More than half of Bernese Mountain Dogs die of cancer, and a published Swiss study found median survival of only around eight years, so you are taking on a short, often heartbreaking relationship with a dog the size of a small person.
10.1years, median
2.4 years below the all-dog median of 12.5.
Measured, not estimated: the middle age at death across 584,734 UK dogs, 284,734 of them deceased. Based on 1,565 dogs of this breed. 95% confidence interval 9.8 to 10.4 years. Half lived longer than this, half did not. UK dogs, so treat it as the best available figure rather than a promise about yours.
In the same study, large breeds as a group had a median of 11.9 years and medium-muzzled breeds 12.8. This breed is large and medium-muzzled.
McMillan et al. 2024, Scientific Reports 14:531 — open access · CC BY 4.0No VetCompass paper of its own yet, but the breed was one of 29 in a 2026 giant-breeds study.
In 2019, 1,513 Bernese Mountain Dogs were among 28,345 giant-breed dogs under veterinary care in the UK, 5.34% of that group. Median age at death for the breed was 7.7 years, from 63 deaths.
Across all 29 breeds pooled, 73.8% of the 4,316 dogs reviewed had at least one disorder recorded that year. The most common were Ear infection (otitis externa) 8.16%, Overweight or obese 8.02%, Aggression 5.56%. Pooled median age at death was 8.94 years (middle half 6.96 to 10.9). The paper gives no disorder figures for this breed on its own.
Health tests to ask the breeder for
Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America sets the tests a Bernese Mountain Dog needs for a CHIC number in the OFA's open database. A CHIC number means the tests were done and the results are public. It does not mean the dog passed them: ask for the results for both parents, or look them up yourself on ofa.org.
- Hip Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation or PennHIP Evaluation)
- Elbow Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation)
- Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist
- Cardiac Evaluation
- Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) DNA test (Bernese variant and common variant; required since 12/21/2017)
When to spay or neuter a Bernese Mountain Dog: the UC Davis study of 35 breeds has a suggested guideline for the breed. For males it is well beyond 2 years. For females, any age. The spay and neuter page has the numbers behind it and what the guidelines say for a dog this size.
- von Willebrand Disease DNA test
- Autoimmune Thyroiditis (OFA evaluation)
- Histiocytic Sarcoma risk (HS-Pred) test
Test names as the club lists them; checked September 2026. OFA CHIC breed page. How to use this at the breeder: check a breeder.
Adopt a Bernese Mountain Dog near you
Shelters and rescues list Bernese Mountain Dogs and Bernese Mountain Dog mixes on Petfinder. Enter a ZIP code to see who is waiting within 100 miles.
Listings come from Petfinder and open there. Petipedia does not take part in adoptions and earns nothing from them.
Living with a Bernese Mountain Dog
Berners are famously sweet, patient dogs that genuinely love their families and are relatively calm indoors, but the coat sheds heavily year-round and needs near-daily brushing, and the size means real costs for food, medication, and vet care. The hardest part of owning one usually is not behavioral, it is that you are quite likely to lose this dog to cancer while it is still young, often well before age 10.
Health you should know about
- Cancer — a peer-reviewed Swiss study of the breed found neoplasia was the recorded cause of death in 58% of dogs studied (222 of 381), particularly histiocytic sarcoma, a rate markedly higher than most breeds.
- Short lifespan — the same study found median survival of 8.4 years overall (7.7 years for males, 8.8 for females), shorter than most breeds of similar size.
- Hip and elbow dysplasia — common joint developmental problems in this large, fast-growing breed.
- Bloat (gastric dilatation-volvulus) — a sudden, life-threatening twisting of the stomach requiring emergency surgery, recorded as a cause of death in the same Swiss study.
Read the full Dog Care Guide first — costs, daily time, and everything a dog needs before you choose a breed.
Naming a Bernese Mountain Dog? German dog and cat names, 88 of them, with what they mean.
Sources — 3 references
Last reviewed October 2026. 3 sources listed below. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.