Our Berner Blog

Dear Avi (Part I)

2011-03-07T19:07:00.000-08:00

Dear Avi,

I remember when you chose us.

A friend shared that she knew someone in Reading, PA who was breeding her Berners and that she was expecting puppies soon. We contacted the breeder and arranged a time to visit. I had never seen a Berner before that day outside of the pictures Aimee would show me on her computer.

The drive felt like it took hours and hours. We made our way north into Pennsylvania, missing exits along the way on account of poorly marked roads. Retracing our steps until we finally arrived at your birthplace. You were outside in the yard with your brothers and sisters, mom and dad. Though you were one of six with nearly indistinguishable markings, you made it easy to pick the right match for us. You encircled our legs, nipping at our fingertips and shoelaces. You yipped in a tiny puppy voice. You never once struggled free when we held you. Pure joy filled our hearts and we loved you from first sight.

Our drive home felt empty, yet somehow full of anticipation. Because you were only 4 weeks old, we'd have to wait an additional month to take you home. In that time you would grow and your personality would begin to take shape. The family called you 'Striper' because of the long stipe running from the tip of your nose up past your eyes and settling somewhere behind your ears. We named you 'Avi', the namesake of one of our favorite authors and one that felt foreign enough to befit a Swiss dog, despite the fact that it's actually a traditional Jewish name.

It was pouring when we finally came to pick you up. Having nearly doubled in weight and size, you now resembled a giant rabbit, complete with flappy ears and oversized paws. Aimee sat in the backseat with you for the duration of our drive and you never once had an accident, never once cried. We stopped to let you stretch when we reached a halfway mark. I can still picture you tromping through the tall grass outside of the gas station as we smiled and smiled over our new addition.

I still smile every time I think of that day. The day you chose us.

Our Family Grows

2010-11-24T05:24:00.001-08:00

Our family has changed and grown since the last post over a year ago. Since last writing, Bella has found a new home and we've welcomed Jonah Christopher, our first child, into our lives.

Bella had needs that we were unable to meet, but she was re-homed with a lovely family who lives outside of Baltimore. She's able to have company most of the time and it sounds as though her anxiety has been calming a great deal. We get occasional updates and we're happy Bella was part of our lives, even if for a short time.

Meanwhile, Jonah Christopher was born on July 22nd, 2010. Our now 4th-month-old has recently discovered Avi, probably most attracted to the strong contrasting colors of his face. Jonah loves to watch Avi, and Avi, meanwhile loves to be near our infant (even despite lots and lots of crying).

We've got lots more to share and hope to update the blog more frequently now that things are starting to fall into a routine.

-M

Bella and Avi

2009-11-21T13:30:00.000-08:00

We've got another Berner under our roof! (seriously... long time, no see!)

Bella joined us recently when we had the opportunity to foster. We quickly fell in love with her (as did Avi) and now we've all got a little one to look after .

It's also been far too long since we've updated the blog, so expect lots of catching up soon.

And now, back to our baby...

-Matthew

New England Vacation Day 2

2009-08-09T18:18:00.001-07:00

Next stop: The Daniel Rust House Bed & Breakfast in Coventry, Connecticut!

We stumbled upon this B&B through PetFriendlyTravel.com. This was such an awesome find! An amazing, historic B&B that was dog-friendly and beautiful!

Avi led the way...

And was quite elated at his find.

We got a great walk in before the rain. Did I mention how great it was to have a walk with our boy in a new place.

After a very yummy breakfast the next morning, Avi got in a little morning playtime with Seabiscuit, a Great Dane/Greyhound mix.

There was lots of chasing around and Avi really seemed to enjoy running around off-leash.

But the best part was when we started tossing around a ball. Seabiscuit chased the ball... Avi chased Seabiscuit... Seabiscuit fled the scene... Avi stared a little confused at what to do next.

We highly recommend the Daniel Rust House B&B. Make sure you stop by if you're in the Coventry, CT area. We'll definitely keep it in mind when we're on our next trip to New Hampshire!

-Matthew

New England Vacation Day 1

2009-08-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

Aimee, Avi, and I took a vacation to New England last week. It was a chance to camp with Avi (new experience), visit Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire, and hang out with a bunch of Aimee's friends from college (not to mention lots of other dogs)!!

We left Baltimore for our first stop: Promised Land State Park in northern Pennsylvania.

There's nothing like a dog-friendly state park to feel like your on vacation. Lots of beautiful woods and lakes and birds singing. We bought a bigger tent so that we could sleep on our air mattress and leave Avi enough room to curl up on a comfy blanket beside us.

Camping with Avi was AWESOME! He slept well and he was eager to hike on the trails with us as we checked out the park.

Our favorite spot in the park was a wildlife conservation viewing area. We hiked back a trail to a hut-type viewing area where you could look out over a marshy area of the lake.

We saw a few bald eagles fly overhead, in addition to hearing the chirping bull frogs while the sun was setting. PERFECT first day of camping!

Final Weigh-In

2009-07-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

As of the most recent vet appointment,

Avi is 116 lbs!

Our vet said that's a good weight and he really shouldn't be any heavier.

...that's a lot of dog!

-Matthew

New Friends

2009-07-02T18:03:00.000-07:00

We had a couple of visitors last week and Avi fell smitten. Her name is Jillian and, though she may not have met a dog as big as Avi in her short life thus far, Avi may have actually been the more curious of the two.

Below we see a sort of London Bridges, as Avi makes rounds from child to child.

But he soon settles in close to Jillian.

Smitten with his new love, he stays close at hand until...
Jillian decides to explore the piano with her older brother. Though Avi's as tall as the paino bench, the bench isn't as mobile and is therefor a safer bet. Avi wanders off dejected...
...but is much happier upon discovering Jilian's diaper bag and a canvas book that's soft on the teeth.

Ataboy! Way to promote literacy while being unflinchingly cute (and yet very suspicious) at the same time!

-Matthew

Rainy Day

2009-05-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

It started off such a nice, mild day. I got a lot of work done... grading and such. Avi was relaxing behind the couch, being near me. After lunch I decided to take Avi for a walk, but wouldn't you know... the clouds shuffled in and we were caught in a refreshing May shower. We never did get to have our full walk, but we did enjoy some time together sitting on the floor in front of the front door. The door was open, but the screen was in place. There was such a great breeze and we just sat and enjoyed the time together.

Man, I love this dog! What a great guy!

-M

Raining

2009-05-04T18:44:00.001-07:00

Haven't updated in a while, but don't worry. We're just chillin' ...finishing up graduate studies and letting muddy paws dry. May brings a lot of rain to Maryland, but we still get out on walks as much as we can.

Thanks for checking in on us.

-Matthew

Avi turns ONE!

2009-03-16T06:17:00.000-07:00

Yay!! Our boy's one year old today!

...and what a year it's been! I was looking over past blog entries and enjoying the memories we've made already... destroying carpet, eating poo, meeting friends at the dog park, and, most recently, visiting the dam with friends (see above).

Looking forward to many great memories to come!

Happy Birthday, Avi!

-Matthew

A Changed Man

2009-02-14T08:25:00.000-08:00

Well, Avi went through some changes this week. Poor boy. Let's start by clearing the air... I think I've been taking the surgery a lot harder than he has. But then again, he's got good pain killers.

So, Avi was neutered this week. He was so happy to visit the vet (see above). We've got a great vet with loving technicians and a very clean, well-kept facility. He seems to enjoy meeting the other animals sharing appointments during his visit and, of course, he never has the slightest clue as to why we're visiting.

We dropped him off in the morning, picked him up after school, and took Thursday off school to be home with him. The vet techs said he didn't bother his stitches during his entire visit, but we bought a "lamp shade" from them to be safe.

Well, wouldn't you know that he was itchy from having so much hair shaved and, consequently, was licking around his stitches. He had to wear the lamp shade as a precautionary measure but, as you can see from the photo above, he now looks more like a traveling party dish for chips and dip.

No worries. We only put the cone on when we cannot supervise him (such as when we leave for work or over night while we sleep). Still, it has made for some great photos!

No puppies for this pooch.

-Matthew

Fan of Snow, NOT of Ice

2009-01-31T07:42:00.000-08:00

Yeah! At last... Maryland get some snow!

We got about 2 inches of snow in Ellicott City on Tuesday, followed without hesitation by about a quarter inch of ice on Wednesday.

Now, to be fair, Avi is quickly becoming a big fan of snow. Other Berner breeders warned us that Berners really "come to life" in the snow and they weren't kidding! He's absolutely hilarious! He jumps around, pouncing the flakes. He races back and forth with little care about being caked in the flaky snow. He tries to eat the snow before it lands on the ground (see picture above).

However, Wednesday was his first experience with ice and Avi was NOT a fan. He was perplexed by the way ice cracks under your feet only after your full weight is on it (this made finding a sure footing very strange for him). By Thursday morning, when the ice has had a chance to really harden, I was able to walk across the surface without it breaking. ...again, not such a good thing for a pup with no traction.

We managed just fine though and, in true Avi-spirit, his head darted down to lick at the ice whenever a new piece cracked at our feet.

Now all of the snow and ice is melting, but there's rumor we'll get more next week. I'm hoping to get some video of Avi's alter-ego, Crazy-Snow-Fan boy.

Until then...

-Matthew

Outgrowing His Toys

2008-12-28T08:18:00.001-08:00

We've got a very big dog (at least that's what visitors think... we don't think he's quite big enough yet, hence the cheering every time he weighs in a little heavier than before).

In any case, with a big dog comes powerful teeth, and Avi the Destroyer has torn up his share of toys (sorry Marley... he's also torn up his share of your toys!). It's funny that he's still got his favorites, though. For example, he's had the squeaky tire form the picture above since he was a puppy. It no longer squeaks... and now he can crunch the entire toy tall-ways in his jaws. I'm sure if the rubber shows a single crack, a single sign of weakness Avi can exploit, it will be destroyed. For now, thank goodness for its elasticity!

It's just funny that the simplest toys keep him entertained.

By the way...

Fun Fact: The tire toy has a 4" diameter. Avi is approximately 8 tires tall and 11 tires long (from nose to tail).

Isn't it fun to measure in non-standard units?

-Matthew

First Snow

2008-12-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

We haven't got much snow yet, but the one or two snow dusting have completely mystified Avi!

He also seems to be very interested in eating the snow, unless this is just a side effect of sniffing for a good place to do his business. It's entertaining to see him take a few steps, sniff the ground, then lick his nose (rinse, repeat...).

In all of the busyness of the holiday season we've also set up our Christmas tree and decorated it with ornaments. Avi's been excellent at not eating the pine needles, although he tail is quite destructive. His typical routine is to walk to the tree, sniff a branch, turn around, and wag his tail. ...let's just say we made sure the fragile ornaments were well above the tail line.

Looking forward to updating more often.

Happy holidays!

-M

Defeated by Jolie

2008-11-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

Avi met a new friend recently: Jolie, the pug puppy. Jen and Mark let us watch Jolie while she ran the grueling Marines Marathon. Little did Avi realize he was in for quite a marathon himself! He was quite surprised by her energy (at only a little over 8 weeks old) and I'm sure he was very confused at how something so small could move around so fast!

Jolie seized the opportunity to make her move... first darting to and fro in the living room, wearing Avi down.

...then swooping under his belly to nip at the backs of his legs.

And when Avi finally gave up and plopped down on the floor...

...she showed him who was the real boss :)

But really, we had a great time with little Jolie. She took down our colossus and charmed the pants off us.

One day Avi's going to have to realize just how big he is, but until that day... Jolie is the reigning victor.

-Matthew

Avi Settles In

2008-11-15T14:25:00.001-08:00

We're settling in. Or perhaps we're settled. Either way, Avi is still growing! We've nearly hit 80 lbs (at almost 8 months) and we've got great space in and around our new house.

We've had the most fun walking Avi across the street to the high school where we can walk on the nature trail (and desperately try to avoid picking up deer ticks) and enjoy a great run around off the lease on their practice field. We've even accumulated a football and a tennis ball on , but he still loves playing with his Kong and chewing on his bone.

Of course, neither of us can get enough snuggle time with our boy. He's more than content to curl up beside ue (or around us) at any available opportunity.

It's good to be loved.

-M

Checking Emails... together.

2008-10-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

I was checking emails early this morning. As usual, my boy followed me out to the family room and took his spot on the couch behind me. What was new, however, was having Avi look over my shoulder while I worked.

Good thing my Mac has a built-in camera... and Avi is such a good sport.

Love that dog.

-Matthew

Heavyweight.

2008-09-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

As of 4:00pm today, Avi weighs in at exactly 66 pounds of solid Berner pup.

Bigtime.

-Matthew

New House. Cold Floors. Excessive Sleeping.

2008-09-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

On move-out day, the apartment was packed with boxes. Avi didn't have much space to move around, so he picked a spot to lay.
The new house, however, has plenty of open floor space for a boy to plop his bottom down. Avi seems to love the cool hardwood floors and the cold tiles at the back entrance.
Of course, he still saves a little love for Aimee and I each day. And we're never ones to turn down kisses.

Lovin' our boy and our new house!

-Matthew

Moving. Watching. All these boxes!

2008-09-18T14:46:00.001-07:00

Avi, sit.

Good boy.

Avi, ignore the boxes piling up and piling up as we prepare to move into our new house (isn't it incredibly exciting!!!).

.
. .
.

Good boy.

Sidewalk Berries

2008-09-09T18:23:00.000-07:00

Poor boy. Shouldn't have gone after those sidewalk berries.

Master always pulls on the leash to avoid temptation. Always opens puppy jaws and fishes into puppy mouth to dislodge unwanted snacks.... but he was too sneaky.

Now he's paying the price. A rough (and messy) accident in his kennel. An upset stomach. A bad case of diarrhea.

At least it gave him an opportunity to add a little rice and canned pumpkin into his diet.

All better (and all active) now, but weary of the sidewalk berries.

As well he should be.

-Matthew

Present from the LeFebers

2008-09-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

The LeFebers found a terrific Bernese Mountain Dog doll. Avi wasn't allowed to play with the doll, so he's just doing his thing... laying with his homies.

-Matthew

Avi at the Grammys

2008-08-14T07:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was full of reunions and catching up with family.

Of course, we couldn't leave our pup out of the excitement, so we lovingly logged nearly 10 total hours of car-trekking through the Pennsylvania Alleghenies with Avi.

First, it was off to Williamsport, Pennsylvania for the Winner reunion. Grammy Winner was very happy to see us and she was astounded at our very large (and very affectionate ) (AND very willing to sleep on the concrete directly on top of my cousin's sidewalk chalk art) pup.

This also meant a chance for mom to see her favorite pup parading around the picnic tables while I snacked on some of her yummy chocolate chip cookies.

We then headed off to Mountain Top, PA to celebrate my Uncle Jim's birthday and see the Ayre-side of the family. Grammy Ayre recently got a puppy. Her sheltie pup is named Mimi and she is not nearly a quarter Avi's size... so Avi was quite a colossus in Mimi's eyes, which scared her for the first half of our visit.

Mimi found her opportunity to get a closer look at Avi while Avi rested on Grammy's kitchen floor.

Then she really got brave, nearly touching noses with our pup.

Honestly, he's so good with other dogs. Outside of a little conversational barking, he was more entranced with Mimi' energy than anything else. Mimi's energy was a little too much for him, but he gave chase to her for some brief time outside before retiring to sneak bites at the apples that had fallen from a nearby tree.

We need to visit more often.

-Matthew

Housesitting

2008-08-08T13:18:00.001-07:00

We returned to the Phillips' household this week for an excellent break away from the apartment. They call it "dog and house sitting", but it's so much more about relaxing with the pups and catching up on our Zzz's.

Avi perfected his dead-to-the-world couch formation when Aimee was at work.And he cried like the mamma's boy he is whenever she was just out of reach.

Come to think of it, they all stuck pretty close to Aimee. (Barkley and Nicki are the most loving dogs ever! They rub off all the good traits on Avi!)
And what better way to wrap up a week away from home than in the company of a good friend. Joey is such a good sport with Avi. He allowed Avi to follow him all throughout the house without a single hiss or leap of escape.

Definitely not a tough week for this pup!

-Matthew

Avi, the Destroyer

2008-08-08T13:09:00.001-07:00

It was bound to happen. We just didn't see it coming.

Avi woke me up at 5:30am to pee. I walked him. He hurried. We returned to the apartment and I gave him his breakfast. Then I went back to bed and left him to sleep on the tiles by the front door.

I woke up an hour later to an unfamiliar sound. This is what I saw:

We're guessing he was licking his fur off the carpet (yeah... he's gross :) and the cheap apartment carpet started coming up. After that it was an all-out nylon schmorgasbord that resulted in a hole approximately the size of a baseball cap.

But who can be mad at this guy?!
Needless to say, he now returns to his kennel whenever we're not out with him. He doesn't seem to mind it too much and we're very thankful that the carpet didn't hurt him.

There goes the security deposit.

-Matthew

Dog Park

2008-08-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

Yeah! Avi's old enough for the dog park!

After turning 4 months, getting his license and his rabbis shot, Avi is now able to go to BARC, the Baltimore County dog park in Glyndon... and what an awesome dog park it is! Running water. Lots of shade. Plenty of space to run around in. And SO many new dog buddies to socialize with!

Expect to see lots of new stories from our visits to BARC... after all... there are SO MANY new butts to sniff at the dog park! Now that our pup's learned that he can hold is own (though he's still a little nervous around the other dogs), he's starting to show his true colors. (AND he's starting to charm the pants off the other owners at the park!)

It's fun to play.

-Matthew

No Greater Love

2008-07-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

I was checking my emails. He was curious. I hit the record button. He was adorable. I made it into a movie.

Share and enjoy.

- Matthew

At the Beach

2008-07-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

This weekend it was off to Stone Harbor, NJ for a few days at the beach. We traveled with some friends and, though dogs were not allowed on the beach, we still found quality time to spend with Avi.

...like on Saturday, when he woke us up at 5:00 am to be walked and then refused to go back to sleep.
(Did I forget to mention that we spent the evening at the boardwalk at Wildwood and, even though we got back to the house and the dogs around midnight, we didn't actually go to bed until somewhere around 1:30am?!)

...or on Sunday, when he woke us up a little past 4:15 am to be walked. This time I slept out on the couch following the walk while he slept below me.
(Oops... did I forget to mention that at around 6:30 am Aimee came out to lay with us. After sleeping for a little while, Avi woke Aimee up by pawing at her and accidentally scratching her then-open eye?!)

Aimee was an excellent sport and, after wiping away the tears of being temporarily maimed, she garnered a bandaged eye patched and concealed beneath her sunglasses during a day of shop-hopping in Stone Harbor.

On the bright side, Avi had a chance to run around a fenced yard with Eza, a weimaraner/chocolate lab mix who is able to tear through squeaky toy ducks and seamlessly wear down once-thought-indestructible Nylabones if given an unsupervised chance. She was a quick lady and Avi only managed to hump her hip one time.

Poor boy. She was a good sport, but he just doesn't understand how to charm a lady yet.

-Matthew

Peed On

2008-07-15T03:31:00.001-07:00

Just when Avi was finally settling in with our best dog buddy, Ben, the poor Berner was subjected to a vicious, degrading act of hate and... oh... who are we kidding?! The boy is just too curious for his own good, and this time his curiosity led to getting peed on.... in the face.

Avi, a good soldier and never one to leave a man behind, was going back to check on Benjamin while Ben was lifting his leg to water the plants on the hill. Avi walked into the line of fire and, needless to say, was recklessly gunned down. (okay, okay... it was just a stream across the nose... but it was a hit, regardess!)

The remaining walk back to the apartment was uneventful, aside from Aimee desperately avoiding Avi as tried to nuzzle up against her. (before we cleaned his nose, of course!)

Well... that was certainly a new experience!

-Matthew

Heaven Must Be Missin' an Angel

2008-07-04T09:47:00.001-07:00

Our buddy Angel has been spending the week at Casa de Winner. NOTE: Her super-curly hair feels even cooler when she lays under your bare feet!

It's been kinda nice to have a labradoodle on call for that much-needed doggy affection, and Angel is just the girl for the job! She gives kisses all the time... never excluding just after she belches, following sniffing Avi's rear end, or even after she's groomed herself.

It took the two a little bit of time to grow accustomed to one another (Angel has spent time at our place before, and has met Avi before, but never both of these exciting experiences at the same time). He tried to exercise dominance. She stole some of his toys. They both took their shots at peeing on the puppy bed. But eventually, somewhere around day 3, they just gave up and played.

She plays very well with him, taking turns pinning him to the ground then letting Avi exercise his strength. Avi's favorite attack-combo was to strike for her collar, pull the belt away from the clasp, and then parade around the apartment with his Ultimate Fighting Championship belt, her red collar, dangling from his mouth.

All-in-all, it's been a great experience. It's actually funny that Avi, a 4-month old berner, is not much smaller than Angel, who's a little over 2 years old... yet he plays like he's already a giant among men.

What a goober.

-Matthew

Avi, give kisses.

2008-06-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

Hope this works.

Avi was cuddling with Aimee when she asked him for "kisses", which is usually his cue to stop biting at her face and arms. On this occasion, however, he had a different agenda in mind.

Enjoy!

-Matthew

Poo-Eater

2008-06-23T06:22:00.000-07:00

Faint of heart... Beware! We've got a poo-eater on our hands!

Avi spotted a devoured a fresh pile of doggie doodoo and snatched it up in his mouth before Aimee could stop him. We were on our way to the car for a trip to our friend's house when he spotted the heap, gobbled up and, needless to say, foiled Aimee's attempts to fish out the feces from his jowels.

We had read that some dog's have an aversion to eating poo. What a curious dog habit! In any case, the canine Hershey kiss shown above is all that remained after Avi's attack.

What a little kid!

-Matthew

Panic

2008-06-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

We hit crisis mode yesterday for probably the first time of Avi's life.

Aimee took Avi to the vet for his 3-month check-up and to get his distemperment shots. What should have been a normal visit, aside from the vet alerting Aimee that Avi has a "hard bite" (no surprise) which is a "bad trait", turned to panic nearly two hours after the visit.

Avi had an allergic reaction to the shot, causing his whole body to swell up... eyes closed, lips and gums swollen, pads puffed to the point that he could not walk. She called the vet, got Avi some Benedryl (upon their suggestion), then called me. Because the swelling was not going down nearly an hour after taking the medicine, we took Avi back to the vet.

To make a long story short, he now has to get an additional shot before getting these vaccinations in order to counteract an allergic reaction.

...but our little guy is okay... and that is what matters most.

-Matthew

Shout Out

2008-06-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

No picture today...

...just a shout out to the Watts family and to Kelly, their 6-month old black lab.

Aimee was beaming about yesterday, when Avi met this new friend... and, evidently, she really liked Avi, too! Aimee said that this was hands-down the best interaction Avi has had with any other dog yet (and we're up to about 25 new friends since bringing him home from Reading, PA).

Sounds like Avi may have a new BFF!

-Matthew

Giant Puppy

2008-06-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

Avi is officially a giant puppy, weighing in at 29.6 lbs as he celebrates his 11-week birthday.

To put things in perspective, he weighed 5 lbs when we picked him out at 4-weeks old and had already reached 18 lbs when we brought him home at 8 weeks.

Bear cub.

-Matthew

Avi's Favorite Toy

2008-06-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

Since coming home from Reading, PA, Aimee and I have established different relationships with Avi. Now, as our pup is a solid 11 weeks old, we are seeing the fruits of our labors.

I've been stern and "boring" with Avi. I pet him when he's at his sleepiest and when he's in a playful mood, I always make sure there's a toy close at hand.

Aimee, on the other hand, has been the "fun" one. She runs around with Avi. They play "chase". He barks. He totally loves playing with this girl.

Long story short... Aimee is Avi's favorite chew toy. He chases her around. He bites at her clothes. He bites holes in her skirts. Bite. Bite. Bite. Scratch. Scab. Scar. He completely goes after her like she is the best toy ever invented.

Aimee doesn't think it's so funny (although when Avi comes at her she always laughs hysterically)... but I know she cherishes the special bond she shares with our pup.

More bites. More joy.

-Matthew

Drew's Song

2008-05-26T05:28:00.000-07:00

A, he's so adorable
V, because he's valiant
I, he's irresistible

Avi, Avi, Avi

Other Dogs

2008-05-25T15:11:00.001-07:00

Avi's met a lot of dogs in the past two weeks, including a slew of dogs in our apartment complex. He's also met nearly all of the family pets, including Molly, Snickers, and Piper. (Zoe wasn't around, but I'm sure he, like Snickers, will be startled by Avi's sheer size!)

Better yet, Avi got to meet Ben, Zach and Kristin's akita mix. We love Ben. He's a fantastic dog and he put Avi in his place. He's still a little apprehensive around our energetic pup, but Avi seems to love Ben's company.

Other dogs have had mixed reactions to Avi. Molly didn't seem to into Avi, so Avi just chilled outside my parent's house. Lots of fun playing in the yard and chasing Drew and Tara around a tree.

Meanwhile, Piper and Snickers spent quality time with Avi outside of Aimee's mom's house. Snickers was intimidated by Avi's bear-like stature, but Piper seemed to like him quite a bit.

And that's the way all dogs are reacting to him... they either seem really interested in him, or they want to bark at him and run away. On the other hand, Avi seems to be interested in other dogs, if not at least entertained... but he hasn't shown any sign of fear or intimidation to any of them.

...Maybe they can sense his future as a colossus.

The Boy Bites

2008-05-19T18:30:00.000-07:00

No kidding... This kid's got teeth!

SHARP teeth!

It seems he's teething on everything he can, including the legs of the coffee table, the straps of our laptop bags, the basket holding his toys, the door stop, our fingers, our ankles, our arms, our socks, the bottom of our pants legs, the sleeves of our shirts and jackets, and, his NEW favorite, Aimee's colorful, flowing skirts.

Never mind the fact that he's got some wonderful chew toys including his absolute favorite: Duck.

At four months he should lose his puppy teeth. Our friends have said that his teething should subside when he's got his adult teeth, but for the next two months be prepared to be chomped if you stop by to visit.

So for now... bite, bite, BITE!

What a charmer!

-Matthew

Learning to Love a Crate

2008-05-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

Avi vs. the Crate (Round 1)

So we're trying to crate-train Avi to be used to going into his kennel at night for bed... "trying" being the operative word here.

The first night we brought him home, we placed Avi in the crate, said "Avi, kennel. Good boy!", offering lots of praise in order to help reinforce the command, and then attempted to sleep through a little over 30 minutes of whimpering and restrained barks.

The good news, if you're so inclined, is that he woke me up at 4:35 the next morning to pee. He didn't pee in his crate!

Avi and His Powerful Back Legs (Round 2)

On the second night Avi learned how to backpedal and attempted very earnestly to keep the kennel door from shutting. However, his crying didn't last as long and, once again, he slept well through the night.

A Fight Then Goodnight (Round 3)

Two nights ago Avi put up his usual fight to go into the crate, but then immediately lay down and rested... as though giving up and realizing that crying is worthless if he thinks we're going to let him back out.

But being the loving new-puppy owners that we are, we were completely devastated to have to struggle to get him into his crate in addition to hearing his whiny sobs from inside the kennel.

How can we make this puppy like his kennel, his crate, his den (feeding into his pack instincts)?

Making a Kennel into an Enviable Hang-Out Place (Round 4)

A number of friends said we just needed to hang in there and Avi would eventually get used to the crate. Two weeks seems to be the magic number.

But our dog expert pals all told us we should be proactive by finding ways to make Avi want to spend time in the crate. Why would he want to do that, you might ask?! Well, here are the things we're testing out in order to win him over:

1. Dinner in the Den - We're working on luring Avi into the crate by serving his meals in the crate and, meal by meal, moving the dishes further and further back into the kennel.
2. Playtime in the Pen - We're also trying to get Avi to play with his toys (or at least retrieve the toys) in his kennel. We've placed his toy basket outside his kennel door, but he hasn't yet chanced the move to retrieve a toy (we only started trying this out tonight).
3. Treats in the Toys - We've also been placing one of his favorite toys in the crate and hiding treats in it to give him something to work at to wear himself out.
4. Wear the Puppy Out! - One of our best allies has been exhaustion because no puppy sleeps better than Avi when he's worn out from some quality play time.

Things are on the up-and-up. It's only been five days with Avi and already we've seen changes. He's adjusting to new owners. We're adjusting to having a puppy. And we're both growing closer together.

I love that dog!

-Matthew

Avi, Hurry!

2008-05-10T05:55:00.000-07:00

1. Stand like a tree.
2. "Avi, hurry."

Thank you, Michele for teaching us "hurry".

Within the first hour of being home with Avi he peed twice on the carpet. But we followed our good friend (and CCI puppy raiser) Michele's advise and we scooped him up, took him down to the grass outside, laid him down, said "Avi, hurry", then PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE. And believe it or not, the following two times that he peed, we made it all the way downstairs to the grass and were able to give him the command! What great puppy progress!

And while we're on this note of thanks, Aimee and I need to extend our overflowing gratitude to the following people for the tremendous support they've already given in helping us prepare for our new Berner:

1. Michele, Lisa, and DeLea -
Avi loves his new toys, the treats, and his tasty food from Bark (where we will now be going for *everything puppy* we might need). Aimee and I love that his fur now smells slightly of lavender thanks to the shampoo you gave us. Well done!

2. Judith -
He's not absolutely keen on it yet, but the kennel you're letting us borrow is perfect for our little guy.

3. Mrs. D and Mrs. H's Kindergarten class -
The toys you picked out are perfect and our little guy seems to love tug toys... excellent choices!

4. Emma and Abby -
What a wonderful surprise to receive such thoughtful puppy housewarming gifts! Avi thanks you warmly with Berner kisses.

5. Wendy -
Over and over (in advance) for offering a home away from home for Avi to stay while Aimee and I are at school. I know he'll just love your abode and we already love that we don't have to be so far away while at work.

6. Everyone else -
What terrific love our new addition has already received, and you haven't even met him yet! Thank you for pouring out your love and support for us. It's always recognized and we're *always* grateful for it!

And now, it's time to catch a few Zzz's while the little one naps.

-Matthew

Welcome Home, Avi!

2008-05-10T05:31:00.000-07:00

We brought Avi home yesterday, Friday, May 9th.

The drive to Reading was near excruciating... what with the on and off rain, the numerous accidents backing up traffic, missing our exit in York, and eating some terrible food that gave us both terrible indigestion. Oh, but the butterflies were bouncing around in both of our stomaches, making the additional hour and a half in the car seem less significant to the life we'll have to share with our new Berner puppy.

Avi's mom seemed to have a difficult time letting him go. She and a second pup were upstairs with us while we were completing the paperwork with Carol and Tim. The other puppy, a girl named Swiss Kiss, was affectionately playing with us while Avi spread out on the kitchen floor in his best impression of a surfboard, front paws tucked beneath his pointed snout and back legs stretched out straight.

Aimee sat in the backseat with Avi on our drive home and enjoyed some fun one-on-one time while Avi climbed over her to check out the windows and to demonstrate how sharp his puppy teeth are.

When we arrived home we made sure we thoroughly wore him out with lots of love and playing with his new toys.

We also gave Avi a bath and showed him his bed and his kennel. He wasn't too keen on the bath or being alone in the kennel... but his has absolutely fallen for his bed.

Aimee's sister dropped by for a visit, but by that point Avi was completely tuckered out. I laid with him on his bed and ended up falling asleep myself with my hand laying on his fuzzy belly. When it was time for Aimee and I to go to bed, we lad Avi into his kennel and shut the gate, then I laid on the floor with my fingers in the crate while he cried a little then lay down. We took him out to pee before laying him down for good, but when he returned to his kennel he was full of puppy dog cries. Aimee laid with him for a while to comfort him and reassure him that she was near.

Overall, we lost a little sleep... but that was nothing for all that we gained!

- Matthew

Our Reading Berner

2008-05-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

No, no, no.... he can't read. You're pronouncing it wrong :)

We traveled to Reading, PA (pronouced like "Yesterday I *read* a book.") four weeks ago to select a Bernese Mountain Dog pup from a litter of six.

How do you choose?!

Of the two boys and four girls, one with a stripe running down his neck charmed the pants off of us. We played with the pups for a little over an hour and then, after calling dibs on "striper" (as they aptly named him), we made the long drive home to Owings Mills, MD.

Good thing we brought our camera (or perhaps bad thing for everyone we ran into over the past four weeks). We've shown of our new little guy to nearly every relative, friend, and colleague who's shown even the slightest hint of curiosity.

We're getting a Berner. We know our life won't ever be the same.

- Matthew