Picture says it all.

Look what I have

When Carson wants attention he grabs the dishtowels from the kitchen or picks a throw rug as seen in the picture.  Sitting on the couch he says look what I have, do you want to play chase?  He is such a character!

I have lost several throw rugs as he loves to chew them up  and much to my horror has actually consumed some of them.  Gratefully he does pass them eventually, I guess this is a form of fiber!

Always interested in hearing about your Bernese’s antics.

written by Connie & Carson

Socializing Dogs, Training Humans!

Dog Training is so very important for all dogs regardless of size or breed, but it is the human that really needs the training.  Mike & I have worked very hard to learn the proper technique.

Socializing is just as important, not only to practice your training but to get your dog used to being in public places around lots of different people, dogs, smells, and noise.  We have such fun taking him to Farmers Markets on the weekends as well as the strip shopping centers where we visit the pet shops.

Saturday we took him to the big Everglades City Seafood Festival.  This event draws thousands.  Live bands, carnival rides, vendors of all types & lots of food everywhere.  Carson was a STAR  he behaved perfectly while adults & children came up to pet him, give him hugs.  Our training taught us to keep in a sit position while people were saying hello to him or just talking with us.

Mike & I are so very proud of our marvelous Berner and ourselves.   I am very confident that Carson will pass his CGC (Canine Good Citizen) test.  Our goal is for Carson to become a therapy dog.  We hope to have our testing the end of Feb or early March.

Carson is the love of our lives and we have so much fun taking him everywhere.  Training is an everyday practice for all of us.  Keep practicing your training and take your pets whenever you can.

How has socializing your dog made an impact or improvement in your dogs behavior?

Bernese Mountain Dog wearing his new Swamp Cooler Vest

Notice the reflective stripes to help us be safe in traffic, this is a real plus as we don’t have sidewalks in our neighborhood & we walk near dusk when some cooler.

This vest has been the best investment…it really does keep him cooler on his walks. We live in Naples, FL really hot & humid here. We highly recommend this to anyone living in hot climates.

We purchased the cooling vest from our friends at Fetchdog, click on their site through our link under friends.  

Tip:  I keep the vest in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until our next walk.  I take it out just a few minutes before needed, this saves me from having to dry & re-wet for each use.  I wash it once a week on gentle cycle.

Bernese Mountain Dogs are the Greatest

Dogs in the World!

It is hard to explain the bond between man and dog.  Molly has been my best friend since the day we brought her home.  This picture will give you an idea of why I love here so much. She wakes me up every single morning by cuddling next to me.  Sometimes she will squeeze next to  me and rest her head on my chest until I open my eyes.  The sweetest thing is to hear her tail go thump thump thump the moment my eyes open.

Berners in general are very loving dogs.  They are a family dog in the truest sense; they desire to be with their family at all times.  Whether its a walk down the street, time in the garden or a car ride to the bank – they want to be with you.

They are sometimes called “leaners” because they like to lean against you.  Bernese Mountain Dogs are also known for sitting on your feet.

Bernese Mtn Dogs are a large breed working class dog.  They are easily recognized with their striking tri-colored coat.  Their white blaze forms a cross, some say this is inheritant of their Swiss heritage. Read more here on the American Bernese Mountain Dog Standard.

Berners are extremely intelligent and loyal. Though we have heard of a few Berners being mischievous, we have been lucky as Molly has never chewed anything up.  She can be wild at times, like a bull in a china shop, but overall she is very obedient.  She does much better off leash than on leash…I guess she is a bit rebellious, like a teenager.

Carson eats a modified diet of raw foods.  His typical breakfast is half cup of kibble mixed with raw egg including the shell, sweet potato, avocado, frozen green beans or peas ( sometimes a little broccolli), tablespoon of canned pumpkin, with a choice of raw chicken, pork, turkey or beef.  All this is mixed together like a stew.  Chicken may be thigh w/bone or chicken leg or chopped/cubed chicken breast.   Evening meals is about the same, no egg.  Sometimes cottage cheese is added, maybe a little applesauce.

We try to stay away from doggies packaged treats as they seem to make him hyper (we found red meat does also).  Instead we give him kibble as his treat.  I also use apples or bananas as treats & during the days he is in the office with me the fruits are his mid day snack!!

We prefer to purchase our meats & vegetable & fruits individually from local farmers markets & we try to find organic grown and meats that are growth hormone and antibiotic free.

There are pre-mixed raw food diets as well.

http://www.barfproducts.com

http://www.bravorawdiet.com

New puppies can transform your life in just a few minutes.  They bring unconditional love and joy, but they also require a lot of work.  Anyone who has or ever has a new puppy will tell you the first few weeks are always the easiest.  Puppies require a lot of stuff.  You will be amazed at just how much stuff you buy: puppy pads, puppy toys, a puppy crate, puppy medicine, and much more.

But when you see a puppy like Carson, how could you possibly resist?

This was Carson’s first bath and the only time he fit in the tub.  We now bathe him on the lanai with just a hose hooked into the hot water heater so that he is always bathed in warm water.  We use a great shampoo “Dog Shampoo” we found this at Whole Foods, contains Tea Tree Oil.  With just one use his dry skin completely cleared up.

My mom couldn’t  resist any longer, she finally got her own Bernese Mountain Dog.  At the time of this picture she had Carson for about 6 weeks and insisted that she would never allow him on the furniture…ha ha

Kari and I knew it was only a matter of time.  This was the first photo of him on her sofa; I’m sure there will be many more to come.

My mom purchased Carson from one of the best breeders you can find in the US.

Molly seems to love fresh organic strawberries.  This was our first red  strawberry and she couldn’t stop smelling it.  She was so cute.  A couple days went by and when I picked the next red one I noticed it had 3 little teeth imprints (they matched her top row teeth perfectly).. LOL

To see more pictures of Molly in our organic garden, visit my wife’s blog at Grow Organic Meals.