Bernese Mountain Dogs (and large breed care in general)

I know this is a bit off topic but I know that I'm probably not going have to buy any flea preventatives ever as long as I live in this city. Fleas are extremely rare here, and finding someone who actually uses flea preventative is rare because, our vets actually won't recommend it either. They don't like our elevation, and with all the dogs that i've known through family, or our own, that they have never been on flea preventative, and neever in their life have they had a flea on them.

I don't have anything to add about the pros and cons of giant breeds though, since I'm only a wannabe owner! Haha, but good luck with whatever you decide.

shamrockmommy

So anyway, what's it like living with a large breed?  What about food?  I'm accustomed to the needs of small breed dogs, and I currently feed sojo's premix but realize this may not be ideal for a puppy berner.

 

Fur, fur, and more fur. I walk a BMD, and she's LOVELY, but....her fur is another story. It's everywhere! When I walk her I'm covered from head to toe, as well as my car is covered.

As for big dogs in general...Apollo is big (110lbs) so I pretty much know big, lol....be prepared for almost everything to cost more: food, treats, shampoo, flea preventative, hip & joint tablets (if you're going to use them), most leashes and collars are more money the bigger the dog, crate, bed, toys (which many big dogs destroy with ease), and bowls. Big dogs are also harder to transport....like, going to the vet, the petstore, the park (smaller dogs in general are just easier to get in & out of the car). Be prepared for DROOL! After Apollo drinks he can sling drool like a champ, especially on those hot summer days. Also, the BMD that I walk, does not tolerate warm weather at all...but in the winter she's rolling all over the snow. And, big dogs need alot of training, because if they jump on someone they can seriously hurt them (Apollo almost took my Grandma out, she's 72, when I first got him). They're (BMD's) so much stronger than you would think, seriously, they're a very strong breed.

Best of luck!

Thanks to everyone for their replies.  It has definitley given me lots to think about. DH still adores them and I do too, and I'm prepared to handle the hair, the training, and (eek) the extra costs.  Although, I will say that I wouldnt' mind some fluffyish shelter pup too. It's gotta have some hair! :) 

I had a great grooming post for Hot Shot's mom and then my 1 yr old came over and pressed some button which deleted the whole entire thing!

Here is how I groom the long haired dogs like bmd's, and goldens are groomed very similarly as well: Use a grooming/leave in spray with a silicone in it. This will greatly help with the brushing. I even use Infusium 23 leave in conditioner, put in a spray bottle.  Spritz the dog all over lightly, get the tail and rear fairly good, as there's a lotta hair there!  You can even soak mats with it and pull the mat apart with your hands carefully and work it out.

Ok, so once you've spritzed the dog, use your slicker brush or pin brush (slicker for very heavy coats and shedding) and brush from the tail toward the head.  Follow through with a rake comb or a "greyhound" comb (have no idea why it's called that but it's a metal comb, typically with fine/coarse tines)  Make sure you comb all the way down to the skin to be sure you've gotten all the tangles out.  Major areas that like to tangle/mat are: behind the ears, armpits, between the back legs, tail and rear feathers.  Pay extra attention to those areas.  Spritz as necessary. 

You can use thinning shears to trim the fuzzies off the ears and give a neat appearance. Or maybe you really like the ear fuzzies, you can leave 'em if you want.  Use a clippers or a small scissors to trim all that pad hair. It will help them grip on slick floors and also stop them from dragging in so much dirt/grass/leaves.   You can also use the thinning shears to trim the back of the rear foot.  http://www.bmdca.org/info_sheets/grooming.pdf here is an excellent page on grooming the BMD.

So yes, excited, and we'll see what the future brings for us. I'll keep everyone posted and thanks so much for all teh thoughts!