Hello all,
I am brand new to this forum as I'm trying to gather as much information as possible. We are AF and living in the UK (for now). We plan on moving back to the US (Nevada, California perhaps) in 2 years. We've owned different type of dogs in the past but are now dog-less!! A family, here, is in need to rehome their Berner. I went to look at their beautiful teddybear-looking dog and fell in love. Since then I did some research on the breed (as I've never even heard of before now). I realize they shed a lot and are BIG!! But because I've owned Dobes (but cannot have any here due to military regulation), I'm wondering how hard/easy is it to train BMD? Am I getting myself (and my family) into something I might regret? Is this dog going to miss her family (she's 2 years old) so much and have a hard time adjusting to us? How do you know if this breed is the right one for one's family?
If we end up moving in Las Vegas, would the dog do ok in that climate?
FYI: I have 4 young boys (ranging from 5yrs to 12), we are a family (bike riding, long runs...). I am mostly a stay at home mother but do work (volunteer) outside the home (although very flexible schedule).
What should I do? What other reads should I do? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

PS: I do plan to get a doberman once we're back stateside, but right now we have no dogs.

Let me first say thank you to you and your family for your service - always appreciated.

As an Air Force Brat who grew up her entire life in the military, and spent three years at Alconbury, as well as a Board member of the Bernese Mtn Dog Club and Rescue here, I can offer some advice here on several fronts:

First, moving every 2-3 years means selecting dogs that have the temperament and are generally "bomb proof" to handle that kind of stress and major cargo flying. A Bernese Mtn dog is not a good choice on this front and does not do well with high stress environments. If you do more research you will find they are classified as a "soft" breed, very sensitive, and easily fear imprinted if mishandled.

Second, if you end up in Las Vegas - this is a very bad choice for this breed which is highly prone to heat stroke, and does not tolerate heat well at all. They tend to be metabolically hot, and even my last girl who had far less coat than my male ran hot and required that we keep our house no higher than 70 degrees in summer, and slept in front of a fan. IN Vegas, your Berner will be holed up inside for months on end....and this will pose exercise, and stimulation challenges. Likewise, for inland California, Arizona etc.

Third, if you are committed to getting a Doberman, I would recommend you consider a breed that is compatible with that breed as Berners could not be more different. Any of the guarding breeds (Dobermans) as well as retrieving and herding breeds for example are highly independent dogs, designed to work away from their owner to do their jobs. Berners on the other hand were designed to never leave the farmers side, and this is what they are....they do not tend to allow their person out of their site, and shadow them in the home. As a heavy boned dog, they are designed to pull carts and are highly prone to injury doing agility type activities and highly prone to cruciate tears with running and jumping. Their play style is commonly of the "wrestler" style (as opposed to cat & mouse) and should not be allowed to wrestle with a significantly smaller or lighter boned dog (risking injury to said dog). A Doberman is in stark contrast to this and so less than an optimal pick on temperament, energy requirements, play style, and interaction style. I would want something more compatible.

To answer your other question, Berners are very easy to train, highly loyal given the human loyal facto described above and very sensitive to harsh training methods. Positive training is required for this breed for true success.

To learn more, I recommend you go to the BMDCA for their information on whether this is the breed for you:

Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America -- The BMDCA
Check out the Info series and questionnaire.

Rachel

This may help as it is not that easy to find on the BMDCA site:

http://www.bmdca.org/breed_education...basics_faq.pdf

Thank you for your input. I really appreciate it. We decided, after what you wrote, that it would not be fair to the dog to have her in Nevada or CA! I just hope she finds a great home that will give her the attention she needs (in the proper climate