Golden Mountain Dog Breed

Below are the details and facts for the Golden Mountain Dog breed.

Both parent breeds are of large size so expect your Golden Mountain Dog to grow up to be quite large. Depending upon gender, Golden retriever can be 55-75 pounds and reach up to 24 inches while Bernese are frequently 80-100 pounds and up to 28 inches tall.

The Golden Mountain Dog is the perfect addition to a family with children. They usually inherit a calm, laid-back disposition from the Bernese and an affectionate, playful personality from the Golden Retriever. Both the Golden Retriever and Bernese Mountain dog are friendly towards most other animals also. Families with frequent visitors will find a good match in this breed as neither parent breed is aggressive towards strangers, with Golden Retrievers being quite friendly towards all.

This breed will be a moderate to high maintenance dog breed due to the above average exercise requirements as well as the grooming. There will be no shortage of brushing, vacuuming and wiping slobber after this breed. High energy needs of large dogs can be met with at least an hour of outdoor exercise per day. The ease of Golden Retriever Training should help to balance the somewhat difficult Bernese training for a hybrid that is, overall, fairly easy to train.

The Golden Mountain Dog is a fairly new breed and because of this does not have a very detailed history. Golden Retrievers have an extensive history as hunting dogs; they came into prominence during the 1800s as fowl hunting partners and more recently they have excelled as guide dogs for the blind. Bernese Mountain Dogs are farm drafting and droving dogs originating in the Swiss Alp region of Bern. Both parent breeds are AKC recognized, however, the Golden Mountain Dog is not. It is likely that they were first intentionally bred in the last few decades when the popularity of hybrid dogs increased.

As a crossbreed, the Golden Mountain Dog will inherit physical traits from both parent breeds. Not all will inherit the same traits which means some may have more Bernese characteristics, others may have more Golden Retriever characteristics, and some may show a mix. It is likely, however, that the majority will have traits common in both parent breeds.

The strong Bernese Mountain Dog is most often tricolor white, black, and tan or rust. These dogs have dark brown eyes and high set, triangular ears. They have a long, thick double coat that may be slightly wavy and a low, bushy tail. They are the only Swiss Mountain dog with a silky soft coat.

The Golden Retriever is elegant yet functional in appearance. The medium length, flat to wavy golden coat is weather resistant. Overall, the body is rectangular, lean and athletic. These dogs have a long, angular head with dark almond eyes that give it a thoughtful and warm expression. The ears are floppy and fall down to the side of the head.

The temperament of the Golden is dependent on the behavioral traits inherited from its parents. Some will inherit traits from the Golden Retriever, others the Bernese, and some will have a mix of behaviors inherited from both parent breeds.

The Bernese Mountain Dog remains very popular because it displays a calm and good-natured temperament. They are most often described as calm, good-natured, hardworking and intelligent. They typically have a favorite person in the family and will be extremely devoted to them. They will require immediate, firm direction in order to train them.

Devoted, friendly and intelligent sums up the Golden Retriever. Devoted to family and single owner alike and friendly towards strangers and other pets, this dog is the ultimate people pleaser. The intelligence of this breed is a sweet bonus that makes them very easy to train.

As a hybrid dog breed, the Golden Mountain Dog will have more genetic diversity than most purebred breeds which helps with the breed's health and hardiness. However, the they can suffer from health issues common in both the Bernese Mountain Dog and the Golden Retriever. This breed is expected to live around 8-12 years.

The Golden Retriever is a pretty resilient breed that has few documented health issues other than hip and elbow dysplasia as well as eye and cardiac diseases. Bernese Mountain Dogs are host to many problems; hip and elbow dysplasia, eye problems, bloat, autoimmune conditions (such as thyroid disorders) are fairly common. More serious issues such as cancer, von Willebrands disease and sub-aortic stenosis should also be monitored for.