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Drs. Mark & Carol Stephenson
Buckeye Canine College
Buckeye Bernese Mountain Dogs
(east of Cincinnati, Ohio... near Owensville)
513-659-2673 voice and text
buckeyeberners@gmail.com
www.buckeyeberners.com
We offer reputable breeder and rescue referrals, guidance for puppy
selection, & training assistance or referrals to other trainers in your area.
We help our clients learn to use positive training methods
(including but not limited to clicker training) for success in puppy
socialization and "good family dog" manners.
We also train one-on-one or in very small groups for:
conformation, obedience, agility, rally, draft dog (pulling
carts and wagons), tracking, herding, and therapy dog.
We are just starting Nosework and AKC Farm Dog.
Carol is a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator.
Berners are large, affectionate working dogs that make
wonderful family pets. However, the breed has certain
characteristics--such as massive shedding and an 8 year
average life span--that you need to understand and accept
before welcoming one into your family. As with many breeds,
they can also have potentially expensive and heart-breaking
inherited health issues.
The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America (BMDCA)
recommends that breeders test dogs who will be parents for:
hip and elbow dysplasia- xrays certified by OFA or PennHIP
degenerative myelopathy- SOD1A and SOD1B genetic test
eye diseases- exam by board certified opthomologist
heart diseases- exam by board certified cardiologist
thyroid insufficiency- if known to exist in bloodline
Von Willibrands Hemophilia- if not clear by parentage tests
Bernese have a predisposition to a cancer called histiocytic Sarcoma.
There is a new Histo Pre-test under investigation. Some breeders
are testing their dogs as part of the research.
If you are seeking a puppy, ASK your breeder about these health issues.
Good breeders test for as many of these things as possible
and can show you proof from official health registries such
as OFA and PENNHIP or genetic testing laboratories that your
prospective puppy's parents are clear or normal for these and
other conditions.
Some dogs are "Carriers" for a condition--
which means they will not be ill, but possess one copy of a
mutated gene and could pass that gene to future generations.
Pet owners do not need to worry if they are told their puppy
is a carrier of things like VWB or DM-- carrier status is more of
a concern for breeders as they plan which male to breed with
which female. Keep in mind that all of these tests don't guarantee
that every puppy will be perfectly healthy, but they are a good
breeder's best tool to minimize health problems.
Please don't make an impulse buy! We discourage buying from a pet store,
a "nice farmer in the country", a backyard breeder who just decided to
raise some puppies, or an online source. "Farm raised" and online pups
especially are often part of the network of breeders supplying high volume
puppy mills. Their main business is to sell pups to pet stores that sell dogs.
These huge commercial pet store corporations recruit Amish and other
farmers and backyard breeders who want some quick cash to raise dogs
for their stores. Anything the pet stores don't want ends up being sold
locally through the paper or online. The parents of these puppies will have
few if any health clearances and these breeders will not be involved in
training or breed clubs, nor will they be showing their dogs in
professional dog shows or in performance events like obedience and agility.
you won't see them visiting hospitals or schools doing therapy work.
They are just raising dogs for cash.
Because quality USA breeders will not sell intact pups with unrestricted
breeding privileges, there are many puppies produced today from poor
quality imports. Sometimes they claim "champion lines" in Europe. Some
claim European dogs are healthier than USA dogs-- NOT TRUE! A 2016
SWISS study confirmed the berner health issues are the same worldwide.
People purchasing these puppies may think they are getting a bargain,
but this may be offset by medical expenses or heartbreak as the puppy
develops problems. A large number of dogs with this background have
been turned over to our rescue because the dogs have serious orthopedic
and/or temperament problems (excessive shyness or aggression) that the
owner could not deal with.
Be aware that Amish and Mennonite farmers are raising bernese and
other dogs as "livestock" -- they usually (but not always) have several
breeds on their property and typically they do minimal if any health
clearances. They buy their breeding stock from each other, auctions,
backyard breeders, or eastern Europe. We have accepted into rescue
"used up" Amish/Mennonite breeding dogs who would otherwise simply
be "disposed of" when they can no longer breed for the farmer or when
economic conditions make the farmer decide to breed something else.
If you would like to give a "forever home" to a rescue bernese--
typically very sweet, but often shy adult dogs who grew up in a barn,
let me know and I will put you in touch with our rescue groups.
Please don't buy puppies from breeders who don't do health screening
tests--you may save a few dollars up front, but will likely pay for it
later in vet bills. We do not believe breeders like this really care about
the long term health of your puppy and buying from them perpetuates
the cruel practice of funding them to breed dogs until they wear out.
Expect a quality breeder to require co-ownership with rights to
reclaim a pup if you break the contract. Typically they will turn
complete ownership over to you once you have completed the health
tests they need (like hip and elbow x-rays at age 2) and you follow
through by spaying or neutering the dog. If your pup is especially
nice, your breeder may encourage you to keep the puppy intact,
and will sign off ownership if you show your dog and it becomes a
show champion (which confirms that professional judges feel it is a
quality dog suitable to breed) and you complete health testing that
they need to know about to improve their overall breeding program.
These contract requirements protect their bloodlines and makes
sure they stay in touch with you. A good breeder wants to know
about any health issues your pup might develop-- this allows them
to make changes in their overall breeding program to eliminate
traits that are not healthy. The many detailed provisions of a good
breeder's contract are designed to protect the puppy AND to prevent
it from being used by an unscrupulous breeder. Most good breeders
want to be the first person contacted if you EVER must give up your dog.
Ask if your puppy-to-be's parents, the litter, and all their health
clearances are listed in the PUBLIC online Berner-Garde Foundation
database. Berner-Garde is a non-profit organization that maintains
a free, worldwide database of health information sent in by
dedicated breeders of Bernese and by the owners who buy puppies
from them. By freely sharing information and test results, by working
with top researchers at veterinary universities, and by promoting
genetic testing of breeding dogs, the worldwide health of bernese
mountain dogs will improve over time.
Go to the Berner-garde site www.bernergarde.org
and look for yourself! You can search around in the database by
dogs, owners, and kennels. You can view entire pedigrees, causes
of death, illness reports, etc. If your breeder and the puppies
parents are not in Berner-garde, or if the dogs are there, but
no health clearances are listed, BEWARE! Good breeders list
both terrific test results and the not so great results.
All of it is helpful as we improve our beloved breed.
You should wonder what they have to hide if a breeder is not
putting their dogs and health information into berner-garde.
Simply being AKC registered is NO protection--anyone
can sell AKC puppies. Please be informed.
Also, realize that "both parents on the premises" is often
(but not always!!) a bad sign. Good breeders spend hours pouring over
pedigrees and health records to find the best possible boy
dog for their precious girl. Rarely is the BEST boy already
living in the same household. You should expect to meet
the mom with the puppies. You should receive information
about the dad so you can go visit him if you wish. Don't assume
that dad will live nearby--good breeders take their girls to
the best boy they can find, wherever he is or even use artificial
insemination to get the best, healthiest match possible.
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