A breed standard is essentially a blueprint describing how a breed should look, move, and behave. Of course, standards are always open to some interpretation, and different people may read the same words a little differently. As breeders, we use the standard as a guide to what we should be striving for, always keeping the breed's original purpose, soundness, and character in mind.

The original Bergamasco Sheepdog breed standard was written in Italy in 1958, using Alpino di Valle Imagna as one of the important dogs that helped define the breed. Although the Italian standard has been revised over the years, much of the original remains unchanged.

In the United States, the American Kennel Club approved its first Bergamasco standard in 2010, and the breed achieved full AKC recognition in 2015. The AKC standard was later revised in 2022.

The Canadian Kennel Club follows a standard based on the FCI standard, which represents the breed's country of origin, Italy. Most countries around the world recognize the FCI standard. The United States is not an FCI member country, so Bergamascos shown in AKC events are judged according to the AKC standard.