Hi , I'm new to the forum and this is my first post.

I have been spending a lot of time researching which breed would suit me, and after careful research and meeting several dog breeds in the flesh had decided on the Bernese mountain dog for my first dog as they suit me massively and after meeting loads at shows and a few in there own homes so i could see what there like have fallen in love with the breed. But there's one thing that's worrying me and stopping me from 100% deciding on the breed.

Before i say what's worrying me in wanted to first say that it know there a short-lived breed which I'm fine with and can cope with as i was brought up around great Danes and saint Bernards which mainly lived anywhere between 6yrs-9yrs so I'm used to the short lifespan and i am aware there an unhealthy breed but ( I'm now going to tell you what worries me) some owners have told me to avoid the breed no matter how much they suit me as your always going to the vets with them when it asked how often there talking about one told me that she has English mastiffs and that she doesn't go to the vets often with the mastiffs but with the Bernese she said all of mine have ended up going more than once a year she said her current dog has already been to the vets twice this year already and she and others have said that Berneses are just so unhealthy that your always at the vet with them.

I wanted to see if anyone on here knows if this is true? Do Bernese see the vet more than most breeds?

I know they have there health issues like all breeds but it was shocked that is was told this as even my parents saint Bernards don't go to the vets a lot like every other year or so and smoke never went to the vets and just died of old age at 7yrs ( i know 7yrs isn't old for most dogs but for a Bernard it is)

I'm really hoping that any of you can help me with this

Whats your friend seeing the vet for? Ear infections happen to all breeds, so do eye infections as do hot spots.

Was her Bernese from a very good breeder? Things can and do happen. I cant say i was at the vets all the time when i owned the breed. Years went by where 1 never went.
By buying a Bernese from a breeder who is hip and elbow scoring and using low scores,  DM testing as well which is now recommended and also there is a pre histio test available, whilst that test has no guarantees its something to work with in terms if likelihood a dog will develop that cancer.
There are some very good breeders who are health conscious out there where temperament and type arent ignored either.
Do your research and look at lines which have good longevity too, some lines do make it into double figures quite easily.

Hopefully Merlot will also come along and answer too. There is another breeder on here also, she may post

Thank you so much for getting back to me , it's means a lot

The owners and that one woman in particular incontinence know personally so have no idea what health issues her Bernese had or if hers was from a good breeder , she actually overheard me talking about Bernese's to my dad who was showing his saint Bernard and just started telling me about how all her Bernese's are constantly going to the vets and said they go far more than other breeds.

Thank you for replying and I'm looking forward to hearing from others.

Spay incontinence?

Sorry that was an auto correct error, that was supposed to read " and that particular owner i don't know personally" i don't know why it changed it to incontinence, sorry

I know little about the breed, despite kenelling my dogs with a breeder of them. but do know that environment matters a great deal. Research is your friend about the breed and about rearing and health care.
If you have the opportunity, ask this person detailed questions about what they've been fed, vaccines and parasite 'treatments' given and what & how often for each of these. Also, what have the dogs been to the vet so often for.

There are also people who are always going to the vet regardless of breed, I know 2 people with 4 different breeds between them and they are hypocondriacs both with their own health and their dogs, anything is a vet visit, a tick, 1 runny poo, coughs once, right to "looks a bit off", whilst I am not saying ignore symptoms I know from experience that some owners are much more anxious than others.  Having said that Bernese do have a poor reputation for health problems and if you aren't prepared to go to the vet more than most breeds then maybe they are not the ones for you, in the end there is an element of chance even if you source the puppy from the best breeders.

I know nothing about the breed other than having a friend with one, and she doesn't seem to go to the vet any more than average. But even within a family you will get a child that is never ill and another that always catches anything going, always has a snotty nose etc surely it could be the same in the doggy world in any breed. As long as you use a good breeder who health tests then there is no reason to assume you will get a sickly pup, good luck whatever you decide

Bernese are called the heartbreak breed and often for good reason. I have owned, bred, shown and been involved with the breed for over 20 years now and I don't know the half of it. However I will give you the benefit of what I do know.
First of all, there are good and bad breeders both in the UK and in Europe. Buying a pup from Norway or France or Poland is no guarantee of longevity or good health, it does not matter where your puppy comes from, but what the breeder is doing to make sure they are producing the best they can is what makes the difference. So forget countries for the moment and just concentrate on doing research.
Finding a Bernese guaranteed to make 8 years old is impossible, here in the UK or overseas, there just are no guarantees. The average lifespan is approx 8 years and many live happy healthy lives for longer. Pups from good long lived ancestors can and do contract cancers and die young just as some from ancestors who died young can go on to reach 10-11-or 12.
The only thing you can do is to stack to odds in your favour.
Find breeders who are happy to tell you about the dogs in the pedigree, who understand and know the dogs there and have information about ages and causes of death. Compare pedigrees and the ages and causes, very important the causes !! If there seem to be a lot of dogs who died young to cancers maybe look again at other lines.
Only buy from breeders who KC reg thier pups, (Or whose pups are registered with the KC of the country of origin)  and who health test for Hips Elbows and DM and learn how to interpret those results yourself. With parents full KC names you can look on the KC website and find the results yourself. DM results do not appear on the KC site so ask to see the proof from the breeder and learn how to know your puppy will not be affected. Bernergarde may give you details of overseas dogs and can be a very useful tool, but it is only as good as the information people submit to it.
Build a relationship with your breeder before commiting and see if you feel they are honest and careful. This is understandably easier to do if you both live in the same country but it is VITAL to do if you don't as well, its a breed you have little knowledge of and it's a little easier to suss out the Greeders in the UK if you can meet them and thier dogs than if you have to travel hundreds of miles to do the same in another country. People wishing to sell puppies can be very persuasive !! Meet them and thier dogs.
There is now lots of research being undertaken by Rennes University in France and a pre-histio indexing system has been instigated. It is not and I stress NOT a guarantee of a dog not getting cancer, its research being done to try and establish if there is any way of making a working tool to screen stock to give better chances of not passing genetic predisposition of Histio onto pups. An index of A,B,C is given and it has been shown the A dogs seem to have a lesser chance of getting Histio than B dogs and C dogs have more chance of having Histio, but A dogs do succumb to Histio and C dogs may not so nothing is cut and dried. That said, if a breeder is volunteering to get involved and have thier stock indexed they are showing some commitment to the cancer in our breed and trying to improve it. Bernese die of a variety of cancers and we have virtually no tools to help us breed these out.
You have not mentioned on very very important thing, Temperament, it should be top of the list alongside health for every breeder and it is not acceptable to breed dogs who are not of excellent temperament. You will be taking into your home a pup who will grow to weigh over 45kg and that's a lot of angry dog to cope with if the temperament is wrong
Last but not least, If you decide to go ahead and you find a lovely puppy, be prepared to lose your heart, soul and household to a breed that is unique in its people charms, they are very very people oriented, they do not take well to being excluded from anything the family do, they love without restraint and they show it in every move they make. You will be the center of thier universe and will give you every thing they have to give. Please only take a Bernes on if you have the time and love to give them back what they offer you. If you work 9-5 or have a hectic social life which they cannot join in with they are not the breed for you.
My dogs visit the vet rarely, they are raw fed and I do think it helps. But it's the same with any breed take time get the best you can and hope for the best.
PM me if you like for any info I can add.
Aileen

Bernese are my dream dog.. Just curious if cancer is the number 1 killer of these dogs? Do many just die of old age or age related illness?

> Do many just die of old age or age related illness?

My Vet described dying of old age as one of the major systems failing, so Heart Kidneys, Liver etc.

But as in humans Cancer is likely to affect 1 in 3, and is often the cause of these systems failing as opposed to just wearing out.

Also Cancer is more likely the older an animal/human gets as we have survived a lot of diseases that would have carried us off before we were able to treat them.

Cancer is our No 1 killer we loose far to many to it. About 70 per cent of all recorded causes of death in the BMDCGB Death survey are to cancer. Asking breeders about causes of death of grandparents etc is very important. Nothing is guaranteed though its too widespread and there is nothing yet to geneticly link certain families. But to stack the odds look for families with better longevity. Rennes university in France are doing great research at the moment to try and produce some sort of generic link for histiocytosis the biggest cause of early death in Bernese. Go to the health pages on the Bernese Mountain Dog Club Of GB for loads of great information.

I would say to contact Merlot via PM and go from there. She is very sound for good honest and knowledgeable advice.

I just wanted to say a massive thank you to all of you for taking the time to reply to me and give advice.

Unfortunately even though as a breed I adore Bernese mountain dog I don't think they are for me after careful  consideration I decided I don't thing I can cope with the short life span , i still believe there an amazing breed and will always admire them but I have to do what's right for my future dog and me and it's so very important I get this right and pick the right breeds , it's so important to me that I don't get this wrong. 

Thank you all so much for all your help.