RE: Therapy Dog, Draft Dog--Brag??
Vicky, I'm so sorry that you feel obligated to get raffle tickets, just be sure that you don't put any tickets on the things that I want to win! VBG www.overthefence.com/raffle/BARC/ And you're right, I never ask people who brag about therapy work to donate to the Brag Fund, they are already sharing so much! So you hug Miss Raven for me, she's a very special girl! Pat Long ( Luther) Brag Fund Queen Berwyn PA
RE: Ringworm
Hi Sherri, I sure hope it isn't ringworm! My neighbour rescued a Scottie from the Humane Society that had this and they quarantined him away from their living quarters and those of their other dogs. He had special baths and treatment and his human dad wore gloves and a white medical coat that was washed with bleach. He was quite badly affected but did make a full recovery and now sports a nice coat and healthy skin. I worked in a horse barn in England during the huge outbreak of ringworm (even the Household Cavalry was grounded) some years back now and it was very difficult to control in that old stable environment. We treated topically and orally and eventually got it under control. It can cross species so be very careful with your hygiene. Rose Tierney
Holiday Reminder!
If you are lucky enough to be going away for the holidays, please remember to go to our site: http://www.berner.org/service/index.cgi to postpone delivery of the Berner-L. If you need any help, just email me. Meanwhile, have the happiest of holidays! Maria Crifasi ( Daisy The Budman)
RE: Socialization of dogs
Hi Jenn, I don't know your dogs so can't gauge their full temperament and character but the standard does allow for a degree of reservation. You say your first dog is initially reserved with strangers but mushes up with them once he knows them. This type of character is perfectly normal and what one should expect with a breed that has a watchdog heritage. He is not supposed to throw down the welcome mat for all but when he sees that person is acceptable to you allows himself to be handled, that is a good watchdog. Providing the dog is not rolling his eyes, ducking his head to one side and jamming his tail up his crotch but standing with presence (not hackled or growling) it wouldn't bother me if he chose to act the protector when approached by a stranger but I would expect him to relax quickly which your post implies your first dog does. If your second dog is the goon that wiggles and smooches up from the get go he is actually a more submissive dog, which is sounding like it suits you perfectly. He may actually read your body language quicker and realise all is well, does he still overgreet people who you are not comfortable with?? This might make an easy affable pet for you but not likely to protect you from the mad axman! Rose Tierney -Original Message- From: Jennifer Popp [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: December 19, 2002 7:22 PM To: Bernese Mountain Dog Mailing List Subject: Socialization of dogs Ok, I've got a general question for the wealth of berner knowledge on this list. And I'm sure this question will be one of those that had widely opposing views, so be kind to Pat and don't get nasty. Here goes I remember when I got my first berner (5 years ago) some admirers of the breed I'd meet along the way would comment on the temperament they saw creeping into, what used to be, a very friendly breed. That temperament being shier, more aloof, less approachable, etc. As I always do, I brought my new berner to obedience school (at 3 months) and socialized him with other animals, adults and children (as well as traffic, trucks, etc.). I would have thought I had done a good job of exposing him to different things as he grew up. But then at around 9 months, he started showing signs of the very behaviour I described above. He will approach anyone he doesn't know with reserve and don't dare pet him until he says it's OK. Reach out to pat his head and he will jump back and possibly bark. Once he knows a person, he's more loveable than any berner on the planet. He actually squeaks if he's happy to see someone he knows. Now my second berner is the polar opposite. He does the full body wiggle as he approaches ANYONE. But he went to three levels of what I'd call a better obedience school. I even went as far as bring him at 9 weeks of age because I believed the risk of him contracting some puppy disease was less of a worry than him being under socialized. (Now that's not the point of the story, so don't anyone start ranting about this aspect, as I would do it again.) So my questions are: Is it just genetics that determine this type of trait? Is it the socialization at a very young age? Does the puppy school make that much of a difference in the social behaviour of dogs? Can anyone shed any light on this?? Some notes: I'm not saying either way is right, I'm just wondering what would determine such a huge variance in social behaviour. Second note: each berner is from a different breeder with (probably) no ancestral links in their pedigree. Third note, both are altered males, one altered at 1 year, one at 5.5 months. First berner was not first dog, we have a GSD that is three years older than the first berner -- each dog is approximately three years difference in age. I'd have to say, I'm not a dog idiot, I have read many books on training and dog behaviours and my training is based on positive rather than negative. Is it just that the owner gets that much better with each dog they add to the family?? Jenn Popp Healthy Paws Bones and Raw Food Diet http://www.healthy-paws.ca Toronto, Ontario (Canada) 416-264-1313 / email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
adolescant not messing in his own yard
In a message dated 12/20/2002 8:14:45 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Porter absolutely LOVES his yard, but will not use it as a bathroom! Try soaking an old towel w/ his own urine (blot it up, if you cant slip it under him while he is peeing) and putting the towel out in the new yard. Rub the wet towel on the grass a few places and leave the towel out there. Do this every time he pees somewhere else. Interesting to see an opposite housetraining problem. He must be a very neat and clean dog! :-) Vilma Briggs Ohio
testing aol
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Holiday wishes
Happy Holidays everyone. Check out the site below for a beautiful dog-filled holiday wish. http://www.drtomvet.com/xmas2001.htm Liz Murray Calgary Alberta Canada
RE: BERNER-L digest 4187
good afternoon to all, a bit of advice needed please. my micah, 3 1/2 fixed male may have pancreatitus. he won't eat much although that is getting better and he is drinking water now he is very sluggish and slow and panting he sleeps a lot. my vet gave me medication to give him..it is 5 pills a day. has anyone had experience with this??? any other suggestions on how to help him get better sooner. i am feeding him bits of boiled chicken and a little rice when he will take it... thanks for any and all advice. i feel so bad for him and want him to feel better soon. happy holidays to all and our family of loved ones -two and four legged. deb and micah in philadelphia
Online Pet Auction
Terrible site - at least so far no berners on auction (that I could find). Poor chihauhau :-( http://www.onlinepetauction.com/auction/index.php -- Hunka Hunka Berner Love - Kimberlite Reg'd. Debbie Tripp - Saskatchewan Canada - Berners since 1986 http://www.kimberlitebernese.com
Problem w/ flour/ help
Um , my Hannah managed to devour about 1/4 of a 5 lb bag of flour before we caught her :-(. Luckily , it's all-purpose NOT self-rising ! At any rate , it's not the best thing in the world for a dog to eat. Should I watch her for bloat symptoms ??? I'm worried !! I still can't BELIEVE she did it ! She had flour all over my kitchen , and tracked across the couch and rug :-((. And she KNOWS she was bad ! She won't even look at me. My other dog , Shelby apparently watched her do the whole thing , she has NO flour on her at all. Of all the things I would have expected a dog to grab off a counter (way back , too) it was NOT flour ! And she has it packed in her teeth :-(. I feel really bad about this . Laurie MontoyaS. Central PA , w/ a gummy dog
re: socialization
socialization needs to be continued for the first full year in my opinion. there is a second fear imprint period that occurs for most dogs somewhere in the 6 mos to 1yr area. this is a time to return almost to puppy style socialization especially for any individual dog who has had difficulties with earlier socialization for any breed of dog that tends to require more socialization - which would include bernese. with some breeds there does seem to be a genetic problem that doesn't pop up until the second fear imprint period. with dogs from these lines (we have particularly noticed it in shelties gsds) they hit that second fear imprint period like a wall recover slowly, if at all. just the experience of myself several of my friends who are trainers. lisa baldwin (dickens, bark zel) seattle, wa [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Hesse
Hi Jordan So glad to see Hesse up and around. I can't help wondering whether his eye was affected by the radiation treatment or not. Also, will his lovely fur grow back or has the treatment destroyed the hair follicles on the side of his face? Give your boy a big hug and belly scritch from us. Fran Sisco West Vancouver, BC -- Fran Jones [EMAIL PROTECTED] SportSound Music:http://www.geocities.com/franinvancouver Phone: 604-926-0084 Fax: 604-926-9543
Re: Socialization of Dogs
So my questions are: Is it just genetics that determine this type of trait? Is it the socialization at a very young age? Does the puppy school make that much of a difference in the social behaviour of dogs? Can anyone shed any light on this?? Certainly a genetically timid dog could show the behaviors you mention, and even if well socialized can still show fear. If the dog lacks socialization in early critical periods or experiences trauma (that can be different for each dog!) in a fear period, then the dog can later have problems specific to that trauma or even generalized, *global* fear. There is a second fear period that dogs experience anywhere from between about 4 to 10 months, lasting a few weeks, wherein the dogs are skittish even in situations they had previously been fine in. Trauma in that period can also have negative effects on the dog. It's important during both the early period and later to keep things upbeat and safe for the dog. Giving lots of praise for desired behaviors with food rewards, not forcing a dog to go up to someone or accept petting, and also _not_ coddling the fearful/timid responses is helpful. To most dogs, food = good, so they make the association that: person approaching means I get lots of really yummie food while I sit calmly, paying attention to my owner, cool! If they are too afraid to take food or about to harm themselves or others or threaten to do so, then get them out of the situation and find someone/some way to work with you and the pup to make life as good as it can be! (I'm talking about *you* in general, not Jennifer) On the other hand, some more assertive, friendly dogs might miss all opportunity for socialization and still turn out to be the best therapy dog ever. It really can be due to genetics or experience. Also, IMVHO: a puppy class tailored to pups between ages about 8 weeks to 4 months is the very best thing you can do for a dog! The good puppy class will be structured for some puppy play time, lots and lots of socialization and desensitization to people, noises, objects, surfaces and will use food to desensitize the pups to scary things. (people in hats, with beards, children, vet procedures (mock), other pups, puppy agility obstacles, etc!!) There would also be good instruction on operant conditioning and teach the owners how to use the techniques as well as work on bite inhibition and some basic obedience like sit, down come. There would not be any punishment nor choke or prong collars used. The pups will learn to offer behaviors and owners learn that their job is to pick which ones to reward. A pup's development can also be affected/enhanced by earlier experience provided not only by the litter and mother, but by the breeder. Things like handling, exposure to temperature changes (brief), while the pups are quite young have been shown to enhance later development! That's way more than I intended to write, but I just think that good puppy classes do so much good for pups and owners that I got a little carried away Jill with Indie and Gabby
