Re: Pup's first meaty bone...not a great experience
I think you handled that sticky situation really well, Alison! Well done! Isn't it confusing, scary and awful when your beloved fur-bundle suddenly decides to challenge you? The good side to this undoubtedly upsetting episode is that she is still so young and you are now prepared. Her growly days are numbered! Eileen's post summarized all known recommendations for tackling possessiveness brilliantly and it's VERY sound advice. Please don't disregard it. The only part where I would differ with, or rather add to, Eileen's post is that I would give feedback to my dogs about their action in this circumstance. I am completely besotted with my dogs but they aren't allowed to growl at me - never mind how much they value whatever coveted possession they might have in their jaws. I WOULD have reprimanded my dog for growling at me and my voice would have left her in doubt that mom is NOT in the least pleased with what she just did. If you don't give your puppy feedback, how would she even know that growling wasn't an okay thing to do? After all it's perfect dog-to-dog communication. It means "Mine! Buzz off!" Clear and simple. Personally, I am none too thrilled if my dogs would tell me to "Buzz off". How rude is that! As much as I love them, we ain't equal in status by a lng way. ( as Pat Long puts it in regards to the berner-l : it is a very benevolent dictatorship. Same with my dogs.) I reserve the right to say who is allowed to have what and when, not vice versa. And I will NOT stand for being growled at. My now 5 year old Berner growled at me ONCE when he was only a few months old in a virtually identical situation. His ears went back "Grrr" he went, trying out his newfound growling abilities. It was rather impressive! "Don't you DARE growl at me!" I replied. Loud, disapproving and low. I meant it and I would have absolutely stood my ground. But then he was younger then Chelsea and I wasn't scared off him. I was merely most indignant & miffed! But it gave me a chance to think about how to best handle another growly episode ( there was never another one, I really DO sound ferocious when I'm miffed!). This is what I did to combat bone possessiveness: I immediately set out to lower the attraction of it. How? By literally swamping the garden with them. When my boy was happily chewing on a new marrow bone, along I came with an even yummier, newer one. "Drop, please", he drops, " Thank you, what a good boy, now have this one". Next day, ditto. And the day after that. After a few days a new bone isn't the "wow" experience nor possession it was before. And you just build on and practice swapping from there. Practice, practice, practice. Every day. With toys and food and anything your dog fancies. I would second Eileen's advice, start practicing with things that Chelsea isn't feeling too particular about ( maybe a less favoured toy?) and work from there. That and start flirting with your butcher! Good knuckle bones are hard to get hold off. Practicing giving a powerful "drop it!"command alone in front of the mirror won't hurt either. Mean it, don't just ask meekly . You ARE the leader and you MUST be obeyed. Period. Also, please be consistent with your command. Don't tell her to "drop!" at one occasion, then to "give!", then to "leave it!" or whatever. One command per action only. The last thing to remember is that is IS a COMMAND. I may sweetly tell my dogs to "give, please" or say "excuse me" when I want them to shift out of my way. But these aren't polite requests. They are commands - given politely! Big, BIG difference. I absolutely expect my dogs to obey them. They know it. And I know it. And young Miss Chelsea will, too. You'll see! All the very best Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK PS Just to clarify what I meant about the swapping practice: please don't go overboard and irritate and annoy your dog when practicing. Don't ask her to swap something she absolutely loves ( and something you gave to her!) every 30 seconds. Let her enjoy it for a reasonable amount of time. One of my friends had a new pup a while back and she took the swapping thing far too literally. As soon as the puppy started munching away she asked her to give it up. Over and over and over again. After 10 minutes of this I told her that I would have bitten her by now - never mind growled. So, please, be consistent, be firm, but also be considerate and reasonable.
Re: An unbelievable 48 hours
Gee, Cathi, what a difficult time this must be for you. Big cyber hugs! But whilst we can't make any of it go away, I'm sure we can help out with the bills. If we can raise money for the Berner garde and various other Berner related charities, I'm sure we equally help out a Berner pal of ours who has enough to worry about at the moment without having to worry about horrendous vet bills on top of it all. And don't think you owe huge gratitude for this, either. Not in the slightest! We could all forsake just one purchase, skip one dinner out, go without something which really isn't essential to our happiness or well-being. Berners, on the other hand, are. Please send snail mail address. My hereby "cancelled hairdressing appointment for tomorrow" cheque will have an INFINITELY more useful purpose. Who needs low-lights in their hair for their happiness?? Well, quite. See, no gratitude necessary ( plus, my hair thanks you profusely ! Less chemicals - hurrah!) Anyone else who can go without something? Big hugs to Bacchus, Ari & you! Prayers are on their way, cheque following shortly! Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK
Don't open Jean Cheesman's messages - virus alert!
Hi Jean (Cheesman) just phoned me to say that her computer got infected by the latest version of Iworm - bugbear 32 ( or something to that effect!) and the virus has played havoc with her system. She got infected by opening a message from a berner -l member who thanked her for her help whilst their Berner died and sent her an updated version of the Rainbow Bridge poem. This attachment carried the virus. Please note: the sender might not be aware that they are sending a virus. Please DO NOT open any private messages from Jean ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) until she posts to the list that she is all clean again. Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK
Re: Avocadoes??
Kaethy That's the first I heard that avocados are poisonous to dogs. Any chance you remember WHERE you read this? Neither of my 2 boys are fruit or vegetable lovers ( unless they are sautéed in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt !) and I spend endless hours disguising their raw healthy veg somehow. The one notable exception to their "healthy living aversion" is avocados - they line up for it and drool like Niagara Falls. Thus, I feed them quite frequently. The only thing I know about avocados is that they are rich in vitamin E. I have no idea whether they are contraindicated for dogs. Still, both of mine seem remarkably alive and thriving on it. Maybe one of our vets or vet techs could expand on this? Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK
Re: fruits and vegetables
> But never, never, NEVER, EVER give a dog cabbage. > > **Why do you say this? Cabbage is great for dogs. I routinely (and lots of > others) grind cabbage and/or romaine lettuce for my dogs. Except for > Chocolate and Onions, most any food/veggie is good for dogs. Sandie Okay, I'm curious. What is the health benefit from raw cabbage? I, for one, wouldn't feed RAW cabbage either and yet my dogs receive a mainly raw diet.. Whilst cabbage might be indeed a fabulous vegetable, it is also one known to produce a LOT of gas. And there is no way I'm giving that to a breed prone to bloat. Moreover, raw cabbage - like broccoli, kale, cauliflower and others - is high in goitrogens which is broken down by cooking. As far as I understand, "goitrogens are chemicals which cause extreme enlargement of the thyroid among people with little iodine in their diets by preventing iodine uptake". If I feed cabbage, I feed it cooked with caraway seeds. The caraway acts as an anti-gas agent and the cooking breaks down the goitrogens to a large extent. Personally, I would be just as concerned to give my dogs raw cabbage than raw onions or chocolate. Raw veggies ARE great, but I'm not at all convinced that ALL of them ( potatoes and onions aside) are beneficial in an uncooked state. I guess you have to feed what you are comfortable with. Michaela Devon/UK
Re: Roached Back
Hi Susan Could be something sinister but could be something silly as her climbing/jumping out of the car awkwardly. Or taking a corner to sharply.. A couple of days ago, one of my friend's Berners woke up like that; the night before he had been totally fine. Roached back, didn't want to eat, couldn't get in the car unaided. The vet gave him a steroid injection, some antibiotics - and the next day he ( in fact 8 hours later ) he was fine and dandy again. He still is. My friend still doesn't know what happened, but is happy that it passed so quickly. Similarly, Harvey had a "roached back & tip toeing" episode a few month ago. He screamed in agony when he jumped in the car. Again, I had no idea what brought this on. A couple of days of rest and a couple of painkillers later he was perfectly fine again. I, on the other hand, got another few grey hairs thanks to my active imagination of bone cancers, permanent disk damage and similar "nasties". Try a couple of buffered aspirins and a day or two of resting her. Chances are high that she'll be just dandy. You, meanwhile, should stock up on hair colorant! Buy lots if you plan you keep Berners. Hugs to the furries! Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK
What is it about that word?
> "Histiocytic sarcoma and malignant histiocytosis (MH).. You know, it doesn't matter how often or how infrequently I read the dreaded MH words. Or even in what context. Every single time I get first teary and then start yelling " ** B*d!" in unbridled fury at my innocent computer screen. Scares the pants off anybody in the vicinity. It was SUCH a long, long time ago I lost my Romeo to the above. And yet it never gets any easier. Some things don't heal with time, do they? Not ever. Please support the histio raffle. PLEASE. Lavishly. Thank you. Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK
Re: joint pain diet
Rose wrote: >She found > that her condition was highly aggravated when she ate red and green > peppers. Well, that is VERY interesting. My husband doesn't suffer from arthritis per se, but I have been feeding him a lot of peppers lately and he has been complaining of achy joints. Harvey refuses to eat peppers, yet Rupsi adores them and his joints have been clicking for the past week or so. Coincidence? Maybe. Hmmm. Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK
cracked nose
I noticed that Rupert has a very badly cracked nose. It looks really sore. Now I'm feeling guilty ( don't mom's always) since I should have noticed sooner but he usually has a thick patina of mud on top of his nose. Gee, I once even found a slug balancing on it! I intended to put some cocoa butter on it but one of my friend's said that would block his nose and impair his breathing. Can't see how, since I'm not planning on putting the stuff IN the nose, but I thought I better check before suffocating my youngest Berner boy! Meanwhile, Harvey appears to be loosing most of the pigment from his nose. Must be a "bad nose month". Has anyone got a good "cracked nose" remedy to share? Thank you! Michaela, Harvey & Rups Devon/UK
Re: attacks on livestock
Brooke My first Berner was a devil for chasing livestock. Bad news for me living surrounded by 360+ square miles filled with nothing but livestock. But CHASING is different from attacking. Not to the farmer, of course, who would shoot first and answer later. Could you tell us more about the exact circumstances? Did it start as a playful chase - something that maybe went on for a while - and slowly escalated from there? Or was it an attack out of the blue? By the way, you can ABSOLUTELY cure a dog from attacking livestock. Not every one, but the vast majority. If one couldn't, we wouldn't have any dogs left in Devon! That's the good news. The bad news is, that it's hard. REALLY hard. On you. This is the ONE time you will have to turn into Lucifer personified. Your dog must be left in no doubt that whatever fun he just had attacking that sheep is FAR outweighed by the consequences. Or, if you can't do that, you have to accept that you can't ever let your dog off the leash around livestock. Not ever. Michaela Devon/UK - > Does anyone have experience with Berners attacking livestock? We've had > trouble with a beautiful, obedient, sweet, loving one attacking pet llamas > and sheep. Have any of you heard of this? We have yet to find a completely > failsafe way of keeping him from getting loose on occasion. This is a > really rare but really awful thing for him to do. He's absolutely > wonderful with little children, people of all ages, and cats.
Re: At what age?
Sherri wrote: > While agree wholeheartedly about puppies not having to 'hold it' for long > periods of time, I have to disagree with Kay when it comes to adults. While > they don't routinely have to, my adults can easily go 9 hours without > distress. Matter of fact, my 11 year old girl routinely goes longer than > that during the summer when she doesn't want to leave the A.Cregardless > of the fact that I'm here to let her out any time she wants. Even in good > weather, the only time she'll relieve herself in between her AM and PM > 'constitutional' (12 hours apart) is during active exercise. Sherri, there is a BIG difference though. A dog CHOOSING not to go out to relieve him/herself is in a very different position from a dog not being ABLE to go out even though he desperately might have to. Adult or not. As strange as it sounds, Harvey drives me bonkers with his non-peeing. This dog will go happily from 5 p.m to whenever I take him the next morning. This could be lunch time! The door to the garden is wide open and all he has to do is to stroll out, but he CHOOSES not to. Mostly. Even if I entice him to go out or go out there myself with him. But at least he COULD if he needed to. On the other hand, there is NO WAY Rupert could restrain himself for that length of time ( or maybe he could, but I think he would be really uncomfortable and dying to go out.) Michaela Devon/UK
And talking of digging....
Rupert and I are permanently being told off for digging. He for doing so and me for not doing anything about it. Isn't it interesting, how "our" dog, suddenly becomes " YOUR dog is digging again!"? But even my digging -aversive husband roared with laughter at Rup's latest endeavour. I had given both the dogs a huge marrow bone and left them happily chewing in the garden. 5 minutes later, Harvey wanders in looking severely miffed. Rupert was contentedly chewing away, but where did Harv's bone go? Closer inspection showed that the young one had taken possession of his big brother's bone but his own was nowhere to be seen. Plus, he had the telling marks of mud on his nose. Suddenly, my eyes fell on a tub of primroses - which actually no longer held any flowers. The primroses had been replaced by the entire femur of a cow, half of which was sticking out. The new "planting arrangement" was completed by a wooden sign stating " Grow dammit" ( well, I originally thought it would entice the sluggish primroses!). I thought it was utterly fabulous!!! Clever little boy, no? Michaela, Harvey ( my brother is a thieving moron) & Rupert ( budding garden designer) Devon/UK
Re: digging to china--HELP!
I think some dogs simply enjoy the activity of digging whilst others don't. It has nothing to do with being bored or wanting to be naughty. Of my four dogs, past and present, only my current youngster is an enthusiastic digger. He'll dig anywhere, to bury his "treasures", to dig himself a hole, or sometimes just for the heck of it. I am very bad when it comes to correcting it, primarily because I really don't care about my garden, it's my dogs play area and they can do what they like. However, other peoples garden is another matter. The only thing I can advise you to do is to "bribe" Hudson with a "macho" stick" or something she enjoys chewing and which she'll find completely absorbing. Then she MIGHT abstain. OR the other thing you can do is to watch her like a hawk whilst she is visiting somebody and warn the hosts that she is very partial to digging. Good luck! Michaela, Harvey & Rups ( fellow digger) Devon/UK
Re: At what age . . .?
Hi Maria > Also, at what age . . will the strength of his bladder be enough to > keep him from peeing for about 9 full hours. I guess that depends more on the individual dog rather than his specific age. My first berner boy could hold his pee for a long time even as a young puppy. Ditto my second Berner boy. My youngest peed for England until he was over a year old. My first 2 NEVER had an accident after 12 weeks, the younger one did occasionally until he was 8- 9 months. I don't think I did anything different with either of them. But Maria, I NEVER expected either of them to hold their pee for that long when they were puppies. And Jack is still very much a puppy. Nine hours is a long time. I'm not sure I could hold it that long and I am forty! Could you? If your dog is fed on dry food he needs to drink quite a bit and chewing on bones and toys is a thirsty activity, too. All my dogs wander straight to their water bowl for a long drink after a hearty chewing session. You wouldn't expect a young child never to pee for 9 hours, would you? Same with young Jack. I am certain that he ISN'T peeing out of spite or to punish you for your absence. He HAS to go to the toilet. You know what it's like, when you gotta go, you gotta go! As far as I can see you have 2 options here to address the problem. 1) you could arrange for someone to come in and take him out for a pee and a play half way through the day. I would coax, bribe, pay, exchange favours, whatever it takes - I'd do ANYTHING to set this up if I were you. It must be just horrible for him having to sit or lie in his own urine until you come back. Horrible. That is NOT an effective way to use a crate. Please think about how you'd feel if you would have to wallow in your own exrement. 2) If the former is completely impossible, you MUST set up a " peeing area" inside the kitchen or somewhere ( with newspapers or towels or whatever) where he is allowed to relieve himself if he has to go. I never wanted my dogs to feel that peeing in the house was a good, acceptable thing to do so I didn't really do that. EXCEPT when they were very young when I put thick layers of newspaper right next to the door leading into the garden. If they had an "accident" there, I simply cleared it up and sayed nothing more. But whenever they peed in the garden, I praised lavishly, treated, danced and clapped - I'm sure my neighbours thought my pups had just won the Nobel Prize, such was my enthusiasm! Use a specific word when you see him peeing, like " be busy" or " go pee" so that he connects the activity with a word. Eventually you can just say the "special" word and the desired activity will follow. The newspaper method has another excellent application. If an accident HAS occured, roll up some clean paper and hit YOURSELF sharply on the head, muttering " I MUST pay more attention to the puppy. It's MY responsibility to train him properly, not his to train me". Repeat as often as needed. Like a meditation mantra. Very therapeutic and it will sharply increase your attention span. Worked brilliantly for me. > 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. He WILL get there! Just make a huge spectacle of yourself when he gets it right and shower him with treats the moment you see him peeing in the garden. Ignore the accidents completely UNLESS you see him relieving himself in front of you in the house. Then say something like " Oh - hold on!" or " Not there!" or something that gives him some feedback on his activity ( Note: personally, I wouldn't use the word "WAIT" since I use that for another purpose, as in "stay exactly where you are until I get to you" and if you plan to do likewise it's better not to confuse your youngster). > 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). At about nine months with my first boy, 6 months with my second one and 12 months with my young "peeing champion". Jack might go through an "intermittent" period whereby he'll sometimes lifts his leg and sometimes he'll squat before permanently lifting his leg. Or, especially since he is going to be neutered, he will keep in that "intermittant period" thoughout his life. All the best & big hugs to young Jack & Arabia Michaela, Harvey ( the water retainer) & Rupert ( well, I LIKE peeing!) Devon/UK
Re: Berners & their special cars
Molly wrote: > Santa, too, has a "special" car that he prefers to ride in. Unfortunately, > it is the aforementioned dark green Range Rover belonging to Michaela > Simmons! Santa absolutely adores it and becomes fairly uncontrollable in > his efforts to throw himself aboard. This is very true. And I am flattered. But what bugs me is that not only does he want to ride in it, he hops into the drivers seat and sits there like a gargantuan grinning Cheshire Cat apparently insisting on taking over the wheel. Only lenghty negotiations involving copious amounts of treats and convoluted discussions about ownership rights will make him shift. My diplomatic skills displayed at those occasions would make Tony Blair weep with envy. Let me tell you all a story of Santa's true devotion to the "cool car of his dreams". When Rupert was still a small puppy, Molly, Santa and I met up for a walk. We took our 3 boys for a nice little stroll and then Molly took young Rupert home in her car and I continued to walk on with the two "Big boys", Harvey & Santa. We waked on merrily as Molly drove out of the carpark. Santa, like a tornado from hell, turned around and hurtled back to said carpark. Now visualise this: carpark, road right beside it ( not a very busy road, but a road), cars coming from both directions and my friend's dog she entrusted me with is racing straight into the road. Obviously, I thought he was trying to follow his Mum. Calling him fell on stonily deaf ears. Haha! It transpired that the dear boy didn't give two hoots that his mom had just disappeared. He slammed on his brakes just before the road ( thank you God. Thankyouthankyouthankyou!) sverved sharply into the carpark and sat beside my car. His paw was placed longingly onto the back bumper. That's all he wanted - a ride in the "cool car". Whether his human had gone to Timbakto or wherever was of no immediate concern to him. A ride in the cool car was. And that from a breed whose characteristics are cited as " devoted and loyal". Yeah, to the brand of car, maybe Michaela, Harvey & Ruert Devon/UK
Berners & their special cars
Am I really the only one whose dog is particular to a certain brand of car? I'm ashamed to say that Harvey appears to be a terrible snob when it comes to travelling. He will either travel in a dark green Range Rover or refuse to set paw in it. Seriously. My friends cars, my husband's car, rental cars, taxis - forget it. Different colour Range Rover - ditto. No way. I laid him a trait of treats, put his food bowl in it, I coaxed, pleaded, got angry. Nothing. He won't get in the car. And this isn't a stubborn or wilful dog in any other way. Where did I go wrong?? Michaela, Harvey & Rupert ( I travel in anything!) Devon/UK
Re: dog food / dog treats
Food: My dogs get either a homemade BARF diet or " Burn's Real food for pets" http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.com/index.htm when we are travelling or I'm too busy to make the homemade version. Burn's is the only dried food that Harvey, my fickle boy eats, with gusto. The ingredients are top-notch, it doesn't contain any genetically modified ingredients and doesn't use battery chickens ( very important for me since I insist on ethical farming methods). And the dogs love it. It's available in the UK and the US, and I could highly recommend it. My only complaint is that it's a little low in protein ( 18.5 %) which would be perfect for a less active or older dog, but I simply add some tinned fish or cooked chicken for my boys. Treats/Chews Dried lambs liver ( you can easily dry your own in the oven, too!), James Wellbeloved's "Crackerjacks" ( yummy, crunchy and they brake into small pieces), raw marrow bones ( entire knuckle ones) and something I think you call "macho sticks" in the US. Here they go under the fetching name "bulls pizzles" since they are dried bulls penises ( you guys in the States are a bashful bunch!). They are completely natural, will keep the dogs chewing happily for a long time and are the only chew I have found which doesn't get soggy ( when darling doggy drags it out in the garden and leaves it there in the rain for a while), the dog can't bite of chunks as with rawhide ( thereby minimising choking) and they are HUGE. I kid you not, I buy mine 5' long and either chop them in halve or just give them entire. The only problem is, you'll never walk past another bull without scrutinising his privates and smirking. Oh , and cubes of cheese! Cheese is medicine for a Berner. Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK PS I have no affiliation with Burn's - I just like their food.
Re: Ticks and other nasties was Your Breeder - Your Friend
Hi Cecilia Well, AT LAST another Berner owner who had the same results with Frontline than me. My vet and vet techs were initially adamant that I must be applying the product incorrectly. I had them watch me applying it, I watched them applying it. The result was always the same - the dogs still got ticks. I don't know whether the local ticks have by now become resistant to "Finipronil" ( the active ingredient) or whether the ticks have mutated or whether Frontline simply doesn't do what it promises to do. And that is to kill ticks within 48 hours of attaching. It doesn't. I have contacted the manufacturer several times in regards to this issue. Upon phoning them I was haughtily told that they only deal with vets and not the general public ( Ha! They ought to try that approach in the US. Their customers would eat them alive and rightly so). I wrote to them. No reply. I had my vet ring them up in my presence. They still refused to acknowledge that their product wasn't working. They did, however, and I kid you not, offer to "fumigate" the dog for me by spraying them with huge doses of Frontline Spray. I can't repeat my answer to their generous offer, but if they carried out my instructions verbatim, the person my vet spoke to went home a happy, satisfied man! Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK - Original Message - From: Cecilia Ståhl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: Bernese Mountain Dog Mailing List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, March 17, 2003 5:16 PM Subject: Re: Ticks and other nasties was Your Breeder - Your Friend Here in Sweden we have Frontline, which can be purchased over the counter at the pharmacists and Ex-Spot, which is only dispensed with a vet prescription. Although I was very pleased with the results of Ex-Spot, I decided to try the Frontline last summer on Griffin. It was absolutely without effect, so much so that Griffin ended up with Erhlichia by the end of the season. This year I will be applying Ex-Spot, needless to say. Cecilia Ståhl Stockholm Sweden
Re: sleeping position
Andrea My younger Berner, Rupert, sleeps like this. It looks as if he is cupping one side of his head with his paw. Is that what you meant? His movement is absolutely fine though and he looks very comfortable in this position. Plus, it looks very cute. Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK _--- - - Original Message - From: Andrea Brin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Berner-L <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, March 14, 2003 4:08 PM Subject: sleeping position > does anyone's dog sleep with one paw rotated in with their head resting on > it rather that both paw straight ahead. i am trying to determine if this > rotation is unusual since chi has had some subluxcations at c1 and c3 due to > trauma. > thanks > andrea >
litter size & line breeding
My breeder and I were chatting on the week-end and, amongst many things, came to the topic "line breeding and litter size". I recall someone posting that the closer the line (in)breeding the smaller the size of the litter. I just can't remember who posted it ( Ruth? Rose? Susan?) or when. Could anyone refresh my memory please? Thanks Michaela, Harvey, Rupert & Bramble ( Berner guest) Devon/UK
Re: Ticks and other nasties was Your Breeder - Your Friend
Marion I'm the tick queen of the Western world. Sadly. Because of where we live - Moorland, bracken, sheep - my dogs are veritable tick magnets. Plus, this part of England never really gets cold enough to kill off ticks, thus I begrudgingly pull off ticks all year round. I tried a variety of natural things, neither of them were effective. I found Frontline useless, never mind how carefully and diligently I applied it. My dogs still got ticks and far from killing them off, they appeared to be thriving on them. Whilst I second Deb Tripp's recommendation in regards to the Whole Dog Journal - it truly IS a great publication - I found their article about natural tick management less than useful. If I remember correctly, the chief advice was to keep your dog away from tick prone areas and to check the coat thoroughly for ticks after each walk. One CAN see the crawling ticks before they attach but they are really tiny and with a long haired dog they are b*s to find. Summa summaris, the article didn't really offer an effective alternative for tick control, either. On our last vacation to Switzerland the Swiss vet highly recommended a product called " Ex-Spot" for ticks. He said he hardly uses Frontline anymore since it really doesn't work. "Ex-Spot" is one of those chemical concoctions, too, but you have to weigh up the lesser of two evils. From what I gather, most European vets use this product and have given up on Frontline. I brought some "Ex-Spot" home with me so if you want any further info, please let me know. Also, one of the European members might know this product better than me ( Bernd? Tim? ) and perhaps could comment on it. Either way, it certainly works. Regards Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK
Re: Flooring for Santa's new "kennel"
Molly wrote: > Santa's claws have really taken their > toll on this floor and it is looking really tatty, in a very short time. > Obviously we don't really want a repeat of this scenario at our next house > (kennel!) so we'd be very grateful for any wisdom the List can impart. Oh, that's easy! You simply chop his paws off..or train him to hover about 1 " above the floor at all times. See, easy-peasy. Failing that, you could do what you normally do and let him file down his nails at his friends house. My floor is beyond...well, just beyond. We miss you ( actually, we just miss Santa but if YOU have to come along as well...) Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK
Re: Fussy Puppy/& breeders diet guidelines
Rose wrote: > I totally disagree with your comments. I would assume that the fussy puppy > was fed Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy at the breeders without problems, after > all she made it to leaving home time Hi Rose Please let me precede the following by stating that I greatly value both your experience and expertise on the berner-list. Thanks to your input, I, like many others berner-l members, have been able to considerably increase my knowledge in many doggy related areas for which I am truly grateful. Nevertheless, when it comes to a breeder prescribed diet, the dog refusing to eat it, and the new owner being told that s/he should stick to the breeders diet regardless rather than trying out something new, we have to agree to disagree. Strongly if necessary. Why should a puppy have to continue to eat something she actively dislikes with the exception of live preserving medication? Why? Because the breeder said so? With all due respect to all the breeders out there, but surely diet recommendations should be just that - recommendations. To facilitate matters for both puppy and new owner. To make it a STIPULATION what another person's dog - and yes, if the puppy has been sold it IS another person's dog - should and shouldn't eat is dictatorial and is taking matters too far. What a breeder chooses to feed his own dogs isn't gospel nor should it be. I think we can safely say that there is more than one decent brand of dog food on the market and that many dog owners are a lot more educated about diet than some breeders. Should food not be enjoyed rather than endured? If the answer is yes than why not try out another brand? If we applied the principle of "unless you eat what I just gave you, you will eat nothing, never mind how much you hate it, and I will give you the same thing until you are so hungry that you'll eat anything " to children, we would be accused of abusing our power as their care takers. And rightly so. I think the same goes for our dogs. Will it make the dog fussy if one tries out another diet? I sincerely doubt it. Why would it? Yes, maybe one has to try a few different ones before finding one that both dog and owner are happy with, but so what. Sure, if you serve the puppy roast chicken one day and then expect it to eat boring kibble the next it might turn up it's nose, but we weren't talking about those extremes. I was talking about different brands of complete & balanced foods. We already make so many decisions for our dogs. When they are allowed to go out. For how long. If they are allowed to go out at all. When they eat and how much. How long they have to stay alone at home and how often. In a crate or out of it. In light of this, is it really too much to ask that a dog can a least have a LITTLE bit of choice in WHAT it eats? Oh, come on. > If a puppy owner chooses to experiment with a variety of kibbles then they > are likely to gain experience with diarrhoea and other gastric problems Both my dogs eat a huge variety of foods. Always have done. They don't have gastric problems. They never get diarrhoea except from turkey or eating too much marrow from fresh bones. Therefore I scoop some of the marrow out and omit turkey. The only dog owners I know whose dogs have persistent stomach upsets have exclusively kibble fed dogs. The moment the dogs eat a morsel of something different they end up with an upset stomach. I guess their system can't handle it. Not exactly a recommendation not to deviate from the same kibble day in day out, but there you are. >Dogs will eat faeces, rotting > carcasses and socks etc, .. And yet they will still not touch Eukanuba! I rest my case. :-) All the best Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK
Re: Fussy Puppy
Eileen wrote: > I've never met a dog without health > problems which would actually starve itself, although I've met ones which > would skip a few meals to extort treat food from people. I respectfully beg to differ. I know several dogs, including one of my own, who'd rather go very, VERY hungry than to eat something they abhorr. Eileen IS right in her assertion, however, I'm sure no healthy dog would willingly starve himself. To death that is. But they sure can go very, very hungry and it is debateable how healthy that is for a rapidly developing youngster. No, they might not get any nutritionally empty treats in that " you WILL eat that particular food" time, but they don't get any decent nourishment, either. For a fully grown dog to regularly skip some meals might, indeed, be immaterial, but I'm not at all sure whether that applies to a pup also. If one of my dogs hated its food so much that he'd rather go without I would try out some other brands. Neither of my two dogs liked Eukanuba. And one of them even eats dirt with great gusto! There is nothing "magic" in Eukanuba's formula that one wouldn't find with other comparable foods which your pup might actually relish. Thus, why not try and find a compromise? Imagine YOU hated a particular food. Let's say, Campbell's tomato soup. You love all sort of other foods, just not that vexed brand of tomato soup. Now imagine that you have no input of what is being served to you and ALL you get, day in day out, is that despised tomato concoction. Wouldn't you find that depressing? I would. If you view food simply as a form of essential nourishment and nothing else, then, yes, stick to your guns and keep feeding Eukanuba and no other treats. Personally, however, I think food should be a source of pleasure and excitement as well as a source of nourishment. Life is short, that of our Berners in particular. I don't know about you, but I found it rather dispiriting to watch my dogs staring at their full bowl with great disappointment. And then to walk away in disgust. All this doesn't mean that I just feed my dogs on Big Macs and Cheese cubes - irrespective of how jubliant they might embrace that idea - but that I respect their taste buds, too. There are some GREAT complete dog foods* out there with infinitely superior ingredients to Eukanuba. Most of them have samples available. Try out a few and see how puppy likes them! Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK * last month's issue of the " Whole Dog Journal" reviewed some fabulous complete dog foods. Let me know if you want the info and I'll mail it too you
Re: eatting poop & raw zucchini
I recall reading that adding raw zucchini to the dog's diet might help with this problem. Here it is: >From " The Veterinarian's Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs" - Safe and Effective alternative treatments and healing techniques from the Nation's Top Holistic Veterinarians" (1999) edited by Martin Zucker, pp 140 -142, under the heading "Stool eating", Nancy Scanlan, DVM, recommends RAW ZUCCHINI. Poignantly she writes" I have no idea why it works, but it frequently helps." The author surmises that poop eating is often caused by a lack of digestive enzymes or hydrochloric acid, genetic flaws (huh??), or poor diet. Her other suggestions are: a) digestive enzymes b) adding meat tenderiser to the food Worth giving the raw zucchini a try? BTW, the book also lists other vets suggestions such as adding trace minerals ( e.g. such as supplementing the diet with kelp). And ALL of the vets recommend adding digestive enzymes. Good luck! Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK PS: It's a good book, I'd highly recommend it.
Re: Cookie Cooking
Beth wrote: > I do have a bunch of recipes that my mom, Snowy's treat chef :0), has that she makes for him all of the time. If there is interest I could post them to the list. Oh, yes, please DO! In exchange, I will share the cookie recipe which every dog I have ever met - including the most fickle and choosy eater - goes wild over. The first time I made these, Harvey danced somethig akin to a cha-cha-cha. Ingredients: 1 pound of lambs liver 1 pound of wholemeal flour ( or gluten free flour) 1 egg good pinch of salt few cloves of crushed garlic ( optional) few good splashes of sunflower oil chopped bunch of parsley grated parmesan ( optional) Puree lambs liver in processor until...well, thoroughly pureed. Add all other ingreedients, except cheese. Process a bit more. Take out and chill in the fridge for an hour or until you remember that you promised to bake the dogs some treats. Roll out on a floured surface - if you think the dough is too sticky add more flour, if it's too thick add some more oil - cut out shapes with cutters. Sprinkle with parmesan if using and bake for 10 -15 min in a hottish oven ( 180 degrees celius or 400 F) on a tray lined with greaseproof paper. Cool on a wire rack. Ignore dogs who are whining. After 3 minutes, still try to ignore dogs who are going frantic. Relent and say " Fine have it your way - burn your mouth if you can't wait. See whether I care!". Enjoy watching them snarfle the treats. Freeze any leftover dough and use within a couple of months. Prepare for mutiny when cookies run out. You have been warned! Michaela, Harvey & Rups Devon/UK
Success with Melatonin
Hi and happy New Year to you all! May I say a heartfelt "thank you" to all of you who recommended " Melatonin". It worked SUPERBLY! I did NOT look forward to New Years eve. Harvey gets really spooked by fireworks and there we were in a foreign country, in a hotel room, surrounded by fireworks, tons of bangs, people celebrating in the street, not to mention the sound of dozens of HUGE, loud cowbells ( the young local men walk through the village with those enormous cowbells in order to ring in the New Year. A most charming tradition, albeit rather noisy!). Despite this raucousness, my Harvey, suitably dosed with 3mgs of Melatonin 2 hours before bed- or rather "bang"- time was as cool as a cucumber. He listened attentively, but wasn't particularly worried. Mind you, I also gave him 2 Bach flower remedies ( Rock Rose & Mimulus), which may have helped as well. Or perhaps it was a combination of the things? Who knows, it worked just dandy. I would HIGHLY recommend Melatonin & the Bach flowers if your dog gets nervy. Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK
Melatonin question
Could anyone please tell me how to dose and administer Melatonin? We are taking the boys on vacation with us and we'll spend New Year in a hotel with fireworks all around us. Rupert couldn't care less about bangs but Harvey does get really stressed by them and apparently Melatonin takes the edge of the nervousness. I have tried Rescue Remedy repeatedly without any success thus I'm pinning my hopes on Melatonin. Do any of you give it to your dogs and if so, how much, how often and how long before the scary noises start? And, more importantly, if you have tried it, were you pleased with the effect? Did it work or not really? Many thanks! Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK
Re: Nails. Is wear a sign of use?
Susan Ablon wrote: > Does your dog with the faster growing nails have the same feet as the one > that keeps his trimmed. I mean are the toes rounded and tight or are his > feet more open and flat? I shall check right now! Okay, upon close inspection I'd say my younger Tiger...er...Berner has slightly more open feet than the older one. I couldn't really say they were any flatter. But then I really didn't get that good a look since Rupert mistook my inspection crouching down for a playbow and wacked me with his sharp nailed paw right in the eye. Ouch! No, REALLY.OUCH Very interesting comment though. Thank you. Michaela ( semi-blind) Harvey & by, by, clumsy Rupert Devon/UK
Need help in how to avert endless questions!
I need your input with a seemingly daft question. Here is the thing: I, thanks to our relatively dog friendly laws in cafes and pubs, almost always have my boys in tow when I'm out and about. I enjoy having them with me and they enjoy tagging along. So far, so good. Both my boys are born schmooze bears and overjoyed when approached by strangers. They are very handsome dogs and appear to "invite" cuddles from everywhere. Invariably, the person starts asking a thousand questions about them. I AM flattered and I am normally only too happy to talk at length about Bernese, but sometimes I would just like to have a conversation with the friend I have come to meet, or drink my cup of coffee in peace and quiet. Two of my friends are by now so cheesed off by these constant interruptions that they refuse to meet up if I have the dogs with me. I CAN understand them, we never get to have a conversation! My friends sit there for a long time, bored witless, whilst I talk to perfect strangers about Bernese. Moreover, I have taught the boys to lie down quietly in those places, but with an endless stream of people coaxing them over, it has turned into an equally endless up-down-up-down-up-down. Not really what I want. Sure, it's a minor problem BUT is annoying all the same. I, not being English, don't know how to signal in a POLITE way that this isn't a good time for me to answer their questions. I have tried. But people are amazingly persistent and I don't want to be brusque with them. Hence, who knows a good way to deflect questions? I like my friends, I like having my dogs with me and I don't want to snub nice but intrusive strangers. Who knows an effective phrase which will keep all parties happy? Michaela, Harvey & Rupert ( but we LOVE all that attention - lying down quietly is boring!) Devon/UK
Re: Nails. Is wear a sign of use?
Ruth Reynold's wrote: > I rarely have to trim toenails on my dogs including dewclaw nails. I always > figured the dogs wear the regular nails down through their daily exercise. Ruth, I used to think the same, but not any more! My 4 year old Berner gets tons of exercise and I NEVER had to trim his nails. They are really short. However, his younger brother ( 16 months, same dam, different sire) has nails which need constant clipping and yet he gets exactly the same amount and type of exercise. Otherwise they are a health hazard, no kidding. I swear you can actually watch those darn nails grow. And, yes, they get a lot of road walking as well as lots of soft terrain walking. Odd, huh? > Dogs who are not as active or who have gross conformational flaws have nails > that need more attention at my house. Well, Rupert IS fairly laid back but he gallops like a derwish with the grace of a gazelle on his walks, thus I'm not sure that that would hold true for mine either. Therefore, do you think it's perhaps simply due to different genes which regulate the rate of nail growth? > Maybe they DO wear down the dewclaw > nails through use. Huh? How would they achieve that? Vertical rock climing? Abseiling? Michaela, Harvey & Rupert ( nails like a tiger!) Devon/UK
Hernia operation - should I?
Rupert, my 16 month old Berner, has an umbilical hernia. In view that it didn't seem to worry his breeder, nor my vet and, most importantly, doesn't appear to worry my dog, I just left it alone. I intended to have it fixed when he was neutered at 10 month - but then promptly forgot all about it at the time. Meanwhile, his hernia has grown - but then so has the dog - and it is now the size of a small plum. It still doesn't bother him BUT it has become bigger. You know the saying " if it ain't broke, don't fix it", but although he isn't "broken" yet, I don't want until he may become so. I know very little about umbilical hernias and their problems other than that they are fairly common. Could any of you with hernia experience share the pros and cons of corrective surgery? Is surgery even necessary for hernias and if yes, why is that? Many thanks for your help Michaela, Harvey & Rupsi Devon/UK
More dewclaws questions
Mary-Ann wrote > I remove rear dewclaws only. Why are rear dewclaws removed? Is it solely to conform to the breed standard? Or is there another reason why rear dewclaw should be removed? My younger Berner has a full set of dewclaws ( front and rear) and the nails of the hind dewclaws are a pain. They need constant attention since they grow furiously. Personally, I think rear dewclaws look a bit strange ( mabey because my other Berner hasn't got them?) but other than that, they don't seem to bother my dog. If I recall correctly, his breeder decided against removal because her first litter experieced great pain from the procedure and she wanted to spare the second litter the trauma. TIA for any info Michaela Devon/UK
Re: the dog on the mountain in Switzerland:becoming rare breed
Lisa > How can we possibly expect to improve health in the breed if over 2000 per > year are bred in the USA alone, and these are ONLY the Berner pups > registered with the AKC! and, more cryptically: > With a population of Berners, regardless of source, exploding, perhaps an > understatement, and with, in the USA, no rules to prevent anybody and his > brother from breeding 'em, folks, there is going to be a flood of Berners > needlessly euthanized or abandoned because people will not or cannot spend > the money to ascertain the dog' wellness. I feel so strongly that this has > or will become the breed's reality that I shall even say that those > pondering this weighty problem would do well to mark my words! Please don't see this as a personal affront, as it TRULY is not intended as such, but what, please, is the PRECISE point that you are trying to make in your rather pessimistic message? I'm sure there IS a point, but it completely eludes me. Are you saying that people should stop breeding Berners? Are you saying that people should stop buying Berners? Are you saying there are too many Berners? Or are you saying that only the wealthy should even remotely contemplate buying a Berner, because they can become ill and veterinary treatment is expensive? Whilst the latter is true, it surely doesn't exclusively pertain to Berners? ALL dogs, purebred and crossbred, can and DO get ill. I know plenty of crossbreeds who seem to spend more time at the vet's surgery than out of it. I know purebreeds who never see the vet and live to a right old age. And vice versa. Speaking strictly for myself, my two Berners see the vet an awful lot - BECAUSE THEY HAVE A VERY, VERY CONCERNED OWNER. Me. It's me who insists that the dogs are seen that often becuase I worry about every skin tag, cough, wart, limp, whatever. It's not because they are that frail. Most limps and warts and sneezes dissapear without any interference. If I adopted a more fatalistic outlook and only brought my dogs to the vet when they are extemely ill, I would virtually have no vet expenses. But I don't. Because I just...well, want to protect them. Hopefully. Somehow. And this approach is probably true for a lot of owners who have horrendous vet expenses. But this attitudide is certainly not unique to Bernese, nor their owners? Summa, summaris : if you want to keep your money and your heart without bruises, don't have a pet. Any pet. Or have one and adopt a "survival of the fittest" approach. I'd love to do the former and I'll never be able to subscribe to the latter, thus I bid a cheery "bye-bye" to my money and my heart. Because I could not fathom life without my boys. Even if their life should be a short one. An expensive one. Could you imagine life without any of yours? I want MORE people to breed Berners, more people to share their life with them. Berners make you happy. And I'd love to be surrounded by as many happy people as possible. Wouldn't you? Be well Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK
Re: Male problems
Hi Fran Yep, I can ( unfortunately!) relate completely. Harvey has had a few bouts of watery blood dripping from his penis. The first time this occurred, I was EXTREMELY worried. Vet, antibiotics, the whole caboodle. It cleared up straight away. However, a urine analysis showed, amongst other things, crystals in his urine. And blood. A subsequent ultrasound found nothing. Nothing wrong with his prostate, no large crystals in his bladder. Thus, I addressed the crystals. In Harvey's case(s), my vets and I have come to the conclusion that because his urine is far too concentrated ( because the dear chap doesn't drink enough, a long standing problem), his urine must sting which in turn will make him lick and this might cause the bleeding. Note, it MIGHT, it is far from certain that it does. I don't give him antibiotics any more. If I detect some blood I flush his penis with a saline/calendula solution ( 1 pint of boiled, cooled water with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of calendula tincture) and it will clear up immediately. Nevertheless, whenever I see blood, I bring a urine sample to the vet for an analysis & to check for crystals. A word of caution here: be very careful in regards to your privacy during these "willy flushing" episodes. I, regrettably, appear to have an aptitude for making a spectacle of myself. Once, I flushed Harv's privates in the garden and my neighbour looked over the fence. His face, as he saw me bent over my dogs penis, was a remarkable sight to behold. The next time, a delivery guy found me in the same " compromising" position. And the list goes on I'm surprised none of these dear people have reported me for performing lewd acts to my animals.;-) Good luck Michaela ( far, FAR too familiar with the male anatomy of my dog), Harvey ( I kinda like it!) & Rupert ( no fair, nobody ever looks at my privates!) Devon/UK
Re: chronic ear problems
Hi Carol I can't speak form personal experience but one of my friend's Berners used to suffer mercilessly from chronic ear problems. For years on end. Like you, she exhausted the whole "antibiotic-drops- ear salves- etc-" range and although all these things helped for a little while, nothing really cured the problem. UNTIL she heard of a product called " THORNIT" , which is a powder ( some kind of natural herbal remedy). She absolutely swears by it and everyone else I know who has tried it thinks it's nothing short of miraculous either. Now and then, my friend's Berner's ear still get a bit itchy/gunky and after a couple of doses with this powder the ears look( and smell) just fine. here is a link http://www.championpets.co.uk/ears.htm which might explain the product better. Or, alternatively, you could do a search on www.dogpile.com under the search term " Thornit" and you'll find lots of info. I have no connection whatsoever with this product, but I have seen first hand how helpful it is. If you can't get it in the USA, I could always send you some! All the best Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK
Cheese blindness?
Mary Dawn wrote > I have heard that cheese (hard cheese - not cottage cheese) will cause dogs > to go blind.> Is there any truth to this or is this just myth? Well, this certainly explains why my cheese-eating dogs sometimes ignore the command "come"! I always assumed that they couldn't hear me, but now it is clear that they can't see me. Profound cheese blindness! Flippancy aside, I truly believe it's a myth, Mary Dawn. One of many. Other's include that feeding raw meat makes dogs aggressive, garlic and cheese will make them loose their sense of smell and ruin them for tracking, and, and... Berners and cheese just go together like... Romeo & Juliet. Bread & Butter. Me and Visa. One without the other is unfathomable Michaela, Harvey & Rupert ( who might have cheese instead of beans in their ears) Devon/UK
Re: best dog food / chew products
> Kings > and other hard rubber toys probably come the closest but many dogs don't find > them very attractive. Gee, Sherri, that's a bummer. Regrettably, we are currently right out of KINGS in this country - attractive or otherwise - but would our Queen do? She looks like a reasonably safe and satisfactory chew, don't you think? Michaela Devon/UK
Travelling tales ( part 2)
Far from refreshed - after all I spent most of the night taking Rupert in and out of the room - we set off at 7 30 am from Calais. It was a good thing that it was a beautiful morning since the lack of sleep had turned me somewhat into a grouch. A rather ill kempt looking grouch to boot, because after getting disrobed half a dozen times and then getting dressed again to take Rupert out yet again, I gave up and decided to sleep in my clothes. Rupert, who was feeling much better by 4 30, decided that the only way he would go to sleep was by draping himself across me and snort " phrr, phrr" into my ears. Not my idea of a relaxing sleeping position, but I was WAY to tired to argue. France is wonderful when you travel with dogs. The motorway ( interstate) has a seemingly endless amount of wooded rest areas, where you can stop for a walk or a picnic. Also, laudably, the French treat their country with a lot more respect than the English, since all the rest areas we have come across are devoid of both human and dog "litter". In addition, all the restaurants we stopped at were very happy to welcome 2 large dogs. Merci France for your hospitality! Both dogs were supremely good travellers and virtually snored the whole way. Small wonder, they had to catch up on their beauty sleep! I was sorely tempted to wake Rupert every 5 minutes just to show him what that felt like. My nobler side prevailed and we reached the Swiss border at 4 30 pm. The weather was still magnificent and we took the dogs for a good run ( secret tip for other UK travellers to Switzerland - the best motorway service station close to Zurich is "Würenlos" since just beside the service area is a gate which leads directly into the woods beside a lovely river.) We reached Flumserberg, our destination, at around 9 pm and the dogs decided that this hotel was entirely acceptable and promptly fell asleep. They blissfully slept until the next morning when the heavens opened and it rained and rained. And rained some more. After driving 1000 miles to wake up to majestic mountains we saw...well, nothing much, actually. We were in thick fog. Eerie barking resounded all over the mountains since Flumserberg was holding their yearly " dog training weeks". Dogs were EVERYWHERE. Sadly, quite a few of them weren't particularly dog-friendly but at least they were suitably under control. I don't want to generalise here, but I have often noticed that dogs in Switzerland, particularly males, have got "issues" with other dogs. That isn't to say that all English dogs are born pacifists, but you don't find that many free running dogs in popular dog walking areas who don't get on with other dogs. After a whole day of towelling wet, muddy, dogs and eating supremely good sausages, I just needed to see at least ONE mountain and some sunshine, so we headed south to the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. Now if you are ever looking for a spectacular drive, this is the one. Drive south from Zurich heading towards "Chur" and "San Bernardino" ( where the St. Bernhards came from!) and I defy anyone who says they are not awed by this scenery. It is simply breath taking. Two and a halve hours after fleeing from the wet mountain, the dogs were once again soaking wet. They hugely enjoyed swimming in the still warm lake of Lugano. The weather was gorgeous and the dogs learned to bark in Italian. :-)) To be continued Michaela
Travelling tales ( part 1)
Have you ever been on vacation, felt utterly relaxed and unencumbered, worn sparklingly clean, slobber-free clothes and thought" Gosh, wouldn't it be nice to have my dogs here with me?". Have you? Well, I have. My subsequent thought, however, usually was" OK, I miss them - but it's quite nice to miss them!". Still, since I obviously need my head seen to, we took the dogs on vacation with us. To Switzerland. From Great Britain. So that they could sniff some healthy mountain air. Since they ARE Mountain Dogs, after all. Plus, we had taken Harvey abroad with us before. Surely, one more dog wouldn't make that much difference? In case you have never travelled with your dogs let me share what you can take in terms of your own luggage. Next to NOTHING. That's what. Absolutely every inch of your car will be filled with the dogs stuff. And I have a BIG car ( AND I am seriously considering purchasing a trailer for future vacations!). Neil and I had the bare minimum whilst the boys travelled with: 10 huge towels ( and, boy, did we need them - it rained and rained) A suitcase full of food, toys, first aid kit, copies of their paperwork, spare leashes, brushes, combs, blankets, bedding to cover the hotel beds, rubber glove to remove their fur from the carpets, water bowl & food bowls. Rupert's "snuggle" blanket. Harvey's beloved sheepskin rug. 1 little suitcase for the humans Now you might think that despite this we'd have plenty of space but regrettably nothing could be further from the truth. Harvey prefers having the boot ( trunk) to himself on long journeys which is understandable in view that Rupert like to lie down sprawled out like a gargantuan octopus. Thus, Harvey has the boot, Rupert the back seat and the luggage has to be squeezed in wherever possible. Anyway, off we drove, this time taking the Channel Tunnel and heading for France and Switzerland. The Channel Tunnel bit was fun, you drive into this inter-galactically looking train and emerge 35 minutes later on the other side of the English Channel. Cool! And utterly easy and non-traumatic for both us and the dogs since you can stay in the car with them. We had booked a dog friendly hotel in Calais which worked out perfectly since it had a big lawn area right outside our room. This was a particularly gods-end when Rupert developed diarrhoea at 2 30 in the morning... To be continued ( the story, not the diarrhoea) Michaela, Harvey & Rupert Devon/UK
Confidence building according to Ruth Reynold's
My younger Berner boy is a wuss. Not shy - just VERY cautious when dealing with the unknown. Have you ever watched " The wizard of Oz"? Well, my Rupert here would be the lion. Who wi-wishes he had cou-cou-courage! Hence, I eagerly read Ruth Reynold's advice on how to build confidence. We already do plenty of little exercises where Rups can excel and shine, but wait a moment - no wonder my baby boy wasn't getting any braver. I NEVER told him he was a "proud" dog. Not once! Swift to correct my lapsus in raising my wuss-ish boy, I made him sit, shake paw and told him earnestly: " You, you are a very PROUD dog!". For added emphasis I kissed him on his freckle on the nose. Which was the precise moment when I heard my spouse say " And you, you are a very STRANGE lady!" Upon which he smiled, silently raised his index finger to his temple and turned said finger in a clockwise motion. Ruth??? :-)) Michaela, Harvey & PROUD Rupert Devon/UK
