Bernese Mountain Dogs

[foliedouce]

Anyone else on here have a Berner?

I've got a Berner boy whose just turned 10 months old and was after some real world experience from other owners. My last dog was a Border Collie who died last year aged 14 1/2.

Training / Obedience

I've been taking him to training every week for 18 weeks up until lockdown and he's got the basics however in the last few weeks he's become quite selective on recall. He does come back but it's on his terms and usually involves me carrying on walking until nearly out of sight then he runs back to me.

He was better than this before, just wondering if this is normal 'teenage' behaviour and will settle down?

Any other training / discipline tips?

Neutering

He escaped from the garden this week and I think there is a bh on heat locally as he seems to be going nuts outside. I want to get him neutered but have heard different views on this from different people. The vet is saying I should do it now but I read on a Berner forum that you should wait until they are 2 years old to ensure their bones have developed properly.

Does anyone have any experience of this?

Walking

He really doesn't seem to like the heat. When it was hot a couple of weeks ago, he's just sit down mid walk. He would get up again but he was a lot slower then on the rest of the walk. Just worried about his legs / joints and wanted to ensure it was the heat rather than a joint related issue.

Is this normal?

My vet is only dealing with urgent cases only at the moment so I can't take him in.

Food

I was originally feeding him Science Plan but I couldn't source it during the lockdown so switched to BAF Complete Dry Working Dog Food which is a 1/3 of the price and he seems to love. It's a complete food so it gives him everything but looking at the label the meat content is not as high as Science Plan. Given the cost difference it's tempting to keep him on the BAF. His coat and energy levels seem fine on the BAF.

Any experience of different foods?

Any other Berner tips?

Many thanks

[Batleyred]

I have Caucasain Shepherds similar type of breed.

Your boy will be double coated so that will protect him from the heat. How far are you walking him ? Caucasains themselves can be very lazy to the eye but they are following how the breed works lots of rest using minimal energy. My eldest MeMe hates walking literally so she just runs i mean sleeps round the yard.

How much protein is in the food you have been feeding ?

Lovely looking dog you have.

[foliedouce]

Batleyred said:

I have Caucasain Shepherds similar type of breed.

Your boy will be double coated so that will protect him from the heat. How far are you walking him ? Caucasains themselves can be very lazy to the eye but they are following how the breed works lots of rest using minimal energy. My eldest MeMe hates walking literally so she just runs i mean sleeps round the yard.

How much protein is in the food you have been feeding ?

Lovely looking dog you have.

Thanks for the response, he is a lovely dog in both looks and temperament, not a nasty bone in his body, just stubborn.

Just checked the content of the food:-

The BAF Complete is 22% protein, 24.5% meat/meat derivatives and 9% fat

Science Plan is 21% protein, 14% fat and 9% lamb and 6% rice

Unless I’m missing something the cheaper BAF seems better quality?

I walk him between 4-5km a day which takes 45-60 mins depending on how easy we take it.

I’ve tried to stick to the 5mins walk per month of his life approach as I’m told they can have severe joint issues otherwise

I took him on a 5km jog the other day and he was limping the following day so I haven’t done that again. A couple of days rest and he was back to normal

Do you have a picture of yours? It’s not a breed I have heard of.

Thanks

[makaveli144]

How does he sit? Sitting to one side can be an indicator of hip problems.

If he is lieing down mid walk you should really follow his lead and ease off. It could just be the heat and nothing to worry about.

Foodwise have you looked on allaboutdogfood?

Such a good site for giving you the breakdown on foods.

[foliedouce]

makaveli144 said:

How does he sit? Sitting to one side can be an indicator of hip problems.

If he is lieing down mid walk you should really follow his lead and ease off. It could just be the heat and nothing to worry about.

Foodwise have you looked on allaboutdogfood?

Such a good site for giving you the breakdown on foods.

That food site is brilliant, thanks, I hadn’t heard of it.

He does sometimes sit wonky but my border collie did that as well as a puppy so I hadn’t paid much attention. Sounds like I should take him to the vet when they reopen proper.

I just hope I haven’t been over walking him

[stoop44rio]

Beautiful dogs Bernese Mountain dogs. A guy near me has a couple.
@batleyred how long you had the Caucasians? Whats their temperament like? I considered one last year but was slightly put off by what I read about their aggression.

[Ceeejay]

Here’s our Cooper… just over 6 months old now, and at 33kg, we reckon he’s going to make it to 60 when fully grown.

His poor little sister still rules, but she’s getting fed up of being swamped

[cirks]

We've got two Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs which, to all intents and purposes are like short-haired Bernese. Nothing you say surprises me and could describe our two (who are nearly 8). Our two are quite different builds and one used to be much more likely to want to sit down mid walk and not want to move. Similarly, her recall is still pretty much on her terms! So, I wouldn't worry massively - if you can train yours to have good recall then I congratulate you but I believe the breed(s) are pretty stubbon. Definitely don't over walk them - weight vs joints will be an issue if you do too much. Even when ours were younger, they wouldn't run for long - very short bursts of energy and lots of sleep pretty much is their work pattern.
Other than for a while, they've been fed on Royal Canin Maxi and their coats and health (fingers crossed) has always been good. They get a cup 3 times a day (to avoid bigger meals and risk of bloat) and the lunch and dinner have approx a 1/5th of a tin of Pedigree wet dog food mixed in each.

[MonkeyBusiness]

Sorry nothing to add but lovely looking dogs on this thread. I do like to see a big dogs out and about (Old English Sheepdog owner here).

[Challo]

They look lovely. I said to the OH that when our current two pass away we will look to get a larger dog breed. I used to have Curly Coats as a kid but they only get to about 35kg.

There is one guy locally that has two Great Pyrenees and they are huge.

[spookly]

I love a Bernese. My Great Dane used to play with a Bernese when he was younger. Lovely big softies.

[Doshy]

We had a Bernese, lost him a few years ago (have a Komondor now)
Recall is standard for Bernese, he has a job to do and sometimes will want to do that no matter how much you shout. They are bread to think on their own feet without humans telling them what to do....!

If a Bernese is out walking and can't be arsed to go any further it will lay down and possibly have a snooze.

Balls off no earlier than 2 years old.

Good luck!

[jimKRFC]

OP, He's a lovely looking dog! I looked into them when I was searching for a new pup but couldn't find one close enough to get.

MonkeyBusiness said:

Sorry nothing to add but lovely looking dogs on this thread. I do like to see a big dogs out and about (Old English Sheepdog owner here).

Same here, I love a big dog! Mainly see small dogs when walking Nala and I'm not sure if it's owners new to dogs or what but I get lots of people picking their dog up when Nala (English mastiff, 1 today) goes to play..

Only type of dog I've not liked is a "XXXL" bully - looks like an American pit bull on steroids! The owner, all tattoos and muscle vest, holding it on a steel chain with 4inch spiked collar didn't help.

[Huskyman]

Wonderful looking dog!
I will echo the others and say do not neuter him before he’s fully grown as there’s a risk of the joints not fully forming, and possible problems.
Have a look here https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2020/09/04/newsf...
HTH.
Edit to add my Husky was 2.5 years old before we had him done.

[Markgenesis]

Late to the party but here's my Lola, got her when she was two, she's nearly eight now and doing great,
fantastic dog, sweetest nature ever.

[Ceeejay]

Nearly 9 months old now and still growing... need to get a weigh in at the local VOSA site.. he's too big to pick up now. Semi obedient, gets sit stay and down, and will recall if he knows we have treats. Such a big daft fuzzball.