The first days with a Mini Bernedoodle Puppy

The first week with my Bernedoodle puppy was a tough one. When we picked him up, he constantly whined. He also whined on the first and second night, as most puppies do. To reassure him, we gave him a toy with a scent from the litter. After these two nights, he was still whining when we went to bed, but luckily for only 10 minutes or so.

Crate training

After one week, he remains fairly quiet when we go to bed. However, he is still whining when we put him in his crate during the day. We stay with him for a few minutes, which makes him feel more calm and comfortable. But as soon as we leave him, he will start whining again. This occurs especially when he has too much energy left. So we make sure he is tired when we put him into his crate.

I want to make sure that my puppy will experience the crate as something positive. So I give him his food and some treats at this place. I also play with him on the inside of the crate. And to help him feel safe and comfortable, I have covered the crate with a blanket.

In the picture below, you can see our Bernedoodle pup sleeping on his back. This is a very vulnerable position for dogs, and they only start doing this when they feel comfortable and safe, so I guess it’s a good sign.

Puppy Socialization

It’s crucial to socialize a puppy within the first 3 months as they are usually very curious and playful in this period. After this period, puppies tend to be more exposed to things like fear. For example, puppies who are not exposed to thunder within the first 3 months may find it harder to deal with it.

This is why I already took him to the local funfair, twice. He really enjoyed the company of other people and didn’t show any signs of fear. Besides, he even wanted to sleep at some moments. On the other hand, the car ride was a bit scary for him. To create a more positive experience for him, I always put some snacks into his portable crate, placed in our car. I also reassure him of being near him. At time of writing (at the end of the first week), he immediately runs to the car when he sees it. So apparently he is associating it with positive experiences.

I also took my dog to a dog training session, which was a great experience for him. Here we learned him some basic tricks. One of the most important lessons I learned is that you should never remove something from a dog’s mouth. This can lead to possessiveness. I also learned that you should be careful when approaching another dog attached to a leash. This is because leashed dogs cannot display their natural behavior, which can lead to uncomfortable situations. For example, the leash prevents a dog from escaping in fearful situations, which may lead to aggression.

Furthermore, we took him to my sister’s apartment and also invited a friend to visit us.
Besides, I took him to the local woods. This was a bit scary for him at first sight, but he rapidly adjusted.

Measuring our pup’s weight

To keep track of our dog’s growth process, we keep measuring his weight several times a week weight. . I notice him getting heavier and firmer. Besides, the length of his coat hair increases, and he gets slightly curlier.

Bernedoodle Puppy Pictures

Of course I took lots of pictures and some videos of our Bernedoodle puppy in this precious first week. And I want to share some with you. To get good quality pictures I use a DSLR camera (Nikon D5100). I can recommend this camera to beginners because of its quality combined with its low price point.