Great vinyl car decal sticker up for sale on Etsy!
Berner
The Big Puppy in Class
One of the best things you can do for your pup’s socialization and basic obedience is enroll them in puppy kindergarten. It teaches you how to positively interact with your dog to better communicate, teach good behavior and grow a strong bond. We went to Happy Go Lucky Dog Training in Portland, Oregon. I believe training is more for the owner than the pup. Get ready to put in the time, stick with it and have fun along the way! Introducing….Waylon, the Big Puppy in Class.
Waylon all smiles after his first day of puppy kindergarten!
The first day of class, the instructor separated the room into two sections for play time. Shy dogs who weren’t quite sure about playing (aka smaller puppies) went on one side. More rambunctious ready-to-go dogs (aka big puppies who were going to crush the darling little delicate corgi) went on the other side. We noticed right away some owners were apprehensive about Waylon’s size. Waylon was at least double the size of all the other pups there. That first day only one other dog dared come on the “playful” side, Tucker the Australian Shepherd. Waylon and Tucker were fast friends; rolling around, wrestling and chasing each other showing the other pups how to rock out playtime.
Waylon & Tucker wrasslin’
Once everyone got to know Waylon and his friendly nature, he became a buddy to every dog and person in class. He was gentle enough with the small puppies that folks soon realized that their quick judgment of his size equaling trouble was just plain wrong. He’s a gentle giant! We know having a large breed dog means dealing with assumptions and nervousness just because of his sheer size. We’ll just keep working on his manners and socialization and show everyone that Berner love.
Proud mama on graduation day.
Puppy Socialization Tip
Tie up your pup for short periods in public places so they get used to strangers approaching them, loud noises and settling down to wait. When you’re popping in for a coffee, grabbing a quick lunch – use the opportunity to socialize your dog.
Refusing to Walk as a Pup
To avoid disease, we were told by our breeder and our vet to not walk Waylon in public places until his second round of puppy shots. I was chomping at the bit to get him out into the parks and take long, relaxing meanders through the neighborhood. When the time came after his second shots at 11 weeks old, I was disappointed to find that Waylon didn’t seem to like walking. He had to be coaxed forward with almost every step. My husband and I together were able to get him on some good walks where he only needed a bit of prodding, but alone we could barely get him past the neighbor’s house.
Waylon was timid and spooked by loud cars, bikes whizzing by, and general city sounds. He always knew which direction was home and would pull excitedly when he knew we were headed back. We would soothe him and give him small bits of treats when strange new experiences happened that scared him. Happy voices, love and rewards go a long way! Soon enough, we saw improvement and I’m happy to report at 18 weeks old he loves walking! He’s still a laid back berner at heart and is never jumping up and down when I gleefully say “Let’s go on a walk, Waylon!,” but he prances around excited by new experiences now, instead of afraid. Hooray for growing up!
Waylon at 11 weeks old after his first walk through the neighborhood.
Waylon Plays with Himself in the Mirror
Waylon is just 10 weeks old in this video. He still passes these mirrors and offers a playful swipe towards the puppy on the other end, in wonderland.
Bringing Our Berner Home: The First Week
When we brought Waylon home at 8 weeks old he was a mere 14 lbs. The breeder met us in a parking lot in Portland so we didn’t have to drive to Eugene to get him. On the 15 minute car ride home he whined a bit but mostly stayed put in my lap and didn’t make too much of a fuss. When we got home we let him explore the yard and the house. We had a crate set up for Waylon in the kitchen, close to our bedroom, with an ex-pen attached. The first two nights, we had to get up with him twice at ungodly hours to soothe him and take him out to use the bathroom. We started his socialization immediately, introducing him to new people and new experiences everyday.
We were all getting used to our new lifestyle. Even though I’ve had dogs my whole life, they’ve been raised by my family as a team with my parents taking on a lot of the responsibility. This puppy raising business is a first time time thing for my husband and I as newlyweds. The first month or so we were a bit slack on our obedience. We were just green. Looking back, I feel like we fed Waylon too many treats without asking much in return and gave him too much freedom without confinement. Despite the reading and preparations there’s nothing quite like just jumping in and riding the learning curve. Working with your puppy on obedience training each day in short spurts makes all the difference.
Hello, backyard
About to take him home!
Waylon’s first day home. On our back porch.
Getting his name tag!
Waylon Plays With Farting Pig Toy
One of Waylon’s most entertaining toys is this squeaky pig. It’s like the dog toy version of a whoopee cushion. Funny every time. Waylon was 11 weeks old in this video.
Choosing the Dog’s Gender and Name
Growing up I had five female dogs and one male dog. I asked my parents why we went so heavily with girl dogs and their response was unmemorable. Something like “I think they’re easier, right?” I had my mind made up that we were getting a female berner for some other unmemorable reason. My husband Trevor and I even had a name picked out already – Winnie. Even though Trevor not-so-secretly wanted a male dog, the best reason he could come up with was “there are better name options.” On a biological level, maybe we felt we would better relate to our own gender.
A berner-owning friend of the family mentioned she thought males were the better choice, saying “females can be a bit more temperamental.” Now conflicted, I emailed the breeder to get her opinion. Her one liner on the subject was “I think the females are a bit more needier.” On our visit to the farm when we met the puppies, the recommendations from the breeder, a long-time berner owner, continued to lean male in terms of the type of dog we were looking for. In her opinion, males are more laid back and easier to train. The only con I got out of the conversation was that they can tend to be more aggressive towards other male dogs. To top it off, between the male and female puppy we were considering, the female was the most rambunctious out of the two litters we met. She was a spunky pup, and while we were ready to go hard playing, training and life-altering for this puppy, we gravitated towards the easygoing male.
We were getting a male. It was decided on the car ride back home from the puppy visit. I was bummed to let go of the name Winnie, but my husband and I were able to choose Waylon with relative ease. We’re big Waylon Jennings fans and had tossed around the idea of naming a future son Waylon. Not long after filling in our family, I get this email : “I really like Waylon for a dog; I was not so sure about it for a baby! Love Mom.”
Preparing for a Berner Puppy
I probably sent 20 emails to the breeder before actually bringing Waylon home. Arranging the first meeting, asking questions and yearning for photos. When the photos came I looked at them over and over. I would fawn over them and insist every person within my reach had a look. How freakin’ cute are berner puppies, though, amiright?
The breeder sent a really helpful document, linked here called Caring For Your Puppy. It includes really helpful information like the car ride home, being with people on the first day, getting a health check, crate training, chewing, collar/leash, food, vitamins, spay/neuter, microchipping, puppy coat, growing spurts, immunizations, worming, joint development, puppy kindergarten, pet insurance, and diarrhea. Phew! That’s a lot of information. The care sheet is geared towards Bernese Mountain Dog puppies but would be a helpful read for any new puppy owner. In addition to carefully looking this document over I read Before You Get Your Puppy and After You Get Your Puppy by Ian Dunbar. I took notes and discussed the finer points of obedience with my husband. The books helped us understand the importance of socialization, house training and bite inhibition with our new puppy. Super important! I ordered a crate, fleece bed, and a few exercise playpens (one for home, one for work) and counted down the days till my new pup would be home. And yes, Waylon is a lucky boy who gets to come to work with me and be a shop dog. More about that in another post!
This is the first photo taken of Waylon that we have. Here he is just five weeks old when we didn’t know he was going to be ours yet. We met all the puppies that day and were still debating between a boy or a girl. Will talk puppy gender in my next post. Stay tuned!
It’s a Boy!
I’ve been a dog fanatic my whole life. Due to apartment restrictions over the past six years, I have had to go without a dog. My husband and I bought a house this summer and the first item on my agenda was to get a dog. I’m not gonna lie, I had a dog fantasy Pinterest board going for years in anticipation. We bantered back and forth about breed and whether we would get the dog from the humane society or a breeder. We decided on a Bernese Mountain Dog from a breeder outside of Eugene, Oregon called Coburg Hills Bernese Mountain Dogs. We were one of the last people to reserve a pup from the upcoming litter which meant a berner with “less desirable” markings. Think less white on the face. That didn’t bother us a bit, we just wanted a happy and healthy puppy with a good temperament. Here’s the first photo taken of Waylon at 7 weeks old, just before we took him home at 8 weeks old.
Waylon, 7 weeks old
Life With Waylon 