[2] A genetic study in 2018 found evidence of haplotypes shared with other European breeds including the Berger Picard, the Bernese Mountain Dog and the Briard.

[4] A breed association, now called the Associazione Amatori del Cane da Pastore Bergamasco, was established in 1949.

[2] The breed was recognised by the Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana in 1956,[2] and was definitively accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in the same year.

Particularly on the hind part of the body, the coat forms long matted locks which provide good protection from bad weather; on the fore part of the body the hair is coarse and forms wavy ringlets like those of a goat, while the hair on the head is rather finer.

[7] The coat may be of any shade of grey, from very pale to matt black; some tinges of isabella or fulvous colour are allowable.