Remember that puppins we brought home from Amish country last August? She's pushing 50# and still has a way to go in her puppy stage. Fifty pounds of puppy is a daunting deal.
This fall I enrolled Xiao Shan in obedience training. For eight Tuesdays I attended the hour long class with a teacher we know, love and respect. Towards the end of the session our instructor announced to the class this disclaimer, "I just want you to know that Jen has three well behaved children at home, so it's interesting to see this situation."
小山 the Wonderdog, despite her lumbering and oft un-cooperativeness is fun to be around. Her Berner smile is infectious, and the way she cocks her head when you talk to her gives the impression of a wisdom she usually seems to lack.
Lou, our instructor, suggested we harness some of her energy. And we did. Quite literally. Last weekend, using a dog harness Mr Johnson and MGJ strapped a bunch of trimmed branches for her to pull back to our burn pile. She was so determined and proud of herself. And completely exhausted at the end of her branch pulling.
The Bernese Mountain Dog is an alpine mountain dog with an ancient lineage. According to the AKC the Berner breed has "long been at home on the farms in the midland of Switzerland. One of the four varieties of Swiss Mountain Dogs, the Bernese known in its native land as the Berner Sennenhund. These dogs worked as drovers and draft dogs as well as watchdogs in the farmyards mainly in the Canton of Berne."
