Airedale Terrier vs Bernese Mountain Dog — Side by Side

	Airedale Terrier	Bernese Mountain Dog
Lifespan	10-13 years	7-10 years
Size	Large	Large
Weight	40-65 lb	70-115 lb
Energy	High	Moderate
Grooming	Moderate	High
Shedding	Low	High
With kids	Good with kids	Good with kids

What actually separates them

Less hair on the sofa with the Airedale Terrier. More with the Bernese Mountain Dog.
Less brushing with the Airedale Terrier. More with the Bernese Mountain Dog.
Calmer of the two is the Bernese Mountain Dog. The one that needs more exercise is the Airedale Terrier.
Airedale Terrier tends to live longer — 10-13 years against 7-10 years.

The honest downside of each

Airedale Terrier

As the largest terrier breed, the Airedale keeps a full terrier prey drive and stubborn streak in a 50-plus-pound body, and breed mortality surveys put cancer as the cause of roughly 4 in 10 Airedale deaths — noticeably higher than most breeds.

Bernese Mountain Dog

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.

Read the full pages

Airedale Terrier · Bernese Mountain Dog
Health problems, origin and what living with each is actually like.