Bernese Mountain Puppy Training – A Sample Puppy Schedule

Puppies typically sleep between 18 to 20 hours a day, including nighttime.

Unlike mature dogs that eat once or twice a day, most puppies need to eat puppy food three times a day.

Make it easier to remember by planning his mealtimes around your own breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Wash out his water bowl and make sure it’s always filled with clean water, too.

Schedule Puppy Potty Breaks
Keep to a regular routine of taking your puppy outside at least every two-to-four hours and after every change of activity.

How long after eating does a puppy poop?
between 15 minutes to 30 minutes.

Puppies poop far more often than adult dogs – in fact, up to three times more.

Puppies are also more likely to poop directly after they’ve eaten, between 15 minutes to 30 minutes after feeding is the norm.

This is especially important during house training and will keep accidents to a minimum.

Key Elements of a Bernese Mountain Puppy Schedule:

Early Morning
Wake up, potty break outside, breakfast, short play session.

Breakfast time: Leave the food and water down for no longer than 15 minutes.

After that, pick up the bowl and give no more food until the next meal (except for small treats used for training).

Wash the water bowl and provide clean water.

After Puppy’s Breakfast
Puppies usually need to relieve themselves again, within a few minutes of eating, so give another potty opportunity.

Suggest you remove water and food unless you want to take your puppy out every hour for potty breaks.

Mid-Morning
Short walk (around 5-10 minutes) or playing in backyard, basic training session (like sit, stay, come).

Afternoon
Lunch, Breakfast Time: Leave the food and water down for no longer than 15 minutes.

Potty break, playtime with interactive toys and nap time.

Puppy’s need to burn energy.

Mid-Afternoon
Potty break outside, play time, basic training session – no ore than 10 minutes.

Evening
Dinner Time: Leave the food and water down for no longer than 15 minutes.

Potty break, playtime in a fenced area.

For many puppies this is the “witching hour,” and if you anticipate it by initiating play, he may settle down.

If he doesn’t, even after plenty of exercise, give him a treat and let him settle in the crate for a while.

Snuggle Time
Final potty break then settle down for the night.

Monitor for signs of fatigue: If your puppy seems tired or reluctant to play, give them a break.

Naps and Bedtime
Young puppies sleep a great deal of the time; in fact, some will sleep as much as 16-to-18 hours a day.

Nap time is usually done in a dog crate or pen.

It doesn’t matter if it’s 8 p.m. or midnight, as long as it becomes a routine.

Plan on quiet nap times for him several times during the day and potty breaks once he awakes.

Family members, especially young children, should learn not to disturb him when he’s sleeping.

He needs his rest and once he awakes a quick potty trip.

You may need to put a crate in a quiet part of the house so he won’t be distracted by the hustle and bustle that may be going on during nap time.

When it comes to bedtime, some owners set a specific time to settle their puppy down for the night.

Others just want him to sleep when they are sleeping.

Bernese Mountain Puppy Training – House Training

Stairs should be kept to a minimum for the first couple of months.

While most Berners can go upstairs on their own, make sure to carry them downstairs until they’re older or get too heavy.

The growth plates of Bernese Mountain Dogs typically close around 18 months of age, meaning that until this time, their bones are still growing and are considered soft and vulnerable to injury.

So it’s important to avoid strenuous exercise like jogging or running that could damage them and potentially lead to joint issues later in life.

The same rule applies to car rides.

Lift your puppy onto the ground for the first year to avoid elbow and knee injuries.

Puppies earn the privilege of increased freedom as they learn the house rules.

Curtail unwanted chewing by limiting their access inside the home with puppy pens and gates and provide them with chew toys.

Berners are big dogs and their bladder are bigger than most puppies.

However , they don’t have full bladder strength until about six months.

Getting angry during potty training is counterproductive.

Instead, be patient, take them out regularly (every 2 hours and 15 minutes after eating or drinking) and mark good behavior with praise.

It’s amazing how quickly they understand and in the morning, they can’t wait to get out and do potty outside and not in their pens.

Be sure to pick your puppy up out of the crate and walk outside immediately to avoid accidents.

There are solid against using pee pads which can signal that it’s okay to pee inside the house.

Bernese Mountain Puppy Training – Obedience Training

Key Milestones: 4-6 months
Puppies can begin obedience training after their second round of vaccines, meaning there will be a ton of learning (and growing) in this time.

The idea behind positive reinforcement is that you reward your dog with a treat to encourage the behavior you want to see instead of punishing your dog for a behavior you don’t want.

As mentioned, Berners are sensitive and react much better to positive reinforcement than harsh corrections.

It’s best to use a treat your dog wouldn’t usually get, and for those that aren’t motivated by food, you can use a favorite toy.

Positive reinforcement also means praising and petting your dog.

Punishments should always be avoided, and using harsh words or violence can lead to anxiety and fear as your dog gets older.

Start off in a quiet place with no distractions so your puppy can get to grips with their training.

But eventually, you will want to introduce them to different areas of the house where other people are around and then outside.

When you introduce your Berner to a new environment, the new sights, smells, sounds, and people will add distractions and also give you different responses to those you’d get at home.

An exuberant puppy or adolescent dog might jump on or accidentally knock over a child or an elderly person so it’ important to nip jumping in the bud – turn away and stand straight upright with hands to your sides or raise your knee so your puppy jumps into it.

Use simple commands like Off, Stop, Come, Sit, Leave it and Down to halt bad behavior, then immediately follow up with a corrective action.

Keep your training session less than 5 minutes long, and practice 3-5 times a day until your dog learns commands, lease etiquette, and house and crate training.

Make sure that you are consistent and that everyone in the household uses the same command.

When you see your dog doing the unwanted behavior, first give the command, then immediately follow with action (taking away the item or moving your dog away from it).

By giving the command first, then doing the corrective action, you will allow your dog to do what you want when it hears you say “leave it” and avoid an unpleasant consequence

When properly introduced, Berners are good with other pets and farm animals.

One exception is chickens, in which case, puppies need to be taught that chickens are not prey.

The adolescent stage begins around sixteen weeks and can last for six months.

Adolescent puppies tend to forget their training and might become fearful of new and familiar objects.

Set boundaries with your puppy and revisit training.

Bernese Mountain Puppy Training –Biting & Chewing

Train your dog to stop biting and chewing.

For puppies, biting, nipping and chewing is normal behavior

Proud new puppy owners may think the nibbles on a finger or hand are cute.

Those puppy teeth are needle-sharp, though, and regardless of how cute it may be, it’s important to establish boundaries early.

Otherwise, playful puppy biting will become painful dog biting.

Puppies explore their environment by mouthing everything in sight.

While these are natural behaviors for a puppy, you also don’t want it to think it’s okay to bite people or chew on your shoes, furniture, etc.

Your dog will not know what is appropriate for it to chew unless you teach it.

Keep anything you don’t want your puppy to destroy up and out of its reach (this includes trash, books, shoes, remote controls, glasses, socks, dirty underwear, etc.).

Have plenty of toys for it to play with and chew on, but make sure they are not indistinguishable from household items (your dog will not know the difference between an old sock you offer it to play with and a new sock it is not supposed to chew).

Allow your puppy to mouth you, so long as it is gentle.

When your puppy gives you a hard bite, give a high-pitched yelp, as though it’s really hurt you, and let your hand go limp (don’t jerk it away).

Your dog should stop biting, at which point you should praise it for stopping.

If it bites you hard again, repeat these steps.

Do this no more than three times in a 15-minute time period.

Give your dog a chew toy when it wants to chew on fingers.

If you find your puppy chewing on something it shouldn’t be, take it away and give it a toy to chew instead.

As you take the item away, say “leave it” and give it a toy to chew on.

Do not punish your dog after the fact.

If you find an item that your dog destroyed while you were away, don’t wave it in it face while yelling at it.

This won’t teach it not to chew — it will not get the connection that you are angry about something it did two hours ago.

Unless you catch it in the act, do not scold your dog.

Biting often occurs when puppies want to play.

Puppies usually learn to play with and nip their siblings from a young age and learn their boundaries from how their siblings and their mother react.

For example, if they bite one of their littermates and that puppy lets out a loud “yip!” and stops playing, they’ll know they’ve bitten a bit too hard.

A puppy may not have mastered those boundaries, which means it’s your job to teach them.

There’s a good chance your puppy, while mouthing you, will playfully chomp down on your hand or one of your fingers or toes.

When they do this, react similarly to how their littermates might react by letting out a loud “Ouch!” or even a high-pitched “Yip!”

If your puppy reacts by stopping their biting behavior, make sure to give them lots of praise and maybe even a treat.

Another way to train a puppy not to bite is to give them an age-appropriate puppy toy to chomp down on when they start to nibble on you.

If your puppy gets nippy while playing, stand up, take your hands away and say “No!”

Once they’re sitting calmly, reward them with a treat and go back interacting/playing with them.  

Don’t yell at your puppy, tap your puppy on the nose or hold their mouth shut when they bite.

Physical attempts to control will only confuse your puppy and teach them not to trust you when you want to play.

Don’t antagonize your puppy to get him to bite for training or any other purpose.

Bernese Mountain Puppy Training – Basic Commands

Jumping

When you see your dog is going to jump up on you, turn your body away, deflecting it, avoiding eye contact, and saying nothing.

It will get the message that, when it jumps on you, it gets no reward or attention.

Once it stops jumping and calms down, praise it with lots of petting, attention, and scratching.

Sit

Teach the your Bernese Mountain Dog Puppy to sit.

Most dogs can learn this command quickly with little trouble.

Start out by observing your dog — when you see that it is in the process of sitting on its own, say sit clearly and in a firm voice.

As soon as its butt touches the ground, praise it, pet it, and give it a treat.

Do this every time you spy your dog about to sit.

Another method is to stand in front of your dog with a treat in your hand.

Hold the treat centimeters above your dog’s nose, then move the treat backward, over its head, leading its nose.

It should follow the treat with its nose and should sit down as it does this.

Again, as soon as its butt hits the floor, give it the treat and praise it.

Once your dog has the motion down, say sit just before you begin to lead its nose back with the treat.

Lie Down

Train your dog to lie down.

Once your Bernese knows how to sit, you can teach it the “down” command.

Ask your dog to sit, then hold the treat in front of its nose.

Lower the treat to the ground — it should follow with its nose, lowering its body; you can praise it as it moves toward the down position.

When its belly touches the ground and it is lying down, reward it with the treat and more praise.

Once it is familiar with the movement, add the verbal command.

“Down,” “lay,” or “drop” are common commands. Say it just before you begin bringing the treat down.

Eventually, with practice, your dog will make the association between the action and the word “down.”

Stay

Teach your Bernese Mountain Dog Puppy to stay.

This can be a difficult command to train, as your dog will naturally want to follow you around.

Teach this command to your dog once it has learned to sit and lie down.

Begin teaching your dog to stay when it is calm (try after a walk), in a familiar environment, and with few distractions.

Keep these sessions short at first, as it will be a challenge for it to stay in the beginning.

Stand in front of your dog and ask it to sit or lie down.

If it remains in the position for a few seconds, quickly reward it with a treat.

This signals that it is released from the position and may do something else.

Repeat the process and wait a few seconds longer before rewarding your dog.

If it breaks the stay before you have released it (by rewarding it with the treat), say ah-ah!

And start over.

Add the verbal command.

When your dog is sitting or lying down, say “stay” and put one hand out like a stop sign.

Wait a few seconds, then reward it with the treat.

Gradually increase the length of the stay.

Do this slowly, and don’t make these training sessions too long or your dog may get frustrated.

When your dog seems to be grasping stay, you’ll need to complicate things a bit more.

Because you want it to stay in position even when you are out of sight (if you ask it to sit and stay while you go in a store, for instance), begin taking a few steps back from your dog after commanding it to stay.

If it breaks the stay, it does not get the treat.

Some argue that this is not a necessary command — your dog should know that when you tell it to sit or stay, it should remain in that position until you release it.

Come

Teach the dog to come when called.

The stay command is an important command for your dog’s safety — it can stop it from dashing into a busy street or another dangerous situation.

Never let your dog off the leash outside (in an unfenced area) until it knows the “come” and “stay” commands and does them consistently.

To practice this command, leash your dog and have some treats handy.

Holding the end of the leash, say “come” in a very welcoming voice, then quickly take a few steps backward.

Continue to back up until your dog reaches you.

Reward it by saying “Yes!,” and then give it a treat.

You can also practice this off-leash.

Crouch or kneel and call your dog over to you throughout the day, rewarding it greatly when it comes to you.

Never punish your dog when it comes to you.

This could mean giving it a bath or shouting at it for not coming when you called, or even just ending its fun by snapping its leash back on every single time it obeys.

Coming to you when you call needs to be the most appealing option your dog knows — more appealing than chasing that rabbit or running across the street to say hi to the neighbor.

Your dog must understand that it must come every single time you call it.

When you are training, don’t put it in a situation in which you know it won’t obey you and then try the come command.

Bernese Mountain Puppy Training – Grooming

Berners have a silky, double coat that needs weekly brushing to remove excess fur and avoid matting.

Long nails can cause pain and affect your dog’s gait, so trim them yourself or enlist the help of a reputable groomer.

Dogs that are moderately active can have a bath every six to eight weeks, but bathing puppies too frequently can dry out their skin.

If your dog goes into the water, make sure to dry their coat thoroughly to prevent hot spots and staph infections.

Prepare yourself for shedding season – they blow coat twice a year..

Bathe your dog at the start of shedding season and use a powerful dryer to pull out the dead coat.

In another three weeks, bathe them again to reduce dry, itchy skin.

Twice a year, there is going to be hair in every corner of the room when they blow coat.

Key Milestones: 7-12 months
Puppies need exercise to stay healthy and avoid behavioral issues before they reach a year of age.

Bernese Mountain Puppy Training Walking

Your puppy sets the pace.

With an eight-week-old puppy, you may only go ten feet.

Teach your dog to walk with a loose leash.

Once your dog feels comfortable with its collar and leash, take the leash and begin walking around the house with it.

If it walks beside you and/or lets the leash be loose or slack, give lots of praise, pats, and treats.

If it begins to pull, stop in your tracks.

Do not pull it back to you and do not proceed — allow it to come back to you.

When the leash is loose again, praise it and begin walking again.

Never allow your puppy to pull you on the leash, as this teaches it that this is acceptable.

By stopping the walk, it learns that pulling and straining will get it nowhere.

If it wants to walk, it must do so without pulling.

If your puppy does the opposite and sits down, do not yank on the leash to get it to keep moving.

Instead, call it over to you, offering treats and rewards when it comes.

As working dogs, Berners can be quite active for the first two years, or they can turn into couch potatoes.

Bernese Mountain Puppy Training – Socialization

Once they’re properly vaccinated, introduce your puppy to new people, animals, surfaces, and environments.

Give it about a week or two to bond with the puppy, get to know each other, but in the meanwhile, it’s important that they not be in lockdown.

Dog socialization means learning to be a part of human and dog society in a healthy manner.

Bernese Mountain Dogs are known to be a little aloof, so socializing in the first year of life is especially important. While it’s an important part of any puppy’s training, for a giant breed of dog it’s imperative.

Expose your puppy to different people, dogs, and environments in a controlled manner.

Begin by introducing the dog to normal household noises and activity in a non-threatening manner.

Don’t tease your puppy by chasing it with a broom or vacuum. This will only make it fear these things and maybe even you.

Invite friends and family over and visit dog-friendly places with floors that are cleaned regularly.

Steer clear of unfamiliar dogs until your puppy is fully vaccinated.Enroll in a socialization or obedience class.

One of the most productive ways to introduce a puppy to other puppies, humans, and normal sights and sounds is to take them to puppy socialization or obedience classes (for older dogs).

These classes are held by community education, 4-H clubs, or pet shops and give the dogs and owners a safe place to learn together.

Look through your local newspaper or online to find classes near you.

Your veterinarian’s office may also know of any puppy classes available.

Bernese Mountain Puppy Training – Pen or Crate

Place a chew toy to enjoy in his crate.

You can even serve meals in his crate

Your puppy should have a favorite toy in the crate too.

Even if you’re home during the day, your puppy should spend time in a crate or pen; this will help him learn how to be alone when necessary.

Should I Ignore My Puppy Crying at Night?
You should not ignore a crying puppy, especially during their first few nights.

Leaving them to ‘cry it out’ can lead to increased anxiety and stress, potentially worsening the situation.

It’s also impossible to know what a puppy will get into when you turn away for a moment and there needs to be a place to put him when you can’t supervise directly.

If he will be home alone for more hours than he can control his bladder or bowels, you need to set up a pen with an area for him to relieve himself – or consider having a pet sitter come to take him out.

Gradually increase the amount of time the puppy is in the crate.

Encourage the puppy to go into the crate on its own by tossing a treat or toy inside.

Do this throughout the day for a few days, always leaving the door open.

Once it is comfortable inside the crate, close the door after it goes in.

Allow it to come out of the crate only after it has been quiet for 10 minutes — do not let it out if it is whining or pawing at the door.

Increase the amount of time the puppy spends in the crate until it can stay quietly in the crate for up to two hours. When it is older than four months, it can stay in the crate for up to four hours.

Never leave your dog in a crate for longer than four hours (or two hours if it is under four months old).

Never use the crate as punishment.

The crate is meant to be your puppy’s safe haven, not somewhere it goes when it’s been bad.

You will need to purchase a crate that is appropriately sized to fit the size your dog will be as an adult.

Bernese Mountain Dogs are very large, so you will need to purchase a large crate.

A crate that is about 60″x36″ or 72″x36″ should be large enough for your dog.

If your Bernese is hunched over or can’t turn around comfortably in the crate, then you need to buy a bigger crate for it.