The Bernese Mountain Dog (German: Berner Sennenhund) is a large-sized breed of dog, one of the four breeds of Sennenhund-type dogs from the Swiss Alps. This breed was originally kept as a general farm dog. The breed standard for the Bernese mountain dog states that dogs should not be 'aggressive, anxious or distinctly shy', but rather should be 'good-natured', 'self-assured', 'placid towards strangers', and 'docile'. The man feared a possible attack on his sheep, who were in their fenced off grazing area.