This is our family of Bernese Mountain Dogs. The Bernese Mountain Dog is a large dog breed, one of the four breeds of Sennenhund dogs from Bern, Switzerland, and the Swiss Alps. These dogs have roots in the Roman mastiff known as Molosser dogs. The name Sennenhund is derived from the German Senne ("alpine pasture") and Hund (hound/dog), as they accompanied the alpine herders and dairymen called Senn. Berner (or Bernese in English) refers to the area of the breed's origin, in the canton of Bern. This breed was originally kept as a general farm dog. Large Sennenhunde in the past were also used as draft animals, pulling carts. The breed was officially established in 1912. Like the other Sennenhund, the Bernese mountain dog is a large, heavy dog with a distinctive tri-colored coat, black with white chest and rust-colored markings above eyes, sides of the mouth, front of legs, and out around the white chest. However, it is the only breed of Sennenhund dogs with a long coat.