Hi, I don't know from your post if this applies to your situation or not but many Bernese that are not socialized early can seem very normal "in their own castles", but when you take them "outside the castle walls" they are frightened & insecure. If you think about it if your human child was never taken out of the house when he was taken out the first time at let's say 7 years old, he'd encounter all sorts of things that would "bombard" his senses and cause anxiety. I always preach to my new puppy owners that as soon as their puppy is safely vaccinated they need to get them out. If they say they are going to hire a private trainer to come to their home I advise against it. Early training is an excellent socializing opportunity. And your local kennel club is much less expensive too. So, with only the details given I'd say get your puppy out to a training class. Explain the circumstances to the trainer before you go, maybe even take your puppy to observe a class before participating. That way you will both be more comfortable the second time you go and participate. My advice is don't push your puppy too hard the first few times to let everyone who wants to touch him/her all at once, take it slow and build up. But when he/she exhibits the shy behavior do not reinforce it by saying, "it's ok." Only praise for good behavior. I'm sure there are trainers on the list who can give you better specific training advice than I can. : ) I'll leave it to them.
Remember, puppies that are not fully vaccinated can still go for rides in cars with you even if just around the block to see new things without getting out and being exposed to viruses. Good luck, & Best Wishes, Mary Jeff & Mary Chapdelaine SnoBear Berners [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://snobear.freeyellow.com
