In a message dated 1/1/2003 6:13:46 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> Just got us a lovely new Berner, Sasha, who's three months old. As neither > my wife nor I are experienced with owning a dog, we're having a few problems > which I'm sure some of you (all of you?) have gone through. Hi Ari, Since this is your first dog, I'll start with some basics and apologize up front if this seems ridiculously obvious. These are things I learned over time but never thought about when raising my first dog. Dogs are instinctively social animals. They're natural way of living is in a pack comprised of several individuals of varying ages and social status. Add to that species wide trait the fact that Bernese were, and still are by many, selectively bred to be a working *partner* for their owner and you will start to get a sense of how important social context and community are to dogs in general and Bernese in particular. Picturing the scenario you've described from the pup's point of view...she's to be outside alone all day, then to sleep alone all night. Where is the opportunity to play? To work? To function as an integral part of a social group? To learn the things she needs to know to be a welcome member of the family and community? IOW...how will the needs hardwired into every cell of her body and brain be fulfilled? If you envision a dog's life lacking the full measure of these components, you're looking at the direct path to an unhappy (and potentially dangerous) dog and a disappointed, and likely distraught, owner. There are many, many, ways of filling a dog's social needs.... Quality time with family, training, grooming, exercise, play groups or dog parks, a mid-day walk and play session if you can come home at lunch...or a visiting professional or dog-loving neighbor if you can't, sleeping in the same room as you at night, are a few of the things people do in working, single dog, households. The second major component to think about is that Sascha is a baby. She's very much like a human child in terms of having to learn skills (such as house training) from scratch. She's like a toddler in being physically able to get into a lot of trouble in a heartbeat. Like any child, she needs consistent guidance to teach her right from wrong, what's expected of her, what she can do to please you, which items (toys) are hers to play with and which items (hands, rugs, cabinets, shoes, etc) are yours and to be left alone, what's edible and what's not, and a whole array of manners necessary for interacting safely with people and other dogs. The fact that she's a baby...developmentally rather similar to a 2-3 year old toddler... also means that many parts of her body aren't fully developed yet. One of those parts is the bladder and the associated muscles. At 3 months, I figure my puppy could probably go about 3-4 hours during the day without a potty break. Usually they'll go a bit longer at night but I'd still expect to be getting up once or twice a night to let her outside. Beyond the small size of the bladder, puppies don't have the muscle control to 'hold it' against much of a stimulus. A puppy will have to relieve herself as soon as she wakes up, shortly after eating, after a few minutes of exercise or play, and when excited. Housetraining is a matter of helping your puppy to understand: 1) That outside is the place to relieve herself. 2) How to use her muscles to "hold it" until she gets outside. 3) How to let you know that she has to go outside. No simple matter for a 3 month old brain and body...so patience is an important part of the process. The other important part of the process is repetition. Every time a puppy relieves themself in the house, they're not learning to go outside. Regardless of your reaction, they pretty much learn that it's OK to go when ever and where ever the need arises. So, a core element of housetraining is to do everything you can to prevent 'accidents' from happening. Anticipate when your puppy will have to relieve herself and take her outside BEFORE she does it. When she does go outside, praise and perhaps give her a tidbit as a reward...both will help her to undersstand that going outside is a 'good thing'. Another part of the whole is watching her very closely for the subtle signals she sends to let you know she has to go outside....respond to them immediately and reward the good behavior. I use a crate as a tool for helping the puppy and I communicate with each other about how the process goes. Most pups will instinctively not relieve themselves in the small area they sleep in. Consequently, when a pup wakes up in a crate and has to urinate, they'll typically get restless, bark, or yelp to let you know they want *out*. I immediately let the pup out, scooping her into my arms, and carry her outside to the potty area. When I put her down, she pees, I praise and reward...give her a minute or two, and then put her back into the crate. You can see that this is teaching all the key elements of housetraining by using the dog's own instincts to keep her area clean. She learns that if she barks, I'll respond and let her out. She learns to hold herself...even if only in my arms at first...until she gets outside. And, she learns that outside THE place to relieve herself as she hasn't had the opportunity to do otherwise. The caveat to crate training is that you MUST be there (within earshot) to let her out when she has to go. You can't tell her to wait a few minutes because you're not ready to get up yet, you can't leave her home alone in a crate for long periods of time and expect her to keep her legs crossed. Putting a puppy in that position turns the crate into an instrument of cruelty rather than of learning. You'll find that Bernese require a fair amount of physical and mental exercise...they can get destructive and obnoxious without it. Single dogs will rarely exercise themselves so extended walks, off leash romps in the woods, and the like, are necessary on a daily basis. The mind must be exercised similarly...learning tricks, solving problems, and using her senses to find things, are all examples of mental exercise your Bernese will enjoy. Bottom line, a tired dog is a good dog. A dog that doesn't get enough mental and physical exercise is VERY tough to live with and usually destructive to their environment or themselves or both. Boredom and excess energy are the root causes behind many canine behavior problems. Training... It's everything, from house training, to walking on leash without pulling you flat on your face, to not jumping on your elderly mother when she comes to visit. It's achieved by reqarding behaviors you want and not reinforcing behaviors you don't want (keep in mind that yelling at a dog who wants attention IS reinforcing). It's building the dog's desire to please you, rather than gratify herself. In application, that's the difference between a pleasant walk and needing shoulder surgery because a squirrel crossed your path. It's teaching your dog self control and manners. Going back to the puppy as child discussion. There is one very large difference between your Bernese puppy and a child. By the time your puppy is 1 year old, she'll have teeth that can puncture 1"deep and jaws full of molars that are capable of crushing bone. She'll be an 85 lb bundle of muscle and energy...a more or less mature body...but only the mental development of a child. That's a potentially dangerous combination, the key to avoiding trouble with it is to teach your puppy NOW what is acceptable and what isn't. Not all at once, certainly...but as her developing brain and body can absorb it. ~ Sherri Venditti
