Recommended
Foods From Different Sources
The Bernese Mountain Dog developed in the Bern Region of the Swiss Alps. They
herded livestock and worked as cart dogs to transport goods and produce to
market. Due to the high mineral content in the soil and water supplies of the
Bern Region of Switzerland, this breed developed a need for a unique balance of
minerals such as selenium, iron, zinc and manganese in its diet.
The alpine mountain environment around Bern remained very cold year round and
therefore produced a dog with more body fat than breeds that developed in warmer
climates. Most animals that could survive the Bern Valley's alpine environment
also had this extra body fat. Since these were the animals that formed the meat
base of the Bernese Mountain Dog's noncommercial diet, today's Bernese Mountain
Dog also will do best on food sources with high fat content. Native foods that
would have been in this breed's diet would have included goats, sheep, pigs,
chicken, and low ground vegetables.
Recommended are commercial food blends that contain a blend of poultry, lamb,
and wheat as the best for this breed. Avoid foods that contain yellow corn, soy,
ocean fish, beef or horse meat and their by-products.
Recommended Dog Food Brands
By Breeders
Other Breeders Recommend Flint River, Wysong, Canidae, and
Eagle for their adult dogs. Too much
protein is proven to cause hip dysplasia in large breed dogs.
Berners do not mature until 2 years old and final
growth at 3 years of age. Slow growth is best. Do not use just any puppy food it
must be designed for large breed puppies to insure slow growth. Most grocery
store pet food do not have adequate nutritional
value. They have poor protein (feathers, hoofs), cancer causing agents, dyes,
ethoxoquin preservatives.
Feed according to the pups appearance and weight. It is
better to keep a dog on the thin side. Always have fresh water available.
Important:
Taken From Dogs USA 2004 Page 84
Not every puppy food is appropriate for
every puppy. Accelerated growth in large breed pups can result in obesity
or joint problems. This means that the puppy grows too fast, it has too
much body mass or weight for it's immature bones to support. This can
cause joint problems that show up later in life as arthritis or hip dysplasia.
Premium adult formulas may be more
appropriate for the young large and giant breeds than the puppy formulas because
they promote slower more gradual growth. (end article )
Exercise
Free exercise in a fenced yard
is best for a puppies proper bone growth. Walks on lead are fun and good
training; however, a young dog will not develop
properly without a lot of free self-exercise.
TRAINING
Take pup out after waking up and eating every couple
hours the first few days. Take the pup to the spot you want him to use. Use
"hurry up", a lot of praise and your pup will be easily house trained.
Avoid hitting the puppy with your hands, a loud voice
or a small rolled up paper will suffice when it does do something
wrong. Bernese puppies will frighten easy when yelled at so you will learn what
tone to use to get it's attention when messing on the carpet.
Be prepared with a home steam cleaner or Wet Vac, there
will be accidents, the very young puppy does not have the mental capacity to
understand any more than an infant in diapers. Your Puppy should be house
trained between 3 - 5 months.
Try crate training
Don't
put the pup in a situation (such as chewing furniture) but provide safe teething
toys. They will chew on things they shouldn't, scold them without being abusive,
your puppy will learn over time what he should not chew on as he gets in
trouble for doing so and as with any puppy or dog he will dig in the yard,
it helps to catch him in the act and scold him.
Be stern but don't get mad or abusive as this is
all normal puppy behavior, You can patch the lawn and put wire around the
spot to keep him from digging in the same area.
Raising a puppy is a lot of work and if you put
in the time your puppy will learn what you expect of him and within 8 to 9
months you will have a wonderful obedient and loving pet.
If your dog has a laps in obedience and does
something he knows he is not supposed to do it is most likely you are not
spending enough time with him, most dogs will be destructive if not shown proper
attention.
when you are gone from the house for 9 hours
every day is a long time for any dog to be left alone, all dog owners
should bring there dogs in (if left outside) and need to be with the owner
or family until the next morning when it is time to go to work. You
do not need a dog if he stays in a cage like a zoo animal.
Temperament
The Berner's temperament shines as brightly as his
coat. This is a people-loving dog who is also a willing worker. With gentle but
firm and consistent training, he can pull a cart, compete in obedience or
tracking, do search and rescue work, become a therapy dog, or participate in
agility trials.
Although he does not have the Type A personality of the
Border Collie or Australian Shepherd, the Berner does need to be kept busy.
Without attention to his working character, he can become destructive as will
most dogs, Therefore, daily walks of an hour or more and some sort of playtime or
competition training are a must.
Breeders emphasize socialization that can be helped
along by enrollment in a puppy kindergarten class. Be sure to choose a class
that is low-key; the idea is to accustom the puppy to new experiences and to
introduce him to obedience lessons, not to train him for precision competition
at an early age. The Berner is slow to mature and needs gradual introduction to
competition-level obedience training.
Owners should not be fooled at the breed's gentle
demeanor, however; an untrained Berner weighing 80 pounds or more can be a
menace, not because he is likely to be domineering or aggressive, but because he
behaves like a bull in a china shop.
