The Three Little Berners

... well, maybe not so little!

We are puppy-sitting this weekend.  

Remember Svenja, little miss yellow puppy?  

That's her in the middle.

Karma is on the left, Koda on the right.

They are having a lot of fun!

Koda's Puppies!

One of our FAVORITE things is seeing our puppies growing up with their wonderful forever families, and getting updates from them.  It seriously MAKES OUR DAY!

And in this post, we have THREE updates!

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First - Milo (orange) is in Karma's "Wonderpups" Class at Calling All Dogs in SLC!  It started last week, and we were waiting for our classroom to be ready, when who walked in the door?  Milo and his Mommy!  We will be in the same puppy class for 6 weeks!  Next week, I've got to get some pictures.  Milo is SO handsome and well behaved, and his Mommy is just so sweet.

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Second - We got a message and a picture from Piper (red) and her family.  I am so, SO happy to see how loved and adored our sweet red puppy is!

"Piper, aka Miss Red, is getting in the holiday spirit!  She's a great family dog - couldn't ask for a better, very loving [dog], so thank you!  Happy Holidays!"

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Third - This morning, we got a message FULL of pictures of Okie May (purple) - SQUEE!

Hey Elozia! Just wanted to share some recent pics of Miss Okie May!  Can't believe she's almost 6 months! 

Shirt from a friend back home

She LOVES snow!!

And hiking!

We love her more every day!

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Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing your puppies' updates and pictures with us.  We are so happy and grateful that our puppies all have wonderful families who love and adore them.  It makes my heart so happy that our puppies have the homes they deserve.  Thank you!

Roughhousing

Geez Karma, you seriously want to roughhouse again?  

Can't we just relax for a bit?

 Relaxing is nice ... you should try it.

Wait ... I said RELAXING ... 

Pup, don't look at me like that ...

Seriously, I just want to relax ... I'm not here for you to attack.

You little punk, if I don't get to relax ...

 Hmmph. you aren't actually a piranha, Karma.  You're a little puppy.

Ugh, seriously? 

Fine pup, we'll play, bring it on.  

I win.

THE END

The FEAR Periods

The first 8+ weeks, your puppy was with us, receiving lots of good, positive socialization.  Their whelping box was in our family room / kitchen, and they were in the middle of our family life.  At different times, they heard children, stomping, running, wii-mote sounds, computer games, dishwasher, washer and dryer, babies crying, doorbell ringing, and hundreds of other noises.  They had quiet, calm time.  They had time to explore on many different surfaces.  They met lots of children and friends who came over to play, snuggle, talk to, and adore them.  They had a very positive start, and we worked diligently to ensure that your puppies early development was social and happy, with lots of great experiences.

So, why now is your social, happy puppy suddenly jumping at strange sounds, and panicking at new (or not-so new) situations? Why are they suddenly scared of the sound their dog tag makes on their food dish, or terrified of going on their normal walk?

First of all, take a deep breath, and stop stressing.  This behavior is a NORMAL STAGE of puppy development.  How you handle this stage is important, but you didn't do anything to cause this stage of development.  Now that you can let go of some of that "puppy-owner-guilt", remember that your puppy WILL pick up on how you are feeling and how you react to this stage.  If you are stressed, he will think "See, I should be worried about this, because my human is worried!"

The best thing to do is stay calm and positive.  Never punish or scold your puppy for being scared, all that will do is reinforce their fear.  Also be cautious not to coddle and pet your puppy.  What comforts us as people, doesn't give comfort to a dog, trying to soothe them is like saying: "You are right, that IS scary!"   Stay positive but firm, and MOVE FORWARD!

If walks are causing panic, work with your puppy.  Have him on a leash, and walk with him several times a day.  When he starts to slow down, or plant his feet down, encourage him: "Come on buddy, we're headed to the park!  Good job!".  When they sit or try to high tail it home, do not let them.  Each time, stay calm, and don't let your puppy dwell on the fear.  Pick them up, set them on their feet, and keep going, encouraging them with a happy, calm voice.

There are a lot of good articles written on the fear periods, so I will share those.  I encourage you to stay calm, reassure yourself that you are doing great, and remember that your puppy just needs you to show him the way!

Each bullet is a link, I found each of these articles helpful in their own way:

• Good article on how to handle your puppy's fear
• This isn't your puppy's only fear stage - here's a general schedule
• This article reminds us: "It may be easier to leave them home rather than take them on walks where a meltdown happens every block or so, but it's imperative to get them out in the world and continue their socialization."
• Article: Don't punish, but also don't coddle!
• Great information and advice
• Development, including fear period information

We hope these help.  Our intent is NOT to replace working with a trainer, so if you have additional concerns, a good trainer that works with POSITIVE training techniques may be able to offer some hands-on advice and training.  

WELCOMING KARMA!!!

 Miss Karma joined our family 10 days ago, and we already can't imagine life without her.

She *loves* being part of the family, and always wants to be near us, loving us.

She still is a puppy, and can be a super-stinker at times, like when she was chomping on my camera bag.

But then she looks at you with those puppy eyes, and you melt.

We are probably biased, but we think she's just darling.

Who's a pretty girl?

Karma's a pretty girl.

Both our babies playing with each other ... 

Naptime for Miss Karma.

A Letter from "Sky Blue" and his family!

Dear Dustin's,

Last fall, we lost our sweet family pet, a Golden Retriever that we had had for 14 years.  Our two youngest kids started searching for the perfect dog for our family.  Our 15 year old spent hours on the internet reading and studying for the perfect dog for us.  She wanted a dog more than anything in this world.  It was such a fluke that she happened onto your website and we all fell in love with your family of Berner pups!  Our daughter at college was coming down for the weekend, so she picked him up and surprised everyone.  

It took us a whole month to agree on a name.  We finally named him Bear and it fits him really well.  Our neighbors call him "the big Brown Bear," due to our last name being Brown, and he already weighs 32 pounds.  He has become somewhat of a celebrity here in our little southern Utah town.  It is so much fun to show him off because not many have ever heard of this breed.  We spend lots of time at a local ski resort and everyone loves him there also.  We can't wait to take him around in the snow. 

Bear quickly became a much loved part of our family!  He misses the kids when they go to school and he lays his head back and howls.  It is so darling. 

We are attending dog training classes with a group that trains dogs for search and rescue.  He loves to go and spends lots of time socializing with the other dogs.  (we laugh about him being the "class clown.")  We couldn’t love this dog more.  

Thank you for the great care you have given these pups.  It is very evident.  Our dog trainer was very impressed with his confident, happy manner, and she said she could tell he had been cared for and socialized well from a small puppy. 

I hope this gives you a small glimpse of your/our cute Berner Bear and how he is doing.  Give his mom a hug!

~The Brown Family

 

 

 

Miss Karma

We received pictures of our Karma today!  I've been going crazy only seeing pictures every couple weeks, especially since I'm a little obsessive about pictures! I'm SO excited to pick her up this weekend!

 

Behavior 101: Puppy Biting!

As Koda's puppies reach their teething stage, we've gotten several questions about the best way to stop puppy biting.  First of all, it is VERY NORMAL at this age (3-5 months) for your puppy to mouth / bite on toys, furniture, and YOU.  However, they need to learn very quickly "bite-inhibition", and that is now up to you.

While your puppies were here with their mama and littermates, they practiced playing and play-fighting.  They would nip at each other, bite, tug, and tackle.  However, if they played too rough, or dug those sharp little teeth in, their littermate would yelp, and refuse to play.  Very quickly, each puppy began to learn that if they were too rough, they didn't get played with.  This is our recommended technique for dealing with puppy biting.  When your pup sinks those teeth in, give a high pitched yelp, and turn away.  Ignore them for 20-30 seconds, then you can go back to giving them attention. NEVER hit them or hurt them for biting, it gives conflicting messages to the puppy and does NOT HELP!

Right now, those baby teeth are bugging them.  They are getting ready to lose them in the next couple months, making way for their adult teeth.  But, learning how to mouth softly and be gentle is VITAL right now.  They have those sharp little teeth, but not a lot of jaw-strength.  Once those adult teeth come in, they aren't so sharp, but their jaw becomes more powerful, and can do damage.  They need to learn bite-inhibition now, so please work diligently with them.

Tip: Don't play Tug-o-War with your puppy, as it encourages biting and is detrimental to learning bite-inhibition.

Here's some more good reading on this topic:

• Puppy Biting by Dog Star Daily
• Puppy Biting 101 by the Rancho Coastal Human Society
• How to Stop a Puppy From Biting by Dog Training Central
• How to Train a Puppy that Bites by WebMD

Hope that helps :-)

Puppy Development

Puppy training encompasses so many different points.  There's housebreaking & potty training, kennel training, obedience training, socialization, and more.  What do you focus on when, and how?

The "Developmental Stages" of puppies. 

Their first 7-10 weeks with us included lots of developmental opportunities, including neurological stimulation, daily one-on-one time with each puppy, plenty of household noises (vacuum, kids, infants, fans, etc), exposure to new surfaces (wood, tile, linoleum, carpet, cement, grass, etc), lots of playtime with mama and littermates, playtime with new people, and much more.  We worked with them every day to come home to you well socialized and well rounded.  

Now it's up to you! 

Our main thoughts on the puppy time period (and links to helpful reading!):

~ Socialize, socialize, socialize!  Let friends come over and give treats to your puppy.  Expose your puppy to new sounds and experiences.  If something sets them off, or freaks them out, gently repeat that something with treats, and work to help your puppy associate it with positive reinforcements.  A great socializing opportunity can be found in puppy training classes.

~ Be aware of the "fear period(s)".  Puppies tend to have these periods from 8-11 weeks, and again around 6-14 months.  Work to make sure that they have lots of great experiences!  

~ Be cautious of Parvo.  It can affect any dog, but puppies are the most vulnerable.  There is never any guarantee even if you are cautious, but little things can help a lot. 

• Protecting Your Dog from Parvovirus by the Whole Dog Journal
• Parvo: An Introduction by the Veterinary Insider
• The Importance of Proper Parvo Protection by Randy Walker, DVM

Most of all, let your Berner be a member of your family!  Like children, they need boundaries and firm rules, but thrive under love and gentle kindness!

I Heart Faces: Pet Challange

This photo was submitted to the I Heart Faces photo challenge – www.iheartfaces.com

Enter your own image HERE

You can't imagine how hard it was to choose one picture.  I'm not sure if my hardrive has more images of my children, or our Bernese Mountain Dogs.  My favorite pictures are those that have both, lol.

I chose this particular image because of the happy faces on both my daughter and our puppy.  They both have "smiles", and this picture just captures our whole summer with our Bernese Mountain Dog's litter of puppies.  Happy, warm, and content, filled with Berner Love!

A Letter from "Milo"

We LOVE these follow-up letters and pictures, they seriously make our day. 


Hi E,


I thought I would send you a few pictures and let you know how we are doing.  First of all, it took us all week to decide on a name!  We ended up naming him Milo.  It was the only name that all of my kids agreed on.  Second of all....we LOVE him!  Oh my gosh, he is the best!  He is so sweet and fun and perfect.  He started sleeping through the night Friday night and continues to do so.  I have him in a crate which was a little rough at first.  I ended up sleeping with a blanket and pillow next to the crate for the first few nights to keep him calm.  House training is going well too.  The accidents seem to not be as often, which is great!  


I took him to the vet on Saturday and he weighed 16 lbs!  I walked into the packed waiting room and you would have thought I had walked in holding a movie star!  Everyone in the room gasped and had to come over and pet him.  All I heard was "a Bernese Mountain Dog" from everybody.  Even the 2 receptionists came from around the counter to pet him.  He was quite the star!  He is also quite the hit in our neighborhood.  Two different times yesterday our doorbell rang with a neighbor holding a plate of cookies and asking if they could come in and see our puppy.  We all thought it was so funny to get cookies and then "can we see your puppy?".  You will notice in one of the pictures that he has found the perfect sleeping spot.....right on top of the a/c vent!  When he's not playing he's laying on top of a vent somewhere in the house.  


I wanted you to know how much we love him and how well he is adjusting.  When we had our lab puppy I wanted to die!  She was so hard!  It has been the complete opposite experience with Milo.  We are enjoying every minute with him!


I hope things are going well with you.  I read on your blog that you have one puppy left!  It must be so quiet around there!


Take Care,


J.

Hula-Hoop

We call this picture: "Teaching a new dog new tricks"

Our seven year old was actually showing Pink how not-scary a hula-hoop is  :)

Pink jumped through, then tried tasting the hula-hoop, lol.

Puppy in the Paper!

Miss Red has been named "Piper", which is just darling and perfect for her.  She's already enjoying the good life, getting to tag along to the movies (a good old American drive-in!), and the local newspaper was there to document it!

"Megan and Chris C. brought their best friends along, three-year-old Penny and new pup Piper, a Bernese Mountain dog. The four were set to cuddle together in the back of their pick-up, lined with a cushy sleeping bag."

Photo by Deborah Tracy, Uintah Basin Standard

You're both darling, Piper and puppy sister Penny ...  I hope the movie was great.

... my sentimental ramblings

Its funny, a family member who has bred dogs for 50+ years told us something along the lines of "when the first puppy goes home, you'll be sad, but by the time the last puppy goes home, you will be jumping for joy."

No disrespect, but that individual was very wrong.

With each puppy that has gone home, we've become increasingly sadder.

To be clear, we couldn't be happier with the families and individuals who have adopted our puppies.  Its such a great feeling to see people matched up with their puppy.  Its just that these puppies became a part of our family, and with each one that goes home, we feel like a part of our family left.  The only thing that makes this feeling okay is that we feel like our puppies' families are now an extension of our own berner family.  We've asked everyone for pictures and updates along their journey with their puppy, and hope to have a "family reunion" with our puppies and their families one day.

Before anyone gets the wrong idea, raising puppies is NOT easy.  Its crazy hard work.  And I have to admit, I find myself somewhat insane for raising puppies AND 4 young children at the same time.  I've had well-meaning people suggest putting up a kennel for the dogs to live in outside, or in the garage, but what they don't realize is that our dogs are not just animals.  They are our pets, members of our family.  The mama dog is OUR pet first and always, and she is a priority.

We aren't the stereotypical "breeders".  Our puppies are raised INSIDE our home ... inside our family room and kitchen to be exact.  They are around our family constantly.  It makes some things difficult, like keeping everything clean (mopping 3-4x a day, anyone?) or quiet (Quiet, what's that? Hahahaha), but having our sweet puppies inside helps with one of our main goals: helping our puppies be very well socialized and ready to be a true member of your family.  It also helps our mama dog feel safe and loved, which helps her be more attentive and maternal towards her puppies.

This has been quite the journey.  We still have puppies here, and lots of cleaning and caring left to do, but looking back on our decision to have this litter, it has been an amazing adventure and experience for our whole family.  We've made a lot of new friends, gotten endless snuggle time with darling little puppies, and learned about what brings us joy ... these beautiful Bernese Mountain Dogs.

Mr Green

Our Green pup went home last night with John C.  We loved meeting John's 9 year old berner, Aunna. It's so wonderful to know that our puppies are going to homes that adore and love this breed!

Homeward Bound!

Yellow is now "Svenja", the newest member of the W family!

Brown is the perfect Odin, and is loving his new house!

The R family adopted orange ... what will his name be?

Our Miss Red has joined her new family, with lots of property to explore, and friends to play with!