Q 01/05

What do fanciers usually call the Bernese Mountain Dog for short?

A) Bernie

B) Senner

C) Swissy

D) Berner

Answer · why

D) Berner

Berner is simply the German word for 'Bernese', lifted from the breed's home name, Berner Sennenhund, and used by owners from Switzerland to America.

Q 02/05

Swiss farmers once called the Bernese Mountain Dog's ancestors Vieräugler, 'four eyes', after which feature?

A) The white blaze on the face

B) The rings round the eyes

C) The patches on the cheeks

D) The spots above the eyes

Answer · why

D) The spots above the eyes

The spots above the eyes look like a second pair, and the name was one of several farmyard nicknames the dogs carried before fanciers gave them a form...

Q 03/05

A Swiss saying gives the Bernese three years young, three years good and three years old, and calls any more what?

A) A gift from God

B) A farmer's luck

C) Borrowed time

D) A second puppyhood

Answer · why

A) A gift from God

A gift from God, the saying ends; a breed-club survey in 2000 found the average Bernese died at about seven, though many books still promised ten to t...

Q 04/05

By tradition, the Bernese Mountain Dog descends from mastiffs that crossed the Alps with which ancient army?

A) Greek

B) Celtic

C) Roman

D) Viking

Answer · why

C) Roman

Roman dogs are the usual account, but it is tradition, not record: the breed's early history is undocumented.

Q 05/05

The Bernese was once called the Dürrbächler, a name taken from what?

A) A Swiss dog breeder

B) A mountain pass

C) A hamlet near Bern

D) A medieval guild

Answer · why

C) A hamlet near Bern

A hamlet near Bern: Dürrbach and its inn, by Riggisberg, were where the long-haired farm dogs were thickest on the ground, and the name was widened in...