Be Informed
RESPONSIBLE BREEDER CHECKLIST
You as the purchaser of a Bernese Mountain Dog are determining the future of our breed. Your decision will help decide if our breed flourishes under the leadership of caring, conscientious breeders. If you choose a puppy from a mass puppy producer or ignorant backyard breeder, you are a direct contributor to the decline of our wonderful breed. We sincerely hope you care enough about your breed of choice to want to buy from a responsible breeder.
Since no “bad” breeder is going to announce this to you (in fact, they will do their best to bamboozle you with great sales talk), below is a quick checklist to help you decide if you are dealing with a responsible breeder.
1. Are the sire and dam both over two years old?
Yes______________ No_____________
OFA final certification for hips and elbows cannot be done until two years old. Talk to the breeder about preliminary evaluations done prior to two years old.
2. Do the sire and dam have their hips and elbows OFA certified? (and has the breeder given you copies of their certifications)?
Yes________________ No_______________
Hip and elbow dysplasia all exist in Bernese Mountain Dogs. Making sure both parents have OFA clearances helps limit the chance that your puppy will develop these debilitating problems. Ideally, the breeder should be able to supply you with certifications for the entire pedigree.
3. Do the sire and dam have their eyes CERF (Canine Eye Registration Foundation) evaluated (and has the breeder given you copies of the certifications)?
Yes________________ No__________________
PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) and Entropion are just two of the hereditary eye diseases that Berners can have. If the sire and dam have CERF clearances, they have been declared free of any genetic eye diseases (note: this is an annual certification. If you are provided with a document which is more than two years old, it is of little value).
4. Any other health certifications performed and provided by the breeder (such as von Willibrands disease, thyroid testing, eye exams by a board certified opthamologist, etc)?
Yes________________ No________________
These genetic conditions exist in Bernese Mountain Dogs and testing is available.
5. Do the sire and dam have titles in Conformation, Obedience, Herding, Agility, Tracking, Drafting, or other activity?
Yes___________________ No________________
While a title before or after a dog’s name does not prove anything, it does suggest that the dog has both the ability and temperament to excel in a given activity. A Conformation title also implies that a breeder is willing to have his dog judged against the standard for the breed. One of the reasons you are buying a purebred dog is because you expect to get a dog that looks and acts like what the breed standard says. Breeders who don’t show their dogs may have dogs which have deviated away from the standard. They may, in fact, not even KNOW what the standard says.
Titles also suggest that the breeder is active and interested in the world of purebred dogs and that they are breeding for a purpose – to improve the breed – not simply to make money.
6. Have you met the sire and dam of the puppy that you are going to purchase? Has the breeder sent you pictures?
Yes______________ No_________________
If distance makes it impossible for you to meet the sire and dam, you should get referrals from others that know the sire and dam. Don’t just take the breeders word for it that their dogs have great temperaments or look beautiful. If you are considering purchasing from an import broker or retail pet store, obtaining any information about the parents will be impossible.
7. Has the breeder provided you with at least a 4-generation pedigree?
Yes______________ No_________________
This pedigree should show you each dog’s titles and health checks. If none, or only a few, of the dogs in the pedigree have this information, you should closely question the breeder as to their reason for breeding.
8. Has the breeder given you an example copy of the contract?
Yes________________ No___________________
You should question any breeder who wants to sell you a dog without a contract. A fair contract is there to protect both you as the buyer and the breeder as the seller. A contract should contain, at a minimum, the following:
A. Some sort of health guarantee. This will vary by breeder.
B. A spay/neuter clause on any pet/companion puppies, and a “limited” AKC registration. This is done to prevent inappropriate breeding.
C. A lifetime return policy, sometimes called Right of First Refusal. This ensures that the puppy will not end up in a shelter or rescue if for whatever reason you cannot keep the dog.
9. Has the breeder asked YOU a lot of questions?
Yes________________ No__________________
A good breeder wants to make sure you understand what sort of dog you are interested in. Berners are a wonderful breed, but they don’t work in every lifestyle, and a good breeder will make sure you and the dog are a good match. A seller who only asks for your credit card number should raise a HUGE RED FLAG!!
10. Does the breeder know the breed well?
Yes_______________ No ____________________
A responsible breeder will know the Bernese Mountain Dog breed. They will know about the health and temperament problems that exist in the breed. They will be able to talk to you about the characteristics of the dog and help you determine if this is the right breed for you. An experienced breeder will also know how to recognize certain traits in individual puppies that will help him match the right puppy to the right home.
12. Is the breeder a member of the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America?
Yes__________________ No__________________
While club membership does not guarantee that the breeder is responsible, it does show that the breeder is interested in learning more about their own breed.
