Carol Beuchat, PhD. is the Scientific Director of The Institute of Canine Biology. She writes many timely, informative and important articles on canine biology and offers good online courses. Some of her most important articles relative to the Bernese Mountain Dog are linked here. We wish to acknowledge her guidance and help. Please take some time to read these important articles, visit The Institute of Canine Biology website, and consider taking some courses.
The genetic status of the Bernese Mountain Dog
Why we need a more holistic approach to managing canine genetic disorders
A call for preservation breeding

Jeffrey Bragg of Sepalla Kennels writes many well thought out and insightful articles on the crisis facing purebred dogs and the difficulties associated with preserving breeds and breed characteristics in a world culture swept by trends as opposed to heritage. Please take some time to explore Sepalla Kennel’s website, his efforts, thoughts and wisdom are to be admired. With Jeffrey’s gracious permission we offer 3 articles here:
Population Genetics in Practice, Principles for the Breeder
Purebred Dog Breeds into the Twenty-First Century
Registry Without Breeds - A Thought Experiment

Scottie Westfall runs a blog about dogs, nature, wild animals, and reflections on all of them.  Plenty of insightful articles and writings on his website.
A culture that worships genetic plunder
Intellectual honesty on the effects of trials and shows
Deep thoughts for today

 In addition to these excellent resources, we also recommend other articles and websites for you to learn more about the issues facing canines. Please check out the links below!
Breeding dogs for the next millennium
Pedigree dogs face extinction due to inbreeding
How to breed dogs with stronger immune systems?

BetterBred is an outgrowth of a project that helped develop the Canine Genetic Diversity Test created by world renowned Dr. Niels C. Pedersen, DVM PhD at UC Davis for Standard Poodles. Breeders hold the responsibility to conserve their breeds for future generations by maintaining and addressing loss of diversity due to genetic drift and bottlenecks. BetterBred’s mission is to support all breeders so they can conserve the genetic diversity in their breeds. Check out BetterBred’s Website for more information.