Choosing a Breeder

[Recon]

Hi. New here. Recently lost my best friend, Recon, a beautiful bullmastiff. 10 years old and it was time due to seizures likely from brain tumor.

Now he was a rescue and pretty healthy. No hip issues, PRA etc. Age finally got him.

I'd like a new bullmastiff. Family pet. No showing or breeding but I'd like to leave him intact at least for the first couple of years to allow proper development.

I have never used a breeder before however I would be willing to pay the 2or 3 thousand dollar fee if the dog was sound. i just cannot find a proper rescue at this time.

I have read a lot on what to look for in a breeder thanks to this website.

I suppose my question boils down to this:

Just how important is health testing? Clearly a pup that comes from 2 parents with excellent hip rating can still develop dysplasia. I imagine the only sure guarantee is with something like PRA. Both parents homozygous normal and the pups just cannot acquire PRA , correct?

So if I find 2 breeders of bullmastiff and one does extensive testing inc. PRA genetics, OFA etc and the other does not am I "in general terms" safer going with the breeder who does extensive testing?

Yes they may be more expensive but are my chances of a healthier dog greater?

As I mentioned at the outset Recon was a rescue and AFAIK no testing, papers etc but lived to 10 without any issues till the end.

Lastly, can anybody recommend a reputable bullmastiff breeder in Florida?

I like the Jenkins site but looks like no testing which begs my initial question, does it matter??

http://bullmastiffpuppybreeder.com/

 

[Smokeycat]

As someone who got a puppy from a breeder who didn't do all the testing and ended up with a dog that has congenital issues I would say go with the breeder who does all the testing. You're right in that they can still develop issues even if the parents are clean but the odds are lower. In my case Kryten (EM) has bilateral elbow dysplasia which according to the surgeon who treated him is congenital opposed to unilateral which can be traumatic or dietary. So tested parents could have prevented the pain he has had to deal with.