Are Bernese Mountain Dogs Easy To Train?

Bernese Mountain Dogs are easy to train thanks to their high working intelligence, adaptability, and people-oriented disposition. These dogs’ strong instincts make them hard-wired for some behaviors and they can be stubborn. Consistent training from a young age brings the best results.

It is good to consider the characteristics of the breed that make these dogs responsive to training and those that could present some challenges.

The Background Of Bernese Mountain Dogs

Bernese Mountain Dogs were developed as working farm dogs in the Swiss Alps.

They were bred to be diligent, strong, active, and bright. Berners were in charge of rounding up livestock and guarding property, so they had to bark and vocalize in other ways to communicate with people and animals and chase away strangers.

Berners are still hard-wired for the qualities and behaviors they were bred for. Naturally, some of the traits that were important for working farm dogs are less desirable for Bernese Mountain Dogs as family pets.

WHAT MAKES BERNERS EASY-TO-TRAIN

Eager To Please

Bernese Mountain dogs love their human families, and people in general. A Berner will do his/her absolute best to impress the owner. That is a useful trait if you are trying to teach your dog a new skill.

Treats always speak well to a dog but Berners are so owner-oriented that they respond to the owner’s attention just as well. Verbal praise and neck rubs motivate these pups very well.

Solid Working Intelligence

Working intelligence refers to the dog’s ability to understand new commands and skills, learn them with a certain number of repetitions, and practice the new skill or respond to the new command consistently.

According to renowned canine psychologist Stanley Coren, Bernese Mountain Dogs are in the top 25% of all breeds that have been evaluated for their working intelligence/obedience scores.

In practical terms, Berners are in the category of excellent working dogs:

You can expect a dog of this breed to remember a simple command with 5-15 repetitions.
Complex commands could take a little bit of time for them to respond to but they consistently improve with practice.

Dogs in this category are so bright that they tend to learn well and achieve good results even if the trainer is inexperienced and does not have good teaching skills.
The dog will generally respond to commands well even from a distance, although being right next to your pet will produce a quicker response to a command.

Good Adaptability

Bernese Mountain Dogs are capable of adjusting to new environments and transferring some skills to a new set of circumstances. These dogs act consistently even if the immediate environment changes and, in a way, they are analytical animals because they use prior knowledge to figure out a new set of circumstances as needed.

POTENTIAL CHALLENGES

Strong Instincts

Instinctive intelligence is a separate aspect of dogs’ intelligence, and it refers to the animal’s ability to perform the tasks it was bred for.

In Berner’s case, those tasks include barking and chasing if needed. And these pups are hired-wired for those behaviors because they have high instinctive intelligence. They have strong instincts is a more common way to put it. The behaviors these dogs are instinctively predisposed to can be very hard to unlearn.

So, if you teach your dog to refrain from barking, for example, your pet will probably change the behavior but could relapse. The dog should improve and do well with training in general but would need refreshers when it comes to some of these persistent habits.

Puppy-Like Behavior Beyond Puppyhood

Bernese Mountain dogs are known to mature relatively late, so they could act like puppies longer than most breeds do. They do grow large when they are still very young, so they should acquire some solid training as early as possible. Like any puppy, your Berner could be easily excitable, stubborn, and unable to focus at times, and that could continue for two-three years till the dog matures.

For good results:

If your pet cannot focus, pause and try another time.

Keep training sessions short (10-15 minutes)
Train when the dog is relatively calm and can focus
Avoid training in places with many distractions

TIPS ON TRAINING A BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOG

Puppy Classes

All puppies gain new skills from puppy classes but Bernese Mountain dogs are among the breeds that especially benefit from such learning opportunities.

These dogs are bubbly and sociable, and they can underestimate their power while playing. So, they can nip your hand too hard or jump all over you when excited. And even as puppies, they are heavy!

So, the socialization and the feedback from other puppies of all breeds and sizes will help your Berner grow up to be more balanced and in control of their powerful exuberance.

Puppy classes are a fabulous option if available, but if not, then ample socialization with people, dogs, and other animals will allow your dog to develop the same skills.

Consistency And Patience

If your Berner is stubborn and is not learning or is misbehaving, it can be tempting to raise your voice or to pull on the leash with impatience. However, any impulsive, unmethodical response from the owner could inadvertently perpetuate the dog’s behavior.

The expectations should be clear, and the response should be consistent, especially when your dog is still learning. So, reward every time your pup does what you expect and discourage when the dog behaves otherwise.

The reward could be verbal approval – it does not have to be a treat. When your dog already has the skills, it will become less important to reward or discourage them every single time.

Negative responses, such as yelling or jerking the leash, will confuse and scare, or excite your dog. Whatever reaction they produce, an unreserved response from you as the owner, will not be conducive to the dog’s learning. Besides, you don’t want to teach your pup that you are unpredictable. You want your dog to know what to expect from you and to trust you.

Teach Basic Commands

Whatever tricky situation you and your Bernese Mountain Dog may find yourselves in, it is important to be able to communicate with your dog and to know that your pet will listen.

Sit, Stay, Leave it, Come – those are the four essential commands every dog needs to know well. Bernese Mountain dogs can learn many more commands but the idea is to reward when your Berner obeys. Either ignore the dog or firmly but calmly verbally discourage the behavior when your pet is not acting appropriately.

Some physical contact for prompts could be helpful to some dogs. For example, you could gently prompt your pet to sit if you are trying to teach his/her the command “sit”. Some trainers think that doing so could scare and confuse the dog. Stanley Coren suggests that doing so may be appropriate in some situations, for example when working to establish dominance, as long as it is safe to behave that way with the particular dog.

Train When The Dog Can Focus

If your dog is distracted and is not listening, do not keep saying the command over and over again. Repetition is not productive if the dog does not understand or is not paying attention. The animal could even become desensitized to the command. Instead, repeat the training session when your pup looks more receptive.

Increase Complexity As Tolerated

When your Berner seems to have mastered the command, try practicing from a distance. Some dogs do not act the same when their owner is at a distance. Your Berner will need to respond to your commands outside when you are not close and in several other situations, so practice the skill in different settings.

Proper training and teaching commands are crucial to the animal’s successful functioning in society and to reducing anxiety or any other behavioral concerns. The dog builds its knowledge on the set of skills that were acquired in the past.