Club Guidelines

 

The St. Bernard Club of the Pacific Coast, in keeping with its goal of protecting and improving the St. Bernard has adopted the following Guidelines to promote and

foster the highest standards among owners and breeders and to encourage cooperation in the protection and improvement of our breed. All members of the

SBCPC will abide by these Guidelines.

 

Member Relations

1. Members will be aware at all times that the club exists to protect the breed and that these aims are to be uppermost in the minds of members in all their breed

activities.

2. Members will at all times display good sportsmanship and conduct themselves in a way that is a credit to the breed and the club.

3. Members will refrain from unnecessary and non-constructive criticism of other dogs and from personal attacks upon fellow members.

4. Novices are encouraged to seek advice and help from more experienced members and in turn the more experienced will assist the novice and share for the good of the breed the benefits of her/his knowledge. Members will bear in mind that a Guideline is more than a set of rules: it is a commitment to a high standard of practice in owning and breeding.

Treatment

All St. Bernards owned by or in the care of members will be given a proper and healthy environment, nutrition, and care at all times. Regular veterinary care, including immunization and parasite control will be provided. Training will be provided so that the dog will behave in a manner that allows it to move safely in society and reflect well on the breed. Members’ dogs will be treated in a humane manner. Members will be diligent in the handling of their dogs in public places.

Members recognize their responsibility to protect the name and reputation of the breed and will not allow their dogs to roam at large unsupervised, not to become a  public nuisance, nor to become a public trust.

Breeding

It is our intent that no dog bred by a member of the SBCPC will be homeless, turned into a rescue organization or surrendered to an animal shelter. Breeders will be responsible for the offspring of their dogs and bitches. A breeder carefully selects the stud and brood bitch for good temperament (of First Importance),  conformation to the standard, soundness, and amenability to training.

The breeder will carefully study the breed standard, the individuals, their near relatives and their pedigrees. Stud and brood bitch will be selected to avoid doubling faults. 

A breeder will not use an individual for breeding who although free from hereditary defects, consistently produces afflicted offspring from different mates.

Any St. Bernard breeder has an ethical obligation to disclose to puppy buyers those hereditary defects that are prevalent in the breed.

Potential stud dogs and brood bitches will be x-rayed for hip dysplasia.  It is suggested that they are also x-rayed for elbow dysplasia. The results of these x-rays

will be made known to the owner of the stud dog or brood bitch and to all buyers of pups. If the stud or bitch has hip or elbow dysplasia, the implications of that fact

will be disclosed to puppy buyers. If an animal is bred on the basis of a screening x-ray taken at under 2 years of age, it will be re-x-rayed at age 2 or older. X-rays must be either sent to OFA, Penn-Hip or a member of the American Board of Veterinary Radiology for interpretation. Some worthy specimens of the breed who are affected with non-disabling hip dysplasia might be bred. It should be the intent of the breeder to minimize the impact by selecting non-affected mates for dysplastic dogs. No dog with severe dysplasia should be bred.

Brood Bitches

Anyone breeding a bitch bears great responsibility to the future of the breed. Each breeding will be planned with the intention of protecting and improving the breed

and only when the owner of the bitch can provide proper care for the bitch and her puppies. Proper care includes: -Safe, clean and healthy environment with  adequate protection from the elements (rain. heat. and cold)

-Adequate nutrition for the bitch and her puppies

-Initial immunization against disease and parasite control (more)

-Socialization of the puppies

- Competent human supervision of whelping and daily care

Recognizing the extended growth period of a giant breed, the breeder will not breed a bitch before she is 18 months of age or before her second heat cycle or after her 7th birthday. Exceptions are allowed for extenuating circumstances with the express approval of a veterinarian. No bitch will have more than two litters out of three  heat cycles and it is anticipated that over a lifetime a brood bitch will have no more than two to four litters.

The bitch owner will provide this information prior to the breeding to the owner of the stud dog:

-if the bitch has had puppies

-if the bitch has had breeding problems

-hip and elbow evaluation

-results of any other testing (thyroid, brucellosis, heart, DM}

Stud Service

It is our intent that no dog bred by a member of the SBCPC will be homeless, turned into a rescue organization or surrendered to an animal shelter. Breeders will be responsible for the offspring of their dogs and bitches.

A breeder carefully selects the stud and brood bitch for good temperament (of First Importance), conformation to the standard, soundness and amenability to  raining.

The breeder will carefully study the breed standard, the individuals, their near relatives and their pedigrees. Studs and brood bitches will be selected to avoid doubling faults.

A breeder will not use an individual for breeding who although free from hereditary defects consistently produces afflicted offspring from different mates.

Any St. Bernard breeder has an ethical obligation to disclose to puppy buyers those hereditary defects that are prevalent in the breed.

Sales

A breeder will be discriminating in a sale of puppies and concerned with the type of home in which they are placed. No member will engage in wholesaling litters or in individual sales or consignments of pups or adults to pet shops, dealers or other commercial establishments, including the internet.  Nor will dogs be donated or  given as prizes in contests, raffles, or fund-raising events no matter how charitable.

A breeder will be available to his buyers for whatever advice, reasonable aid and assistance they may need for the life of the dog. SBCPC members will help and support their fellow members in fulfilling this obligation.

Breeders will provide adequate written contractual proof of sales and guarantees. No promise will be made orally which is not put into writing. 1t is the ethical  obligation of member breeders to guarantee pups produced and sold by them to be as represented. Any replacement or refund arrangement should be part of this   contract which is agreed to by breeder and buyer and fair to the interest of both parties. A typical refund replacement arrangement might be to provide a  replacement for a dog who must be euthanized before the age of 18 months due to hereditary disability or unstable temperament.

The breeder will supply AKC individual registration form or a written guarantee that it will be supplied by the time the pup is four months old or upon completion of

sale.

It is recommended that any animal sold as a pet or companion quality be sold under limited registration and with mandatory spay or neuter proviso.

Upon releasing a puppy, the breeder will follow these guidelines:

-Supply a five generation pedigree

-Provide written information on the care of the puppy and suggested books and reading materials

-Provide written instructions for feeding for the first year 

-Supply records which will detail all dates and types of medical care given the pup, including shots and worming 

-Release only pups which are to the best of his or her knowledge in good health

-Puppies released will have all necessary inoculations and worming for their age

-All pups leaving the breeder will be a minimum of 8 weeks of age

-Request that buyers take their pup to a veterinarian of their choice upon receipt and if the puppy has a health problem allow the buyer 48 hours to return the pup at

the buyer’s expense for a full refund

-Supply puppy buyer with a copy of these guidelines

Advertisement

All advertisement of puppies and adult dogs, written or oral, shall be factual and honest in both substance and implication. 

Advertising and promotion, written and oral, will be confined to the aspects of the breeder’s stock and shall not degrade the stock of others.

The breeder will be cautious in discussing the show prospects of any puppy, less a guarantee of show success be implied. The breeder will be cautious in encouraging buyers as to  breeding prospects in as much as the breeding of a St. Bernard is not to be taken lightly.

Implementation

Not adhering to these Guidelines may be considered conduct "prejudicial to the best interest of the club or the breed". Article VI of the SBCPC Bylaws defines discipline procedures.