Bernese mountain or golden retriever? Pros and cons

[mumbomama]

I am unsure which breed to get.
Does anyone have any experience of either that they can share?

I have a reasonably big house and garden but do worry about the Bernese being so big, but they sound perfect in every other way. I have children which they are supposed to be excellent with.

My son is allergic to some dogs but is fine with double coated breeds.

Get a labrador, or failing that hte golden retirever. LAbs have double coat too, shed less hair than a GR and are the BEST breed of dog, spesh with kids.

If you get a Golden Retreiver you certainly won't regret it!! ...although they do moult a lot.

Our GR is only a puppy still yet, but she is the most amazing little (well big) dog, and is soooo good with our children (aged 6&3).

We chose a GR as it ticked all our boxes ...first and foremost being practically 'bullet-proof' (well as bullet-proof as you can get with a dog ...) with children. She has a fabulous nature although she is very boisterous. But like a say, she's still only a puppy.

Sorry i don't know any Bernese md's but i can highly recommend a Golden ...i wouldn't change ours for the world - as loopy as she is

Good luck

xx

I have a Bernese Mountain Dog - she's 9 months now. She is adorable with the children, so gentle. My dh says she is quite the 'nicest' dog he has ever come across.

She must be 5 or 6 stones by now...I don't know how much since she hasn't been weighed since she was a small pup. Very easy going temperament.

We also have a tiny wee scrap of a dog - 18 week old daschund/ JR cross breed. The Bernese is extraordinarily gentle with this tiny dog too (dh calls the tiny one 'the gerbil'), so much so that she doesn't bat an eyelid when the daschund takes a chunk out of her tail), and tolerates the daschund trying to pinch her food.

She does shed an awful lot though. So much so that we are getting rid of the carpets downstairs to put in wooden floors (but then I am anal about my house)

Bernese are good looking dogs too...

Labs are much more reliable with children than a golden retriever.

I wouldn't have either now! Had both but both were males. One castrated GR, very bolshy and dreadful eating habits (quite revolting). The B was much nicer but as an 'intact' was an Alpha male and although could trust implicitly with people, had to watch him like a hawk with other animals, in particular, young or small animals ( inc foals, lambs)...he would have 'had 'em'.
My mum had female retriever who was fabulous.

Labs are brilliant with children. My lab would put up with being ridden like a pony, sharing her bed with toddlers, having boats floated in her water bowl etc. DD used to fight the lab for her rubber toys, even putting her little toddler fingers into the dogs mouth to pull toys out. My lab just wagged her tail. She was so gentle.

Info in my vets says that the 5 rated dogs for children are Bernese, beagles and flat-coated retrievers. I have four kids and two flat-coat bitches - very soft and submissive but extremely playful and that tail is just toddler eye-height. Goldens and labs are rated 4. But dont know how they arrived at that!

Never owned a lab but we have always had goldens and flatcoats in the family and never had any trouble with them, never bitten anyone, submissive to the kids, good with strangers and other dogs, just happy obedient gentle pets. However, my parents once had an extremely intelligent well-trained working male golden who ran off every now and then when he felt like it (always to see a certain dog) and I know someone with a male flatcoat that does it too but equally had other male dogs that never do.

Since I got married have stuck with bitches as they dont seem to wander the same and are not so much of a worry when out walking - not as likely to be aggressive towards other dogs and a male dog will not attack a female in my experience.

Unless its some rabid guard dog that has had all reason beaten out of it...

Get a Bernese. No idea why, and I've no experience of them (I have two labs), but they sound much more interesting .