Bernese Mountain Dog vs Labrador Retriever – Which one is a better dog breed for you?

"Find similarities and differences between Bernese Mountain Dog vs Labrador Retriever" Compare Bernese Mountain Dog and Labrador Retriever. Which is better: Bernese Mountain Dog or Labrador Retriever?

General Appearance Hair & Care Characteristics Good With Health Factors Reproducibility Show differences only

Name	Bernese Mountain Dog	Labrador Retriever
Origins	Switzerland	England Canada
All Dog Breeds By Country Of Origin
Group	Working Dogs	Gun Dog
Popularity Rank	25	1
Reviews	2	3
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Other Names	Berner Sennenhund, Bernese Cattle Dog, Berner	Labrador, Lab
Breed Type	Purebred	Purebred
AKC Group	Recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1937 as a Working breed.	Recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1917 as a Sporting breed.
FCI Group	Recognized by FCI in the Pinscher and Schnauzer - Molossoid and Swiss Mountain and Cattledogs group, in the Swiss Mountain- and Cattledogs section.	Recognized by FCI in the Retrievers - Flushing Dogs - Water Dogs group, in the Retrievers section.
Breed Recognition	American Canine Registry American Kennel Club America's Pet Registry Canadian Kennel Club Dog Registry of America Inc. Federation Cynologique Internationale Kennel Club of Great Britain North American Purebred Registry, Inc. American Canine Association, Inc. Australian National Kennel Council Continental Kennel Club National Kennel Club New Zealand Kennel Club United Kennel Club Canadian Canine Registry	American Canine Registry American Kennel Club America's Pet Registry Canadian Kennel Club Dog Registry of America Inc. Federation Cynologique Internationale Kennel Club of Great Britain North American Purebred Registry, Inc. American Canine Association, Inc. Australian National Kennel Council Continental Kennel Club National Kennel Club New Zealand Kennel Club United Kennel Club Canadian Canine Registry
Price	$800-$1000	$1000-$2000

General Appearance - Bernese Mountain Dog vs Labrador Retriever

Size	Large	Large
Weight	Male: 85-110 pounds (38–50 kg), Female: 80-105 pounds (36–48 kg)	Male: 60-75 pounds (27-34kg), Female: 55-70 pounds (25-32 kg)
Avg. Weight	Male: 97.5 pounds (38–50 kg), Female: 92.5 pounds (36–48 kg)	Male: 67.5 pounds (30.5 kg), Female: 62.5 pounds (28.5 kg)
Height	Male: 24-28 inches (61–71 cm), Female: 23-27 inches (58–69 cm)	Male: 22-24 inches (56-61cm), Female: 21-23 inches (53-58 cm)
Avg. Height	Male: 26 inches (61–71 cm), Female: 25 inches (58–69 cm)	Male: 23 inches (58.5 cm), Female: 22 inches (55.5 cm)

Hair & Care - Bernese Mountain Dog vs Labrador Retriever

Coat	Dense	Dense Waterproof Hard Short
Colors	White Black	Yellow Chocolate Black
Grooming	Average: The Bernese Mountain Dog requires average grooming effort.	Effortless: The Labrador Retriever requires minimal grooming.
Shedding Level	Bernese Mountain Dogs shed above average.	Labrador Retrievers shed moderately.

Characteristics - Bernese Mountain Dog vs Labrador Retriever

Temperament	Affectionate Intelligent Faithful Loyal	Affectionate Cheerful Friendly Intelligent Loyal Playful Social Alert Energetic Gentle Loving Going Responsive
Intelligent Rank	Very smart: Bernese Mountain Dog is an excellent dog breed.	Outstanding: Labrador Retriever is one of the brightest dog breeds.
Trainability	Bernese Mountain Dogs are easy to train.	Labrador Retrievers are very easy to train.
Playfulness	Bernese Mountain Dogs, like any other dog breed, like playing.	The Labrador Retriever is a highly playful breed.
Sensitivity Level	They are a little bit more sensitive than other dog breeds.	Labrador Retrievers don't like an irregular daily routine, noisy household and frequent guest visits.
Affection Level	Bernese Mountain Dogs are average dogs regarding their affection level.	Labrador Retrievers may seem unfriendly sometimes due to their independence.
Social Needs	Bernese Mountain Dogs need for social interaction is average.	Labrador Retrievers need a lot of social interaction.
Barking	Average: The Bernese Mountain Dog barks occasionally.	Average: The Labrador Retriever barks occasionally.
Watchdog Ability	Bernese Mountain Dogs are one of the best watchdogs.	Labrador Retrievers are average watchdogs.
Territorial	Bernese Mountain Dogs are extremely protective guard dogs.	Labrador Retrievers are average defenders.
Biting Potential	Low The Bernese Mountain Dog has a low chance of biting somebody.	Moderate The Labrador Retriever has an average chance of biting somebody.
Mouthiness	Bernese Mountain Dogs have a strong tendency to nip, chew, play-bite, or herd people.	Labrador Retrievers have a strong tendency to nip, chew, play-bite, or herd people.
Impulse to Wander or Roam	Bernese Mountain Dogs have average wanderlust potential.	Labrador Retrievers have average wanderlust potential.
Prey Drive	Bernese Mountain Dogs have a high impulse to chase and catch something.	Labrador Retrievers have low to an average impulse to chase and catch something like a cat or any other small aminals.
Apartment Friendly	Bernese Mountain Dogs are not recommended for an apartment lifestyle.	Labrador Retrievers are not recommended for an apartment lifestyle.
Adaptability	Bernese Mountain Dogs adapt to lifestyle changes and different living environments quite okay usually.	Labrador Retrievers adapt very well to lifestyle changes and basically all living environments.
Tolerates Being Left Alone	Just like every puppy, they are prone to panic, cry, bark, whine when they left alone by their owner.	Labrador Retrievers tend to have separation anxiety when their owners left them alone at home because they bond very closely with them.
Fighting Dog	Not really In history, this breed was not really used for combat dog.	Not really In history, this breed was not really used for combat dog.

Good With - Bernese Mountain Dog vs Labrador Retriever

Stranger Friendly	Bernese Mountain Dogs are average friendly towards strangers.	Labrador Retrievers are very stranger friendly dogs.
Child Friendly	Bernese Mountain Dogs are kid-friendly dogs.	Labrador Retrievers are very kid-friendly dogs.
Cat Friendly	Bernese Mountain Dogs are average friendly towards cats.	Labrador Retrievers are cat-friendly dogs.
Dog Friendly	Bernese Mountain Dogs are average friendly towards other dogs.	Labrador Retrievers are very dog-friendly dogs.
Office Friendly	No Bernese Mountain Dog is not the best dog breed for office environment.	No Labrador Retriever is not the best dog breed for office environment.
Senior Citizens Friendly	Bernese Mountain Dogs are usually recommended for elderly people.	Labrador Retrievers are one of the best breeds for elderly people.
Pet Friendly	Bernese Mountain Dogs are generally with other pets.	Labrador Retrievers are usually friendly towards other pets.
Good For First Time Owners	No Bernese Mountain Dogs are not good for novice owners, due to their stubborn personality.	No Labrador Retrievers are not good for novice owners, due to their stubborn personality.
Service Dog	Yes This breed makes good as a service dog.	Yes This breed makes good as a service dog.
Therapy Dog	Not really This breed generally not used as a therapy dog.	Yes This breed makes a perfect therapy dog.
Detection Dog or Sniffer Dog	Not really A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses (mostly its smell) to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency, blood, and contraband electronics such as illicit mobile phones.	Yes A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses (mostly its smell) to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency, blood, and contraband electronics such as illicit mobile phones.
Search and Rescue Dog (SAR)	Not really The use of dogs in search and rescue (SAR) is a valuable component in wilderness tracking, natural disasters, mass casualty events, and in locating missing people.	Yes The use of dogs in search and rescue (SAR) is a valuable component in wilderness tracking, natural disasters, mass casualty events, and in locating missing people.
Boat Dog	Not really Bernese Mountain Dog breed usually doesn't like being on a boat.	Yes Labrador Retriever breed usually likes being on a boat.
Cart Pulling or Drafting Dog	Yes A drafting dog or draft dog is a dog bred and used for cart pulling.	Not really A drafting dog or draft dog is a dog bred and used for cart pulling.

Health Factors - Bernese Mountain Dog vs Labrador Retriever

Health Issues	Very healthy dog breed.	The Labrador Retriever is a healthy breed, but there are certain health issues that you should check with your vet regularly.
Health Problems	Bloat Cancer Elbow Dysplasia Hip Dysplasia Panosteitis Portosystemic Liver Shunt Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) Von Willebrand's Disease	Acute Moist Dermatitis Bloat Cataracts Cold Tail Ear Infections Elbow Dysplasia Epilepsy Hip Dysplasia Myopathy Osteochondrosis Dissecans Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) Tricuspid Valve Dysplasia
Life Expectancy	7-10 years	10-12 years
Calculate dog years to human years by breed here
Hypoallergenic	No	No
Energy Level	Bernese Mountain Dogs have a higher energy level than other dog breeds.	Labrador Retrievers are high energy dogs.
Exercise Need	Bernese Mountain Dogs have an average exercise need.	Labrador Retrievers need a lot of exercises.
Sleeping Need	Bernese Mountain Dogs are quite energetic dogs and they don't spend to much time with sleeping.	Labrador Retrievers don't need too much sleep.
Avg. daily food consumption	6 to 8 cups of high-quality dry food a day, divided into two meals.	Recommended daily amount: 2.5 to 3 cups of high-quality dry food a day, divided into two meals.
Weight Gain Potential	Average to High.	High: The Labrador Retriever breed has a strong tendency to overweight.
Weather & Climate	Prefers cold weather The Bernese Mountain Dog can adapt well to harsh weather conditions, and also can be a good mountain dog.	Tolerates warm and cold weather.
Stinkiness	Medium The Bernese Mountain Dog has an average chance of bad smell.	High The Labrador Retriever has a high chance of bad smell.
Drooling tendency	The Bernese Mountain Dog drools quite a lot, so if you dislike being covered by slobber spots on your clothes, you may want to choose another dog breed.	The Labrador Retriever is an average drooler.

Reproducibility - Bernese Mountain Dog vs Labrador Retriever

Gestation Length	60-64 days	60-64 days
How often can the have a litter?	Once a year. More frequent breeding is not healthy.	Once a year. More frequent breeding is not healthy.
Litter Size	1-14 puppies, average 8	5-10 puppies
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