The tag “Gentle Giant” is fondly associated with the Bernese Mountain Dog, yet when you get the first glimpse of the dog, you might believe this might prove to be a handful to deal with if introduced at home as a pet. Thus, it is completely natural for prospective owners to ask if the Bernese Mountain Dogs can become aggressive. After all, considering its size, it can feel intimidating. Moreover, understanding their temperament is crucial, too, especially if you have kids and other pets at home.
Interestingly, Bernese Mountain Dogs are never aggressive naturally, but like all other breeds, their behavior largely depends on factors such as training, socialization, and environment. When you have a good understanding of their natural temperament, situations where aggression can trigger, warning signs, and how to raise a calm and well-balanced dog, life would become much easier with them.
Understanding their temperament
If we turn the pages of history, we can identify that the Bernese was originally bred as a working dog in the Swiss Alps. Their duties included pulling carts, herding livestock, and guarding farms. Since then, they have carried the legacy and developed traits such as being loyal, calm, intelligent, and having a strong connection with their human family members. This is in contrast to the aggressive guard breeds, and the Bernese are always known to be gentle, patient, and affectionate.
Despite their size, they are especially famous for being polite and kind with kids, friendly with familiar people, and remaining calm indoors when properly trained.
Aggression is never a trait for the breed
So, as you can understand, aggression is never a defining trait of the Bernese Mountain Dog. In fact, whenever we talk about breeds, the Bernese are termed as an easygoing, friendly, and family-oriented breed. Even when inquired from previous or existing owners, everyone agrees that, in situations where other large dogs might get aggressive, the Bernese would prefer walking away from the spot, seek comfort from their owners, and try their best to avoid conflict. Get to know more about the Bernese Mountain Dog from this resource.
Still, they can show aggression in specific situations
As mentioned before, the Bernese Mountain dogs tend to remain gentle in all situations, but aggression can be visible in specific scenarios, and this is where some dog owners become confused. It is necessary to realize that the sudden display of aggression has little to do with the breed, and it is all about the situation in which they are. Here are some classic examples when a Bernese can show signs of aggression:
- Lack of socialization: If the Bernese is not familiarized with different people, other pets in the house, and new environments early, they can become shy, fearful, and defensive. As we all know, fear can in most cases lead to aggressive reactions.
- Fear-based aggression: Their traits make the Bernese sensitive by nature. Therefore, for some reason, if they feel threatened, overwhelmed, and cornered, they will invariably respond by displaying behaviors such as growling, barking, and snapping. This is quite natural as their way of reacting to fearful circumstances.
- Protective instincts: By nature, Bernese Mountain Dogs have been performing their silent duty to guard families. Therefore, when they see strangers approaching, it is natural for them to bark, trying to stand between their owner and someone unfamiliar to them, and displaying alert behavior.
- Poor training: Improper guidance can turn a gentle dog into a dog that exhibits unwanted behaviors. This can happen if, during training, rules are inconsistent, commands aren’t clear to them, and their behavior isn’t rectified early. In each of the above-mentioned situations, the dog can become reactive and develop frustration-based aggression.
- Health issues: Unfortunately, this is often overlooked. When the calm Bernese Mountain Dog is dealing with an underlying health problem, it can show aggression. Especially when they are injured, sick, or are dealing with extreme pain. In such situations, they will display behaviors like sudden snapping, avoidance of commands, and remain irritable. Owners should consider visiting a vet if these symptoms persist.
- Guarding their items: Some Berners can also become protective of their food, toys, and sleeping areas. Thus, when they feel their possessions are at risk, they can growl, display a stiff body language, and try to snap at the people who come close to them.
Types of aggression you might observe and need to deal with
As you know, the situations in which the Bernese Mountain Dog can show signs of aggression, assessing the type can help you respond to the situation more conveniently. Whether it is due to fear, protecting their families, being possessive, or when they can’t reach something they want, the dog might display aggression.
Bernese Mountain Dog and their association with children
As mentioned earlier, Bernese are known for their intelligence, being patient, gentle, and tolerant with children around them. To be precise, they tend to form strong bonds with the kids and are sometimes referred to as nanny-like dogs by the parents. Still, one must keep in mind that these dogs are large and powerful; accidental knocking over can happen. Supervision is always necessary when children are around this breed.
Bernese Mountain Dog with other pets
They will remain tolerant of other pets in the house. Since they are known to be social, non-dominant, and easygoing, they will get along well with any form of pets you might have. Things would work even better when they are socialized early.
Early warning signs of aggression
In most situations, the Bernese Mountain Dog will remain calm and gentle. However, owners should watch for signals that have been discussed earlier, and these are growling, stiff posture, intense staring, lip curling, and avoidance of commands followed by an aggressive reaction. Consider each of these situations as symptoms and not as a sign of bad behavior.
Steps to calm a Bernese
Well, that leads many prospective dog owners to inquire about the steps to prevent aggression in them. The following steps will surely help to suppress aggression:
- Early socialization: This has been discussed many times, and the more quickly you socialize them, the better it is for them. Introduce them to people, animals, and new environments early and periodically. Make sure these experiences are positive and calm.
- Consistent training: Always use positive reinforcement during training, ensure the commands are clear and constant, and make them practice regularly. Never make the mistake of giving them harsh punishments and fear-based corrections.
- Provide regular exercise: Overall, the Bernese Mountain Dogs can seem calm and relaxed, but they do need their regular share of exercise. Thus, daily walks and playtime should never be compromised. Remember, a well-exercised dog would remain more balanced in behavior and less reactive.
- Mental stimulation: Along with satisfying their physical needs, owners should also do the needful to keep their minds active. It is possible with training, games, and problem-solving activities.
- Building trust is mandatory: The Bernese breed thrives best in calm, loving, and stable environments. As the owner, you should provide them all of these, and they will rarely show any signs of aggression. The bottom line, you should know how to train a Bernese Mountain Dog for the best results.
Your role when the Bernese Mountain Dog shows aggression
Despite your efforts, if the Bernese still shows aggression, then your foremost task would be to identify the trigger leading to such behavior. Try to locate what caused them to act likewise, and when it happened. Staying calm in these situations helps, instead of reacting emotionally, which can worsen the situation further. At any cost, you must not punish the dog as it will further increase their fear and anxiety, leading to further displays of aggression. Make use of positive reinforcement and controlled exposure, and that should help rectify things. If the aggression shows no signs of declining, then professional help becomes indispensable.
The truth to which most owners turn a blind eye
You should understand that if the Bernese is being aggressive, it is not a sign of their bad behavior, but they are trying to communicate. It is their way of passing the message that they are feeling uncomfortable, unsafe, and that they need space. When you take care of these aspects, it can change things for the better.
Final thoughts
Generally, you hardly need to be concerned about aggressive behavior in Bernese. They will always remain gentle, loyal, and family-friendly, and aggression, if ever displayed, would be very rare, situational, and the best part, it can be prevented with the appropriate approach. It is all about how well you raise them.