Four to eight months
General observations
Puppies begin to lose their milk teeth between 4-5 months and start to put in adult teeth. Chewing or mouthing may become more intense when puppies lose their teeth. Also, eruption of teeth may cause discomfort if gums are tender resulting in lack of interest in food . Soaking food in water to soften it may help a dog to eat if her gums are sore. Also many puppies are beginning to lose their puppy coats by four - five months. Don't be surprised to see lots of fuzz in the brush when grooming. You will know your pup is changing over to an adult coat when you see a strip of very shiny coarser looking black coat running down the center of your puppy's back. Fuzz will remain around the ears. The skull will begin to elongate which combined with wildly fuzzy ears can give pups a somewhat comical appearance. Some owners like to trim up ear fuzz with scissors or hand strip it out. Pups at this age usually weigh around 45- 85 pounds. Larger males may weigh more.
photo courtesy David North
Adult height is usually not fully reached until 18- 24 months; but by 8 months most dogs have attained a substantial portion of their height. Often, in dog of this age ,the chest has not dropped and body may appear slight. Once heavily boned legs appear to have lost their substance.
Sometimes a puppy's growth can begin to become a bit uneven with the rear quarters appearing higher for a week and then the front quarters growing to catch up. This uneven growing may extend to 12 months of age or beyond depending on how individuals or a given family of dogs develops. Uneven growth spurts are not in and of themselves a cause for concern. Dogs can appear a bit uncoordinated during growth spurts.
Vaccines
You may want to give your dog a booster vaccine for distemper and parvo or a combination vaccine after 16 weeks of age. You will also need to get the pup her first rabies vaccine somewhere between 4-6 months of age. A few states require rabies by 12 weeks. We suggest that you schedule 2 visits and do not give both vaccines at the same time. Schedule vaccine appointments several weeks apart. Vaccines can protect dogs from serious illnesses by stimulating the dog's own system to produce antibodies that will protect her from diseases if she is exposed to them. But vaccines given too frequently or too many at a time can create problems in some dog's immune systems. While you should rely on your vet for vaccine administration and advice based on conditions in your area, some vets may tend towards giving more vaccines than are necessary. Titer testing is a good option for testing whether a dog has sufficient antibodies present. Titer testing is an alternative method of understanding and managing the immunity status of your dog so that the dog can be given appropriate vaccines as needed.
Feeding tips
Pups at around six months can usually be cut back to 2 meals per day. Some pups may start to refuse to eat at one meal or don't finish meals over the course of several days to a couple of weeks which is a good time to switch to twice a day feeding. Evidence that your dog may be getting a bit too much food is when your dog is rolling when she walks or if you are unable to feel ribs through thick flesh. Many dogs in this breed roll from side to side when they walk because of an imbalance in shoulder and rear quarter's angulation. Many pups have loose skin at this age . Neither of these should be confused with an overweight pup. Feed less food at each meal or cut down a bit on the food reward treats to bring a slightly overweight pup back to optimal weight which is when a bit of firm flesh covers the ribs and the dog feels tight fleshed but not bony .
We have observed in some dogs that the addition of a spoon of yogurt or cottage cheese to meals may bring a growing pup back up on its feet if pasterns start to get a bit loose or weak during heavy growth phases. Supplementation with calcium is not advisable.
Lots of energy -but- not a lot of sense
Pups are now gaining a sense of how their world works. They understand routines. Training is paying off and puppies of this age are able to somewhat reliably follow commands, often with great exuberance! Stay and come commands especially need reinforcement as pups are easily distracted by things that interest them - despite the fact they may well understand what is being asked of them.
By this time most Berners have figured out how to get their owners attention. All of their cuteness and puppy antics can be quite delightful and amusing. But remember to ask yourself whether behaviors that are cute now will be cute when your dog weighs 40-50 more pounds. Dogs of this age are prone to jumping up on their owners. Turn away from the dog so he slides off and do not encourage your dog to engage in this sort of greeting.
Special considerations - lameness
There are a wide variety of orthopedic conditions that cause problems for growing dogs. Panosteitis (inflammation of the long bones in the legs), elbow dysplasia, hip dysplasia or OCD can cause a puppy to limp. Soft tissue injuries such as sprains or ligament or muscle strains can cause a dog to limp and may take days, weeks or even months to resolve. Pups are still very tender at this age and are yet they are starting to get a good bit of size and many have energy to burn. So be careful and don't let your pup become too rambunctious as injury can easily occur. From about five - eight months is the typical age bracket wherein orthopedic conditions may become evident. Some dogs may show mild, intermittent, moderate or severe limping symptoms.
If a dog does not want to bear any weight on a leg or is in pain it is probably best to see a vet promptly as the dog may have a serious injury. Swelling or skin discoloration around joints should be checked out by a vet as well. Intermittent limping that continues for longer than a few days should be checked out by a vet qualified to evaluate orthopedic concerns to determine the underlying cause. Unfortunately, causes for lameness in young pups may not be so easily diagnosed. Not only that, but limping, no matter what the underlying cause, may resolve on its own depending on the dog, on management and on the nature and severity of the underlying problem. Radiographs may not reveal elbow joint problems caused by a fragmented coronoid process in a six or 8 month old Bernese . Countless radiographs taken of lame young Berners have resulted in 'no finding' regarding elbow joint conformation only to have the same dogs' radiographs done and re-evaluated at age two and found to exhibit Grade 1 (mild) elbow dysplasia. Panosteitis can cause a dog to be intermittently lame for months. Dogs have different thresholds for pain just like people. Babying a dog in pain may reinforce the dog to use even minor pain to gain attention from a sympathetic owner.
The only advice that we give if a puppy is lame is always check first with the dog's breeder for input. Use common sense when reacting to lameness in young dogs. Most dogs will self limit their activity level if they are uncomfortable. A dog that wants to continue to play and limps a bit afterwards may not be the most appealing to look at and confinement may or may not resolve the problem. Pups exhibiting mild or intermittent lameness may require an owner to manage the pup's activity level, leash walk the dog or confine the dog to crate rest. Curtailing jumping and wild cavorting in a lame pup is advisable. Sometimes resting a limping dog will help correct lameness and sometimes moderate exercise will help. Every dog is different, so figuring out what management is best for any given dog will vary widely.
Management for lame dogs
Many owners and some veterinarians want to "fix" a dog's limping problem immediately. Limping problems can take time to resolve. Have patience. Some dogs can be managed medically with herbal or homeopathic remedies or with combinations of western medicine therapies and alternative medical therapies. Glucosamine sulfate, Chondroitin sulfate, MSM, adequine injections, acupuncture, vitamin C and other non surgical options have been successful treatments for lameness with many BMDs. Get help and advice from a qualified homeopath or someone with experience using alternative therapies such as herbs and dietary supplements. These additives can be as powerful as using pharmaceutical drugs and they can be misused or be dangerous especially if used in combination with drugs.
Surgery
Use of surgical measures to correct some limping problems can be harder on the dog than the problem itself. Choosing surgical correction for orthopedic problems is very serious step that usually entails weeks or months of rehabilitation. Surgical correction of some orthopedic conditions has quite variable outcomes for the dog. So, make sure to gain a full understanding of the extent of the dog's problem, the risks and benefits of the orthopedic surgical procedure . Be very clear about the competency and track record of the veterinarian performing orthopedic surgery before jumping in. ALWAYS consult with the breeder before deciding how to manage a limping puppy. Not sure about what a vet has told you- get a second opinion!
Spaying and Neutering
You may wish to spay or neuter your dog after six months of age if you are not planning on using your dog to produce pups. Spaying/neutering require the use of anesthetic. Some Berners have had serious anesthetic reactions. Politely ask the vet doing the spay or neuter surgery to use a minimalist approach to use of anesthetic. Vets can always put more anesthetic on board if needed, but they can not take back what they initially put into your dog. Reminding your vet that some Berners have not needed dosage amounts that correspond with their weight and that some Bernese have died from anesthetic reactions is something you need to bring to the vet's attention. A pre-anesthetic panel can be done by your vet to make sure your dog clots blood properly and liver and kidney function are adequate. With Berners this type of testing is a good idea since there are bleeding disorders and kidney or liver problems found in some individuals in the breed.