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.

Adventures with Aspen: First Camping Trip

Finally I am able to post pictures from our camping trip last weekend.  This was Aspen's very first camping trip.  We couldn't take him last year because of his illness.  I will post an update on Aspen's health in my next post but back to the camping trip. We had a good time but it was pretty chilly surprisingly even for a big puffy berner. I also must admit we were a little unprepared.  We brought a mat for Aspen to sleep on in the tent but we failed to bring something for him to lay on outside.  A blanket/towel was a poor choice.  If anyone Has any idea's of a water proof mat for outside I'd love to hear about it.  When it's so cold it's important to keep your dog dry.  We made it work but I think we could have been a little more dog prepared.

This is Friday when we first arrived.  Aspen and Ray are both sporting their packs.  We did chose not to have Aspen carry water in his pack but he did hike all his food, treats, poop bags to the camp site.  The remainder of the trip he just carried his treats and poop bags.  

Oh I forgot to mention we ran into another berner owner when we checked in.  Aspen had to stay in the car when we went into the check in building :-( A man came up to us and asked if that was our dog in the car. He said he also had a berner. They have 5 year old Murry who we hope to meet at play pals in June!!  Info on play pals can be found at http://www.twincitiesbmd.org/events.php.

One of the things I love about camping is food.  Aspen also enjoyed the food.  He got thoroughly spoiled this weekend... Here is Aspen eying the meal.

And yes he did get some.  We DO NOT feed him like this all the time but it's camping and having a little something that maybe isn't the best for you is okay on occasion.  He is actually on seconds here... sigh.

I was a little worried about tenting but things worked out great.  He didn't love being in the tent but when we both went in he was more then willing to join us.

Some sight seeing...

Aspen enjoying the falls in Tettegouche State Park.

Ray and Aspen enjoying the falls.

Aspen and I at the same falls.

As you can see Aspen was at ease hanging out by the water.  He was also very fearless on this trip.  Ray being more of a dare devil then me would walk out onto rocks and Aspen was right behind him.  This trip really showed us what a true working dog Aspen is.  He hiked tirelessly and was happy doing it.

Here is Aspen on the trail.  This was seconds before he decided to chase an otter!!  Aspen has awesome recall though and in mid chase he stopped and came back. Impressive I think :-)

Here was our campsite. 

Aspen begging lol  How can you say No!!!

This seems to be a favorite for people when they go up North.  So we had to follow suit and take a photo in the big chair.

Here is us packing up.  Aspen didn't have much to bring back to the car because he ate all his treats and food.

Here is our last stop before heading home.  We had a great trip and I hope you enjoy our photos.  Make sure to check out Ray's site for more photos http://starinphotography.photoshelter.com/  

STOP & ASK

This is so very important for people to remember... do not pet someone's dog without asking.  We had a slight problem with this up north.  When we were touring around Gooseberry Falls we had people coming up to Aspen and petting him without asking.

Aspen is not a fan of strangers and does not like hands reaching out for him.  I feel he is a fairly low bit risk but it's always a possibility. As a dog owner I  always try to keep that in the back of my mind.  I don't care how friendly or nice or mellow your dog is there is always a chance that your dog under the right conditions could bit someone. I know my dog pretty well and can gage the risk of allowing people to interact with him. I live with him and interact with him every day.  I am the best source of knowledge to know if it's okay for someone he doesn't know to interact with him.  I believe this is true for "most" dog owners.  It is  also important to keep in mind that dog owners bear the liability if someone grabs our dogs and they do bite.  It's disrespectful to us and maybe your bite is deserved because you didn't ask.

Because of Aspen's reaction to strangers I have chosen to not allow people to pet him.  I don't want to be at the point of him biting someone.  It is rough because EVERYONE wants to pet him. (If you get a Berner you will see what a big time attention attractors they are.)  We have people stop us all the time to learn about him. It amazes me how many people don't even know what breed he is.   So in place of being pet we have Aspen interact with them by giving a hand shake. He feels much less threatened by this form of interaction and he knows what to expect out of strangers.  He is a working dog and this gives him a job to do...  But to know this you would have to ASK!!  Sadly the only person we had ask to pet him was a young child. We as adults also need to mind our manners as well and set a good example for the kids.  This behavior reduces the risk of bites which is better for people and for dogs.  So the take home point is STOP & ASK.  Thank you!!

Adventures with Aspen: For the Love of a Stick??

As many of you know we have been working with Aspen on his "people" skills so to speak.  Well today we made a trip to the park and here is what we did...

We stopped to admire some goslings at silver lake park.  Aspen did want to go in and say hello but he refrained.  THANK GOODNESS!!

Next we stopped and played some hop scotch.  Okay fine I played it and Aspen watched.

Then we found these cute circle things :-) I'm not sure what it's for but it's cute.

And finally we went to the skate park... Aspen doesn't like strangers, he doesn't like strange riding things that make lots of noise. His reaction was very stand offish and nervous about all those loud skate boards.  He was panting heavy and was very distracted looking in every direction, but an interesting thing happened at the park.  I grabbed a stick.  You wouldn't think anything of it but my dog made a complete 180!!! His tail went up and a look came into his eyes..." give me that stick!!"  He was chasing me and playing tag-a-war.  It was short lived but it gave me a glimpse into the future.  He can do this... we can do this together. These moments are what keep us going and reminds me how much I need to look outside the box when working with him.. who would have guessed for the LOVE OF A SICK :-)