Welcome to Our Club
Welcome
What is a Bernese Mt. Dog?
Welcome
Welcome to our Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Central Virginia website. We are a group of Berner enthusiasts located in Central Virginia. Our goal is to have fun with our dogs by providing activities, education, and support for our Berner families in all aspects of conformation, performance, and companion events.
Join Us
What is a Bernese Mt. Dog?
Welcome
Come join our club meetings and activities. You do not have to own a Berner to join - some folks attend our meetings to get their 'Berner fix', or to learn more about the breed. Regardless, everyone is welcome to join. Some Berner friends often gather with us for traditional events, like our holiday parades.
What is a Bernese Mt. Dog?
What is a Bernese Mt. Dog?
What is a Bernese Mt. Dog?
The historical essence of the Bernese Mountain Dog is that of a farm dog of the midland regions of Switzerland, mostly around the city of Berne. In that capacity, it was primarily used as a companion and watchdog to the farmer and his family. It alerted his owner to unfamiliar visitors. It may have been used as a dog to pull a cart. A large dog, well-muscled and with sturdy bone, was needed for this task.
Guidelines to avoid Puppy Mills
Puppy Mills
We see a lot of questions about why the mills are able to keep breeding ...
The law is that they need to provide water, food, and shelter.
They know all the loopholes. When they are shut down they open back up
somewhere else fast. The only way to stop this is to spread the word about puppy mills.
Buy from responsible breeders
Check the breeder referral page at the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America.
Rescue from responsible rescues
Check out the rescue page from the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America.
Ask questions
Meet the Parents
At least meet the mother.
Don't buy the pup to "save" it.
We can stop them, By not buying the pups
Cross Breeding of the BerNese Mountain Dog
Statement from the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America
The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America is dedicated to the health and welfare of the Bernese Mountain Dog breed while preserving our original breed’s function – that of a "working dog" and work to move our breed forward. A purebred Bernese offers to prospective owners the likelihood that he will be a specific size, shape, color and temperament. The predictability of our breed comes from the selection of traits that are desirable and away from traits that are undesirable. Reputable Bernese breeders work for the betterment and preservation of the breed. They know the history of many generations of the dogs that are part of their breeding program which is documented in Bernergarde; an open database for prospective owners. They have spent years of research and thousands of dollars refining the lines of breeding stock to bring out the best qualities of the Bernese, and to improve the health while minimizing the less desirable qualities.
The genetic makeup of a Bernese with another non-Bernese is a combination of genes from both parents. Crossbreeding does not guarantee the ‘best’ of both breeds, genetics just don’t work that way. You cannot predict which traits, characteristics and health issues will be passed to the next generation due to undocumented history of the generations and little or no health testing. The dog that results from crossbreeding may be any size, color, coat texture and temperament. You may spend a lot of money for this dog and come away with a dog that has no predictability in health or temperament. The breeding could result in a combination of the worst of the two breeds.
A preservation Bernese Mountain Dog or Poodle breeder will not allow their dog to be crossbred. Therefore, the dogs generally used to breed doodles are of unknown quality or heritage. A Bernese Mountain Dog should be sturdy and balanced. He should be strong, intelligent and agile. A Bernese Mountain Dog should be able to work all day, as per the breed standard. A reputable breeder will work to put titles on their breeding stock in conformation or working events. Those titles indicate that their dogs have met the breed standard and excelled in the conformation ring or at working events. Reputable breeders do BMDCA recommend health and genetic testing prior to any breeding to make the optimal match and produce the best qualities of a Bernese Mountain Dog. The crossbred dogs are prone to all the genetic diseases of both breeds and offer none of the advantages that owning a purebred dog has to offer.
The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America is opposed to the deliberate crossing of Bernese Mountain Dogs with any other breed.
Approved:
BMDCA Board of Directors, April 2020
Core Area Covered by BMDCCV
We are recognized by the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America.
We cover most of the central part of Virginia; from Richmond, through Charlottesville, Stuarts Draft, Lynchburg, Roanoke and Danville.
Membership
We invite you to join us for a couple gatherings and then consider becoming a member! Our club is strengthened by each member, please join us to become an active and participating member of the BMDCCV. Download the instructions and application below and mail to the address provided.