Kodo's Christmas present

We got Kodo a bumble ball for Christmas, and he really seems to love it.. :)

Have a very Berner Christmas!

The Santa hat was a little too small for him, so we had to balance it on his head, then crawl back a couple paces really quickly so we could snap a couple shots before he moved and the hat slid off. We got some great shots in though! Unfortunately, not in time to make Christmas cards from them...

Christmas makes me sleepy!

One of Kodo's sibs

We got an email picture of Kodo's brother Noah (formerly Pepsi) from his family. You can definitely see the family resemblance.. :) Happy 1st b-day to Noah too!!

Birthday boy!!!

Kodo is turning one today!!!

Snuggle-puppy

Yoga dog

I happened to look up and he was sleeping like this. Didn't last long, but I got some good pictures...

Too tall!!

Measured him again and he is now 28.5 inches at the shoulder. We have decided there must be great dane in his ancestry somewhere.. :D

Horrors!!

Kodo got an extra dog park visit today since both Bri and I had the holiday off work. There were a plethora of golden retrievers there today (5 out of less than 10 dogs at the park total), and one black lab puppy (6 months) who would not leave Kodo be. Very rough player... Kodo seemed to be enjoying it for a while, then in one of their races around the perimeter of the fence he skidded out and thumped on his side into a big slick of slimy, smelly mud. So he got his first bath in a while as soon as we got home. He is very good in the bath, but the LOOK on his face!!! I will have to try to get a picture of it next time, it is priceless! So sad, miserable, and horrified with the idea of water on his delicate little paws.... though of course mud doesn't bother him one bit!

More new tricks.. :\

Kodo has had the run of the house while we were at work for a while now. But the last couple weeks he has gotten progressively worse at scrounging things and chewing and ripping them to shreds. We had gotten a little spoiled, because we never really had to puppy proof when he was younger. He would get an occasional tissue or paper towel,but other than that he was good. But the last couple weeks he has been escalating. Nail clippers, a ball of string, a CD, a couple sandals and shoes.. So we started picking up stuff off the floor (most of the above were either on the floor to start with or knocked off the counter by the cats) and trying to give him more exercise and things to do with Kongs while we were gone... but he just got more clever about finding things. This culminated in.. The Night of the Remote Control.

I must lead up to this by explaining that Bri is a bit of an A/V geek. He has lots of components hooked up to the TV, and since each of these components had their own remote, it got to be pretty complex figuring out which remote was needed and which buttons to press. So a long time ago he had picked up this giant programmable universal remote that could take the place of everything. Fairly expensive, complex, and pretty heavy piece of equipment, touch screen and everything. About the size of those old 'kid's first calculator' deals? and two or three times as heavy. Well Brian came home from work early, and Kodo had someone managed to pick it up off the coffee table with his mouth (I assume) and crunch a lot of the plastic casing and the touch screen into tiny plastic shards (he also got a book and a DVD case, but they weren't quite as big of a deal). That was the last straw- as of the next day Kodo was back in the morning room (10x20ish, tiled, more easily controlled environment) when we left him alone for any length of time. Everyone we talk to says that is typical of dogs at this age- particularly the large, active, working breeds- that they make up their own 'jobs' when they get bored. Everyone also says they grow out of it before too long. Fingers crossed! :)

'After' pictures:

Monster Mutt Dash

I had a race this morning- benefitting the Berea Animal rescue group. I figured I would take Kodo up there for social time- Mom had volunteered to hold him while I ran since I figured 5K even at my sloooow pace might be a bit too much for him.

We got to the check-in point and there were dogs EVERYWHERE! Kodo promptly forgot all his training and started tugging my arm off like all those badly trained dogs you see in the dog training shows- I was so embarrassed!! Even cheese wasn't helping. and he ALWAYS wants cheese.

There was another Berner there! I got to talking with his person, and it turned out he was almost 2, and came from at least the same sire if not both sire and dam as Kodo did. He was a very handsome boy with a nice (but not too heavy) coat.. A group of girls came up to us and wanted their picture with the two Berners. We also got a ton of questions from people walking by. When it is just me, a lot of people assume Kodo is a mix if they aren't familiar with the breed, but seeing two together usually clues people in.. :)

We got lined up at the starting line, and I decided to keep Kodo with me since he was still being so bad he probably would have pulled my poor Mom off her feet. I figured I would jog for about a mile or so, and just keep a close eye on him for signs of tiring. But I was barely into the race before my knee started acting up BADLY again, so I caved and did the one mile walk with Dad and Daphne instead. Which was fun, but I was still disappointed I didn't manage to at least run the distance. Greg managed to do well though he took third in his (very competitive) age group.

Afterwards we wandered around the site for a bit, petted other puppies, let people pet Kodo (he dealt very well with a very small child who came up to him, which definitely means he is calming down and growing up a bit). And there was a skunk rescue there so Kodo got to see some (I assume de-scented) skunks up fairly close. Didn't seem really interested though- probably a good thing! :)

Contemplation:

New Tricks

In the past week or so Bri and I have managed to teach Kodo a couple new tricks. He picked them up really quickly because he is brilliant (of course)!
"Be shy": flop over on his side and put his paw over his face.
"Wave": sitting down, he picks his paw up really high as if to shake with it.
"Bow": just like it sounds.. :)

Whenever Kodo gets really excited about dinner or a treat coming his way, he will start running through all the tricks he knows in quick succession without waiting for a command. Pretty funny to watch the puppy sitting, waving his paw, flopping over on his side, turning around, backing up, etc.. all with no commands given yet! The new tricks generally make the first appearances in his string of unsolicited tricks since we have been rewarding them more heavily as we try to teach them. "They'll have to give me a treat for THIS!!"

He is also smart enough to remember sequences- I feed him part of his breakfast as hand-fed rewards for obeying commands, and since I am groggy on work mornings I sometimes get into a routine of the same tricks in the same order. Whenever I do this for a couple days, he will end up anticipating my commands- that usually clues me in that it is time to change up the order.

Oh and his latest new trick that he did for the first time today- the chew-a-black-pen-into-plastic-shreds-and-leave-black-ink-all-over-the-carpet.... Really hoping he DOESN'T repeat THAT one!!! We think one of the cats knocked a pen off the counter for him to try to get him into trouble.. :D

RIP Tuffie-toy

We got home from work yesterday to find tons of stuffing all over the floor in the kitchen and the family room. I panicked at first cuz I though Kodo had chewed open a couch cushion, but it turns out he had just managed to kill one of his Tuffie toys instead. These toys are supposed to be for very tough chewers and to stand up to abuse really well. To be fair, he had had this one a while, and it was one of his favorites. He used to bounce around the family room in the evenings shaking it from side to side... Sometimes he would stand on one end with his paws to squeak the squeaker while tugging on the other end with his teeth. Plus it was his second-favorite tug-toy.. So all in all I think it lived a good life. Ohwell, off to Petsmart this weekend to find a 'tougher' Tuffie!! They have a ring available that is supposed to have 7 layers of stitching- will have to see if that helps!!

October 3 - 10-month weigh-in

We had to take Kodo to the vet to have them check up a little eye infection he was getting, so we got the 'official' weigh-in really close to his b-day. Ready? At 10 months, he is 89 pounds, and about 28 inches at the shoulder!!!

September 28 - Dog park video

Bri and I both went to the dog park with Kodo today. We met another Berner- a really sweet 3-yr old girl who does agility. I got Berner-girl kisses and love, and I got to talk to her owner a bit too- lots of fun! Brian got some good video of Kodo romping with a 3 or 4-month-old boxer puppy. They play so rough- both like babies who refuse to admit when they are tired. Really funny to watch though, and the boxer's people seemed to be enjoying it too..

September 24 - Someone to lean on

September 13 - Lap dog!

September 6 - More dog park

Took Kodo up to the dog park Thursday evening, and again on Saturday. Thursday he met a handsome Swissie and a large number of other dogs. Saturday I took him up there to wear him out before he met Uncle Jay for the first time. When I got there, there were no dogs there at all!! A couple dogs (and their people) trickled in within 20 minutes though- I guess there was a dog swim in the area that most of the event-oriented puppy owners had gone to instead.

Today was super-exciting, because we saw our first other Berner there! He was a very handsome boy named Bailey- less than two years old and Kodo had about 5 pounds on him, plus a couple inches at the shoulder! :) Poor pup apparently had shoulder AND hip problems, but he seemed to be getting around OK. And his owners were very nice and friendly as well.

Kodo has started a habit I am not really happy with- as soon as I leash him and we leave the dog park he flops down and refuses to move. Judging by the heavy panting I think he is mostly just really tired not trying to be difficult, but it is a little frustrating that if I leave him IN the dog park he 'forgets' about how tired he is and starts running around again. I think next time I take him, I am going to leash him and give him forced 'time-outs' every 20-30 minutes for 5 minutes or so so he can rest, then let him join the throng again. Will see how that goes...

I hope I can find a time to go when Brian can come too- if both of us are there we may be able to get some pictures or video of Kodo running around like a crazy man. He has sooo much fun there!!

August 31 - Avon Lake dog park

We had people coming over in the evening, and we wanted to wear Kodo out a bit before they came over to minimize the jumping and nose-goosing that always accompany visitors. So we decided to try taking him up to the Avon Lake dog park. It is the closest one I know of- only about a 20 minute drive.

It was a really nice layout- the fenced-in area wasn't huge, but it was well kept-up, with lots of trees for shade, nice benches for the people, and a water fountain with a dog-height bowl. When we got there there were maybe 10 dogs in the enclosure already. Several of them gathered at the 'airlock' to greet Kodo as we came in. I was expecting him to be intimidated because of his last experience, but he was fine. Happy tail, head up, lots of greetings sniffs, then he was off wandering around without a care in the world.

He made two particular friends while he was there. One was a smaller sheltie or spaniel-type mix with a lot of energy who kept tearing around in circles while Kodo tried to chase (her?). There was also an Ibizan Hound there (that is exciting by itself- I don't think I had seen one outside of a dog show before?). She was very friendly to us, and kept trying to entice Kodo to romp with her. It was funny to watch- he would start running after her, then she would pour on the speed (sight-hound build, enough said!) and leave him far behind. She would take these tight turns and he would have to struggle to catch up. But when he got close enough to her, he would shoulder-charge her like a tank. Not sure if it was intentional or just puppy clumsies. I was a little worried that he would knock her down, but he didn't and they both seemed to be having a ton of fun..

Most of the other dogs ended up leaving, so we decided to call it a day after an hour or so. He didn't want to leave, but all the running around had tired him out pretty well so he went into bear-rug mode as soon as we got him home. Not enough to calm him down for the evening, as we found out later, but still good exercise and social time.. :)

Old tricks

Ok, so it's been a while since I've posted something, so I thought I might start by posting a video of Kodo's catching skills. We usually run through a series of tricks when giving him dinner. Berner's aren't really known for their grace and dexterity (as seen in the water video...lol)...but he does know how to catch when food's involved.

Rapid Catches

Distance Catch

August 31 - Bernerfur!!!

To lead into this properly, I need to add that I had groomed him twice last weekend and gotten similar amounts out of him each time. This was a 20 minute grooming session- we were expecting company so I wanted to get him cleaned up so he didn't shed quite so much on the newly vacuumed floor.

Obviously, Berners are not the dog for meticulous housekeepers. Fortunately for us... we don't have that problem!! :D And of course the love that he gives more than makes up for the dust-elephants in the corners...

August 29 - Almost 9 month's weigh-in

Vet trip today- needed to check on his nose to make sure the peeling wasn't a problem. It wasn't, fortunately. We are such paranoid first-time puppy parents.. :)

We weighed him in, and it looks like he is only about 80 pounds- not too much of an increase from last month. He is definitely taller though- a little over 27 inches at the shoulder.

August 24th - Meeting Auntie Nita

Kodo got to meet Anita when she stopped to visit on her way through town. They seemed to get along really well- though Kodo still shows an unfortunate tendency to goose people with his nose when their backs are turned to him.. :)

August 23 - First dog park visit!

The local BMD club was planning an informal outing to a dog park and beach about an hour drive away (Bow Wow beach in Stow), so I decided to take Kodo up there to hang out with other Berners. As soon as we got in, Kodo got a little freaked out when another dog there growled at him, so he spent the first 10 minutes sitting against a building wall with his tail tucked under him, refusing to make eye contact with any of the dogs trotting by him. It turned out a Great Dane group had picked today to meet up there too, so there were a LOT of big dogs there..

After about 20 minutes he started moving away from the wall on his own and wandering along the back fence smelling things. At this point, he met a girl mastiff puppy (much smaller than him) who kept following him and sitting next to him which seemed to help his confidence a bit. He started going up to people and asking for attention.

He started playing chase a little with a pair of 4 or 5 month old Berner pups that came up. They were SOOO cute! I miss that fuzzy puppy coat!!
As the time went by, he started getting a little more outgoing. There were a couple times where I saw him racing from one side of the beach to the other play-chasing another dog or being chased. And he did some of his happy bunny hopping when he was playing too.. :) Toward the end of our time there, he met a beautiful female Weimeraner named Cashmere who he really got along well with- they spent a bunch of time romping back and forth together.

I tried to coax him into the water twice to help him cool off, but he would have none of it. Not even up to his ankles. Guess he won't be a water dog at all...

August 16th - Canine Fun Days

We took Kodo out to Chagrin for the Canine Fun Days today. It was good weather- relatively cool for August, so we figured it would be perfect.

As soon as we got into the grounds, we ran into two other Berners and spent some time chatting. One of the other dogs was a 15-month boy, and he was smaller than Kodo! It was funny how they seem to recognize other Berners.. :)

After wandering around the polo field, we decided to let Kodo give the swimming pool a try, so we bought our tickets and got in line. After waiting for about 10 minutes, we finally got up to the ramp. Kodo wasn't really sure about the whole water thing, and he ended up walking on his back feet on the bottom of the pool and flopping his front paws around and splashing like crazy. I actually managed to get video of him during this:


Then we wandered around some more, and finally decided to try Kodo on lure coursing. Didn't have much expectations of how well he would do- Berners aren't really the sight-hound type.. :) However, once we got his attention on the lure, he ran about 3/4 of the way round the field before the lure got a little too far ahead and he lost interest. We were so excited and proud!! and once he got sick of it, we did a 'Come' command from the opposite end of the field and he came to us!!! Unfortunately we got no video of this because we both needed to be out there to lure him into starting to run.. All in all, a very busy day! I think Kodo had a ton of fun!

August 9th - Rainy festival

We decided to take Kodo up to the North Ridgeville Corn Fest this evening. We got up there and parked and started up the row of food tents. Kodo was having fun smelling food and people smells and seeing a couple other dogs here and there. Halfway down, it started to rain. Then POUR!! We tried to take shelter under a tree, but it didn't help much. So Brian grabbed some food from the stands and we hurried back to the car sopping wet from head to toe. We managed to get back to the car safely and got hm ok. And considering how little actual excercise he got, Kodo was sure sleepy when we got him home... :)

Wet seal pose- that does NOT look comfortable!

August 3rd - Birthday weigh-in

8 months old and 78 pounds!!!

August 2nd - Surveying his domain

July 28th - Being a pillow

July 24th - Miscellaneous fun pictures

Disadvantage to a big dog: dinner-table height equals chin-height. And he isn't even full grown yet!!












Biggest lap-dog EVER!!!!!!

July 19th- Old favorites

Kongs are still one of his favorite things- especially when stuffed with peanut butter-flavored Kong paste... We have had to get more and more tricky about how we put food in there though since he is getting too smart about it and getting the food out way too fast. Let's see.. we are up to food in the middle, 3 strategically broken pieces of milkbone wedged in the opening so the food doesn't just fall out, then the Kong gets wrapped and twisted up in a blanket or towel... That still takes him a couple minutes thanks to his lack of opposable thumbs.. >:)

July 16th - Personal trainer

You can almost hear him saying.. I mean barking: "Come on!!!! Give me 10 more!!!!"

July 11th - Repeat performance

That d@mn tail is making trouble again!!!

July 3rd- Rainy picnic

"Raindrops keep falling on my head.. so I bite them!!"

July 2nd- Weird, WEIRD dog!

Now I've heard of dogs chasing their tails before, but CATCHING them?!? And carrying them around in their mouths for 5 minutes afterwards???

Alas, all that work, and yet his tail remains firmly attached to his butt...

Cat-Sitting

BFF!

Ok…this is REALLY funny. It happened a few weeks ago, but I'm just finally posting it up now...

So I went home to let Kodo out. My routine with him is to fill a kong and give it to him before leaving him alone for the afternoon. Well, I got the kong all ready. Kodo was obviously excited, 'cuz he was following me around. Well, of course he has to earn the Kong too...So I said "Sit!" ...and as always, Kodo sat. Well, this time was different. As soon as he sat, I hear a "Meh!!!" from somewhere. Apparently Pippin (our black kitty) was right underneath him...and he got sat on! The funniest parts:

1. Kodo didn't even notice and kept staring intently at the treat and
2. Pippin was flat on the floor and pawing his way to try and pry himself loose…to no avail. (Trust me, I know...when Kodo sits on me, I can barely pry myself lose...much less a 7lb cat.)

I had to tell Kodo "Up!" to get Pippin free! I didn't have a camera, but it was just priceless. No black kitties were harmed during the sitting of this pup.

June 29th - A day at the beach

Brian and Teresa were playing in a coed 2's sand volleyball tournament today, and Teresa thought the beach didn't allow dogs at all, so I decided I would take Kodo for a good long walk this morning to tire him out so I could run up to cheer for them for a couple hours in the afternoon without feeling guilty. So I took Kodo up to Huntington Beach for the first time. He had never been to the lake before, so I thought he would have a lot of fun with it. Unfortunately, I found out when I got there that they don't allow dogs on the beach there either! :( I think Kodo was disappointed- I kept telling him about the sand and the water all the way there, and once we got there he kept pulling toward the stairs as if he wanted to go down to the beach. :) And he kept sniffing the wind to enjoy all the new smells!!
Since we couldn't go down to the water, we wandered along the all-purpose trails instead. While we were exploring one of the side paths that meandered through the trees, my cel rang. It was Brian, and he was calling to tell me which net they were on, and also that dogs were allowed on the Boardwalk area next to the courts, just not on the beach itself. I decided I was going to keep walking Kodo for a bit until he tired out a bit more and see what happened from there.
As we walk, I like to watch the people we pass, because I love watching the faces of the dog-lovers light up when they see him.. :) We also got a couple of the usual questions about his breed, age, weight, etc. which I am more than happy to answer.. Along the path we passed a beautiful husky that Kodo decided he wanted to be new best friends with.. but other than that he was very well-behaved on the walk, since I was holding a tube of string cheese to keep him in line.. :) It was fairly cool for late June with a nice breeze going, but he still ended up tiring out after about an hour. So I took him back to the car and home, where he collapsed on the kitchen tile and went to sleep.
After about a half hour, I struggled to wake him up enough to get him out to the car. We went to the tournament and watched Teresa and Brian play a couple matches. We sat on a sandy slope that was lightly covered with grass. Kodo's butt kept sliding down the hill cuz it was a little too much of an incline for him- and at one point he made the mistake of lying on his side with his feet extended uphill and overbalanced enough so he rolled end over end!! He got a bunch of sand and grass eating in too, which made him really happy! And every time people came up to visit with him he gave them wet sandy kisses. Fortunately, most of them were there for the tournament and were already wet and sandy, so they didn't seem to mind.

All-in-all, a very busy day for the puppy!!!

June 23rd - Berner picnic

We took Kodo to the NCBMDCO picnic in Peninsula today. Weather looked good when we started out, but when we got to the picnic site, the heavens opened and it started pouring sheets of rain. So we try to arrange two adults, with duffel bag of doggy gear and a peach pie, as well as one 65+ pound dog under one golf umbrella to walk to the picnic shelter from the car. Needless to say, we all got pretty wet!

Once we got there, we recognized a couple faces from the last meeting we attended, and we were introduced to the group. Everyone was great-really friendly and nice to us, complimenting and petting Kodo and chatting with us. And all the PUPPIES!! :D Having a fairly uncommon breed makes it such a thrill to see so many of them all in one place. The whole picnic shelter was a sea of gently wagging tails and smiling, panting, tricolor faces.

Once the meeting was over, people started grabbing food and mingling. Brian and I got plates full and sat down to try to eat and juggle the dog at the same time. Kodo, in his usual graceful fashion, managed to plop down his rear right in the biggest, muddiest mud puddle there. He jumps up again right away- apparently his soaking wet muddy tail felt funny to him because he spent the next couple minutes jumping around trying to get away from it. Since it was still firmly attached to his rear, that didn't work so well.... In the process, though, he managed to slap several nice people who had stopped to talk with us with the aforementioned soaking wet muddy tail, and drag it a couple times through both of our plates of food.

We spent the rest of the time circulating, petting other peoples' dogs, and chatting. We met a bunch of girl Berners about a year old who were about the same height at the shoulder as Kodo, and everyone kept saying he was big for his age, so we now have something to compare him to at least. It was funny- we are so used to seeing him looking bigger than all the other dogs around him, but in this company he actually looked like the puppy he is for a change!

Toward the end of the afternoon, we all gathered with puppies near the pond for a group shot. Now trying to get 25-30ish dogs and their people all facing the same direction at the same time and in one frame is quite an undertaking! When this was over, a couple of the dogs decided to go swimming/wading in the shallow end of the pond. Kodo was very curious about this and wandered to the edge of the water. I didn't think about it too much because I have taken him hiking by a lot of ponds and streams on our park walks, and he never showed any inclination to do anything in the water. So I was as surprised as anyone when he decided to jump into the pond. All four feet. With his clothes still on!!! Even funnier though, the second he got in and realized this was COLD! and WET!! he tried to scramble back out as fast as he could. In his typical graceful fashion, tripping and stumbling all the way... :) and of course once he got out he had to hop around like a bunny for a couple seconds like he had scared himself, and shake all the pond water onto all the people and dogs standing around.

That was the end of the excitement for the day- we headed home, plopped him in the bathtub and washed him, then gave him dinner. Then he sprawled out on the floor and was fast asleep almost immediately. I think he had a ton of fun with all the people and puppies today- it has been quite a social weekend for him!

Berner-herd (Kodo is in the foreground of the picture with the bright blue leash):

June 21st - Graduation!

Today was the big day- Kodo's class was having their test for the end of the beginning-level obedience class he was enrolled in. The instructors had given us the list of tasks in advance, so we had been practicing all week. The test was sort of a lite version of the Canine Good Citizen test- mostly the same tasks, but with less distraction, less duration, and we were allowed to use treats.

We weren't too concerned about most of the tasks- he is pretty reliable on his off-lead 'Come', even with distractions. His 'Sit-Stay's and 'Down-Stay's are really good- we regularly take him up over a minute when we practice at home, and the longest time for these was 45 seconds. His walking on a loose leash is really good too (providing we aren't in the park with unexpected yummy smells, people and animals around). Plus we brought the string cheese and hot-dog pieces as extra incentive! :)

The one task we were really worried about was the 'greeting a stranger' task where the handler puts the dog into sit-stay next to them, then the examiner comes up and greets the handler, shaking their hand, etc. Now Kodo has a HUGE problem sitting quietly when anyone new comes up in his vicinity- usually that big old tail starts thumping, he starts panting and smiling, and as soon as the person comes close enough he turns to lunging, jumping, and licking. He hates missing out on ANY potential new friends who come past him (he has become the master of the 'drive-by licking'- when we walk him through a crowd he will suddenly snake his head sideways and slurp the hand (or any other available body part) of a random complete stranger walking the other way. If we are lucky, the person is a dog lover and they smile and say 'Awww- how cute!'.. But I do have to admit it would be a bit disconcerting if I were them!! :) ). Anyway, surprisingly he passed this one with flying colors!!! It helped that the examiner didn't make eye contact with him or speak to him, and that she shook Brian's hand really quickly and moved on, but still!! We are so proud! Of course, the CGC version of this involves the examiner asking to PET the dog, and the dog being polite and staying put while they do so. Needless to say Kodo isn't quite ready for THAT level just yet!!!

So he passed!! And so did his cousin Chiefers and Lily who were taking the class with us! Doggie ice creams all around!!!

June 19th - Coventry street fair

We took Kodo up to the street fair in Coventry on Thursday. We had gone to it last year, and it is always a tangle of people, dogs, vendors, food, entertainment, and live music that is great to see, and we figured it would be a great socializing opportunity for Kodo. And especially with all those dog-people there, we just love getting a chance to show him off!

We got there, and he was his usual self, schmoozing the crowd and drawing lots of attention and admiration before we even got to the main street! He was pretty well behaved- did a bit of leash-pulling till he settled down a bit, but other than that... The performers on stilts didn't make him nervous, small children petting him didn't phase him, all the noise and bustle were just fine. He just ambled along the street smiling his happy smile with his tongue hanging out.

He made friends with a beautiful black husky mix with piercing blue eyes, and an interesting airedale mix. He also met a Cavalier and a Scotty who each took exception to him sticking his !VERY LARGE! nose too close to them and warned him off with a growl and a snap. Near the end of the evening there was one mixed breed who lunged at him growling when he was walking by- scared Kodo for a second since he hadn't even seen the other dog until that moment. He cringed back against Brian's leg and was a little nervous.. for about 10 seconds, then he forgot about it again and was back to his normal self. I saw the same dog try to go after a couple other random dogs walking past- makes you wonder what his people were thinking bringing a dog-aggressive dog out into a fair environment like that? Anyway, other than that, the evening was a great success..

It surprises me over and over how much dogs can get people to open up- we have had lots of complete strangers start petting him and end up telling us all about their dog, or a dog they lost, or other personal things you generally don't talk about to someone you just met. It is incredibly touching to watch, and part of the reason I think he will make a great therapy dog once he gets a little older and more settled- he seems to draw people in even more than most dogs because he looks so much like a big teddy-bear.. and because he is so attuned to people in general that the tail starts wagging and the smile starts any time someone looks at him or starts walking toward him...

June 1st - 6-month birthday party!

Kodo turned 6 months today, so we had Teresa, Jamie, my parents, and all their dogs over for a cookout. We had salmon burgers and peach pie for the humans, and dog brownies and Haagen Paws ice cream from the Grateful Dog Bakery for the pups. They all seemed to have a ton of fun with the treats, and with chasing each other around and running like crazy pups around the back yard..

May 23rd - King of the mountain

This pic really shows how BIG he is getting!! over 60 pounds and counting at last weigh-in..

May 19th - Kodo redecorates

We have started leaving Kodo out of his crate in his 'playpen' both overnight and between the time I get up and the time Brian gets up. Well, one morning he decided that the playpen wasn't laid out correctly, so he took it upon himself to rearrange things. The blue rug started off in the corner of the room with his water bowl on it, and the green blanket was his bed from inside the crate. He not only pulled them both to the center of the room, but he also managed to get the water bowl to tilt up on top of the blanket. Then, tired out with all his exertions, he fell asleep. And that is how Brian found him when he came down to get ready for work....

May 10th - Assorted pictures

Kodo shrank!!!!












Berner-hugs

May 9th - LONG hike

Today I decided to take Kodo to the Rocky River Reservation metropark area for his 'smell the flowers' walk (a couple times a week I try to take him someplace new and relax the leash rules so he can stop and smell and investigate as much as he wants. He still can't tug on the leash or eat things off the ground, but otherwise anything goes.. :) ). This park has lots of paved trails, lots of unpaved trails, meadows to romp in, dandelion fluff to eat (his new favorite!), and Canadian geese to try to make friends with. I figured we would meander around for 45 minutes or so, or until he got tired.

Once we got there, he made a beeline for the dandelion fluffs and snowplowed through them with his nose. There seems to be something about knee-high (puppy-knees that is) grass that makes him want to race around in circles with his ears pinned back then flop on his belly, rip up big mouthfuls of grass and give me the 'devil-eyes'.. :)

Once he got THAT out of his system we wandered down by the water and he checked that out. Fast moving river waters seem to make him a little wary, so he didn't try to stick his big old paws in there this time.

We kept wandering on the trail for about an hour, and he was still perky and ready to go, so we went by the Rocky River Nature Center building. I was surprised to find they allowed dogs inside- the staff invited me in and seemed really excited to meet Kodo. So we went inside, and Kodo got another one of his favorite things- bunches of people crowding around to pet him and tell him how beautiful he is! :) He was so involved in being adored that he didn't even notice the giant red tail hawk sitting on top of the bird feeder JUST outside one of the observing windows of the center. I got to watch that though, and I was really disappointed that I hadn't brought my camera!

We did a couple more trail wanderings, took him back to the car for some water, then another 15 minutes on the paved trails. I figured that was enough and I didn't want to overdo it, so I took him back to the car and popped him in the back. As soon as I moved out of the way he hopped right back out again! Fortunately I was still holding the other end of the leash! Despite the enthusiasm though, as soon as he got home he did his bear-rug imitation right in the middle of the kitchen tile and fell asleep...

May 6th - A Little Light Romping

We finally got the fence completely installed. The final piece was putting in the gates. Now that it's finished, Kodo has the entire area to run wild and free in the backyard!

Of course, what's the first thing he did when I gave him completely reign of the grounds? Well, he pretty much sat down and started eating the grass down to the roots. When he finished, he walked about 3 steps to the right and started the process all over again.

So, today we decided to take advantage of the yard and romp the pup a little bit. Kodo has been known to get distracted by a few things outside (neighborhood dogs, people, birds, geese, cars, planes, plants, wind, invisible things, etc.) This time with a little trickery (aka treats) we were able to get his attention enough to romp and play a bit. We truly got the full use of the fenced in yard today.

A Little Light Romping

I'm not sure that I wrote any posts on all the tricks that Kodo has learned in the last few weeks. Here's a quick series of tricks showing how smart and attentive he was. He also knows the non-verbal commands, but for now, here's just a quick example:

A Quick Series of Tricks

May 3rd - Meeting the cousins

Saturday night we took Kodo over to Auntie Teresa and Uncle Jamie's house so he could meet his cousins Chief and Lily. All three of the dogs are starting a puppy-training class together next week, so we wanted to do introductions before then if possible..
Kodo was a little intimidated by the bouncing, racing, and barking at first (his cousins are Catahoula mixes and have a LOT more speed and energy than he does!), but by the end of the night they were all hanging out and sharing toys comfortably.

It was funny how much lighter Chief and Lily looked than I remembered them being.. and how small their heads seemed. I have really gotten used to the Berner-look, so the other dogs tend to look a little 'off' to me.. :)

The cousins all sitting for treats!

May 1st - Birthday!

Kodo is 5 months old today!! And we weighed him, and he is 54.5 pounds- providing the scale doesn't have a top-out weight, in which case he may weigh more. He is definitely getting too heavy to pick up and hold for any length of time! He celebrated his birthday by having a REALLY good walk with me today- he behaved really well even with distractions, and we went farther than we usually did. Then he had a little romp with Brian when we got home.

We took some birthday pictures, and noticed the black on his nose seems to have almost taken over the whole nose. I am betting by 6 months he will have a solid black nose! I will kinda miss the piebald color tho- so cute and it definitely makes him stand out.. :)

April 30th - Lookin' sharp!

Auntie Andrea picked up a doggy bandanna for Kodo, so he got to wear it for a bit tonight. Perfect color- it sets off his coat and eyes perfectly I think!

April 28th - Fence finished

The contractors made it back today and finished everything except the gates and the post caps. Those have to wait till the concrete holding the fence posts in place in the ground cures- hopefully by this weekend we will have a complete fence and be able to let the puppy run!

April 27th - New fence... almost

Kodo's new fence started going up today. They are about two-thirds of the way done as of this evening, though I don't know when they will be back to finish since the weather looks like it is due to be messy over the next week. We can't wait for Kodo to get a chance to run free with no leashes on- he will love it!!!

April 26th - Kodo's party

We invited a small group of people over to meet Kodo, hang out, and play video games.. :) Kodo had a great time- ended up wearing himself out so much greeting people that he stretched out on the tiles and slept for most of the rest of the evening.

Kodo loves his Auntie Teresa!!!


Auntie Zita and Uncle CJ also got Kodo a fun new toy that he has been spending a lot of time with the last couple days. It is a green rubber bone-shaped teeth-cleaning chew-toy with rope tied ends.

April 24th - Cute picture

See the family resemblance? He definitely has Brian's eyes... :)

April 18th - Busy day

Today was a packed day for the puppy. He seems to be getting better from his tummy upset, so I decided to take him for a little walk in the park this morning. He loved the park- all the smells and all the people telling him how beautiful he was.. He tried to make friends with a big frog that was sitting on the path, but when he came close and started sniffing it hopped into the water and left him staring disconsolately after it.. He was also fascinated by the geese- he seemed to think they were trying to talk to him with their honking. Needless to say, the geese were not nearly as pleased by his proximity.

Next we went to PetSmart- it seems as if his rawhide chews may be causing his tummy problems, so we needed to find him some other things to chew. Brian called me around lunchtime, so we met him at Dairy Queen for lunch. They have a patio that is dog-friendly, so Kodo got lots of practice with people coming by and asking to pet him, as well as REALLY loud motorcycle backfires not too far away. We have been trying to work on his meeting-people manners since he tends to get too excited and jump and paw (and when you get pawed with a paw the size of a dinner plate, you KNOW you've been pawed!), so today was a really good practice day. It seems as if the more people he meets in a short time frame, the calmer he gets- tho he still loves each new petting and compliment.

After lunch we came home and he had a nice long nap, then it was time for Friday volleyball. I won't usually take him along to this, but since Brian's back was hurt and I was still sick I figured at least one of us would be able to hold and watch him the whole time. He loved the park again- started eating big mouthfuls of sand as soon as we got there... I am thinking no beach hikes for him for the time being! We had a great turnout, and most of the people there like puppies, so Kodo got a bunch of new fans. He was so worn out from the day that by the time we went to Dairy Queen with the group for after-volleyball food he was sleepy enough to just zonk out under the table.

The next day he was still sooo tired that he slept pretty much the entire day...

Too Lazy to Drink

April 9th - Interspecies relations

The cats have been getting more and more comfortable around Kodo as time goes on. Pippin is the most comfortable- he will walk right up to Kodo, trill at him, then head-butt and rub his face on him. In return Kodo will snuffle Pip's head and try to sniff his rear. I think he may have even given him a tiny lick on the head once. Sometimes Kodo has just finished drinking when Pip comes up to him, so the Kodo snuffling ends up cascading quite a bit of puppy-slobber and water onto poor Pip's head. And Pip tried to eat from Kodo's food dish once too- Kodo just kinda nosed him away and kept eating instead of getting upset.

Weeble will usually walk a circle around Kodo instead of getting too close, but he actually came and sat on my chest and purred when I was lying next to a napping Kodo one time. Another day Kodo was in play mode and came bouncing at Weeble. Weebs made his siren mew noise and picked a paw up as a warning. Kodo though this was a play invitation so he picked his paw up and pawed back.. which of course Weebs didn't appreciate much. The trials of translating different languages I guess!

Poor Kimi has the hardest time of it. One evening she was on the couch and Kodo was standing right next to the couch looking at her. She leaned forward to sniff at him, and he very slowly leaned forward too until their noses were almost touching. Then Kim jumped back, hissed, and thumped him on the nose with her paw. No claws, but it was a pretty hard thump. I figure she all of a sudden realized "Holy $%!#!!! That's not a cat!!!" :) I felt the worst for Kodo though- he jumped back with a hurt look on his face and ran to the opposite side of the room. He was just trying to get acquainted, and he really didn't do anything wrong. Since then he has been really wary of Kim, though the other two he seems fairly comfortable with.

April 6th - They grow up so fast!

Kodo has been teething practically since he came home- we figure this explains the obsessive rawhide-chewing.. Anyway, when he smiles at me I keep noticing little red holes in his gums where puppy teeth used to be. Then a few days later a big dog tooth is growing in its place. I would say he has probably lost at least 5 or 6 of the ones near the front that I can see easily.

And then the other day Brian and I noticed that he has a band of big-dog fur on his tail too! Most of his coat is soft fuzz, but this is shiny and coarser and definitely stands out. And it has been spreading- the band is now nearly 2 inches wide. I am torn- part of me is excited that he is growing up, but part of me doesn't want to lose that adorable coat of soft puppy fuzz.. :)

April 5th - Family visit

Teresa and Jamie came over tonight and brought Kodo a special new toy as a dog-warming gift. It looks like a golden retriever, and it is stretchy with a spring through its middle. Its head has a squeaker and its tail has a rattle. And Kodo thinks it is just the best thing EVER!! He has taken to carrying it around and shaking it and chewing on its head... He can even pick up the head and tail in his mouth at the same time so it doesn't drag on the ground while he is walking.. :)

Kodo and his new favorite stuffie

April 4th - Puppy learning

We had decided to register Kodo for a beginning Puppy training class at Cleveland All-Breed, but they called us to tell us the class was full. In fact, most of their classes for the rest of the spring were full. We finally managed to get him signed up for a Foundations class (which is the beginning-level training for dogs 5 months old and older) starting early May, so he will just make the age cut-off. The great thing is that is the same class Teresa and Jamie are taking Chief and Lily to, so it will be a family get-together!

So with that in mind, here is an updated list of the commands Kodo knows: Sit, Stay, Down (usually), Come, Here (a less urgent form for Come), Up, Leave it, Take it, Easy, Gentle, Gentle paw (as opposed to flailing around with those big old feet when he gets excited), Belly (sometimes), and Roll over (new one- just started this). He is pretty consistent with all the basics as long as there are no distraction- otherwise he sometimes 'forgets'.. As long as there aren't a ton of distractions and he isn't overflowing with energy, he is a VERY good walker too. I can take him on a 15-minute walk and the leash will stay slack almost the entire time. Such a good boy!!!

April 3rd - Recovery

He was feeling MUCH better today. We had more problems keeping him from going crazy and running and bouncing than anything else. I took a half-day of vacation since we were going to the Cavs game in the evening and I didn't want him to be in the crate all day and all night, so we spent the afternoon together. The weather was nice enough that we spent some time sitting on the back patio just enjoying the outside. We have a group of trees along the back line of our property, so there are always a ton of birds, squirrels, and the occasional groundhog for him to watch.. Kodo is a big fan of birds, airplanes, you name it- any time anything flies by overhead he will stare at it intently as it passes. When he gets this intense look on his face you can almost see the big Berner he is becoming..

April 2nd - Puppy surgery

Wednesday was the day scheduled for Kodo's neuter surgery. I had gotten the OK to work from home so I could drop him off and pick him up at the right times. I set up my work stuff in the 'playpen'/morning room and worked until it was time to go then dropped him off at the vet around 7:45. He got a bunch of admiration and petting from the people who were in the office that early, and he went with the vet tech like a champ when she came to take him- not even a backward glance at me. So I went home (a little sniffly and worried about him I have to admit) and settled back to work. It is amazing how quiet and empty the house felt without him bouncing around- in less than 2 weeks he has made himself such a part of the household.

I got a call from his vet around midday, and she told me everything was great, he had come through the surgery fine, and I could pick him up around 2. She recommended Bactine to spray on his stitches so he didn't chew or lick at them (apparently it tastes nasty- who knew!).

I got to the clinic around 2:30. When they brought him out he was acting normal at first- trying to climb into the laps of complete strangers and make friends with all the other dogs in the waiting room. Then I coaxed him out to the parking lot, and he started doing his 'donkey' act of sitting and pulling back against the leash.. He did this every couple feet, and finally refused to move. Right in the middle of the traffic lane of the parking lot. So I eventually picked him up (very carefully) and carried him to the car and put him on his seat.

At home, I had some trouble getting him to come across the seat to me so I could lift him down again, but eventually we got back into the house and I settled him in the playpen with his freshly-washed blanket bed and his favorite rawhide chewie and started working again. I was a bit worried at this point because he wouldn't drink any water even when I brought it to him, and he was whimpering softly as he chewed his rawhide. Still not sure if that was leftover from the anesthetic, discomfort from the incision and stitches, or teething.... But once I gave him his food he ate like a horse.

By the evening he seemed to be feeling better, though still not quite his usual self.

March 30th - Scary Chair

Well, Kodo seems to be acclimating pretty well... Poor guy had a little scare this morning. For some reason, he loves to lie down and sleep underneath furniture. Well, this particular morning he decided to rest underneath a chair. He started to wake up, and as he was getting up he toppled the chair over and it made a loud crashing sound next to him. It really scared him, but he ran to both of us who gave him comforts. We checked to make sure that he didn't get bumped or anything...He was good and before long he was back to his old ways of lying under furniture again.

Weeble Helps Kodo Get Over His Temporary Fear of Furniture

March 29th - New Friends

Today we had one of Becky's friends, Andrea, come over with Jay and the kids to meet the new pup. Kodo was so well behaved and LOVED the pets and attention that he was getting. Andrea gave him a new present...a bully stick. Kodo took to it quickly and had been working on it all day without making much of a dent. A perfect gift for both pup and parents. :)

Kodo Greets Andrea

March 28th - First vet visit

Today was Kodo's first vet trip. The clinic I go to is really close to us and has a huge office. We walked in and signed in with the receptionist- and the first group of people stopped us, asked what breed of dog he was and gave him love, which of course he just soaked up. He particularly seems to like kids petting him- maybe cuz they are closer to his height.. :)

So I sat down and got another 3 or 4 groups of people coming up to me and commenting on how cute and sweet he was (and what BIG paws he had!) before we got called into the back for our appointment. First off we got a weigh-in- we didn't know how much he weighed when we brought him home, so we were excited to find out. He was 43 pounds!!! So he outweighs his Auntie Daphne and cousin Lily, and is fast approaching cousin Chiefers!

We waited in the exam room for the vet to come in, and when she did the first things she said were about how handsome he was too!! That always helps me warm up to a new vet faster.. :) She apparently is a big Berner fan, and is really familiar with the orthopedic and health problems of the breed, which is also a big reassurance. She did a basic exam on him while I asked all my stupid-new-puppy-mom questions about his hiccuping and eating grass, etc... He did have a bit of conjunctivitis in his eyes, so she gave me an ointment for him (and boy does he LOVE having us put THAT in!), and finished off his booster shots and gave him his rabies and bordatella vaccines so he will be all ready for puppy classes starting beginning of May. I was holding one of his favorite yummy treats in front of him while he got his shots, and he didn't even blink. He really wasn't a big fan of the nose spray for bordatella tho.. The vet did say other than the eyes he seemed to be in good shape and good weight.

On the way out he made a bunch more friends.. and I got a call from the reception desk later saying that someone there wanted the contact info for the breeder that we got him from. So he is being a great ambassador for his breed! :)

After the vet visit we made a quick trip to visit my mom and dad and let Kodo and Daphne play together for a bit- Daph seemed to be quite a bit bouncier and Kodo wasn't so sure about all the hyper energy though he seemed to enjoy the playing too. Until he got sleepy.. :)

I was getting a little worried since he didn't seem to be interested much in any toys other than his rawhides and I didn't want him to get bored, so I picked him up a BusterCube maze ball at PetSmart in the morning. This is a great interactive toy where you put pieces of food inside and the dog has to keep turning and rolling the ball to make the food fall out..

Another Cute Video

One of the things that I've read says that you shouldn't lay your head lower than the pup's so that they don't get the idea that they are dominant over you. So, I broke a rule in favor of a really cute video. This was actually taken on 3/27...

March 27th - First Day Alone

Today was Kodo's first day alone. If you've read the last few posts, you'll know that we've spent the last couple of day's trying to get him used to his new schedule. We've left him alone for hours at a time, and today was the first test for him to be left alone for the majority of the day...of course, he'll still get some people-time when I come home to let him out and when Becky comes home.

His first day home by himself seemed to go perfectly. When I return home around 1pm, he was definitely excited to see me. He had no problems in his crate. He headed straight for his spot and did his business. I spent about a half hour giving him pets before I took him out again and kong/crated him.

Becky got home and took him out to do his business and then went for a walk. When I got home I joined them and romped around for a bit. It was wonderful, because this was the first time he was showing a little more personality and playfulness. We romped around for a bit in the backyard...and he let out one of the his few barks. I thought this was definitely a good sign seeing him all happy.

When we got inside, Beck got him all riled up again and he made some more cute, deep barks. Here's a quick video of it.

Kodo's Playful Bark

Well, Kodo's schedule is as follows:

• 5:00 am - Becky wakes up, gives Kodo people time/feeds him
• 5:20 am - Becky takes Kodo out to "Hurry Up"
• 7:50 am - Brian wakes up and lets Kodo out
• 8:30 am - Brian lets Kodo out again
  Kongs him and puts him in his crate for the morning
• ~1 - 2 pm - Brian returns home, people time, takes him out
• 5:15 pm - Becky returns home, lets Kodo out, walk
• 6:00 pm - Feed Kodo, people time until Brian returns
• 6-11 pm - Kodo people time...Kodo goes out before going to bed

March 24-27 - First Work Week

Well we wanted to make sure that Kodo was acclimated to his new world, so we decided that one of us should stay home with him. I decided to work from home on Monday, while Becky took vacation days for Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Monday, we started the routine that we will eventually follow on a regular basis. Since our schedules are so different, it helps us get Kodo his breaks with minimal adjustment to our own. Becky woke up earlier around 5am, to feed and take Kodo out. I woke up just before 8am to take him out again. Kodo continued his good streak from the night before showing us that he knows the command "Come". I barricaded our morning room, set up my laptop there... and let Kodo wander the area. He didn't have any problems, and in fact, he pawed a bit at the back door, which I took as his way of telling me he needs to go...definitely a good sign, 'cuz he wasted no time.

The kitties were still curious about him, and our middle cat, Pippin, decided to come up to nuzzle him again. I think Kodo wanted to play with him, 'cuz he let out this cute little (deep) bark. This was actually the first and only bark we've heard so far. I'm sure more will be coming, but he's definitely more laid back than your typical pup.

I gave him a bit of a walk during lunch and then let him continue hanging out in the area...trying to hold off on Outside until mommy got home. Even though he was under constant supervision, this was his first day of no accidents!!!

3/24 - Kodo sleeping after a long day

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Beck was on puppy watch. I was at work, so I may just have her post something to the blog. We had a few people coming to the house to do work in the yard and all went smoothly. Beck was even able to run a few errands, leaving Kodo at home alone without any problems. One thing that we've introduced the pup to was "Easy". Easy was our command for Kodo to relax. In the morning, Kodo is so happy to see us and so excited to get out of his crate that he goes nutso. He puts both paws up on the crate and gets all antsy. Before we open the crate, we make sure to tell him "Easy" and then wait until he's calm and not pawing the door. Usually, when Kodo hears "Easy", he sits and doesn't paw...but if we don't get that door open within 3-seconds, he like, "that's enough Easy, I'm bustin' out!" and starts his rant all over again.

3/25 - Kodo with his new extra large rawhide bone

On Tuesday night, I decided to expand my earlier success with the "Come" command. This time, I decided to work on his habit of going crazy whenever he sees a treat. As soon as he sees it, he starts jumping and getting all feisty. Again, Berners are prone to hip displasia, so jumping is not a good thing for him to continue doing. So I started teaching him the word "Stay". I would first have Kodo sit...and then while he's sitting, I would set the treat down in front of him, telling him to "Stay". It only took 3-4 tries before he started actually listening to me. Methinks our pup is a smart one!

Check out the success below (done in one take!):

March 23 - Easter

Today is Easter, and up to this point we haven't told anybody about Kodo. Kodo was going to meet his Auntie Teresa and Uncle Jamie as well as the rest of the fam for the first time. Unfortunately I wasn't thinking about it, but I should have had the camera on hand for their reaction.

I'll describe it as best I can...

Kodo's being all calm, but we leash him up and start heading toward the door. We open the door and Teresa says "Happy East...oooooooohhhhh...how cuuute! Is he yours??" followed by many "he's soooo cuuute!" Kodo absolutely loved the attention. He went up to both Teresa and Jamie and got plenty of pets.

We put Kodo in his crate while we ate Easter dinner...he didn't give a whimper once. I think he was too enthralled by his rawhide.

Kodo was a still a little leary about the steps at this point. Again, when he had to go do his business, he didn't think twice about going down the steps...but if he didn't see a pressing need, he would stop at the top step to the outside and pull back on his leash. It did seem like Kodo attached himself a little more to Becky at this point, 'cuz she was able to coax him down the stairs. I was a little worried since I'd only have a short amount of time during work hours to take him out.

But I did eventually have a breakthrough. After doing more research, I learned a few more techniques to try. I had to take him out to do his business one more time before turning in for the night. He should have definitely needed to go, but again, he stood on the top step and pulled back on the leash. First I help him down the first step, and out the door...but he just sat and pulled back on the leash. This time, I gave him the command "Come!" Of course, he just sat there again....but this time, I turned around and circled the corner...guessing that he'd rather be with his people than be stubborn and alone. As luck would have it, I was right, and he reluctantly came up to me. I praised him...and he eventually sat and pulled back again. I stayed at full leash length and said in the confident voice, "Kodo, Come!" He just stared at me. I repeated the command...and he reluctantly walked over to me again. This time I was ready with a piece of a biscuit which I immediately shoved in his mouth as he reached me. I think this sparked his interest...because the next time he sat down, and I told him to "Come!" he immediately stood up and gallumphed his way over to me. Again, I plopped a treat in his mouth and praised him immediately. I repeated this a couple of times without treats and then one more time with. Definitely treats helped, and he seems to understand what the command means now.

He also did a "Hurry Up" which I treated and rewarded him as well just to associate his business with the outside. After seeing Kodo learn "Come" so quickly, I definitely have a good feeling about how smart he is. He's already got a great personality, and now you can see that he's absorbing things very quickly.

Once we got inside, I treated him, Konged him and plopped him in his crate. Again, he took to the crate very well and didn't whine at all...just laid down and slept.

Day two a success...

Kodo after a long, hard day of learning

March 22 - First Day

We picked up Kodo on Saturday, March 22. It was almost a 3-hour drive, and we weren't quite sure how he would react. When we picked him from the litter, he was definitely the most laid back out of all of them...that and he was very people-oriented.

The car ride home went as smooth as can be. I would have to say that Kodo was more curious than nervous. Becky drove the first half of the way, while I sat in the back seat with Kodo to comfort him. I'm not sure he needed comforting. He didn't give a single whimper, whine, or bark. It looked at first that he was excited by the car ride...sniffing everything he could get his nose on. Eventually he just got a little tired and plopped himself down on my lap or on the side of the backseat.

Excited Kodo

Tired Kodo

Kodo and Beck

When we got home, we first introduced him to his potty place in the backyard, in a hope that we would go and remember. When Kodo got inside, he immediately went into sniff mode, smelling everything he could possibly get his nose on.

Unfortunately, he did have a couple of accidents on the carpet...which was to be expected. In the books, they say if you catch your new pup in the act, to just pick him up and take him outside. haha...that doesn't quite work with a 40ish lb puppy. We did lead him quickly out the back door and repeated "Hurry Up" so that he'd start recognizing the command.

We introduced Kodo to his crate pretty quickly. Treats do work wonders! We plopped a couple of treats in there while he wasn't looking, and he eventually stumbled onto them. Funny thing is that he remembered this. So every now and then we place a few more in the crate so that he starts associated it as his happy "yummy" place.

At night, Kodo seemed a little more hesitant about going potty. He was reluctant going down a single step to the outside when we opened the door...pulling back on his leash. This is probably 'cuz he didn't have any urgency to go, and wasn't used to steps yet. We eventually coaxed him with excited "puppy puppy!" calls and eventually he went potty. It's just gonna take a while before he's used to it.

Before bedtime, we led Kodo to his crate, which he yet again "discovered" a few more bits of biscuit. We closed the crate door, and went upstairs, keeping an ear open for puppy yowls. Kodo did give a couple of small whimpers...but they stopped after like 2 minutes. I slowly went back to check on him a few minutes later, and he was fast asleep.

So far a successful day one.

On the Way to Serious Looking

After many years of reading books, doing research, and meetings various owners and breeders for Bernese Mountain Dogs, Becky and I decided that it was time to at least start to seriously look. We had already attended various dog shows and had met many Berner owners. We also had attended a meeting for the North Coast BMDCO and talked with the members there.

Obviously, there are a lot of things that you must know when choosing a Bernese Mountain Dog. I think maybe the primary thing to understand is that the BMDs are prone to health problems, and have an average life expectancy of about 7 years. Health problems include hip displasia and Histiocytosis (cancer), various eye disorders, and heart problems among others. However they do have a friendly temperament that, when socialized well, can make a great family pet. They can be outgoing and seem to be very people-oriented (at least most of the ones we have met so far). They seem to be gentle giants, as the males of the breed can get up to around 110 lbs.

One of the things that we've seen is that they have this Berner "Lean". I'll try to get a video of one soon, but basically, it's when you start petting a BMD, and he starts to lean his body right into your pets...sometimes this leads to the Berner "plop" where is leans so far that he pretty much just plops over onto your feet and asks you to pet his belly. :)

It was important to us when meeting BMD breeders that the breeder was just as concerned about finding a good home for a pup as we were. Unfortunately today it's too common to find someone who is breeding just for the money and not worried so much for the pup's well-being. It's also too common that someone decides to get a puppy without understanding the time and money committment as well as the challenges of each of the various breeds. We wanted to find someone who took the time to ensure that the litter was properly socialized and someone who had an interest in us as owners.

We met Marsha from Carma Que who completely fit what we were looking for. The first good sign was that she took the time to allow us to meet. When we got there, we sat down and asked her our list of questions. She asked us questions about our lifestyle and what research we had done. We asked her questions about the litter and its pedigree. It wasn't until after talking to each other for about an hour, before we asked to to see the puppies. (Another sign of a good breeder - someone who doesn't force the cuteness on potential owners in order to get a quick sale).

At the end of the day, we drove home (~3 hours) with a very good feeling...