs. Sheep rearing no longer remained as an important economic resource of the area and the shepherd masters no longer protected sheep and sheepdogs like Bergamasco. All this led to a partial extinction of the dogs.
In recent times however the efforts of few enthusiastic breeders has made it possible to bring about a revival in the numbers of the Bergamasco breed dogs.
Bergamasco Tools
Breed Selector Tool - is the Bergamasco the right breed for you?
Is the Bergamasco the right breed for you and your family?
Find out by using our Free Dog Breed Selector Tool
Check Your Bergamasco's Learning Style
Are you aware dogs also have a learning style that can greatly affect their ability to housetrain as well as be trained correctly. Evaluate your Bergamasco's learning style and personality using our free Learning Style tool so that you are better able to provide him with the proper Bergamasco training methods.
Is your Bergamasco dominating over you?
Does your Bergamasco bark unnecessarily? Does your Bergamasco come to you when you call? Download a FREE Report on Dog Dominance for you and your Bergamasco and learn how to control your dog.
Do you make these mistakes with your Bergamasco?
Are you inadvertently snow-balling bad behavior in your Bergamasco? Evaluate your Dog Training Style from our Free Tool and learn how best to deal with your dog.
Bergamasco Calorie Calculator
Do you know how many calories your Bergamasco needs every day and how many cups of food you should be giving it every day? Click here to use our Bergamasco Calorie Calculator.
A General Description of the Dog
The Bergamasco has a rustic appearance. Its most distinctive feature is its felted coat made up of three types of hair (undercoat, goat hair and outer coat) growing copiously that forms mats or flocks. Starting at the spine the gray or silver gray to coal colored mats go down the flanks. They keep growing and reach the ground every year. The dogs are not considered to be shedders. It is also held that their hair is non-allergenic.
This is a medium-sized dog having a well-proportioned, solidly compact and harmonious body. Its strong and powerful build gives it great resistance while not curbing its agility and speed of movement.
The skull of the dog and the muzzle are of nearly equal length and are parallel to one another. They are joined by a pronounced stop. The skull, slightly domed between the ears and rounded at the forehead, has a prominent occiput and a marked median furrow. The muzzle is blunt and tapering slightly towards the nose. The lips are of black pigment. The eyes of the dog are brown-colored.
The darkness of the color varies according to the color of the coat. The dog has a large and black nose that does not extend beyond the forepart of the muzzle. The ears of the Bergamasco are soft and thin. The ears hang down on either side of the face. The dog has an uncut tail that is thick at the base and tapering to the tip.
Height
Male: 22-24 inches
Female: 21-23 inches.
Weight
Male: Between 70 pounds and 85
pounds
Female: Between 57 pounds and 71 pounds.
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Free Course on Bergamasco Training & Obedience
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Bergamasco Personality Traits
Temperament of the Dog
Bergamasco dogs are friendly dogs that bond very closely with humans. As herding dogs, they are brave and alert, independent, balanced and calm and intelligent. They are always eager to work. They are easily trained. If socialized properly at a young age they get along well with other pets. They tend to have a protective attitude towards children. The dogs act as vigilant guards.
They have patience, perseverance and other special qualities that make it an excellent working dog and a wonderful companion. The Bergamascos however require much space for moving around freely and exercising throughout the day.
Suitable for apartment living?
The Bergamasco Dogs are energetic creatures and need plenty of exercising. They do not qualify as good apartment dogs because they just do not like to be kept locked up inside the house all day.
Living conditions
Since these dogs hail from cold regions they are best suited for cooler climates. It needs to be ensured that they never get overheated. There should be a place secured for it away from the sun where it can go and get itself cooled.
Bergamasco Activity Level
How active is the breed?
Being working dogs, Bergamasco dog breeds are very active and energetic by nature and need to be given plenty of exercising opportunities everyday. Regular long walks can act as a good exercise for them. If a large, well-fenced large area is made available for it then the dog can well take care of its own exercising needs.
Grooming
Bergamasco dog breeds have high grooming requirements. Special grooming efforts need to be made right from the time when the dog is in a puppy stage. The coat of the puppy needs to be kept free from tangles and debris by brushing at least once a month.
Then after around 8 months of age when the matting starts to occur very close to the dog’s skin and begins pulling the skin then manual grooming is to be resorted to.
The clumps are to be separated into smaller groupings. Making use of the slicker brush in order to get rid of dirt and debris on the coat of an adult dog is recommended.
Free Bergamasco Training Secrets
Free Course on Bergamasco Training & Obedience
Stop All Bad Behavior, Excessive Barking and Biting
Health and Care
Bergamasco is a very healthy breed of dogs. Dog breeders have not yet known about any hereditary diseases of this breed of dogs.
National Breed Clubs
Life Expectancy
Bergamasco dogs live for 11-15 years.
Group: Herding Group
AKC Popularity Ranking: 187
Also Known As: Bergamasco Shepherd Dog, Italian Bergama Sheepdog, Bergamaschi Herder, Cane da pastore Bergamasco.
Train Your Bergamasco To Listen To You
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Sign up for our Free Bergamasco Mini Course to have a housebroken, obedient dog that happily comes to you every time you call.
You'll learn new commands to obedience-train your dog as well as how to housebreak your dog in 6 days or less.
You'll also learn how to eliminate bad habits like barking, nipping or biting, jumping, or pulling on the leash.Here's just s small fraction of what else you'll learn in the course:
How to lead and think like a pack dog - the new psychology.
3 dangerous mistakes that most Bergamaschi owners make when they are trying to potty train their dogs.
The 2 main reasons why your dog barks excessively and how to control its excessive barking.
How to obedience train your Bergamasco to permanently end behavioral problems like Jumping, Aggression, Pulling on Leash.
A surprisingly easy way to teach your dog cool new tricks.
How to improve your dog's lifespan and keep it from getting overly heavy with a healthy and nutritious diet.
Getting Pro help fast - how to get access to our expert trainers when you need them most.
One hidden psychological trigger that all Bergamascos have... that practically allows you to "analyze" and "control" your dog's every action.
Priority access to the free online seminars conducted by our training experts.
Whereas other dog training related web sites and books offer generic information for dogs in general, ours is the ONLY web site that offers Bergamaschi information specifically, from a renowned panel of experts - because as you probably know, Bergamaschis have their own special training requirements that other dogs don't have.
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