berners

[bigdoglover]

hey everyone, can you guys tell me about your berners? i am thinking of adding a puppy and am considering a berner. i love a nice big dog but they need to be dog friendly and a happy breed. they are so beautiful-i know they aren't the healthiest breed but am trying to get some real info from people who own one. thanks

[zrebny]

They are wonderful loving dogs and I highly recommend one.  Zoe loves other dogs and is very good with children.  She does however think shes a lap dog.  With any large breed there are health risk, but a reputable breeder will supply you with all health histories of both parents.  They are doing allot to weed out genetic problems and increase longevity.  In my opinion you can not go wrong in having a Berner become part of your family!  

[bigdoglover]

so happy to hear that since i found a breeder that is very close to me that has a litter due is 2 weeks. i love big lap dogs-i have  a yellow lab who is just under 100 pounds who still is a lap dog. i just love the big friendly dogs-thank you for the reply

[walnutcreekbernese]

  Bernese would be very lovely if you would love to get one -
maybe you would liked to know about bernese temperament etc...

Temperament:
The Bernese Mountain Dog is very social and extremely loyal to its family. It usually attaches itself to one member in particular. Bernese will love to do the obedience and agility -
Gentle, quiet and very devoted. Loyal and affectionate. Very trainable and willing. Sensitive--should be trained gently. A good watchdog, but not overly aggressive. Self-confident, alert and good-natured. Never sharp or shy. Good with children. These dogs may be slow to mature, remaining boisterous and puppy-like for quite awhile. The Bernese needs to be with people and not relegated to the backyard or kennel run. A friend for life. Like any dog, the Bernese Mountain Dog should be well socialized as a puppy. The Bernese Mountain Dog is eager to please and easy to train. He is intelligent and loving and makes an excellent family dog. These dogs may be slow to mature and remain puppy like for a while.

Up Keep:
This dog enjoys the outdoors, especially in cold weather. It needs daily but moderate exercise, either a good hike or a walk on leash. It enjoys pulling. Although it can physically live outdoors in temperate to cold climates, it is so in tune with its human family that it cannot be relegated to life alone in the yard. Inside, it needs plenty of room to stretch out. Its coat needs brushing one or two times weekly, much more often when shedding. The Bernese life span is described by a Swiss expression: "Three years a young dog, three years a good dog and three years an old dog. All else is a gift from God."

[DeborahY]

Hello I just bought my first Berner 3 weeks ago.  We all love him. Even the cat, they have a ball together. I'm planning on training him to Pet Therapy. With their happy go lucky attitude and teddy bear looks I think kids and adults alike will love him.DeborahY

[sc.trojans]

I am just checking out this site and love seeing a site dedicated to the big ones   Berners are my first breed and love, and my current one is now 9 months old.  I love this breed and am very dedicated to it, working with the National Club and Rescue all I can.  With that said, I am not the enthusiastic endorser that many are, since I feel an obligation to educate and warn:  to say this isn't the "healthiest" would be an understatement .  It is the unhealthiest breed, second only to the Great Dane right now and it is important that when you get one you don't kid yourself into thinking you have a healthy dog - you don't. You can have a healthy Berner, but relative to other dogs, not a truly healthy dog - we are a long way off from that and have made little ground on MH (histio).  Even the best breeders can't ensure a lifespan past 3 years old, and on average still - 6 years old.

Don't get me wrong - they are worth it and a great dog - but they do require what we refer to as "a different kind" of owner - one that understands you're going to have high vet bills and this dog will cost more than most and all of the tremendous sensitivities that go with the health issues in this breed - namely, vaccines, chemicals, drugs, and toxins.  There is also significant emotional sensitivity and requires a very gentle hand - they are considered a "soft touch" dog and scar easily from heavy handed treatment - this is in direct contrast to labs for example, who are not touch sensitive dogs whatsoever.

If you decide to get one - I hope you have qualified an exceptional breeder who will support you for the life of the dog - if so, you will surely be hooked.

Good luck,
Rachel

[jmclaughlin21]

You will not find a happier breed or friendlier than a Bernese. He will greet family members daily, as though he had not seen them for ages. I feed mine a raw food diet to insure that he has a strong immune system since they are susceptible to certain forms of very virulent cancers. However, legitimate breeders are doing a marvelous job of breeding some of the more common problems out of the breed. I have a 180 lb bernese and he is very healthy. Hopefully, he stays that way.

[jmclaughlin21]

A Bernese, in particular, should not be exposed to vaccines, toxins, flea or tick controls or extruded dog foods. With the exception of an occasional hot spot my bernese has never been to the vet. He is  six years old and still as helathy as a puppy. Diet has everything to do with this. Therefore, I disagree that the breed is not healthy and is prone to illness. However, they are geneticaly pre-disposed to virulent cancers. This is a fact and therefore, even more reason to insure that their immune system is not compromised with unnecessary vaccinations and toxic commercial dog foods.   

[sc.trojans]

While I couldn't agree more that extra special care must be taken with this breed, including a raw diet and no exposure to chemicals and toxins, such as vaccines, flea/tick/heartworm chemicals etc - this is only evidence for how unhealthy a breed this is that this is all so required - the breed is fragile.  I feed raw as well and do not vaccinate, use chemicals of any kind on my property etc. and everyone I know with Berners does the same.  We continously struggle with how unhealthy this breed is and compared to others - there is no dispute (except perhaps for the Great Dane).  This breed genetically carries Histio, the Berner cancer, and is plagued by auto-immune diseases (hence the need for fresh food and chemical free environment).  All of the breeders I know work tirelessly to breed the healthiest dogs they can, and to outcross as much as possible - but until they find the gene map for histio, all Berners will continue to carry it (yes, it is believed that they ALL carry it - the question is whether it gets triggered in your Berner).  So much so that the local vet hospitals in my area will not allow Berners to donate blood (histio is carried in the blood).

My current Berner is a happy, active girl who is so far problem free, but I do not kid myself into thinking she is a healthy dog, because I still see immune sensistivity - she is very healthy for a Berner.  I never describe a Berner in terms of "a healthy dog" but rather "a healthy Berner".

I pray that your big boy remains healthy and active and surpasses the typical life expectancy. But don't kid yourself into thinking you have a healthy breed even if he becomes an exception in an all too sad norm for this breed.

[bigdoglover]

just wanted to say i did not get a berner puppy. by the time i had gotten over our12 year old sharpei dying from cancer the end of march i was too late for a puppy from that litter. that being said i want to put my two cents in-my 10 year old lab, bless her loving little heart is not a healthy dog either. she is very sensitive to everything-medications-her shots-has all kinds of allergies-and suffers from fatty tumors like lots of labs. she also has a very large tumor in her chest which we don't know if it is cancer or another fatty tumor as i refuse to put her thru surgery at her age. but, i love her to death and think she is the sweetest dog ever put on this earth and is so funny and loving and just plain old labrador bad but in a good way. she gets along with everyone-two or four legged and is my best friend even with all of her issues. and every lab i know has some kind of health issue so even the most popular dog breed is not healthy in my opinion. but, i am glad to hear all of your experiences with berners and maybe one  day i will find a berner to love for whatever time she is here. thanks!

[jmclaughlin21]

Your response is certainly appropriate. Everyone who has a Berner is awareof the fact that they are susceptible to histo. i have always been particularly diligent because he is so big. He looks like your average sized bear. My comments about diet, immunizatrions and flea and tick controls, however, are directed to everyone who cares about their dog. All dogs will benefit immeasureably from a raw diet and a strong immune system.  The veterinary community makes a fortune recommending toxic dog foods and suggesting a lifetime of toxic vaccinations. These practices will guarantee a reduced lifespan, degenerative bone diseases and painful tooth decay. If your physician suggested that you take a monthly wormer, you would have him commited, Unless you had worms, it would be useless. However, it is a routine recommendation from the Vet. With all the valid studies that have been done and individual dog owners experiences, validating the aforementioned, it does not take a great deal of research to come to the same conclusions. However, most people still consider the veterinary community to be infallible. I wonder, "do they really care about their pets?" 

[sc.trojans]

I couldn't agree more....while I find that most Berner owners in the U.S. - as long as they didn't get a puppymill puppy, but actually from a reputable breeder and joined their Berner club (where they get a lot of education) understand the health issues and sensitivities in our breed, I also believe it is a group far ahead of the rest of the dog public in general.  I think you, and others like you need to jump into the other breed discussions and educate them all there....the diet forum, and the disease and treatment area.

By the way, are you a member of the raw Berner discussion group?  NaturalBerners on Yahoo?  I am a moderator there and recommend it.

[Scythe]

Hello everyone!

Can I just ask you what HISTO means? I do not understand this term, because english is not my primary language and I do not come from US.
I come from small country in Europe and like over the world, berners have health issues here also. And no long ago we talked about berner health problems in Europe and in US. Unfortunately we have little information about what is going on with this breed in US.


Regards

[sc.trojans]

Malignant Histiocytosis - a genetic cancer in Berners and referred to as Histio.  Search it online using the full name.

[Sarrrah136]

Hello:)

Just thought id put in my two cents, even if the topic is dead.
I have two berners, one of which is 4 and one that is about 18 months and have no problems with allergies or anything of the sort, they get fed dog pellets(for breakfast) and have recieved all there vaccines with no problems what so ever.
Maybe its just here in australia, i dont know, but i often attend events with the bernese mountain dog club of western australia and have not heard any other members that have this problem either.
Although i must say there are alot of problems with hip and shoulder problems, with my older bernese having shoulder problems and my younger having such bad hip problems that at one point we were told to seriously consider getting him put down. Although with alot of hard work swimming him up to twice a day, he bult up alot of muscle and is now much better.
I recomend everyone considering getting a bernese to definantly get one, i could not ever imagine going back to another bread of dogs. There just like a member of the family, they eat dinner with us, they sleep in our bed, they watch tv with us. The only problem is that they think there a lap dog :p, a slight problem when you have to bernese both weighing nearly 60kg both trying to sit on your lap..