We are getting a puppy.. Yup... I had written here a few months ago asking for breed suggestions and then decided that we would not get a dog.. My, how things change
Long story short, our puppy is a Bernese Mt Dog, Newfie mix. She is 8 weeks old and a pure sweetheart. Lovingly raised in a family of 3 young children, she is beautifully socialized to this point.
Some questions..
Toileting.. if we take her outside on a regular basis, ie following the premise of crate training i've been reading, take her to her "potty spot" and say our "elimination cue" (which.. I have no idea what to use.. Hurry Up is a phrase I use with the kids.. so I'm not sure the dog should associate it with eliminating...), over time, will she usually just go to this spot outside to eliminate? I'd like to help keep the dog poop in the yard contained to a spot in the woods..
Overnight: Her large crate, partitioned off, is in the kitchen.. moving it upstairs each night will be a huge issue..currently the puppies and their mother sleep in my friend's kitchen.. without people there.. can this continue if she is safely crated? Should I get up at night to take her outside to eliminate? How often?
Training: Everything I read stresses the need for loving guidence for these dogs. Any tips?
Fleas and ticks.. the biggie.. a thick furred dog.. any suggestions on keeping her pest free and keeping my house pest free and my kids free from Lyme Disease?
Feeding: I have been reading about pet food.. bleah.. and Wellness brand "Seems" to be a good choice/better choice for prepared foods. As much as I'd love to feed my dog all homemade foods.. I cannot at this time.. with 3 kids with some special needs, my mother's illness and helping to care for my grandmother.. I don't have the time to make my own dog food right now.. I can get Wellness locally and through my food coop. Is this ok?? With the health problems of Bernese dogs.. I really want to do this right..
I'm sure I'll have more questions.. that's it for now..
Did your friend rescue the mom? If so, good for her! What are the babies eating right now? That can help me tell you whether to stick to that or to switch.
We use "piddle." If you go RIGHT THERE, every time, and don't leave that spot until she goes, then yes she'll probably use that spot.
Training: prep yourself by reading Donaldson's Culture Clash, which has some good basic training at the end of the book. And then sign up for a positive-reinforcement puppy K as soon as possible.
Fleas and ticks: Bathe often (do yourself a huge favor and buy a high-velocity dryer for this dog; I can't imagine living without one for a dog with that coat). Use Frontline, Advantage, Comfortis, or Capstar. I don't think that Revolution or Advantix are good ideas. In terms of Lyme, Frontline will help but honestly my vet tells me that they're seeing huge infection rates no matter what. I don't like the vaccine for it; it's a lot less than effective and it's very hard on the dogs, so I test for it once or twice a year and run a flea comb through the dogs after we go into the woods.
She'll need to go out every 3 hours at night for a week or two; after that giant-breed dogs can generally sleep through the night (meaning 6-7 hours, not 12 hours).
Oh my god, you pretty much have my dream dog. I LOVE Berners, and mixing them w/ something like a Newf would likely even improve them. Pictures pictures pictures!!
Other than that, Joanna's advice is spot-on as usual.
I second The Culture Clash. It is awesome. I really like clicker training classes for basic training and it is what we are doing with Betsy at home while we wait for her to get all her shots. Then we will start an actual class. It is a very fun, positive way to train.
Yes.. for certain. Her mother is a Bernese with all the standard markings.. the rust/brown, white and black. The father is a black and white Newfie. Some of her siblings were much more Bernese looking, with brown etc.. others were all black. We chose her for her very very sweet and calm disposition.. not her markings.. as I don't care really what she looks like..for us the key was a good natured dog
Oh, that makes sense, then. I also misread her size to begin with--she's younger than I was thinking. She'll likely be a big girl! Right now, she totally looks like a border collie pup I had as a kid.
She's gorgeous. I'm sorry the car ride was hard, but it will get better.
More questions..
Since she seems to puke in the car.. I'm wondering what to do..
Starting Sept 8th and even on and off before then.. I'll briefly need to leave the house.. If she cant' come with us safely (ie to a place where she can get out of the car and come with us.. I wont' leave her in the car).. what do I do with her.. I assume crate her.. won't that be traumatic? I won't even be gone long.. an hour at most to run to the Dr, the store, school..
What should I do?
She is crying around the house.. even when next to us.. I assume she is sad.. missing her siblings.. Can I do something to help or will it just take time? The last time I had a puppy I was 8 years old.. I don't remember anything..other than my dad made the dog live outside..
We are saying "piddle" every time we take her outside and usually it is during or just after she goes.. as she often does not go right away.. and she is wandering the yard.. so not much luck keeping her in one place. Is that ok at this point..??
She is also VERY interested in the chickens.. any tips..
Should she be allowed to lay/sit next to us or should we always direct her towards her crate and entice her in?
I assume we crate her at night.. door closed.. correct? Won't she cry?
Why can't she stay in the car? Will it still be hot then?
I took Ulysses everywhere with me, every single time, until summer hit. Now I crate him when we're gone but I'm looking forward to the heat ending so that I can bring him along again.
ETA: I would completely ignore the crying. That is, don't even look at her when she is crying. Pretend that she has become invisible. Anything else will be reinforcing it.
Here's what I did to get a completely, 100% chicken-safe dog: Allow her to be interested. Let her sniff as long as her ears are relaxed, tail is down, all body language says relaxed doggie. As soon as the tail comes up or the ears perk the slightest bit, or if her energy starts pointing forward (if that makes sense), give a mild verbal correction and go get her. If she looks like she's thinking about chasing a chicken, scold loudly and dramatically, scoop her up without petting, and put her in the crate unceremoniously.
Yes, it is hot here and illegal to leave a dog in the car, I'm told.. And she pukes in the car.. so the car ride is unpleasant for her... I hope that this changes...
You should have her on a leash when you take her out to piddle. Once she has done it and been praised, then you let her off-leash and encourage her to play (as long as she's in a fenced area. No fenced area = never off-leash).
Yes, she will SCREAM in the crate. It takes a while--few days to a week--for them to get used to it.
Did your friend breed her deliberately? If so, has she given you a list of things to watch for health-wise and how to raise a giant breed properly? It's not impossible by any means, but you do need to know some stuff. Bernese and newfies, especially poorly bred ones, are absolutely riddled with major health problems and you need to be monitoring her and doing your best to prevent them.
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