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Bergamasco breeders

The Bergamasco is a sheepdog from the Alpine valleys of Lombardy in northern Italy, named after the shepherds of the province of Bergamo.

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Advertise your Bergamasco puppies, litters and stud dogs

Do you breed Bergamascos? List your kennel on caninebreeder.co.uk so that people searching for Bergamasco puppies for sale can find you directly. Your basic listing shows your kennel or company name, website, social media, location and categories. When a litter is planned you can advertise Bergamasco puppies for sale, and if you own a Bergamasco stud dog you can list him with his hip score and COI details so other breeders can judge the match. Add your kennel.

No breeders are listed here yet, so the first profiles get the page to themselves.

  • Free basic profile: your breeder or company name, website, social media, location, breeds and industries.
  • Litters and stud dogs advertised in their own sections, never mixed with puppies for sale.
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  • Featured placement at the top of this page, labelled as sponsored.

Create your free breeder profile Advertise a litter Advertise a stud dog

Is it free to advertise here?

Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.

Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?

In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.

Is my listing already here?

We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.

About the Bergamasco

The Bergamasco is a sheepdog from the Alpine valleys of Lombardy in northern Italy, named after the shepherds of the province of Bergamo. According to the breed club, shepherds used it to move sheep, cattle and goats between valley and mountain pastures and to guard them from predators, and its matted coat insulated it against Alpine weather. In the UK the breed is in the Pastoral group of The Royal Kennel Club (RKC) and on the Imported Breed Register, which holds breeds new to the UK but established abroad until the RKC judges them ready for the main Breed Register.

Size and build

The standard describes a powerful, heavily coated, square-built sheepdog of medium size, though the RKC's breed information lists it as large. Dogs stand 58–62 cm at the withers and weigh roughly 32–38 kg; bitches stand 54–58 cm and weigh about 26–32 kg. The RKC gives a typical lifespan of over 12 years.

Coat and grooming

The coat is abundant and long, harsher over the front of the body and softer on the head and legs, with a short, dense undercoat. It forms loose strands and mats rather than cords. A puppy is brushed normally, but somewhere between 8 and 15 months the coat starts to clump. The breed club then advises owners to stop brushing, and over the following months the clumps flatten into felted mats it calls flocks. Adult care means tearing over-wide mats apart by hand, checking inside the ears and trimming matted hair from the pads. The club suggests bathing only one to three times a year with a little mild shampoo, then letting the coat dry naturally. Accepted colours are solid grey, grey patches shading to black, black, Isabella and light fawn, with white on no more than a fifth of the coat.

Exercise, temperament and home life

The RKC suggests up to an hour of exercise a day and lists the breed as suited to the country, a large house and a small to medium garden. The standard calls the Bergamasco intelligent, cautious and patient, a good companion and a vigilant guard. The breed club warns that some dogs still try to herd livestock, so they should not run loose near sheep, and says guarding alertness can be managed but not removed. It regards puppy classes and early socialisation as essential.

Bergamasco health tests

On its Bergamasco breed page the RKC lists one step before breeding: prioritising genetic diversity. It does not offer a breed-specific DNA testing package for the Bergamasco, although individual DNA tests can be ordered. The UK population is small; the breed club counted around 77 Bergamascos in the country in November 2023. Before any mating, breeders should check the predicted coefficient of inbreeding (COI) of the litter with the RKC's inbreeding coefficient calculator. The RKC advises a COI at or below the breed average, and ideally as low as possible.

The Bergamasco Club UK treats hip scoring as the standard test for breeding stock and does not currently ask for other tests as standard. Its breed officer can help breeders research the ancestry of possible mates. Hip scores are issued under the BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme, which accepts dogs from one year of age. The breed is in Breed Watch Category 1, meaning the RKC has not identified any points of concern specific to it.

  • Genetic diversity: predicted litter COI checked with the RKC inbreeding coefficient calculator (the RKC's pre-breeding recommendation)
  • BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme (standard for breeding stock according to the Bergamasco Club UK; not listed by the RKC for this breed)
  • No breed-specific RKC DNA testing package; individual DNA tests available
  • Breed Watch: Category 1 (no breed-specific points of concern)
  • Recorded results for registered dogs: RKC Health Test Results Finder

Choosing a Bergamasco breeder

A good Bergamasco breeder should be able to show you the BVA/KC hip scores of both parents and explain how the pairing was chosen to keep inbreeding low, including the litter's COI compared with the breed average. They should understand the coat well and be willing to guide you through each stage, from brushing a young puppy to separating the adult mats. Expect them to ask about your home, garden, working hours and whether you live near sheep or cattle, because this is a guarding and herding breed. Puppies should be registered with the RKC and seen with their mother. In England, anyone who breeds three or more litters in 12 months and sells any of the puppies, or who runs a business breeding and advertising dogs for sale, needs a licence from the local council. The Bergamasco Club UK is a useful first contact, and our buyer safety guide explains how to view a litter and handle deposits safely.

  • Can I see the hip score certificates for the sire and dam?
  • What is the COI of this litter, and how does it compare with the breed average?
  • Will you help me when the coat reaches the matting stage?
  • How have the puppies been introduced to visitors, children and household noise?
  • Will you take the dog back at any age if I cannot keep it?

Bergamasco questions

Do you have to brush a Bergamasco?

Only as a puppy. When the coat starts to clump, usually between 8 and 15 months, the breed club advises owners to stop brushing and let it form flat felted mats. Care then shifts to tearing over-wide mats apart by hand, checking the ears and trimming matted hair from the pads. The club's grooming guide suggests bathing no more than one to three times a year.

How big does a Bergamasco get?

The RKC breed standard gives 58u201362 cm and about 32u201338 kg for dogs, and 54u201358 cm and about 26u201332 kg for bitches. The RKC lists the breed in its large size category and gives a typical lifespan of over 12 years.

What does (Imp) after the breed name mean?

It shows that the Bergamasco is on the RKC Imported Breed Register. This register covers breeds that are new to the UK but established abroad, until the RKC decides they are well enough established to move to the main Breed Register.

What health tests should Bergamasco parents have?

The Bergamasco Club UK treats a BVA/KC hip score as standard for breeding dogs. The RKC's own recommendation for the breed is to prioritise genetic diversity, so ask for the litter's COI and compare it with the breed average. There is no breed-specific RKC DNA testing package for the breed.

More for Bergamasco owners and breeders

Official sources