How to extend lifespan

[SaraE]

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Hi

Hopfully you have seen my introduction so will know were getting a Bernese mountain dog and theres one thing im interested in learning more about.

Why do berners have such short lifespans when other giants live longer?

And how could good breeders ect extend the lifespan so its not as short as 7yrs?

 

[merlina]

Hi and hello to you and a beautiful breed. Having never seen one up to a few years ago there are now three in our small village. So they are very fashionable it seems. Yours is a beauty! I'm neither a dog breeder nor berner owner but I'd guess the answer to your question lies in genetics. As a European breed, small numbers came to the uk and maybe the genetic pool is just too tiny. Therefore if dogs are bred for appearance and to a standard- as almost all pedigree dogs are- then genes for health and longevity tend to be lost. It's worth reading up on COI (coefficient of inbreeding) in dogs. You'll find we are not being sensible nor kind to our pedigree dogs. It's pretty grim. For any breed all you can do is try to put pressure on breeders to produce puppies with low COI. (This can mean out-crossing which many breeders won't do.) The Kennel Club says COI should be below 6. When we were looking to find a cocker spaniel four years ago we were offered pups with COI of over 14! Madness in my view.

 

[SaraE]

Thanks I'll look in to that.

I dont own a berner yet my Avatar is my fave photo of a berner from a group i belong too who allowed me to use there photo

 

[JudyN]

Diet and exercise are important.

Diet is a minefield. There are claims that raw fed dogs live longer, but this may be as compared to dogs that eat cheap poor quality kibble. And the sort of owners who feed raw or other high-quality food are also more likely to take more care of their dogs in general. Having said that, I am very pro-raw, as are many on this forum.

Weight - there are a shocking number of overweight dogs out there, to the extent that even vets can class a slightly overweight dog as fine as they're so used to seeing overweight ones. Slightly on the lean side is better than slightly on the heavy side.

Exercise is obviously good. But young joints can be damaged by too much exercise, or the wrong sort. A rule of thumb is that walks should be for 5 mins per months of age, so a 3-month-old dog would be walked for 15 mins (twice a day). Though this is frogmarched walking - it's fine to go out for longer if it includes lots of sniffing, watching the world go by, a bit of training, and general mooching. It's also important to avoid jumping off furniture, going up and down stairs, and other high-impact activities when they're young.

 

[Hemlock]

I used to know a Bernie breeder whose stock regularly lived into double figures. She was fanatical about correct feeding and exercise (she had generations of raw-fed dogs in her lines) and her dogs had lovely natures as well as good looks. So it IS possible.

Giant breeds in general don't have long lifespans. Berners are nothing unusual. Great Danes, Deerhounds, Wolfhounds, are all lucky to make it past 8.

 

[Jan Woodhall]

I used to know a Bernie breeder whose stock regularly lived into double figures. She was fanatical about correct feeding and exercise (she had generations of raw-fed dogs in her lines) and her dogs had lovely natures as well as good looks. So it IS possible.

Giant breeds in general don't have long lifespans. Berners are nothing unusual. Great Danes, Deerhounds, Wolfhounds, are all lucky to make it past 8.

TBH, it is NOT in the breeders favour to breed longevity in something is it! I agree that it is possible to elongate their life span, after all people once thought horses only lived to be 15! Now they are found happily working at the ripe old age of 50!!!!