Hi Jenn, > How do I know the breeder I have pick is a reputable breeder?
I look for *responsible* breeders. There are many breeders with "reputation", ie: well known...but that doesn't mean they are necessarily *responsible breeders* which is who I want to deal with. There are many things responsible breeders do and don't do that sets them apart from people who are simply interested in taking your money. Responsible breeders screen their dogs for hereditary diseases to minimize the risk of passing them on to their puppies. Most of these problems aren't visible, they require expert evaluation to detect. Before breeding, my dog was *certified* free of hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, eye diseases, von Willebrands Disease, and heart defects. The examinations and certifications were done by *board certified* radiologists, opthalmologists, cardiologists, and using DNA. They were NOT declaration made by my vet. *** The responsible breeder will make available to you *copies* of the clearance certificates for the diseases the sire and dam of the litter were screened for BEFORE you sign a contract or give a deposit.*** Instead of providing paperwork for the pedigree, clearances, titles, their contract, etc... profiteers will speak in general terms. Statements like: "Her hips are good", "My vet says she's healthy as can be", "The pups are from Champion lines", "I don't have cancer in my lines", "I've never had a problem with ....(hips, elbows, etc)", "I'll send you the paperwork after I receive your deposit", "These pups are from European lines, they don't have the problems Bernese here do", "A good friend of mine in Europe sent them to me..." Responsible breeders are happy to arrange a time for you to meet their dogs and see how they're raised. You won't be welcome when very young puppies are present or the weekend of their family reunion, but you should be able to arrange a mutually agreeable time to VISIT the breed. Responsible breeders have put a lot of effort into producing a litter of mentally and physically sound Bernese. Expect them to put just as much effort into deciding which home will be the best match for each individual puppy. If the breeder doesn't want to get to know you before agreeing to sell you a puppy, that says something about how much they care about what they produce. Most *responsible* breeders are actively involved with Bernese in more ways than just producing puppies. They're active in the national and regional BMD clubs, they do draft, obedience, therapy work, they mentor newcomers, they attend and volunteer to help out at specialties. In other words, they're active in, and give something back, to the BMD community. Be sure the person you're dealing with ACTUALLY bred the litter. I've heard of several people who were let to believe the person they spoke with on the phone had bred the litter, only to find out when picking up the puppy that they had been imported from eastern Europe, weren't AKC registered, and there were no health clearances or anything else. Not many people can walk away from the puppy at that point and the profiteers know it. It's getting harder and harder to know what sort of person you're really dealing with as the profiteers are pretty expert at playing with words so that you hear exactly what you want to hear. So maybe the best advice is to join and participate in your regional BMD community so you get to know who's for real and who's not on a first hand basis. -Sherri Venditti She seems > nice. How do I really know that she is right for me?