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Bernese Mountain Dog Discussions / Re: Welcome Sammy, my new puppy!
« on: September 08, 2007, 09:11:51 am »
Thank you all so much for all the advice! I am planning to try some peanut butter or baby oil on the gum today, and will let you know if it works! In the meantime, Sammy had his first day of puppy school yesterday, and he had a great time. He's getting pretty reliable at "sit", but not so much at "come" and "down." I'll keep working on them with him, though, as I'd like him to make a bit of progress this week! I think he was the youngest puppy at puppy school, so he was definitely a little behind the curve (and then there's the whole issue of his owner struggling a bit in a puppy class conducted in French!) but he had fun playing with all the other puppies, until he got hot and had to crawl under some of the agility ramps into the shade. I made sure to give him lots of water, and wetted down his head a bit, but boy did he tire himself out. I could barely get him to do anything the rest of the day, and took advantage of his laziness to practice being brushed a bit.
As for the stairs, I'll keep carrying him for as long as I can, and fortunately, this walk-up apartment is temporary- we'll just be here for a year, and then back to the states. So then I'll be able to find something a little more navigable for a large dog! I think the neighborhood will be sad to see him leave- Sammy gets LOTS of attention out in the streets! Some people recognize him as a Bouvier Bernois, which is what he is (in French) but a lot of people think he is a St. Bernard. And no one fails to comment on his large "pattes!" He is impressively good with all the attention, and seems to not be skittish around strangers at all, which I am very glad to see. I am excited for him to get bigger and stronger and better-behaved, then we can take him down to the Pyrenees mountains, which are very close, and do some very gentle hiking with him!
As for the stairs, I'll keep carrying him for as long as I can, and fortunately, this walk-up apartment is temporary- we'll just be here for a year, and then back to the states. So then I'll be able to find something a little more navigable for a large dog! I think the neighborhood will be sad to see him leave- Sammy gets LOTS of attention out in the streets! Some people recognize him as a Bouvier Bernois, which is what he is (in French) but a lot of people think he is a St. Bernard. And no one fails to comment on his large "pattes!" He is impressively good with all the attention, and seems to not be skittish around strangers at all, which I am very glad to see. I am excited for him to get bigger and stronger and better-behaved, then we can take him down to the Pyrenees mountains, which are very close, and do some very gentle hiking with him!