I am going to work in Zurich for 3-4 months and want to get a Bernaise puppy to take back with me to the States. I have been thinking and learning about the breed for quite some time now, and it seems that now it is the best time and opportunity.

I had a German Shepherd for 14 years but she died 2 years ago.

Any help or references will be greatly appreciated.

PippiL

Hi, do you mean a St Bernard or a Bernese mountain dog?

Hello Pippi, here is a good online site for Switzerland.www.hundeonline.ch.
good luck,regards kap.

I mean Bernaise mountain dog.
PippiL

You mean Bernese Mountain Dog or Bernersennenhunde I presume?

http://www.bernersennenhunde.ch/ehunde.htm

I guess you must get a Bernaise puppy from Bernaise sauce?

Good luck - they are lovely dogs. I know someone who has 2 back in the UK and they're just big teddy bears on legs.

I'm sorry but unless you have someone at home to tend to the puppy when you get it, I would not get one here and then take it back.

Are there no breeders in the US you can use?

You have housetrained before? I assume you'd crate the puppy during your working hours (if you ever spell the breed properly, of course )?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housebreaking

eliminate. . .

do they mean pooh ??

ok, I followed the link and found the answer. . . .

Why dont they just say pooh !!

Sorry for misspelling and for some of the confusion. Yes, I would want to get Bernese puppy, yes, I have experience in house breaking of a German Sheperd and before a labrador.

Also, I am thinking to get the puppy very close to the time I will be leaving the country for the US, so that I (or my girlfriend) will be with him ALL the time before and for quite some time after we come to US. I never even thought about caging a dog, really. I am planning to take him into the cabin when I fly back.

The reason that I want to get it in Switzerland vs in US, is that from my experience with German Shepherd, the European breeds are usually a bit different from what you can find in US. For instance, my German Shepherd came from Germany, and she really behaved and looked slightly different from her friends on the dog runs. I can elaborate why I want to get the puppy in Switzerland if someone's interested.

Thanks again for your attention. If someone knows about some breeders I can contact, especially ones who speak English, that would be great.

Pippi,

Have you ever flown a dog on a long haul flight before?

Most airlines require dogs over 15 lbs. to travel as cargo in the hold. A bernese puppy at 8-10 weeks (the minimum age a pup should leave the litter) could be well over that limit. (Avg. weight at that age is 12-24 lbs.) Which means your young, scared pup could end up left all alone for 7-10 hours in the hold.

I have flown my dogs around the world several times over.... and I would never, ever fly a puppy. Ever. Flying is very stressful for a even well adjusted adult dog - a puppy should not be put through that kind of trauma.

Some airlines will not fly dogs under 6 months old. And many stop animal shipments during the summer months due to the heat. (If the plane is delayed, animals often get left on the tarmac - and a young puppy would be more susceptible to heat stroke than an adult.)

I would strongly encourage you to look for your dog in the US. A puppy needs a stable environment in his first month/year with a new family - what you propose doing will not give the puppy sufficient time to bond with you before the flight. You certainly won't have time to get the pup 'flight ready' - getting him accoustomed to the travel crate, teaching him how to use the drip bottle, etc. And, no young puppy will be able to go that long with out eliminating... you are setting yourself up for a house training nightmare. (And if by some chance you are allowed to bring your puppy in the cabin, what happens when he needs to go? You are going to have a seriously P.O'd passengers sitting next to you...)

A transatlantic move is really not a good way to start building your dog's confidence.

Before going further, why not talk to a few animal shipping professionasl, and get their ideas on the pros/cons of flying a such a young dog.

Meloncollie, thanks for your message. Yes, I've flown my dog 4 times over the pond and I know how stressful it is for the dog and for the owner. Because of that I thought about getting a puppy at the age when it still be allowed into the cabin with me. My girlfriend was at some point of time a dog coach, so I think that two of us will manage the flight.

I would really want to find a couple of breeders in Switzerland with whom I could consult and converse. Unofrtunately I do not speak German, but what to.

Anyway, thanks again.
PippiL

I sent you an email.
Monika at www.bernersennenhunde.ch speaks really good English.
She has sold dogs to go overseas to the USA before, along with other areas in the EU.

A friend of mine used to be a breeder and told me that many of the breeders in the US have bred in different traits and thus don't really match the definition of the"True Bernese Mountain Dog".

Having had a Bernese, I can tell you that they are great fun and make good companions. Tom can steal a loaf of fresh bread and get it eaten faster than anyone I know! Just remember that these area very big breed.

Thank you! I will certainly check it. And yes, I know that American breeders are usually after different traits and as I am attracted to the qualities of "" true Bernese", I want to look for Bernese in Switzerland.

Again, Thanks!

Rather than start a new thread ...

I had previously (no idea when) seen a Bernese Mountain Dog, either in real life or photographically on the web. Enough that I knew what they looked like.

Yesterday I was hiking uphill in New Hampshire (USA) and met a hiker going down with a pair of absolutely gorgeous dogs. I somehow recognized them as Bernese Mountain Dogs, and their owner confirmed my identification.

For some reason I did not take a photo ...

Are they the most beautiful dogs I have ever seen? Not sure, but definitely candidates.

for the OP

Are these dogs so rare in the USA? In Slovenia this breed is very, very popular. What amazes me is that I see more Bernese Mountain dogs in Slovenia than here in their homeland .

I agree 100%. Great dogs (as you can see from my photo).

You should go to Animalia at the Palais de Beaulieu in Lausanne 17-18.10.2009. Details are on the website:

http://www.beaulieu.org/

They have all breeds there. You will be able to see some BMDs and talk with the breeders. You need to take someone who speaks German/Swiss German as most of the breeders are from the Swiss German part of the country.

The American/Canadian dogs tend to be bigger than the Swiss ones.

Bernese are gorgeous dogs. I live in Australia and have owned 2...my first one had to be put down due to cancer - she lived to 8 years old - and my second baby girl was treated for cancer at 4 years old, she has had major surgery and was given a year to live by my vet.
There are (apparently) very few breeders who don't have cancer as a hereditary/genetic problem in their Bernese.

It's very sad, and I was wondering if anyone knows what cancer is like in Swiss Bernese Mountain Dogs?