Hi Maria, Nine hours is a long day to leave a Berner puppy and expect him to hold his urine, I would recommend you hire a retired person or school kid to come in and let him out to relieve himself. I'm sure he remembered ringing the bell to go out but if no-one is home to open the door he would see no point in ringing the bell anymore. He has now got used to treating the house like a toilet so he see's no need to ask when you are home. You have to meet his needs and find an alternative arrangement. If it is not possible for you to hire someone then build him and the lab a kennel run with a shelter outside in the garden so at least they can enjoy the fresh air and they can relieve themselves. It would also be a good idea to check his urine in case he has an infection but you do need to break that nine hour period. I'd have a problem waiting that long!
As for his stance when urinating try to get your husband to look on this as peeing like a horse rather than a bitch:-) The posture is still different between immature dog and bitch:-) Puppy fluff on the ears can be stripped out a little at a time using your fingers or getting a special stripping comb from the petstore. Alternatively a groomer can quickly do that for you if they have experience with preparing dogs for the show ring. You do not want them using clippers but thinning scissors can do the trick too. At seven months your puppy should have full dentition, if he is still chewing inappropriately he may be bored with not enough in his day, again you must resolve the nine hour home alone time and don't forget to enrol in obedience classes and do your homework daily to help occupy his mind. All the best Rose -----Original Message----- From: maria [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: March 28, 2003 1:35 PM To: Bernese Mountain Dog Mailing List Subject: At what age . . .? Hello there experienced, veteran L'ers. This is my first time being raised by a Berner and I was wondering a few things about my Berner who is now a 7 month old male and still intact until next Friday. At what age . . will he finally get his adult ears? The rest of the fur on his body changed from that soft, fluffy puppy fur to his dark and shiney "big boy fur" but his ears are still the puppy fur which gives him that muffin head look. Also, at what age . . will the strength of his bladder be enough to keep him from peeing for about 9 full hours. I think his bladder is large enough but for some reason he more often then not can't hold it for a full work day. I'm hoping it's not that he is doing it out of spite for being home all day. His 10 yr old Choc. Lab sister is slightly smaller in size then he is and she has no problem holding it for quite a few more hours then my Berner boy. I keep Jack, the Berner and Arabia, the Lab confined to the kitchen/dining room all day with toys and bones to occupy them but I come home to presents left by him almost every day. It doesn't even matter to him if I put him in his crate, he'll go anyway which then means a bath when we get home every day. On a similar note, we had him trained to ring a bell when he had to go out but it seems that since we moved to a new house about 3 weeks ago he forgot how to do that. He will sometimes pee in the house without giving us any indication he has to go even if there is a door open and he can just walk right outside to pee if he wants. At what age . . . will he have all of his teeth in? He doesn't chew on our hands as much as he used to but he still tries once in a while. And finally, this one really bugs my husband, at what age . . will he start to lift his leg up to pee like a man instead of barely squatting like a girl? (I guess It's a guy thing). He is our first Berner so we don't always know what to expect. He does try our patience on occasion but we love him to death and couldn't imagine life without him and our Lab. Your responses will be appreciated. Maria, Mark, Arabia, and Jack Ringwood, NJ
