Hi

Ok so so my sister has decided to get a Bernese mountain dog after meeting loads at crufts, shows , at owners houses and has fallen for them and they tick all her boxes , but she's been told it's impossible to find a healthy one.

I just wanted to ask on her behalf of any Bernese experts on here could help her by giving advice on how to find a healthy Bernese ( by healthy she just means will reach at least 8yrs and doesn't have to many serious problems) she's knows that there called the heartbreak breed for a reason but she said to me "there is no way I'm giving up on a Bernese I love them to much"

Any advice would be very greatful.

I have never had a bernese & know nothing worth knowing about them. However, I do know about health problems, especially UKs very poor standards, compared to mainland Europe.
I suggest (& would do it myself if interested) you explore with mainland european breeders what health probs & what generally are tests of parents are carried out.
Below is one Norwegian breeders site where you can find European Bernese breeding & other breeds. Personally if I were interested in a Bernese I would start by calling the Norwegian breeder below & find out more about health & health probs in the breed, especially ask about DCM & hip & elbow dysplacia, I would find a few more European & get a few of their opinions on points I wanted to know, so, bung a few quid in Skype & your on your way!

Norway Breeder
http://www.apoletano.com/english/innhold.htmr

European Dog Breeders
https://www.eurobreeder.com/breeds/berner_sennenhund.html
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You need to ask about longevity in their lines. Bernergarde is a good place to view. Hip and elbpw scoring. Dm testing and now the pre histio cancer test too.
I myselt cant bring myself to have another. Im currently lookimg at lines i like and the averagr age of death in those lines.
Merlot and Grets are both good people to send pms to om here. One has owned and bred bernese for a good number of years and the other did but now works in the breed rescue. Wolfiestruppi if she is still on here also owns and breeds bernese and has good longevity in her lines so worth sending her a message too. All uk based.

.> I do know about health problems, especially UKs very poor standards, compared to mainland Europe.<br />I suggest (& would do it myself if interested) you explore with mainland european breeders what health probs & what generally are tests of parents are carried out.

Again your views are too generalised, and more about the systems than the dogs.

Just because UK Kennel Club does not have the same compulsory health testing systems that some Kennel Clubs and Breed Clubs have in other countries, does not mean that caring breeders worthy of the name here do not do as much or more on a voluntary basis. Breed Clubs in the UK do have codes of ethics much stronger than anything the Kennel club requires

I imagine there are as many breeders overseas who are just as careless with their breeding as there are here, just they do not use the registration systems, much as many do not here in UK.

So I would always contact breeders through the breed clubs in the UK, as generally in any breed those most interested in their breeds as a whole choose to work with like minded people in their breed comm8nity, here and internationally.

Of course you can contact overseas breeders, but evaluating them and their dogs is not as easy, and often you also have to contend with language barriers.

Again your views are too generalised, and more about the systems than the dogs.

Again, your correct, the health testing standards & systems in Europe stop films like this being put out on Channel 4

https://vimeo.com/17558275
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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.
PM me if you like for any info I can add.
Aileen

Merlot- an excellent and informative post.

Very well written & informative post on a breed not to common or well known in UK.

Having thought about some of the conditions outlined & on a personal basis I certainly would not go for such a short life breed, even more so if it might end up with having to euthenase early on cause my dog started to suffer incurable from DM or for that matter any other terminal condition where a dog of mine had was suffering to survive,or, better put, where my dog would be suffering to delay only my own, inevitable 'berevment'.

Because it is not a common breed in UK any hereditary condition would be more common per dog than a widspread a popular dog.

DM pdf
http://gavetrehab.com/files/GVR-Degenerative-Myelopathy-Fact-Sheet.pdf
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From THIS website re the Berner

"Health

The breed is no more prone to illness than any other but there are certain traits that need to be watched.

Hip Dysplasia can occur and more seriously elbow dysplasia. Entropion and ectropion occur but rarely, as do epileptiform seizures.

The breed is sadly not long lived with average age at death under 8 years with cancer being the major killer. "

FWIW!

Euro, no Bernese even need to be born suffering from DM as long as people buy from a breeder who tests and  uses the results properly. Same as with GSD's who are another breed who can carry it. There should never be another dog born with DM if bought from a good breeder.

There should never be another dog born with DM if bought from a good breeder.

Very interesting, does that mean they know the combinations which would transmit it?

Are there enough breeders testing though as I know in the GSD my uncle found it hard to find a breeder who tested as there were not many.

Not sure how recently thay was zara80 but ime it is something that the responsible good had breeders are doing as smarter of coirse along with the other necessary health tests .so hopefully things are i proving in the front and similar in bernese.after all.there are no excuses when a good test is available

Are there enough breeders testing

I think it's much more significant as to how many breeding Bernese there are in UK, reason is simple, the smaller the breed numbers the more confined the gene pool!

FYI Euro
http://bernese.co.uk/health/degenerative-myelopathy/
Should help to clarify the risks in Bernese for you
Aileen

Actually the smaller the breed the more likely that through testing is done on a larger proportion of the breed, and a better handle on breed health issues, even if there are no definitive tests, better overall knowledge of lines means better knowledge of mate selection fro health and temperament.

Not surprising that in some of the most popular breeds some pockets of ethical breeders have made great strides in health, yet the breeds overall are still pretty poor.