Tracking

Over the last year Aspen and I have gotten into tracking.  We started last spring then I got lymes disease and that put me out of commission, but this year I'm back at it with deet in hand to battle those pesky ticks!!! 

I'm still new in tracking, but let me give those of you that don't have any idea a description of what it is. Here is a link from the AKC with more specific information- www.akc.org/events/tracking/ 

Basically dogs have great sense of smell and they were all born with it.  Big to little and old to young dogs can all use their nose to track.   

What do you need: a dog ;-), harness, a 20-40ft long line, and a few flags to mark your track, some sent articles and a place to track.  I use the various state parks in MN . 

Extras you should have is vest or some sort of thing to carry articles, bug spray, sun screen, water for the dog.  You will also want to have gear for all types of weather and terrain.  

Here is the dog(Aspen) and the harness. 

 The AKC offers a test to demonstrate your team's abilities. 

1. Tracking Dog (TD) - This test can be entered after getting certified by an instructor.   There are limited spaces open in a test and they want to make sure the dog is able to complete a track.  It also only takes one successful track passed to get the title. TD track is from 440-to-500 yards long with 3-to-5 turns (or change in direc- tion) and aged from a half-hour to two hours.A dog must indicate a glove or wal- let placed at the end of the track.Tracks are plotted in an open field with uniform cover.There are no obstacles such as roads, ditches or woods.The start of the track will be marked with a flag.A second flag is placed 30 yards from the start flag to indicate the direction of the first leg of the track.There are no other flags in the field. This info and be found on the site I gave above. 

2. Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX)-  Requires a pass in the TD test. The TDX track is 800-to-1000 yards long, with 5-to-7 turns and aged from 3-to-5 hours.The track also has two sets of cross (diversionary) tracks and has some of the aforementioned obstacles.The start is marked with a single flag and the dog must determine the direction of the first leg.There are four dissimilar articles for each track, one at the start and three more on the track. This info and be found on the site I gave above. 

3. Variable Surface Tracker (VST)-A VST track is from 600-to-800 yards long, with 4-to-8 turns, and aged from 3-to-5 hours.The articles must be one each of leather, cloth, plastic and metal. The VST track must also contain three different sur- faces with one turn on a non-vegetated surface such as concrete.This test demon- strates the utility of the tracking dog to work in an urban environment. This info and be found on the site I gave above. 

If you earn all of these titles you get the title of Champion Tracker (difficult task!!). 

There is also a TDU(optional title)-which is a track more based in urban tracking.  It's comparable to the TD I believe.  More info can be found here www.akc.org/events/tracking/tracking-dog-urban-tdu/

Aspen and I are working on preparing for a TD test.  We took a class last fall and then we are currently taking a class now in hopes to be more prepared for our test hopefully this fall. There are only limited number of tracks and when there are more entries then tracks they draw so fingers crossed we get to run one and we pass :-)  

Here is Aspen and I out tracking 

I love it because I get to participate in an activity that my dog loves, I like exploring new area in nature, and I'm building a level of trust and team work with my dog that I couldn't any other way. It's truly amazing and pretty fun despite getting sun burned from time to time, finding some ticks, and we won't talk about snakes haha!! I just pretend they aren't there ;-)  

I just volunteered to be a track layer for a TDX test this weekend.  I will post about that experience this week, but until then take care readers!!! 

It's been a long time

I haven't written anything on this blog in over two years.   A few things have happened since that time. 

1. I brought home a  beautiful berner puppy December of 2012.  Her name was Mysti.  I had planned to blog all about her, but she came to us with parvo.  I didn't have time nor the energy to do any posting.  She recovered, but died Nov 2013 due to a kidney failure.  All I can say about her is that she was really something.  She was a beautiful  and I had so many plans for us that never came to be.  She stole my heart and a part of it left when we lost her.  It's tough to lose a dog so young, but she really made every moment count and stole our hearts. She was Aspen's partner in crime.  For months after she passed he would look for her... some of the most heartbreaking moments of my life.  This is for sure she will be forever in my heart.  Life is really not fair, but I'm thankful she came into my life.  As I start posting again I will likely talk about her and what she taught me and what she meant to me. She is gone, but never forgotten.  Aspen is on the left.  She is the big goofy girl in the right <3

2. During 2012-2013 I got a new job, we bought a new house and moved to Red Wing, MN.

3. We got married in 2014.

Photo Credit C2 Photography

4. The end of 2014 we found out that Aspen had a grade two mast cell tumor on his neck.  We found it early and it was removed before 2015 and he continues to do well.  Aspen has also been working on he RN (Rally Novice) title.  We started training in February and he has two legs towards the title.  One more and he will be Northstar's King of the Woods RN.  Hopefully this fall we will go on to eat a TD (tracking dog) title.  I'll post about these to events in some separate blogs :-)

5. A little over a year after we lost Mysti we decided to bring this little pumpkin home :-)  Her name is Sophie!! She comes from a long line of lovely conformation dogs.   She has a lovely temperament and has been a joy to add to the family :-)  Interesting fact she and Aspen are exactly five years apart and share the 12/11 birthday.

My plan is to get back into blogging because I  have some things to share on my journey with my dogs and who doesn't love reading about Bernese Mountain Dogs :-)

Thanks for reading and until next time like Ellen says "be kind to one another" ~ Erika, Aspen, Sophie

EXCITING NEWS!!!

I wanted to share that we have had some really wonderful emails from people who have tried the probios and digestive enzymes.  We have several dogs who started this a year out, six months and our own Aspen has been free of symptoms for almost two years!!  If your dog has IBD you owe it to them to at least try it!!

I think it's amazing how far Aspen has come.  I remember the hours spent analyzing his every bite.  Was it this or that.  The tons of blood draws.  The fecal tests. Bloody stools.  The hours researching prescription dog food.  Aspen was on Tylan, metronidazole, and fiber.  At one point they wanted to cut him open and biopsy his intestines. It was then I started looking into alternatives and ran across Dr. Becker who changed Aspen's life who in turn has impacted many others with this blog.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/products.aspx

Thanks to all the readers and I'm so thankful for every dog that is helped by this blog :-) It's Aspen's mission!!

Nose Work

Aspen doing his nose work.  He is three classes in.  Does anyone see him signal when he catches the sent?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXf4i7etbgo

Remembering 9-11

Summer Hiatus

Ok so apparently I don't post much in the summers :/ I'm like a teacher except I have to work...sigh.  Maybe it was all my years of school or something, but regardless it is what it is.  I thank all of my faithful readers for being so patient and I promise to do a recap of our summer.  I have a few topics I'd like to bring up and we may have some exciting news to share towards the end of this year so stay tuned..............

This is Mr. Aspen getting ready for my famous picnic table bath.  Isn't he just a handsome litte  BIG guy!!

Check out my agility dog... Aspen is rather athletic wouldn't you say?

The day we brought Aspen home :-)

That was the first time I knew I loved him.

"Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, Filling an emptiness we didn't even know we had."~Thom Jones

Forever Dog

I had the best day with you today~

As promised we have some photos to share... Aspen had a blast and I could see in his eyes how much fun he was having.  He would run off and chase the other dogs, swim and play then dash back for a pet and off to play again.

Initially I have to admit I was adamant on NO SWIMMING!!  My reasoning-I didn't think I had a towel along and I didn't have time to clean him up when I got home, but being the softy I am and seeing how much he wanted to go play around and get dirty and wet I gave in. I'm glad I did!  Seeing him so happy and enjoying his life so much is worth every second I have to spend cleaning.

I think it's important to remember that dogs aren't fashion accessories and it's our job as owners parents to ensure that they are enjoying their life to the fullest extent.  How much fun is it to sit and wait for you to come home?  How much fun is it to be tied outside? Is your dog having a blast being shipped around dog show to dog show?  How much fun is it to run through water and mud with all your friends?  It's a good time to say the least :-)

My point in writing this is to have you ask yourself is my dog having the life they deserve?  Are they spending there days doing what they love?  I hope so.

Remember someday when they are gone you want to be able to tell yourself they had a fantastic life and if that means some clean up or extra time I promise it will be worth every second!

"It is not the years in your life but the life in your years that counts." Adlai Stevenson

Think there might be some Newfie in there?? 

 
**Update**


When they play hard they sleep hard too!! My tactic to combating those terrible two's ;-)

Terrible Two's, a Funny Story, and Some Unlikely Bonding.

I have to report that Mr. Aspen is lifting his leg to pee :-)  He is officially a big boy now, but along with the new big boy status he has a big attitude.  I know some of it is he gets what he wants 99% of the time (our fault) more of a only child syndrome, but recently he's been doing things that he hasn't before.

It's little stuff like demanding we get up early for breakfast on the weekends???  It starts out with him ramming his nose into Ray and escalates to him propelling himself onto the bed(crushing us of course).  I've noticed we get lots of sass too...  For example, if we ask him to go lay on his bed OH BOY the grumbling starts... just look at this photo... Attitude I tell you!!

Other then the fact that we really enjoy our ability to sleep in on the weekends, we actually find him quite comical :-)

Here he is trying to take over the couch.  He is displaying his "so shy" move.  He has figured out "make them laugh and I won't get kicked off"...

 Next does anyone else have a TV watching berner or dog for that matter?  He watches the crocodile hunter in the mornings before Ray and I leave.  Depending on what's on he can really engage (usually something dog related gets the most attention).  We also have a new T.V since this photo was taken and we are all enjoying that!!

I am always amazed by how smart he is!! I have a story for you...when Aspen was about a year old I tried to teach him to roll over.  I epically failed.  I could get him to roll over onto his back, but that was about it.  We practiced few times, but I just gave up figuring he just wasn't going to do it.  Kind of like the whole fetching thing... Anyways one night Ray and I were outside with Aspen and Ray jokingly told him to roll over (I'm pretty sure he had some sort of delicious food in his hand)... sure enough he rolled over.  Both of us stood there in shock... it must have just been a fluke. Ray told him again.. he rolled over again and again. I quickly accused Ray of working on it with him.  He has had maybe 3- 10 minute sessions of me working with him on it.  Ray swore that he hadn't.  So all this time that little stinker knew how to do it!!  He just lacked the motivation lol!!

Again the other night when we were eating he pulled the roll over... of course he got some off our plates.. we laughed hysterically!!  He knows how to get what he wants!! 

While I still think Aspen needs a doggy sister, here is some bonding time with his big/little bro Picasso

cute huh <3 Cats just aren't the same to play with, so for now we frequent the DP (dog park).  Aspen LOVES to run as you will see...

 Tomorrow Aspen's going to Play Pals with his berner buddies!  I'll post pictures tomorrow.  Have a good night all.

Oh SNAP!!

So your dog wins at all the dog shows? So your dog is like a master at agility, rally, and obedience? Your dog is almost a therapist he's so good at pet therapy? But can you dog Geocach... I didn't think so :-P OH SNAP!! LOL ;-)

It's been ridiculously nice here in good ol' MN ( which also means muddy) so we have been trying to get out more.  It's good for the soul!!

Ray got a GPS last year for hunting and now has included us on his geocaching.  It's right up Aspen's ally see for yourself....

Incase you have no idea what geocaching is here is the run down... basically you get coordinates to a location where someone has left something and enter it into a gps.  You find whatever it is the person has left there sometimes it's a story, or some trinkets, and then sign a log.  It's sort of fun if you don't have anything else to do with your life or you have this nice new garmin GPS  you want to play with    ;-)  It got us out and about today and it was pretty fun.. Ask Aspen if you don't believe me.  I would like to do a geocach with photo of Aspen geocaching with Ray :-)  We will have to see if we get around to it.  Hope your weekend was wonderful and you did something with the people and dogs you love!!

epic fail.... but what I would have done today

So that bath I was talking about... it didn't happen today sigh!!  Aspen was probably happy to escape that ordeal, but next weekend he has a date with the tub.  I try to give him a bath at least once a month.  He really isn't too bad right now, but his hair is more fluffy after his bath, which I love so it's on the agenda for next weekend.

**Disclaimer*** I am not an expert groomer.  I use to bring him to the groomer all the time until I saw a certain groomer being rough with a dog.  It wasn't Aspen, but none the less I didn't feel comfortable going there anymore.  My sister had a really bad experience with a groomer so I really don't take risks.

Besides I know if I ever have a show dog, I'll have to become more skilled... Aspen's a good dog to practice with :-)   For those of you that don't have a berner they really aren't too terrible to groom, just lots of under coat to clean up and you need to blow dry them.  Summer baths are usually done outside, which cuts clean up time in half!!

Our essentials include:

1-Pin brush just a nice bush that looks like something you might even use yourself.  I try to use this at least a few times per week if I can.  Aspen has a really nice coat.  It's not that thick thick coat, but more fine and defiantly stays clean with just some regular brushing.

2- I use a rake comb on his tail as that fur is a different texture and the pin brush seems to pull too much.

3- Then I have a nice comb that get the tangles out behind the ears.

4- Sham wows.  I have two of them and they work wonders getting all the water off.  I use them first and finnish up with a normal bath towel.

5- spray bottle.  I had previously to used a shampoo that was highly concentrated.  So I used a spray bottle to administer it and I found it works so well to spread out the shampoo evenly.

6-Shampoo-  The old shampoo I had used was for dogs, cats, and horses?  I chose it because it has some sensitive skin properties but I am going to try pet head that I got at target.  It's still a sensitive skin formula.  Aspen doesn't usually have any skin issues, but I just feel that I would never want to use anything that was hard on his skin. This pet head has all the things that I look for in my own shampoo (but formulated for dogs... don't use people shampoo on dogs). It's parban free and has a not cruelty guarantee etc.  Even though this isn't highly concentrated I will still dilute it in my spray bottle.

7- conditioner- I also dilute the conditioner.  A little goes along way.

8- Hair dryer-  I just use my own personal dryer on a cooler setting :-(  It's on my list to get a better dryer!!

9-Shears and thinning shears-  Mostly used just for the feet and around the ears.  Not too much trimming needs to be done.

10- Nail clippers-I am just terrified to cut his nails... I think I might invest in a dremal incase I ever have to... Does anyone have tips on nail trimming? I haven't had to trim Aspens nails yet ( i assume he had them done in May of last year when he was groomed by someone else)... is that weird? I think he kind of just keeps them filed by running around????  They really aren't long.

Thats it :-)  It takes me about two hours and about 30 minutes to do the cleaning.  A groom can easlily run you $100 bucks (they go off of weight) so it's worth it. You know your dog is treated well and you can save the money for a rainy day.

Oh here is my favorite Adult photo of Mr. Aspen... let me know what you think!! I'm obviously a bit biased ;-)

http://starinphotography.photoshelter.com/portfolio/G0000hMzGPGiBBZ4#I0000zJr5dgHbmN0

This is shortly taken after a bath...

If your dog has IBD please read this!!!!!!!!

I agree not a fun topic but I have a great deal of experience in the end processes of digestion and I want to share Aspen's miracle!!

I would say the first year of living with Aspen was pure hell....  I am in no way kidding!! We brought home a puppy that had sever chronic diarrhea.  He was to the vet on a monthly basis and sometimes even a weekly basis.   As of now Aspen has been seen by 5 different vets and one of them was even from the University of Minnesota.  This all occurred in his first 12 months of life.  We spent thousands of dollars on stool samples and exams and no one could help him!!  I shed lots of tears .. I honestly didn't know what we were going to do and if he would ever get better. At our visits to the various vets it was suggested that he was allergic (Irritable bowel syndrome) and later in his life they felt it was because he was the nervous sort. I knew it was neither of these... he never had an issues around being nervous or eating. I could change his food and he would be fine, but out the blue for no reason he would again start to have issues. So while most if not all the vets I've encountered disagree with me, I feel it was the administration of dewormer that started this problem.

I know for sure Aspen was given too much wormer by his breeder.  She gave him his vaccinations and wormer right before we left and she didn't weigh him on a scale.  I remember her picking him up and saying "he's  around 40lbs". We found out later that she was wrong, he was only 30lbs.   This is where I think things started us off.

 I was concerned balling hysterically by the next day because he was having bloody stools.  We rushed him to the vet but they did not share my concern hysterics.  They believed the wormer was safe and I was just to give him pumpkin, some rice or even better some prescription dog food.  It didn't work not only was my puppy having the runs constantly.  Throughout the next year he would have intermittent periods of maybe 3 or 4 days to a week where he wouldn't have diarrhea, but for the most part he consistently had trouble on a regular basis.  He would have emergently relieve himself anywhere from every 30 minutes to a few hours.

At this point all the veterinarians we consulted believed he had IBD... He went from diamond dog food, to nurtro, to science diet (vet recommended), Innova, and wellness.  Nothing seemed to agree with him and it was strongly suggested  that he go on prescription dog food.  Through the process of comparing brand and ingredients I felt that would have been a poor choice for Aspen (and I was right!!!).  I fought with many of them saying that we were not going that rout.  Those vets can be darn mean but I think they found I could be way meaner!!  We hopped vets until I found someone that would work with me and not against me.  YOUR VET NEEDS TO BE LIKE THIS!! NO EXCEPTIONS!!  I

Besides the food switching here is the run down of what was done- we added Metronidazole- didn't work, we added fiber with dextrin- sorta worked but not really, we had done every blood panel known to man and still nothing came up abnormal.  At this point (year old) we wanted something better, so off to the U of M we went.  We needed an expert!! I kind of expected our visit to be this grandiose Mayo Clinic (Mayo clinic is a world renowned people hospital close to us)  type of environment.  I was sadly disappointed.  I got a general vet and an intern.  She wanted to put him on prescription dog food, but again I refused.  She suggested doing an exploratory surgery (HELL NO!!) that may or may not give us results and likely would not change course of treatment?!?!?  Finally we agreed on Fiber with pysillium and tylan an antibiotic. ***TMI coming up**** This did help and he wasn't just exploding everywhere all the time, but it was a jelly like consistency(so still not normal).

It wasn't until Aspen and I did a session with Anne Nichols that we started looking at nutrition again. Probably a 3-4 months later.  Anne is a well known raw feeder and I expected her to want me to do the same but she didn't.  Again we need to seek out people that want to work with us not against us and that is Anne to a T!! I never once felt judged by her in her training or nutrition suggestions.  Her main suggestion was to pull Aspen off Tylan and see if he could do without it.  Sure enough he did just fine.

He still had sort of strange bowel movements, but it remained manageable, which was a relief for us. Once P&G had taken over Innova I had started looking for alternatives and I wanted to know more about raw.  I went to a class that talked a lot about feeding raw, but also about the better choices if you decided to feed dog food.  I already had switched Aspen to grain free (taste of the wild) at the time, but I learned more about how rotation was important and how constantly feeding a dog one thing brings about a lot of these "allergies" and problems.  In the wild dogs wouldn't eat the same thing day after day after day after day (you get the idea).  I equated it to eating cereal... if you just ate one brand of cereal day after day after day you might not thrive as well either.  All of this was wonderful information, but most importantly I learned about probiotics.

At my class they suggested finding a probio that had lots of different strains.  It was then I found a  Mercola the key to our problem. I watched a lot of their videos and I ordered a probiotic and a digestive enzyme and the rest is history.  I gave this to him for a few months (i occasionally toss some in now) and he is fine!! 100% fine.  Never has a problem fine!!  This dog can eat anything and be fine.   I can't believe how lucky I was to find this for him and what a difference it has made in his life.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Mercola and all those people along the way that brought us to a cure for a dog that had been doomed with IBD!!  I don't know if it will work for your dogs but please please try it!!  Do it way before the prescription dog foods and the medications!!  Then email me so I can have evidence that this works for others too :-)

I am proud to report Aspen has done wonderful on raw as well.  I get him big tubes of whole ground meats, bones and organs at the butcher shop.  Believe me I was worried about him not tolerating raw, but not once have we ever had a problem.  I still do a rotation of dog food which includes Orijen, natures variety(instinct with no grains) and taste of the wild.  We only supplement with bight eye herb (for his cataracts), occasional fish or cod oil (people caplets), and then the occasional probios and digestive enzymes. Variety is the key I've found.  His coat is shinny and beautiful and he's doing great.  If anyone has any questions don't hesitate to ask me I'm always up for emails!!

Tomorrow is bath day for Mr. Aspen so I'll post a bit on that :-)  Thanks for reading!!  I'll part by leaving a photo of baby Aspen!!! I have been starting to sort photos and I just want to scream when I see pictures of him as a puppy...  Is he not the cutest puppy you have ever seen???? ;-)  He was so sick, but gosh he was one cute little peanut (he now is a cute big peanut)!! I'll also share my favorite adult picture of him tomorrow... Taken by thee one and only Ray(this one is also taken by Ray)!!

 The Mecola site is listed below check them out .... holistic is the way to go folks!!

http://healthypets.mercola.com/

More on Delsin

Make sure to check this out!!  This is my friend Anne's Boy Delsin (yes the one that was found)  WCCO did a follow up so check it out and learn more about him at...


http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/02/08/local-dog-competes-in-westminster-dog-show/


I think it's monumental for our breed that he is making the news.  Because of Delsin so many more people know about the breed!!  


And if you want to cheer him on here is what Anne said about viewing the show....

"..The Westminster kennel club site will have video of individual breeds...but I do not know if it is live streaming or put up quickly after each breed is done. Here is that website: http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/  As many of you know, the way a dog show works is I will first compete against other Bernese Mountain Dogs. Then the winner of that (only one "big" winner per breed) will go on to compete against other dogs in that "group". Bernese are part of the "working" group - which I believe includes 27 breeds (?), so there would be a total of 27 dogs in that particular group ring. Then, the winner of each group will go on to compete against one another for Best in Show. The show is both Monday and Tuesday. Groups are televised live in the evenings on USA network. And on Tuesday after group judging is complete, Best in Show will be judged live as well..." Anne Nichols 




Anne herself is also posting updates on Delsin's blog....

http://delsinthedog.blogspot.com/

I'm so excited for her and can't wait to hear that he took BIS!!!! :-)  GO DELSIN!!

So You Want a Bernese Mountain Dog Puppy... Let Me Help You!!

A Puppy Buyers Guide

#1. Make sure your up for the responsibility of a puppy.  We were fairly lucky with Aspen but then again Ray and I are pretty good at loss prevention.  All in all we lost 2 mac power cords (both were my fault), 1 pair of flip flops, 1 sock and a nights worth of sleep until he pooped it out!!!, one of Ray's shirts, and a dog bed.  I found this random video for your viewing pleasure.. she was lucky in my opinion!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rNSu-jSy_4&feature=related.
It can happen to you ;-) Puppies bite, chew, have accidents, and bark. Training your puppy will be a full time job that goes well into their adulthood.  Keep this in mind- getting a puppy is like getting married ***for better for worse, in sickness and in health until death do you part!!***    It's your job to make it work...if you aren't up for the commitment don't get a puppy plain and simple!!


#2. Once you have established that your are ready for a puppy, you then MUST make sure a Bernese is right for you. A few things to do...
-I suggest taking a piece of paper and writing down all things you want in your dog and what you don't. Make sure you also know why you want a Bernese specifically.
-To find out if a Bernese is right for you read books like Bernese Mountain Dogs-A complete Pet Owners Manual, Dog Bible, Bad Dog:A Love Story (these are just some I've read but I'm sure there is more!!)
-visit websites, The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America is a MUST!!! www.bmdca.org, berner.org, and the AKC is helpful as well www.akc.org/breeds/bernese_mountain_dog/
-Go meet some!!  Dog shows, performance events, and clubs.  Our club has an event every month that brings together berners and their owners  www.twincitiesbmd.org/playpals.php.  Go and ask TONS of questions.  I know many other clubs have similar events, so no excuses find one near you!!

 #3. The next step of contacting breeders can be challenging.  I can't stress and tell you enough how important it is to find a breeder that is motivated by type and health!! It's important for you, your future dog, and believe it or not the future of  the bernese!!  At this point you have probably gotten some names of different breeders, but if not that's okay the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America has a very user friendly referral page- www.bmdca.org/olbr/OLBR_index.php  You can also google, but be cautious and make sure you are closely evaluating potential breeders.

#4. Once you find someone you may be interested ask about:

a.) Health clearances on their dogs: fair, normal, excellent Hips, fair, normal, excellent Elbows, Eye Exam with normal results , Heart exam with normal results, vWB genetic that is cleared, DM genetic testing results could be carrier or clear.  My best advice for you is to look for this information on the Bernergarde data base www.bernergarde.org but much of it can be found on the OFA website www.offa.org.  I always consider things missing on the Bernergarde as not done or they have something to hide.  You want a breeder that uses the Bernergarde site.. Trust me!!

b.) Next I really think it's important that they are members of the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America or Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Canada.  Members of these clubs are held to certain standards.  While I still feel your research doesn't stop with a club membership, it is certainly a step closer to finding a breeding program worth supporting.

c.) Further breeding dogs should be shown in conformation.  This is important because you want your dog to have the form and function to be a bernese.  That's why you wanted a bernese in the first place right? Many of the individuals that are spending time showing are doing so to get evaluation on their breedings.  Every breeders goal should be to create a better, healthier, longer lived dog! Quality dogs NOT quantity. Also remember show dogs are family members too!! So while you might just want a pet a family member, you want a puppy that was from a thoughtful breeding.

d.) Also don't be afraid to ask for references on breeders.

#5.  Finally once you have done your home work start contacting breeders.  Expect for them to have lots of questions for you.  It is there job to place a puppy in a home that best fits it's needs.  Also keep in mind that a puppy might not be available exactly when you want one, but be patient and build a relationship with your breeder.  If a certain breeder doesn't work out don't get discouraged, it just means they weren't the right breeder for you.  You buy your breeder not you puppy.  Your breeder should be willing to remain a part of your life from the moment the puppy leaves their home to the moment the dog leaves this earth.  Remember your money is going to support their program so choose wisely.

I've written about this before, but for those that haven't read previous posts I did not do the above things before I got Aspen.  I googled the first breeder I could find and brought my puppy home in haste and impulse.  Though the process I supported a breeding program that I do not feel was a good choice for us and I have learned my lesson the hard way.


It was only after getting him that I started doing research into his pedigree and what I found was horrifying.  If you click on the link below you will read about Oliver and Sammy.  Oliver is Aspen's great grandfather http://costello.mine.nu/berner/nico/akasammy.html

So please please please learn from me and do your home work!! Chose to help support  programs that are making healthier, longer lived berners for all of us to enjoy!!

Stuff Fairy Tails Are Made Of.....

Well happy new year everyone!!

I should start by sharing that Aspen has officially had his second Birthday, Christmas, and New years!!  How the time flies by!! It seems like only yesterday he was a little 30lb bundle of bouncy fur, but now he is rocking the scale at about 98-100lbs!!  His health has been great and his cataracts had not given him any trouble at all. We will bring him in to have it checked the end of the month, so fingers crossed we have some good results.  I am very optimistic because deep down I have a feeling 2012 is going to be a great year for all of us!!

(The hat was duel purpose... birthday hat/snow cone.  Sadly birthday snow is gone but Aspen remains hopeful that the snow will return.)

Speaking of how great 2012 has been thus far- we have very happy news to report about our friend Anne's  Bernese Mountain dog Delsin that escaped from his yard.  He was safely returned yesterday!!!  What a relief for his owner, family, and friends!!  I posted the link if you want to check out Delsin's story *warning it's a tear jerker!!*  Also make sure to watch for him at Wesmister, he is a stunning dog no two ways about it ;-) 

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/01/04/dog-slated-for-westminster-goes-missing/

Today we are going to venture to the dog park so stay tuned for more Aspen's adventures...

I've Had Better Days...

wow... it's be such a long time since I posted!! YIKES.. I know summer is busy for everyone so hopefully Aspen updates weren't missed too much(many of you are fb buddies so you are still in the know)!!

So what's Mr. Aspen been up to.. Lots of playing... lots of socializing for him and he's been doing great.  He now goes for walks on Friday's with a girl in my social work class.. lots of playing at play pals but sadly we have some not so great news to report. Aspen was diagnosed with bilateral intermediate cataracts :-(

As you can imagine we were very sad to find this news... Actually a better description would be shocked!!!  We didn't have a clue that anything was going on with his eyes and had every expectation that he would pass with flying colors.  We were just doing the required testing because we wanted to be responsible berner owners but never once thought about the results.  Aspen can catch a tennis ball, he can differentiate between balls, he can spot a rabbit or squirrel from all the way across the yard.  It turns out it's in his peripheral line of sight.  Which may even explain some of his shy and nervous behaviors.  Aspen has had his eyes check but only by a regular vet and they were not dilated which is the only explanation I can think of as to why it wasn't caught.

Ok so now what... in Aspen's situation operation would only be considered if it were to get worse. So now we wait.  He will go back to see an opthamologist to see if it has progressed.  If it gets work he will need surgery.  In the mean time I am looking into alternative medicine so we will see.  So good thoughts an prayers for Aspen!!  I will make a point to post more... promise.

We all learned a very important lesson here.. All of this testing is NOT just for dogs involved in breeding programs.. they are for dogs like yours and mine too!!

Working With Anne Nichols: A must have trainer

Aspen and I have been terribly busy the month of June... I can't believe it's almost over!! I'm going to do a little catch up and focus on the topic of training.  The first weekend in June we had a chance to work with Anne Nichols.  She has been a trainer for...I think her whole life.   She has also owned the Bernese Mountain dog since before I was even born!!  Needless to say she knows dogs.  


We first met her briefly at a dog event, then more recently we saw her do a demonstration with her 4 month old bernese mountain dog A'kash.  It was so AMAZING that such a young dog can learn so much. That is what prompted us to seek some advice from her.  Unfortunately she does not live as close as we would like but we did manage to make a session with her in June and will hopefully have a chance to do some more work with her.  Next time we will drag Ray along to get some great photos to share :-)


During our session she was able point out some things that I was doing wrong... ie grabbing for the treats too soon and giving Aspen entire sentences to process. She also gave us some ideas of games to play to help confidence build with him. She saw things in his behavior that I didn't.  She was also able to give us some good advice on health as well. For those of you that do competitive dog stuff she competes with her dogs.  Anyone looking for a trainer for any reason I suggest you give her a call or shoot her an email (ALL DOGS NEED TO BE TRAINED EVEN LITTLE WHITE ONES :-P * see pervious post on little dogs). Here is her site to get contact info http://www.becomedogsavvy.com. Honestly don't be afraid to contact her regarding health questions... she has been around the block and know tons about health issues.  There is help out there you just have to look in the right place.


She does both house calls and phone consultations for those that live too far away or just have questions.  So where ever you live she can help you problem solve.  My hope is if I get enough people together down here in Rochester we might be able to convince her to do a group class.  I think rally would be really fun!!  So if interested surely let me know... it doesn't just have to be the bernese mountain dog. She works with all dogs and all ages!!  I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday and are having fun training their dogs!!

Health update

How's Aspen do you ask... he's doing better.  We have not had one incident of tummy trouble since he was started on the Tylan and fiber in the beginning of March.  This is the longest he has ever gone without a problem.  Aspen was labeled by the University of Minnesota as having irritable bowel syndrome(IBS)/Allergies.  I do not agree with that diagnosis because no particular food change has ever caused Aspen trouble.  It was like clock work... few weeks diarrhea and two weeks better.  Although I think they are wrong, it really doesn't matter what it is exactly.  All that matters is that he is feeling better and treatment is working.

In the past month I've been able to reduce his Tylan to about twice a week 1/8 of a teaspoon.  Now I guess we just manage.  We have put him on a grain free food (taste of the wild) and he is receiving probiotics once every morning.  He gets one tablespoon of fish oil with each meal as well.

In addition to digestive problems Aspen is on Dasaquin for his joints.  I have noticed him limping a bit more lately(he did have pano as a puppy).  Mostly after he has been resting?  Which I though was quite strange. We planed on doing OFA x-rays but we wanted to wait until he is two because he would be completely grown.  However, if it keeps bothering him I think I will just go ahead and do them early.  As of late the more I think I knew about berners ... The less I actually know... sigh.  I guess that's life we live and we learn.

Thanks to all who have supported us through all of this.  We really appreciate all your support and advice :-)

 If there would be a competition for who could shake the most Aspen would win paws down.