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Messages - Berner_Mom

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16
Tucker will be a year old on Feb.27, and hubby and I were wondering about his fur...

He has lost his downy puppy fur a long time ago, but we are still waiting for the long, thick BMD fur to appear.

He seems to have quite a bit of it around his head, on his chest, and a patch right above his shoulders.  That part sticks up so much hubby is calling it Tucker's "shark fin" because that's what it resembles.

His tail is filling out, his haunches are filling out, but his sides and up on top of his butt seem to not be growing/filling out at all.  His fur is short there, and almost still has different texture.

Is this normal? How long does it take for the average BMD to come into their full adult coat?

Thanks!

17
Great topic!

What I love most about Tucker is....just how genuinely happy he is to see me when I come home from work.
No matter how bad a day I've had, it just perks me right up to come through the door and hear his thundering footsteps tumble down the stairs, see his smiling face as he races towards me, tail a waggin'!

I also love how impressed everyone is by him when we are out walking.  Its fun to show him off.

18
Australian Shepherd Discussions & Pictures / Re: Kedge, 7 weeks old!
« on: February 06, 2009, 02:39:52 am »
Congrats on the Canon Rebel! My best friend got one for Christmas, and LOVES it- I'm sure you'll put yours to good use, documenting your new addition.
Kedge is adorable, thanks for posting the pics. I hope your week goes fast and he's home with you sooner than you think!

19
General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / Re: Newfie Naming Poll
« on: February 05, 2009, 02:51:42 am »
I voted Indiana, because I agree Caspian would be harder to yell when recalling, or scolding, and I do think Indy is a cute nickname- plus I love Indiana Jones so...really it was a no brainer.

However, how 'bout Chandler as a name? ;-)

20
Anything Non-Dog Related / In Loving Memory of My Daughter
« on: January 27, 2009, 12:21:14 pm »
My daughter, McKenna, was stillborn May 27, 2007, at 40 weeks, 1 day gestation, after suffering a fetomaternal hemorrage while still in my womb.
She weighed 6 lbs, 15.7 oz and was 21 inches long. Her due date was May 25.

She is our only daughter so far.  It took us two years to conceive her, and we have been trying for another baby since August 2007.

Its the hardest thing my husband and I have ever gone through.  McKenna is very much loved and missed by us, and her aunts, uncles, grandparents.

She was with us only a brief time, but has changed all our lives forever.

Tucker (my BMD) is 11 months old today.  He was my Mother's Day present last May, because I should've been celebrating it with my almost 1 year old daughter.....n ot planning a 1 Year Memorial service.

I just wonder if there are any others out there on this thread who have lost children, and want you to know you are not alone.

((HUGS))
Sarah

"There is no footprint so small that it can not leave its mark on the world."


21
Australian Shepherd Discussions & Pictures / Re: New upcoming addition
« on: January 26, 2009, 02:22:38 pm »
Oh my gosh.  Thank you so much for posting the pics, they are all absolutely adorable.

Early congrats on your new addition, I think whichever pup you end up with will be a treasure. Enjoy, I can't wait to see more pics!

22
They are so adorable!

More pics please!!

23
General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / Re: Heartworm meds...??
« on: January 23, 2009, 10:52:15 am »
Aren't you in Canada? If so you shouldn't worry about it  :)
Here is outstanding articles which explain it really nicely
 
http://www.tibetanmastiff.net/Heartworm.html

http://www.danebytes.com/heartworm.htm

I have been following this schedule for two years now and it saves me plenty on money and Lily doesn't get meds she doesn't need. I give her first pill in May and then additional every 45 days until October. 
And of course my vet wants for us to use it a year round  >:( ::)


Yep, you are right, we are in Canada....perh aps this is why our vet has made no reference to it at all.  We have a very short mosquito season in Calgary....and come to think of it, my family dog, Nikko (border collie) was never put on heartworm either.  Hmmm, thanks for the insight, I never thought about geographical location being the reason the subject has not been brought up at any vet checkup.

To make sure though, I'll ask about it if I have to take Tucker in in the next little bit for his ears (see other thread: Head shaking- ear problem?) and if I don't have to take him in, I'll call.

24
General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / Heartworm meds...??
« on: January 23, 2009, 09:36:43 am »
I was just reading another thread, about the vet charging for each monthly visit just to pick up refill of pills....and it got me wondering...

How old were your guys' pups when they started heartworm meds?  We don't have Tucker on any, should we?

Thanks!

25
General Board for Big Dogs with Big Paws / Head shaking/ ear problem??
« on: January 23, 2009, 04:01:36 am »
Hello!

Tucker is almost 11 months old, and the past couple days he has been shaking his head A LOT.  Sometimes, several times a day.

I thought this could be a symptom of dirty ears, something stuck in his ears, fur in there needing to come out- obviously a sign of something wrong.  So we cleaned his ears, looked in there with a flashlight- and found nothing.

He's at the groomers today, so they'll remove any fur that's got in there, plus do an extra good job of cleaning (as hubby and I are not great at it yet)...so I figure if Tucker comes home today and the head shaking continues, its time for a vet visit right?

Hubby thinks I'm overreacting, but I figure if he's got an ear infection- that's bad and needs to be looked at.

Any thoughts?  What else could be causing the head shaking?
Thanks!

26
We switched Tucker to Orijens slowly, taking about a week and a half to do it.  It is a great food, Tucker loves it! We only feed him Orijens in the morning though, he gets raw food for dinner...may I ask what the bacterial infection was that your poor pup almost died of?  I can see the benefits of Tucker eating raw 50% of the time, but its hearing stories like this that make me wonder/question if we are making the right choice...

Thanks!

27
My peeves are as follows:

1. "OMG he's going to be sooooo big!"

2. Criticsm on my puppy's behavior. This doesn't happen much anymore since Tucker is bigger now, but when he was still little and a fluff ball, people would tower over him, "OMG what a cute puppy! What a cute puppy! Aren't you a cute puppy! Whose a cute puppy!" and accoste him from all angles, and then get mad that he jumped up at them, super excited, licking and nipping as 3 month old puppies do, and then they'd say "Well, he's certainly not very well behaved. You should put him in obedience school, he has terrible manners and that's dangerous."

Of course he's not well behaved, he's three months old! We've had him a week! He's a puppy!!

Oh, I also got the comments indirectly, people would talk to Tucker and say stuff like "you are so excited, so jumpy and full of energy- obviously your mom isn't walking you enough! You need to tell her she needs to walk you at least twice a day!!"

And I'd reply with "excuse me, but he gets walked a minimum of 4 times a day, plus play time in the backyard. I think his excersice is just fine." and then they'd say (to Tucker) "Ooooh, you are getting walked way too much! No wonder you are so skinny! Are they feeding you enough? I don' t think so!"

AAAAAAAAH!

And one of my favorites was when I was walking Tucker down our street, he was heeling perfectly, loose leash and all, and this guy standing on his porch having a smoke, whistled at Tucker, who broke his perfectly heeling/loose leash walking to drag me up the lawn to this guys porch, at which the guy said "oh ho ho...I think you've got your hands full. Whose walking who? You better get him in obedience school!"

and I said "no, I just better not walk him down streets where morons live anymore." and got Tucker the heck away!

Some people.

28
Well, isn't that interesting?

I am not surprised. I have been personally bitten by all three of those breeds:

My mom's friend in BC, Canada, had a daschund named Doc, who (though he was great friends with our border collie, Nikko) bit me TWICE on different occasions.

My best friend in high school had a chihuahua named Noodle (this is going back way before chihuahua's were popular "accessories") and he bit me one time at a sleepover, and I wasn't even anywhere near him.  He leapt off his bed and ran across the room to bite my foot, because it was "close to his toy". Humph.

AND finally, I house/pet sat about 8 years ago for my parents friends who had a Jack Russell terrier named Jack (original, eh? Though I think technically the name was Jack-Boy) and he bit me once right after his owners had left on their vacation and I was left in the house in charge. Jack had other plans I guess.

So, yeah, interesting study.

For the record, I also have friends that own or have owned Rottys, Pits, and one huge bull mastif...and I've never suffered so much as a scratch.

29
I have never had two puppies at once, but raising Tucker as sole puppy in the house- I really wish we had rescued a second Berner pup at the same time.  As much fun as Tucker has with us (and even playing with our two cats) I think he would've benefited greater having a sibling his own size, weight and species (!) around the house to grow up with.  I personally think the pros far outweight the cons (possibly passing away at same time/ expensive vet bills etc...) and when we get puppies again, years from now, after Tucker has left us, we will get two.

Please do an update post (or point me in the direction of one!) and let me know how you are doing! I am dying to see more pics of your two new pups, and finally hear what names you decided on.

30
Have you got the puppies yet?  How's it going? What names did you decide on?  Is there an update post that I missed somewhere?  I've been hoping for more pics- they are just too adorable!

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