Five A.M early mornings to take out a new puppy aren’t always easy, but for an adorable ten-week-old Bernese Mountain dog, my family makes it work. Two weeks ago we brought home our first ever dog, Kona. Calm, happy and healthy, she adapted well to our new home. We certainly gave her an excessive amount of treats and cuddles for the first week. We hired a trainer to help Kona learn to adjust to our family’s daily schedule including potty training, learning sit and stay, coping with separation anxiety and biting prevention. I knew Bernese Mountain dogs were smart, but I’m surprised by how much Kona has learned in the past few weeks. My family can tell that Kona understands when we leave the house, eat dinner and go upstairs to bed.
My family was drawn to Bernese Mountain dogs because of their intelligent, calm temperament. Kona certainly possesses many aspects of her breed. She has figured out so many things during these two short weeks. For example, she is working on bell training, where she rings the bell when she needs to go outside. At first, we weren’t sure how the bell training would work and whether she would pick up on it. Once she rang the bell for the first time, my family was so happy! It is incredibly rewarding when your new puppy picks up the training and begins to fit well into your schedule. It is great to know when she needs to go outside so that we can prevent accidents in the house. In addition to bell training, Kona knows sit, down, stay and outside. She has an incredible work ethic, especially when she is working for treats, chicken or turkey!
Despite the many positives to having a new puppy, there are also some negatives. Puppies will eat anything, and I mean anything. The other week my mom found Kona in my bathroom trying to eat the toilet paper. When my mom took one step closer, Kona inhaled all of the paper at once and tried to eat it all before my mom took it away from her. We had to force her mouth open and pull out all of the toilet paper. A few days later, she started trying to rip the fur off of our rug pad and eat all of the fur balls. She basically thinks she’s a cat at this point. My family has had to move every carpet, lamp cord, charger and shoe out of Kona’s sight. This is certainly not what I expected when getting a new puppy. Constant photos of eaten chargers and adorable puppy pictures have taken over our family group chats. It is truly a full family experience to share with relatives including cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles.
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