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Following are some things to be conscious of/watch out for in buying a purebred dog, which you will not likely find in books.

Breeders should welcome visitation at prearranged times. Those that do not may not want you to see the conditions under which their dogs are kept and/or their puppies are raised. Some breeders do not want visitors at specific times of puppy development but will welcome visitors at other times. We appreciate the opportunity to meet prospective owners and welcome visitors who make the effort to visit.

A breeder’s asking for money prior to their providing a pedigree, deposit agreement or contract of sale, and copies of reports for genetic screenings (hips, elbows, eyes) they claim to have for sire and dam, pictures of their dogs (for those buyers who cannot visit) is questionable. You would not likely put a deposit down on anything else without an agreement with the seller at the time the deposit was taken. Know what you are laying money on the table for.

A breeder’s discussing health problems in the breed does not mean a breeder addresses them in his/her program. Knowing about health problems and doing something about them are two different matters. Some breeders prepare buyers for the worst and do little to insure it does not occur. Others point out the flaws in this breed and actually address health issues in their programs. Do not be misled to complacency in your query by a breeder’s mere discussion of health problems in Bernese.

Producing long-lived animals without serious health problems is most often achieved with not only knowledge of the problems, but concerted research effort in the presence of disease in the families of animals used for breeding. Ask about the health background of the families of the sire and dam. Responsible breeders work diligently to obtain information on their family of dogs. This information should be readily shared with interested prospective buyers.

How does family information become significant to you as a buyer?  How do some breeders actually use the information they gather?  A dam with all certifications and 3 prior litters, none of the offspring of which have been evaluated for hips/elbows and whose littermates are all dead of cancer, may not be in the range of risk you are willing to take. The fact that she is a champion from a long line of champions may not be enough to assure her pups a good chance of living long, healthy lives.

The sire of a prospective litter is seven years old.  The breeder has no idea if any of his littermates are still living or even how many he had.  The breeder of the litter does not own the sire of her prospective litter and knows nothing about his progeny except for the modest hip and elbow information listed in the public databases (OFA and Bernergarde).  Were you to have the information on his family you’d find out he has produced 5 previous litters, the oldest of which is five years old and from which two are already dead of mast cell (inherited in Berners) cancer.  He is to be bred to a female whose litter sister is a cancer survivor—mast cell cancer.  This female’s mother and her mother succumbed to mast cell cancer before age 6 as well. 

What the breeder knows about his/her dogs may not be as important to the buyers of puppies as what the breeder does not know. Breeding from a position of many unknowns in a family background may increase risk of producing undesirable characteristics. Ask about the age and cause of death of animals in the family background. The missing information is often more significant than the provided information. Breeding dogs with a predominance of unknowns in this area of research can be riskier than breeding from a standpoint of known problems.

Information is hard to gather and takes a lot of work. All pedigrees will have quite a few unknowns in them with regard to family history. You are encouraged to deal with breeders who base their breeding decisions substantive information. A champion in a pedigree who died at age 5 is not of as much value to me genetically as a breeder as a quality non-champion who served its owner well to old age.

 "Old Age" is not typically a "cause" of death. In some rare cases all systems wear out simultaneously. More often a diseased organ(s) leads to the animal’s demise. " Lung cancer" is not an adequate diagnosis for cause of death on which to base breeding decisions. The cancer of an organ may be a variety of cancers...some of which are hereditary in BMD’s claiming lives in old age or prematurely.
It is safe to say that all dogs possess numerous genetic faults. Buyers who seek dogs from lines with "no genetic faults" may find breeders who will tell them such is possible, but in reality it is not so. There are no "perfect" dogs nor families free of genetic defects such as hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, heritable cancers and others.

Management may play a significant role in reducing the incidence or severity of some of the diseases seen in Berners commonly.  Seeking a breeding program that offers management guidance to pup buyers seems wise.

AKC championships are an indication of a breeder’s interest in dog showing. They MAY indicate a breeder’s interest in producing quality dogs in the area of breed type.  “Type” is the collection of traits that distinguish one breed from another. They offer little indication of a breeder’s attention to health issues, and most unfortunately, temperament, in a breeding program. Do not be lured by an illusion of value of a championship. It may not be of value to you in securing the qualities that you desire most in the dog you buy.

BEWARE of statements with ALL, NONE, ALWAYS and NEVER which breeders make referring to the health and temperament characteristics of their dogs. Such statements might appear like this: "we have never produced a dog with hip dysplasia," or “we do not have a problem with cancer in our dogs." Statements like this are either based on very limited knowledge of the population discussed or it is a very small population and not necessarily indicative of the genetic potential in the animals mentioned.

Breeders who require that you have your pup’s hips and elbows evaluated for dysplasia may have collected similar information on prior litters. Breeders who utilize this information in breeding decisions have the opportunity to reduce incidence of these diseases in the dogs they produce. Using whole litter information in planning breedings is an indication of a breeder’s dedication to producing sound dogs. Requiring it, or collecting it and not using it is not such an indication.

Most buyers feel breeders are interviewing them...and they are! This is a two way street however. Buyers who interview numerous breeders to learn about their programs stand the greatest chance to have success in finding a breeder they like and feel comfortable with and vice versa. If the breeder is a reputable one, a buyer will likely remain in contact with that person for the rest of their puppy's life and perhaps longer.

What kind of help after the sale can the breeder offer to you? Behavior and training counseling?  Can the breeder offer nutrition, exercise, and health management counseling in which you can have confidence? Ask for references.

Some Thoughts About Guarantees
Buyers’ concerns regarding guarantees are valid.  Our standard guarantee to buyers is that we will utilize the knowledge we have acquired in genetics, structure and temperament in planning breedings. We will provide to prospective buyers proof of genetic screening performed on any dog from whom they may consider a puppy. We will use the best of our acquired and instinctive skills in rearing and evaluating puppies, and in matching each pup with a buyer with whom it will thrive. We will provide sanctuary or assistance in securing sanctuary for any dog we produce if its owners do not want it or cannot keep it for any reason.

We do not offer a written guarantee for replacement or refunds for hip or other problems that potentially could develop. Over the sixteen years of our breeding Bernese we have refunded the purchase price of four dogs. Two were young pups. One of those succumbed to a pulmonary infection and the other to a "heart attack." In both cases a necropsy was performed and in neither pup were congenital abnormalities found to have caused their deaths. We felt compassion for the pup owners, trusted they were forthright with us in their treatment of their puppies, and provided them with the means to obtain a pup elsewhere by giving them a full refund. The third dog developed severe hip dysplasia and required expensive surgery. We were thankful the owners could choose to help their dog in this way. He lived to be ten years old and was a World traveler spending his years in the US and in England.  The fourth dog developed hip dysplasia and was to have surgery.  The surgery was never performed however due to abnormal blood work that indicated the dog possibly had a kidney problem which was discovered just prior to the surgery’s taking place.  It was later determined the dog’s blood values were normal for that particular dog. He never had his hip surgery.  To our knowledge these are extent of the health problems in dogs we’ve produced for which the owners felt a refund was appropriate.

In general I feel breeders offer guarantees to set themselves apart from other breeders who don’t offer any, or as a meager measure of good faith. Some offer guarantees because buyers are more comfortable with some sort of guarantee than with none. Guarantees give many buyers a false sense of security. In reality, a guarantee does little to assure that research and careful planning went into producing a Berner pup.

All breeding programs will produce, to some extent, animals with health problems. Most guarantees do little to help buyers deal with those problems. For example: a buyer purchases a pup for $1200 and the breeder guarantees to replace the dog with one of equal quality if it develops severe HD before a year of age. As a buyer, I would not want another dog of equal quality. What is the breeder going to replace the dog with?  Another pup from a sire or dam with elbow dysplasia perhaps? Will I wind up with two ill dogs to care for? I may not want a second dog.

Another scenario goes like this. Breeder offers to refund the purchase price of the $1200 dog if it has to be destroyed due to a hereditary defect in its first year or two. What about the pup with severe hip dysplasia who needs a $2500 surgery OR euthanasia? If the dog is not destroyed, the buyer is guaranteed nothing.

Another common guarantee reads along these lines. For "show quality" puppies, in the event of severe hip dysplasia, the difference between "pet" price ($1200) and "show" price ($1500) will be refunded. In reality, this dollar amount ($300) is likely enough to diagnose the problem, but offers very little, if any help in treating it.

Be sure to assess the VALUE of the guarantee offered and make sure you do not place undue value for something which is not worth much to you. Do not have a false sense of security that a mere guarantee of any kind offers the likelihood of health. The best security is a breeding planned with emphasis on the health of ancestors and other progeny of the sire and dam; a well matched breeder/buyer relationship; and a well matched buyer/dog partnership.

There are no guarantees for us as breeders that things will go as planned or as predicted either in the health of the dogs we buy ourselves, nor in the dogs we produce or in the honored promises of puppy buyers. In our dealings with the public and with buyers, we try to be forthright, compassionate, and honest. That is what we expect in return. The Golden Rule is a very simple one and our standard practice.

Pet Peeve--the terms Pet and Show Quality
We do not use the terms "pet" and "show" quality when grading pups. Dog breeders commonly use these terms that have no standardized criteria. What is "pet" quality to one breeder would be "show" quality to another. Similarly most breeders distinguish a difference in price between "pet" and "show" pups. Typically our pups are priced equally. We do not charge a bigger price for "show" pups then offer refunds for the difference between "show" and "pet" should the dog be unsatisfactory. Of what value is that to the buyer who has STILL paid ("pet price") for an inferior, unsatisfactory animal?

If a person buys a pup from us with aspirations to show, we want that experience to be a positive one. We would strive to provide a pup we felt would not only measure up minimally to the breed standard, but would represent our program well in the show ring. Sometimes our assessments of puppies do not pan out to be accurate when the animal is grown. Rarely do we place puppies with individuals who seek dogs to breed. When we do, these sales agreements are by private treaty.

Be aware that some breeders grade "quality" of pups based on markings. Keep in mind that breeders of solid colored breeds cannot assess quality at birth based on markings. Neither should BMD quality be assessed at birth based on markings other than gross mismarkings (white head, collar, or ground color other than black.)

Just because a pup is marked correctly and has no disqualifying faults does not make it a "show" pup in our evaluation. Our criteria are stricter than that. We have sold excellent quality pups to families whom we knew would never show the pup...because it was the right home for that pup. The ONLY disqualifying faults in this breed by AKC standards are "ground color other than black" and a "blue eye". By the time pups are 8 weeks old, these disqualifying faults should be obvious.

It is very sad for a family to get all hyped up on getting a "pet quality puppy" for a specific price and then at the last minute have the breeder spring on the family that no "pet quality" puppies are available. The price they will have to pay for a "show quality" puppy is several hundred dollars more. Know what your deposit is for before you send it. No breeder can KNOW there will be a puppy for a buyer at placement age. Tragedies can occur and puppies can change for the better or worse as they develop.
Do not be conned by the breeder who produces "only show quality puppies." Such a person’s standards are questionable.

Maintaining a Breeding Animal for a Breeder’s Use
Do not be lured into showing and breeding agreements if you have no real interest in these activities. Maintaining a stud dog for a breeder may or may not be a part of your goals in ownership. A breeder's requiring that an individual with no interest in breeding breed his/her purchased bitch and have a litter is not looking out for the best interest of the buyer, the bitch, her puppies, nor the buyers of her puppies. Orchestrating the conception of life comes with a great deal of responsibility. Unless this is of interest to you, do not become involved in producing puppies. There are plenty of breeders who will not require this of you from whom you can purchase a pup.

There are risks and inconveniences which come with owning in-tact dogs.  Unused in-tact males have the shortest lifespans amongst  Berners according to the BMDCA’s 2000 Health Survey.  They also have higher incidences of prostate disease.  In-tact females have increased risk of developing mammary cancer.  50% of Bernese brood bitches undergo cesarian section in their breeding careers.  These risks may be outside what you’d knowingly choose for your family.  Know what you’re getting into before embarking on collaboration in dog breeding. 

By in large, Bernese Mountain Dog breeders are an honorable lot. Not every honorable breeder however addresses the things important to YOU, the buyer, in his/her breeding program. It is the responsibility of the buyer to determine what is important to him/her and to search for a breeder who can most likely meet those needs in providing an appropriate puppy.

I am hopeful some of this information will benefit you in your search for the right dog for you.

Here is a summary of some things to consider in selecting a breeder. 

THINGS CONSCIENTIOUS BREEDERS DO AND WHY THAT IS IMPORTANT

Please "Bark at the Owner".   Your feedback helps me immensely in addressing the educational needs of prospective Berner owners.

Ruth Reynolds 3-24-98, updated 10-04

Back to Addressing The Whole Dog

Bark at the owner: pioneer@twlakes.net