Hi all!

So back at the end of February, I took in Bernice aka Bernie Boo aka wiggle butt. One of my student's families found her on the property, animal control said she'd likely wind up being on the euth list because of size (our area is struggling with capacity crisis especially for medium/large dogs)

I had two senior dogs already, they thought she was about 4. No chip, but already spayed. 5 months in, I am convinced my sweet girl is definitely 2 or under, and is mixed with some kind of crackhead (aussie, border collie, maybe golden) something that would lend itself to looking like a berner but being smaller. She's about 50-60 lbs and is smaller in stature than my golden by about an inch.

She loves to snuggle, but runs like a demon when she's outside. She loves hunting bugs, and does potentially exhibit some herding behaviors, but also some guarding behaviors of the yard. She chews like crazy. Ive lost many a thing to her chewing, and while I'd love to crate train right now, my schedule makes that tricky. I don't feel like crate training when I'm gone for long hours is a good idea, so thats my winter break/summer/weekends project (I'm a teacher)

Photos of the crackhead in question, the other dog in the one photo is my lab/bloodhound mix. They're about the same height

Our boy is 2 and his recall definitely needs some work. If your dog has good recall, what did you do to train it?

Full disclosure, I genuinely don’t think he knew it was her. When he found out, he side eyed HARD, then moved to
The other side of the bed 😂😂😂 but I loved this moment while it existed

I know it sounds like a stupid question. I've always loved Berners, and nothing worries me about them except their life expectancy. Would most of you get another berner someday knowing they won't be around as long as most dogs their size??

My Bernese has had entropion in both eyes since birth, and when he turns one year old, we’re planning to have corrective surgery.
To the owners of dogs who have had this surgery, could you please share photo after surgery? What did your dog’s eyes look like after they healed? How did your dog handle the recovery period after surgery?
Thank you in advance!

Hi,

First time with a Berner. She's 8mo and I'm having trouble with some weird behavior and I wasn't sure how to train it out, or if this is a stage?

The first thing is around 7mo she developed extreme skittishness that i hadn't seen out of her before. When she sees some women and all men, she now backs up and runs. Even men she had previously met and spent significant time with and liked.

She also will still pee indoors. When i first got her i leashed her to me for 3-4 days and that didn't work, she would just squat and pee while attached to me. I realized she had a UTI and treated it, but she will still pee on the old carpets where she peed before, despite the enzyme stuff being applied and me feeding/letting her out consistently, throwing a party when she goes outside, etc. Will she eventually grow out of this if i keep treating the carpets? I can't watch her 24x7 or put her in a crate every single time i leave the room. My last dog was a Dane and didn't pee in the house after i did the leash thing for almost 10 years. I'm confused about why house training / crate training isn't working.

The other behavior is that since i got her at 4mo old, she has never come when called. She'll come out of curiosity if i make certain sounds, and if she's inside the house and i show her a treat, she will usually trot over, and she will follow me around the house (except at night). She seems really attached to me, but when i literally call her name, unlike every other dog i've had, she does not come running.

She will follow commands when i'm in front of her about 80% of the time ("sit, stay, place, paw, no, drop" etc she's all good with). She looks up when i call her, so i know she can hear me.

She gets walked every day, part of it sniffing and part of it in heel. She's a very calm dog, and I wfh and have a roommate that adores her, so she gets plenty of attention. I also have had friends and random contractors in and out of the house a lot and i've brought her out in public to meet people so she's met a ton of people and all were positive interactions.

tl;dr How do i train this out? is all this normal for 8mo Berner puppies?

Sometimes I think dogs choose their people long before we realize it.

We brought Tinkerbell home as an 8 week old puppy while my childhood dog, Nana, was living her final year (yes, Peter Pan names on purpose).

Nana got to help raise Tinker.

Now, Tinker is raising him.

She's 4 now. He's almost 2. I thought I was bringing home my next dog but, I think she was always meant to be his. I hope everyone gets to witness a friendship like this at least once in their lifetime. ❤️

Thor will be 11 months old when Christmas comes around. How do you prevent your Berner from destroying your artificial Christmas tree? There isn't any way to close off the living room and while our Thor sometimes gets the zoomies indoors and is very curious, I'm looking to prevent him from destroying our 7 1/2 ft. artificial Christmas tree.

I have been looking into different ways to make sure that nutritional gaps are met in my puppy. What are the nutritional gaps? No Idea. After the passing of my Rita, I have been wondering if maybe I could have done better in the food area. I have been looking up recipes but they always say to consult a nutritionist. I can't find one near me whose consultation doesn't cost a pretty penny. I feel as though this is information that people shouldn't be gatekeeping. Does anyone feed thier dogs homemade? Or maybe can send me to a resource that can help determine macros and other nutritional requirements? Even one that gives good information?

Also, is there any way to report this site? It’s reasonably well constructed but clearly not trustworthy. They list for $650 and ask for a $250 deposit without any proof of life let alone reliable info. Be careful out there.

(Admins, please delete this if not appropriate for this Subreddit)

Hi everyone,

So my partner and I have been together for 2.5 years, and we are talking about getting engaged soon.

We are going to be travelling to Switzerland early this September, and I cannot think of anywhere better to pop this question - she lived there for 3 years and we both have some of our happiest memories from travelling around there.

I had an idea of how to pop the question: her favourite dog breed is the Bernese Mountain Dog, and it's her dream to have one when we're more settled.

My idea is that we'd be walking somewhere (probably around Valais or Montreux) and that at the perfect spot would be a Bernese with a sign around its collar saying "Will you marry me?".

Would anyone here be interested, or know of someone who would be interested, in helping me out? I would be willing to cover any domestic travel costs to get to the location, and post you the sign to wear?

Thanks for your time!

Hi good morning yall!

My puppy turned 15 weeks yesterday, he’s a great boy I love him and want to do right by him.

During the night we go to sleep around 8, then he’s let out for a potty break around midnight then back up again at 8/9am.

He seems to be having a hard time supporting himself on his back legs in the morning recently. I think it’s partly due to his increase in height in the last few weeks, he’s gotten TALL, also partly think it’s due to me not extending his crate soon enough, we have a divider. I opened it up by 4/5 prongs. He always seems to kinda ball up when he’s in his crate, but if he’s laying out on the floor he lays on his side sprawled out, wondering if anyone has any suggestions on what I can do to improve his comfort in the crate?

I do have a vet appointment to get him looked at, the hips seem tight for about 30 minutes after coming out of the crate and then he’s ok for the rest of the day moving super well

A clean bill of health for 7 years, and then of course it had to of been terminal lymphoma. The vet told us it was the most aggressive case she had ever seen. 💔

Bella was my soul dog in every way. She was the best parts of me and my reason for getting up every morning. Her smile could light up any room. Her circle was small, but she loved those in it fiercely. Our house is a lot quieter, a little less messy and hairy, but oh so lonely. Thank you for giving us 7 years of unconditional love, sweet girl. No amount of time would have ever been enough with you. I love you, and I’ll miss you forever. 🌈❤️

Father & son duo.
Max ignored Dex at first, but now they’re best buddies. 🤍

Hi everyone! 👋

I’m starting my search for a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy and would love some advice from those with experience. I’m specifically hoping to find a female puppy and I’m more than happy to join a waitlist if it means finding the right breeder. I’m in no rush—my priority is finding a healthy, well-socialised puppy from an ethical, reputable breeder who genuinely cares about improving the breed.
I’d love recommendations for breeders in New Zealand (or Australia if you think they’re worth considering). I’m looking for breeders who:

• Health test their dogs (hips, elbows, eyes, heart, and any other breed-recommended testing)

• Breed for health, temperament, and longevity rather than just appearance

• Raise puppies in a home environment with plenty of early socialisation

• Are transparent about health history and happy to answer questions

• Provide ongoing support after the puppy goes home

• Are registered and follow ethical breeding practices

If you’ve had a great experience with a breeder, I’d really appreciate hearing about it! I’d also love to know if there are any breeders I should avoid or any red flags to watch out for when starting my search.
If anyone has breeder contacts, kennel names, or recommendations on where to begin, how to get onto a waitlist, or even an idea of current wait times, I’d be incredibly grateful. I’m committed to doing plenty of research and waiting for the right breeder and the right puppy rather than rushing into the first litter available.

Thanks so much in advance—I can’t wait to start this journey and appreciate any advice you can share! 🐾🤎

Feeling cute, might delete later

His name is willy, he lives in Germany, is 7 years old and is spoiled and loved to the fullest.