Bergamasco Shepherd
Appearance
The Bergamasco should be a medium size dog, well proportioned and harmonious having a rustic appearance. It is a solidly compact dog with a strong, powerful build that gives it great resistance without taking away any of its agility and speed of movement.
Coat and color
The breed's most distinctive feature is the unusual felted coat, a normal and healthy characteristic of the breed. The coat is characterized by three types of hair; these are abundant, and form mats or flocks. The mats start from the spine and go down the flanks, growing every year to reach the ground. The color of the coat can be anything from an appearance of gray or silver gray (in fact a merle) to a mixture of black to coal, with brown shades also intermixed. These colors may have served as a camouflage when working in the mountains.
Bergamascos are born with short, smooth fur, which slowly develops the characteristic mats as the dog grows.
Activities
Bergamasco can compete in dog agility trials, obedience, showmanship, flyball, tracking, and herding events. Herding instincts and trainability can be measured at noncompetitive herding tests. Bergamasco exhibiting basic herding instincts can be trained to compete in herding trials.
Health
Health information for this breed is sparse. The only health survey appears to be a 2004 UK Kennel Club survey, which had a sample size of 0 deceased dogs and 10 living dogs, far too few dogs from which to draw any conclusions.
The Bergamasco should be a medium size dog, well proportioned and harmonious having a rustic appearance. It is a solidly compact dog with a strong, powerful build that gives it great resistance without taking away any of its agility and speed of movement.
Coat and color
The breed's most distinctive feature is the unusual felted coat, a normal and healthy characteristic of the breed. The coat is characterized by three types of hair; these are abundant, and form mats or flocks. The mats start from the spine and go down the flanks, growing every year to reach the ground. The color of the coat can be anything from an appearance of gray or silver gray (in fact a merle) to a mixture of black to coal, with brown shades also intermixed. These colors may have served as a camouflage when working in the mountains.
Bergamascos are born with short, smooth fur, which slowly develops the characteristic mats as the dog grows.
Activities
Bergamasco can compete in dog agility trials, obedience, showmanship, flyball, tracking, and herding events. Herding instincts and trainability can be measured at noncompetitive herding tests. Bergamasco exhibiting basic herding instincts can be trained to compete in herding trials.
Health
Health information for this breed is sparse. The only health survey appears to be a 2004 UK Kennel Club survey, which had a sample size of 0 deceased dogs and 10 living dogs, far too few dogs from which to draw any conclusions.
Temperament
The Bergamaschi are dogs with a lively intelligence, always alert but at the same time quiet when their intervention is not required. When needs be, they are determined, courageous and excellent guard dogs. They establish a close bond with their owner and family and do not like being left alone. They have a sweet face with an almost languid expression, which always seems to want to communicate something to you. They learn easily, but do not like to carry out useless tasks. They know how to use up their strength sparingly and control their behaviour depending on the situation. Their well-balanced temperament and natural intelligence make them excellent guard dogs but above all ideal companions. They can be trained for a great variety of tasks: environmental services, man-work, obedience, agility and of course, guardingand herding sheep. This is a rustic breed, strong and rugged, resistant to all types of weather and particularly suitable for life in the open air, an excellent companion for sports-loving people with an outdoor lifestyle. Special care of the coat The coat of the Bergamasco sheepdog does not require as much attention as one might suppose. The matted strips form naturally. Particular attention must be paid at about one to one and half years old when, in some specimens, the coat can tend to form a uniform matted fleece. In this case, the coat must be divided by hand into strips a little at a time. The coat should never be cut except under exceptional circumstances but worked by hands making large wide strips of about 3-5 cm wide. In the front part of the body and around the ear, these strips must be divided so that large matted patches do not form. The adult dogs that live in the house can be bathed quite frequently, while those specimens that live outdoors should be bathed less often. It is very important not to brush the coat while the hair is wet. Once the coat is dry, the beard and the forelock can be brushed out. The coats of older dogs can be trimmed when it gets particularly long, especially round the genital area. If the coat is well cared for your dog should not smell.Show dogs should not have their coat trimmed but it should be clean, abundant and of the correct texture. Coat The adult dogs have a very abundant coat which is the most striking characteristic of the breed. The front half of the body has a harder textured coat with wavy locks, while half way from the chest to the back of the body, and on the legs, the coat develops matted strips the length of which depend on the age of the dog; on the face the coat is less rough and falls over the eye , hiding them. The coat develops progressively in time and does not become fully matted until two and half to three years old. |