HISTORY OF THE BERGAMASCO By Donna DeFalcis President, BSCA; Silver Pastori Bergamasco
I n the beginning, man’s relation- ship with dogs was limited to hunting but, with the evolution of the human species, stock-breeding is man’s most ancient occupation. By then, dogs were well integrated in human communities and immediately found a place in what can be seen as man’s fi rst step towards civilization. Together with man, the dog became a shepherd. It is now universally accepted that the fi rst centers for domestication of sheep and goats were located in central and southern Asia and spread from this region. Di ff usion was mainly due to population groups which emigrated in search of new pastures. Scientists who dedicated their studies to bovine and sheep breeding noted the pres- ence in these same regions of dogs with long, bristly coats. Th e origins of these breeds probably go back to the Himalayan zones where a wolf with a very thick coat was known “Canis lupus laniger”. From these regions, they then di ff used from east to west, settling in mountainous zones along a practically uninterrupted line from the upper planes of Asia to the Alps and the Pyrenees. Along this route there is now a variety of breeds now stabilized and recognized, which are almost certainly direct descendants from a common ancestor. Th e ancestors of our modern Bergamas- co arrived in Italy in the wake of migratory populations, spreading right over the fl anks of the Alps and here he survived for centu- ries and centuries, unchanged due to the in- accessibility of the Alpine region. It was only after the Second World War that industrial expansion and development of tourism caused profound economic changes in life style in the Alpine valleys. Victims of this transition were the fl ocks together with their dogs. It is interesting to note that around the end of the last century, the dog was still de fi ned by some authors as “Alpine Sheepdog” and sometimes as “Northern Ital- ian Sheepdog” which shows that the name “Bergamasco Sheepdog” is fairly recent.
Th e present name of “Bergamasco Sheepdog” should not be attributed to its place of origin, as commonly assumed, but is more probably linked to the history of the “Traveling Shepherds”. Th e arid Bergamasco Valleys provided few resources for the inhabitants who were thus forced to seek work elsewhere, assum- ing tasks which were habitual for them, looking after animals. Th ese were salaried shepherds which took care of the fl ocks of rich landowners and whose work consisted in driving them to the most suitable pas- tures. Th ese traveling shepherds, as indicat- ed by the name, moved around following the migratory routes which took them from the high Swiss planes to the shores of riv- ers in the Po Valley, according to season and requirements. Th is work was traditionally carried out by people from the Bergamasco Valleys, so that through association with the dogs which always accompanied them as indispensable. It is highly probable that the name “Bergamasco” of the shepherds also became the common name of the dogs. For us, the important thing to remem- ber is that we must not be confused by the name and consider the Bergamasco region as the home territory of the breed. To obtain a Bergamasco Sheepdog, you must not think that you will fi nd it among the shepherds in those mountainous valleys since sheep have long ago become extinct in that region. Industrial expansion and the development of tourism caused profound economic changes in life style in the Alpine valleys. Victims of this transition were the fl ocks together with their guardian dogs. No longer jealously protected by their shepherd masters, the dogs have gradu- ally disappeared or mongrelized. It is only thanks to the e ff orts of a few enthusiastic breeders that it has been possible, after a long period of decline, to restore consisten- cy and homogeneity to this Italian breed. In view of its exceptional qualities, it can now compete on equal footing with the best- known foreign breeds.
Th e Bergamasco is a herding/ fl ock guardian that can work with a shepherd and or tend to a fl ock on their own and also fended thinking through everyday prob- lems at the same time working with their shepherds to drive sheep from valley to val- ley through dawn to dusk. Th e Bergamasco has an understanding of what their needs are and your wants and will do so with their own style. At the same time, they were bred to be gentle and not excitable so as not to disturb the sheep. The Coat One of the more important characteris- tics is the coat and the main breeds of this group are the Komondor and Puli in Hun- gary, the Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Briard and Pyrenees Sheepdog of France and the Catalan Sheepdog of Spain. As the dogs migrated north the Bearded Collie and the Bobtail can be found. Th e following are the three types of coat: 1. Undercoat, very fi ne, short and oily, that stays next to the skin making a protective, water resistant layer. 2. Goat hair, coarse, strong, wiry similar to the goat, stays apart, keeps the wool- ly coat from twisting. 3. Woolly coat, fi ne, long and mats together, making the fl at fl ocks. Th e three types of hair are not equally distributed throughout the Bergamasco. Th e goat hair is found on the withers and extends back to approx. half of the body. On the back half of the body, chest and legs there is a lot of woolly coat, also some goat hair grows among the woolly coat in these areas. Th ese two types of coats weave together to make what we call today ( fl ocks). Th e coat is very complex, because of the presence of three types of hair. Th e Bergamasco is the only dog that has three types of coat and this makes them di ff erent from all other breeds and par- ticularly interesting in the viewpoint of historical evolution.
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