Breed Information
The Bernese Mountain Dog Makes a great family member..........but did you know that as with many other breeds, the Bernese Mountain Dog has it's share of breed related health issues? Like many breeds Cancer is the #1 cause of the death in this breed, Cancer is in every Bernese Mountain Dog pedigree..........and if someone tells you they have Cancer free lines or a Cancer free pedigree, run as fast as you can and find a person that will be honest with you and inform you of where the Cancer is and to what degree in their pedigree. The risk of Cancer can be reduced in a pedigree by breeding to pedigrees with minimal amounts of Cancer behind the Stud Dog or Bitch.
Other health related issues are Liver Shunt, Kidney Issues, Heart Issues, Eye Issues, Hip and Elbow Issues and ACL Issues, etc. Always ask your breeder to provide copies of OFA Hip, Elbow, Eye and Heart Certifications on both the Sire and Dam of the litter and always ask them where the Cancer is in their pedigree, how many dogs have they produced that have died and at what ages did those dogs die of Cancer. Ask if they have had any other health issues in their pedigree, if so what was the issue and at what age did the dog pass away and was the dogs death related to that health issue.
Responsible Breeders take great care to try and reduce health issues within their pedigrees. This requires thousands of hours of pedigree research to put the right combinations together. Breeding isn't about the next Rosette Ribbon hanging on the wall, it's about improving the health of the breed and a Responsible Breeder takes every precaution they can to do just that.........improve the over all health.
Average cost of a Bernese Mountain Dog depends on the region you live in, on average a Bernese puppy will cost between $3000.00 - $4500.00 from a responsible breeder. Those responsible breeders are the ones that put the time into pedigree research, testing their breeding dogs, loving, raising and caring for the puppies in their homes, and making sure each home is a correct fit for each puppy. As breeders we hope that every home we approve meets our expectations.
Breeding does not come without heartaches, nor is it cheap to breed a dog no matter what the breed. Below is a General Summary of estimated breeding costs based on a few local Veterinarians prices. These prices are not exact, just an estimated range.
Estimated Breeding Costs
Stud Fee: $3000.00 - $4500.00
OFA Certifications (Hips and Elbows): $325.00 - $800.00
OFA Eyes: $45.00
OFA Heart: $45.00
DM Testing: $62.00
vWD Testing: $150.00
Thyroid Testing: $210.00 - $500.00
Progesterone Testing: $65.00 - $135.00 per test (3-5 tests minimum are required per breeding depending on the bitches cycle)
Semen Collection and Evaluation: $300.00 - $550.00
Artificial Insemination: $200.00 - $350.00
Transcervical Insemination: $500.00 - $850.00
Surgical Insemination: $500.00 - $1500.00
Ultrasound to Confirm Pregnancy: $125.00 - $250.00
Pregnancy X-ray: $110.00 - $200.00
C-Section Delivery: $2500.00 - $5000.00
Dew Claw Removals: $100.00 - $250.00 per puppy
Deworming costs Per Puppy: $20.00 - $40.00 (may need to be repeated more than twice)
Vaccine Per Puppy: $55.00 - $85.00
Microchip Implant Per Puppy: $75.00 - $125.00
These costs do not reflect unexpected costs such as emergency trips to the vet for Kennel Cough, Aspirating Puppy, Fading Puppy, Vomiting Puppy, etc. They also do not reflect the breeders lost wages from time off work to raise the litter, dog food expense, laundry supplies, cleaning supplies, milk replacer incase mom has no milk or she can't nurse, bottle liners, etc.
So as one can see, a responsible breeder goes through quite a lot of time and expense hoping that all goes well with the breeding and they have a litter. Sometimes a breeder goes through all of the expense to breed their dog (including having certifications completed) and their Bitch may reabsorb the litter, may wind up with pyometra (which means a spay surgery in most cases) or the Stud Dog might not have good semen or no semen at all, etc. We also do our very best to produce the healthiest puppies possible. Responsible Breeders can't give guarantees that a health issue won't crop up, but we do our best to reduce those chances through proper research.
Breeders that do not do any of the above just put their dogs in the backyard and allow a breeding to take place with/without supervision and no care of safety to the dogs during breeding. They also do not take time to complete Health Certifications, usually do not research pedigrees, do not progesterone test, and do not Ultrasound or X-ray. These types of breeders may also say they are affiliated with some organization like AKC. AKC is simply a registry, they DO NOT affiliate themselves with any type of breeder and it does not mean you are getting a healthy puppy.
Now that you have seen some of the expenses a Responsible Breeder has into each of their breedings, do you want to buy your puppy from someone who gives their love, care and time into each and every puppy/litter they produce............or do you want to take your chances with a less expensive puppy and spend thousands of dollars treating health issues throughout the dogs life because the breeder didn't do any research and has no clue as to what they are producing???
BK Bernese
Livonia, MI
(734)620-4920