Unlike the corded coat of Puli, Komondor, Havanese and Poodle, the strands of a Bergamasco‘s coat contains “dog hair,” “goat hair” and “wool” that weaves together to create flat layers of hair referred to as “flocks.” The coat is always changing, first from the soft, “bury-my-face-in-it” puppy coat, to the flocking stage which could be described as resembling an unmade bed. Somewhere along the way (usually when the dog is around three years old) the Eureka! moment arrives when the flocks emerge and the dog looks like a real Bergamasco.  Th flocks grow over the course of the dog’s life and typically reach the ground around 6 years of age. The coat can actually smell like a sweater when it is wet; still, the dog is more than its unique look. He has a strong work ethic, and because of his unique partnership with his shepherd in the high, isolated mountain valleys, he had to be as independent as possible. The Bergamasco is wicked-smart problem-solver who sees himself as his owner’s equal.  

Image: “Bergamasco with Puppies” by Josephine06 is licensed under CC BY 3.0 and comes from Wikipedia