^Thanks for the info, @Consolation.
Ooh, I think I know the mother/daughter you’re talking about - we co-own a boat with the daughter’s ex-husband - small world! Didn’t realize that…
We had a purebred bernese in our shelter recently–one thing I learned is they are apparently slow to mature…ie are in the “puppy” stage longer than most dogs would be. Good luck! Sounds exciting!
Talk to your vet about it, but as the dog matures you will want to keep him on the lighter side. It helps prevent hip/arthritis problems in bigger dogs.
I just came to ask that you share photos. Puppy pictures are often the highlight of my day. Followed the Bangor, ME, Fb page the past few days and fell hard for the adorable rescue pup that two officers transported back from VA to ME.
Your near future age maybe should play a role in your choice of breed. A large dog whose weight and exercise needs you can handle now could be too much for you 5 or 10 years from now.
That’s how I chose a small breed this time: When I took my miniature to the vet’s, they told me I’d done the right thing, as the number one reason they saw people giving up their dogs was they’d aged out of being able to handle them.
We had a Berner and she was just the sweetest thing – I love the breed! She lived eight years and was a puppy for pretty much all of them. 
Our current dog is a one-year-old Briard. Equally loving temperament but a lot more buoyant. The breeder strongly recommended an APDT (Association of Professional Dog Trainers) certified trainer. There’s a “find a trainer” link on their page https://apdt.com/ It’s the best thing we ever did. Our Berner was so docile that DIY training was enough to make her a good citizen of the home. Now we live with an independent and assertive but very sensitive breed. The classes are fantastic. Positive, non-aversive, scientifically based on how dogs learn and how to work with them for the best results. My girl has responded really well to the training.
And my I add my voice to the “pictures, please!” chorus?
Congrats on the puppy! We have our second Berner now. Our first passed a month before her 8th birthday. They are wonderful dogs.
@momsquad and @Consolation - Nice to see references to BernerGarde and bmdca files and health references! You must be Berner people.
@eyemamom - Those are great sources of info if you want to familiarize yourself with the breed. Someone suggested activities to do with your dog and you’ll see that, as a working breed, they are often happiest when they have a job.
@xyxyxx I’ve never been fortunate to have a Berner, but I have admired them for a long time. I admit that I am put off by the statistically short lifetime. Alas, my last three dogs–the ones I owned, not the ones I fostered for friends and relatives–were a GSD and two Goldens, none of whom lived to be older than 8. Cancer. 
Hemangio sarcoma, lymphoma, histiosarcoma. Golden people are aggressively pursuing research, and I’m gad to see that Berner people are too. GSD people succeeded in making huge strides against hip displasia. Responsible breeders make a huge difference.
The people I know with a Bernese love him, he’s wonderful with children and very gentle overall, but they hadn’t really counted how much it’d cost in food - make sure you have the budget 
Can I just say how terribly jealous I am? I’ve wanted a dog for many years now, always had them until about 10 years ago. I just can’t reconcile my work day and travel with a puppy. I’ve always had goldens, with a black lab thrown in for good measure lol, but a Bernese is at the top of my not-gonna-happen Santa list. Enjoy your puppy!
My sister has a female Swiss Mountain Dog, which looks a lot like a Bernese but has shorter hair. She is huge (like 110 lbs.), but the sweetest dog I have ever met. They have a fenced yard and an electric doggie door which no way looks big enough, but she slithers right through! When she was younger (she’s an old lady now - my sister jokes that her dog and our mom are about the same age), my BIL bought a classic cart and she pulled the kids around the neighborhood. They live in Buffalo - needless to say, she loves the snow.
My daughter is dying for us to get a cart. I still am somewhat of a whippersnapper so 8 years from now I still imagine to be active and moving. As crazy as it sounds, I didn’t want a dog with a super long lifespan. I’m just excited, I’ve got the calendar from petco of socializing and training events and invisible fence will be installing a system as well. I hope to figure out how to upload a picture here, that one to the left was a miracle, and as you see I still couldn’t get it to fit.
NEPats you might try volunteering at a no kill shelter. My daughter and I love it. We get to have “lots” of dogs. Many who we fall for. Nothing beats a wagging tail/wiggly butt and a kissy dog.
We had a BMD and she was an absolute darling. I miss her still, every day. Wonderful, wonderful breed-- look for your puppy to do the “Berner lean” where she will lean against your legs and ours also did the “Berner hug” where she would wrap one paw around your leg and hug you. SO sweet!!
Our girl was about 80 pounds and ate 2 cups of food a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. Pretty reasonable, I’d say. Our current rescue mix eats that amount and she is only 45 pounds.
Our Berner lived to be 9 and some-odd years old and was in perfect health when she died except for an incapacitating nerve issue in her back. I won’t lie, it was tragic, but we were very blessed for all the time we had her and kept her for as long as we could.
You will never, ever regret sharing your life with a Berner- they are tremendously loving dogs.
I have a dog park friend who has a St. Bernard, and she also does the “lean.” It is particularly wonderful in the middle of winter, when she keep my legs warm!
Does the breeder know you will have an invisible fence? Some breeders will not sell to owners of an invisible fence.
I got the low-down from D on the breed. She worked for a doggy day care two summers and has a pretty good idea. Her take: excellent pets, high energy when they are young so they do best with a big yard and lots of walks. They are attentive and exceptional listeners when well trained.
Cavaliers are her favorite breed. They are friendly and play well with all breeds.
@MasterS - we passed the interview and told her we were invisible fencing part of the yard. She told us they learn so quickly then end up not even needing to wear the collar after awhile.
I walk a lot in our local parks which are wooded, scenic, hilly and go onto a beach - it’s a top fossil hunting location in the country. I already bought her a portable water bottle/bowl. We also live near a small tourist area on the water with boardwalks and shops and we live in what I called an 1850 neighborhood - tree lined pebble streets, as well as we live on the water with a beach, so I’m looking forward to getting her used to walking on all different terrains. I’ve already warned hubby, do not expect me to be all in on any new projects at work, I’ve got a puppy to train!! I need to find out what shots I need to get her right away so we can go to puppy socialization classes at petco. My plan is to have her sleep in our room the first few nights in a smaller crate so she can be nearby, then move to her crate downstairs for sleeping. I got myself into such a tizzy of excitement the other night I had to a few cocktails to relax. It’s so interesting to me how the individual breeds have such specific personalities. I’ve always been a mutt person from the spca.
We also plan on rolling up the area rugs and send them out for cleaning for the first little bit. It probably wouldn’t be the worst thing to roll them up and clean under them.
Anyone willing to make a small side wager on this ever happening? 
@eyemamom if you don’t already know about it, make sure to get some Nature’s Miracle. Wonderful stuff for eradicating evidence of house training mistakes on floors and rugs…which of course makes it less likely to happen again. 
$10 bucks that puppy owns a corner of the bedroom before next summer