Should you be breeding your BMD?
If you are considering breeding your Bernese Mountain dog, please do a bit of research before moving forward. Breeding any dog, particularly a Bernese, should be approached seriously and with caution. First, your dog should be evaluated for its strengths and weaknesses. All dogs have both, but the weaknesses can haunt generations to come. Then, certain health testing is a must to determine if your dog should be considered to produce offspring. Heaven forbid you produce unhealthy puppies. Hips and elbows should be evaluated for dysplasia, hearts should be certified by a canine cardiologist for defects (sub-aortic stenosis, murmers, etc), eyes should be certified by a certified Ophthalmalogist for cateracts, PRA and other maladies and you should know that your dog and the dog you will be breeding to are cleared for von Willebrands disease. A new test many of our breeders are using is to clear your dog for degenerative myelopathy. This test is not proven yet, but results seem to be bearing out and at the very least you will know if there is potential to produce this very sad disease.
Start your research here: www.bmdinfo.org/bernerpedia/Breeding_Your_Bernese_Mountain_Dog.php
Then think about this. Are you ready to support your puppy families for the life of the puppy? Are you willing to help them if their puppy becomes sick? Do you have the knowledge and experience it takes to do those things? Will you be able to take back a puppy if for some reason things don't work out say two months, two years, five years down the road.
Also, are you emotionally prepared if something happens to your dam during the whelping of the litter? What if you lose one or more puppies? What if your puppies have birth defects?
